Life in Sri Lanka has in these days reached a low level of intensity unexpectedly. There seems to be no clear line of leadership and economic and social life is spiralling downwards; signs of relief from the dilemmas that overtake us are lacking. The morale of the whole nation is at a low ebb. We seem to be in the doldrums.
The independent analyst can discern the causes - the power crisis which has been allowed to get out of hand, the drop in production and economic slump due to this and other causes, the repetition of dastardly, murderous acts of terrorism by LTTE agents, the ongoing civil war in the North East costing the country Rs. 48 billion this year.
The two latest national tragedies are the defeat suffered by the Army at the Mullaitivu base and the shameless bomb explosions in an office train at Dehiwela on July 24, with horrible loss of innocent lives.
There is the further escalation of the war situation in the North with a new Army offensive near Kilinochchi. Up to now we are unaware of civilian casualties which may be high.
This sad loss of life, the bleeding of the nation, is especially felt by the youth, the flower and hope of the country.
This is a time to unite and to pull together, but instead we see disunity and dissension prevailing everywhere. The political Parties try to exploit even natural and national disasters to further their own advantage. They look for chinks and loopholes in the armour of the opposing Party in every new situation. The two major national Parties instead of joining together on a common front on bipartisan issues like the ethnic question, constitutional changes to meet this problem, the peace movement, economic reconstruction and rehabilitation, spend time raking up the unpleasant features of the past and slinging mud at each other. A distinguished Buddhist prelate Ven. Rambukwelle Sri Vipassi Thero of the Malwatte Chapter deplored this obnoxious tendency in a recent interview reported in the Press.
Politicians are trying to play games at the expense of the national good. Some of the propaganda of the Parties is really childish and an insult to the intelligence of the national community.
The Christian Churches are not outside of all this - we are part and parcel of this sad national scene and part of the problem. We are ourselves split by divisions between us as Churches and inside our communities there are quarrels and disputes that cannot be solved and healed. We do not occupy higher moral ground to judge the rest of the nation. It is from a position of inclusive identity that we make this appeal.
In the midst of all this tragedy and misfortune, how many both in the State and Church still insist on having their unnecessary tamashas and functions with a false display of grandeur? The opening of new ventures, jubilees and pageants, church feasts and processions still go on as though nothing is happening in the nation at large.
We ask ourselves whether the religious leadership is really speaking to the burning issues of the day and making an impact especially on the youth.
The power cut has forced families to get together more frequently and intimately. It is the family that is the nursery of saving moral values that can sustain and rebuild society. The traditional religious values of the great Religions of this country are nurtured in the families.
Let us fall back on those values in our times of crisis and need.
Many editorialists and public-spirited persons have called on the leadership especially political to really lead the country out of the slough of despond, out of the miserable situation she is in. We join our humble voices to this chorus.
Let us ask ourselves what we can do as concerned citizens in our own modest situations and circumstances to improve the situation by dampening the fires of hate, forsaking revenge, forming better relationships among persons of different communities, renouncing violence and not giving way to cynicism and pessimism. Let us all unite behind the nation's leadership to rebuild the country on a firm basis of justice, amity, harmony and peace.
I shall be most grateful if you could kindly place before the general public some salient facts from an organizers standpoint which may clarify certain misconceptions readers may have observed as per recent press publications on the visit of Miss World.
First the object of inviting Miss World is essentially to generate funds for the welfare and happiness of those in need keeping in line with her title "Beauty with a purpose". When Miss Aishwarya Rai visited Sri Lanka in 1995 as the reigning Miss World the Rotary club of Colombo East under the presidency of Rtn Krish Rajendran was successful in generating as much as rupees two million approximately and in the ensuing Rotary year from these funds the club was able to fulfill the priority needs of 25 islandwide orphanages and day care centres to improve the quality of life of our own innocent children.
Furthermore in the same year based on our ability to perform service to humanity we were able to implement noble programmes that enriched the lives of the disadvantaged to the value of rupees 6.3 million in the categories of Child Care Rs. 4,748,933/-, Youth Rs. 180,000/- ,Community Needs Rs. 641,050/-, Health Care Rs. 70,000/-, Housing Rs. 71,000/-, Projects with outstation clubs Rs. 516,750/-, Disabled/Handicapped Rs. 15,000/, Drug Abuse Prevention Rs. 63,800/-, Sports Rs. 19,930/-. When an institution is recognized for its welfare work to alleviate human misery the demands placed on such an establishment by the community is never ending. Therefore in order to continue with our humanitarian programmes we have to invent novel methods to maximize fund raising purely for the well being of those less fortunate than we are.
Reigning Miss World Jacqueline Aguilera's visit undoubtedly created an impact on drug abuse prevention since it was very evident that there was a greater community participation and an increase of nearly 1,000 participants at the National Health Run. The Sri Lanka Anti Narcotics Association was also able to secure better sponsorship which would undoubtedly facilitate their plans to carry out numerous awareness programmes on drug abuse prevention.
The two Rotary Clubs of Colombo East and West have been able to achieve approximately rupees three million or more once again to be utilized for the well being of our own people in need. We were also informed that some other countries had given wide coverage particularly in the press media some of which have been in the front page. This aspect if evaluated positively should stand to benefit our country specially at a time when tourism needs a boost and the fact that Miss World represents 86 countries.
We trust the above mentioned facts would give the readers an insight to our side of the story not forgetting that the media support we have had certainly made an impact to ensure success in this undertaking. Since projects such as this are done with purity of intentions we have no hesitation whatsoever in making notes on valid points highlighted by the writers for future reference so that we may reach near perfection in serving mankind.
It is surprising that Prabhakaran has not yet been declared as a wanted criminal at the war crimes tribunal at the Hague. He is, if not worse, as bad as Radovan Karadzic, who had been twice indicted as a criminal. He started ethnic cleansing long before Karadzic even dreamt of it in Bosnia.
Prabhakaran has committed mass murders during the past 20 years, adopting the most ruthless and barbaric methods known in history. Hapless men and women dragged into the Eelam forces, brain washed and trained to cut, chop, torture and kill fellow human beings, have murdered tens of thousands of Sinhalese living in the border areas. More than 150 such villages have been completely destroyed, houses burnt and the inmates cruelly tortured and murdered.
It is the tactics that he uses that are most degrading. Trained terrorists move into villages in the night, cut and chop to death the bigger children and the men; catch the sleeping babies from their legs and whirl them round smashing their heads on walls to death; rape and strangle the women; loot whatever property and burn and destroy the houses.
He has come for negotiations on more than three occasions and each time cheated the government. Remember how he got the government to establish police stations in the North and the East, and then took the entire police force consisting of 800 policemen into custody, shot the whole lot and buried them in mass graves. Some policemen have been drained of all blood till they died and the blood collected for the Eelam blood bank!
These are just a wee bit of Prabhakaran's deeds. What about the mass murders of innocent people, he has killed by exploding bombs in Colombo, Pettah, of Maradana, Elephant House, Central bank, trains and buses; just to mention a few. What more do you require to try this mass murderer for war crimes?
Due to the propaganda machine of the LTTE, the West is ignorant of all his brutality. The impression given by the Tamil Eelam lobby is that he is doing it for a cause. Hitler, Polpot, and Karadzic also committed all their crimes for a cause-thirst for blood and lust for power.
It is time that the Government of Sri Lanka as well as patriotic organizations appeal to the war crimes tribunal to try this megalomaniac for genocide and crimes against humanity. The question will be asked why the Government of Sri Lanka does not try him. Sure enough the government should. But if the war crimes tribunal tries him, the magnitude of the crimes committed, for the so-called cause of Eelam will be fully exposed, to the entire international community.
Recently, when I visited my wife at a nursing home, a middle-aged Tamil lady, the wife of the patient in the adjoining room walked in, took my wife's hand affectionately, and kissed it saying "you are like my mother". My wife accepting the compliment took her into a warm embrace. That was love expressing itself in its own nature. In the stimulating relationship that ensured, there was only deep concern for each other's welfare and well-being. While the two exchanged notes, her husband walked in with a middle-aged Muslim, fluent in English, Sinhala and Tamil. He introduced himself as a resident of Vavuniya who befriended the couple to re-establish themselves on their arrival from Jaffna as refugees. When specialised medical attention became necessary, he accompanied them to Kandy to ensure they encountered no difficulties on their journey.
What I witnessed was evidence of the innate goodness man possesses for sharing and caring to make the world a happier place to live in. Here were persons three of nationalities meeting on common grounds of mutual trust and benign human feelings. They neither required rules nor regulations to show them the way to peaceful co-existence. It is a natural process, all one's own, awaiting to arise and grow into fullness, thus linking man with man.
It then occurred to me in my simple way of thinking, what good will happen dividing the country into regions? We know as a truth, a home divided leads to conflict. Hence a divided country must, with the passage of time breed inequalities making people strangers in their land of birth.
Going down memory lane, as school boys, when we witnessed M. Sathasivam in his elegant flowing style stroking the ball to the fence, it gladdened our hearts beyond words. Then again, when Duncan White, glided over the hurdles with inimitable grace and fluency, we exploded with joy. Yet again, William Molegoda in possession of the ball with his magical display, broke through a formidable defence to score a magnificent try, enthralling us endlessly. These sportsmen, and our great educationalists, religious leaders, statesmen, scientists, professionals, administrators, artists and whomsoever, irrespective of their nationality, made an outstanding contribution to make us feel great. Therefore, let our endeavours be for unity in diversity, for our survival and progress.
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