From Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) Newswire
21 March 2008
War of Words on the ethnic front
by Izeth Hussain
There are eerie resemblances between the situation on the ethnic front today and that which led to the air-drop, the Peace accords with India, and the coming of the IPKF. At that time our troops were hoping to successfully complete the Vadamarachchi operation and proceed to Jaffna.
Today our armed forces are clearly seen as having the upper hand, though the final outcome may depend on whether the economy can sustain a protracted war. At that time food scarcity in Jaffna led to the air-drop, which was seen by the international community – except for India's immediate neighbours – as justifiable partly because it amounted to a transgression of international law, not aggression. Today there are alleged human rights violations on an epic scale, and threatening noises about possible foreign intervention.
The final resemblance that I have in mind is the war of words. During the 1977 election campaign J.R.Jayewardene made several insulting remarks about the "cow and calf", referring to Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay, and after coming to power he kept up a barrage of anti-Indira insults – the reasons for which she declared she herself could never fathom. The insults subsided after Indira returned to power. But in the period of hysteria that preceded the air-drop the Sri Lankan side was again seen to be indulging in insulting words and behaviour. Now, once again, Sri Lanka is becoming notorious for insulting statements. The difference is that in the former period Government Ministers and officials were generally discrete, whereas now at least one Minister and more than one official have made statements that according to prevailing diplomatic norms can only be regarded as unacceptable and intolerable. Furthermore, the contempt for diplomatic norms may now be seen as having affected the Government as a whole, and may no longer be written off as showing the indiscretions of an aberrant official or two.
Erasmus, one of the great figures of the Renaissance, once wrote that a war of words would sooner or later end in a war of blows. It did, in the case he had in mind. Our war of words with India led to the air-drop, the dispatch of the Indian flotilla, the coming of the IPKF, and the temporary loss of State control over almost a third of our national territory and over half the coastline. None of that will be replicated today. But we can be sure that by now at least some important Western decision-makers will be of the view that it is time to punish Sri Lanka. The target could be GSP+. Our Trade Minister G.L.Peiris wrote, "Indeed, it would be no exaggeration to say that GSP+ with the EU constitutes the lifeline of our economy." The garment industry employs directly 350,000 people, and with indirect employment the figure is almost a million. Apparel exports brought in US$2, 9000 million. The earnings brought in by foreign employment are US$2, 7000 million. The earnings from tea, rubber etc are way behind. The conclusion to be drawn should be clear enough. It is time to come to our senses.
The above is an excerpt of the full article, available here |
