Reconciliation starts here

“Reconciliation starts here” is a quote from the movie ‘Invictus’ in which Morgan Freeman plays the iconic Nelson Mandela. The legendary South African leader is celebrated worldwide for his efforts to transform his country from an Apartheid regime in which the White minority ruled through separation of races to a ‘rainbow nation’ of all communities sharing political power and economic prosperity. The story of South Africa is complex, with many unresolved accountability issues for crimes committed by the Apartheid regime, deeply-rooted economic disparity and rabid ruling sector corruption. Still, nearly 30 years since the transition, South Africa continues to be an international icon for truth, justice and reconciliation in a post-conflict country.

There is a sudden spike in rhetoric on reconciliation in Sri Lanka, at least in the international arena. Addressing the UN last week, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that “fostering greater accountability, restorative justice, and meaningful reconciliation through domestic institutions is essential to achieve lasting peace”. Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris meanwhile, who met with his South African counterpart, Dr. Naledi Pandor, reportedly “highlighted that Sri Lanka had closely looked at South Africa’s rich experience and unique history in the areas of reconciliation and truth”.

Naturally, with an EU Delegation in Sri Lanka on a five-day visit to review the country’s GSP Plus status, and Human Rights Council sessions underway in Geneva, the Government is seeking to make the right noises internationally to stave off further economic hardship because of its atrocious human rights record. Still, the fact that the Government is finally beginning to speak the language of reconciliation – internationally at least – is a hopeful sign. But the world will soon recognise the emptiness of the statements unless they are backed up with deeds back home. On reconciliation in Sri Lanka, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Volumes of work have already been done by several commissions and task forces over the past three decades, and their recommendations are freely available. The crying need is for their implementation.

Unfortunately, facts on the ground do not show encouraging signs of interest or genuine commitment on the part of the ruling regime towards genuinely seeking reconciliation and peace. Despite assurances internationally, President Rajapaksa is yet to have a meaningful dialogue with the country’s main Tamil representatives. The same week that the President addressed the UN in New York, a Government Minister stormed a prison and threatened Tamil detainees with execution while Police arrested a Tamil Member of Parliament in Jaffna over a remembrance event and harassed Tamil journalists. Despite pleas from every corner of the world, the Government remains obdurate on the detention and prolonged incarceration of Attorney Hejaaz Hizbullah and poet Ahnaf Jazeem, the victims of a witch-hunt that makes virtually no sense.

In fact, the actions of the current administration since the election of President Rajapaksa in November 2019, have been anything but inimical to reconciliation and post-war healing. The bombastic majoritarian rhetoric, the selective use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the ICCPR Act against activists and politicians, especially from the minority communities, pardoning a murderer convicted of killing eight Tamil civilians including children, absolving the accused in emblematic cases like the abduction and murder of Tamil youth allegedly by the Navy and many hegemonic policies have eroded any credibility in a Government that speaks of truth, justice and reconciliation before a global audience.

If there is genuine interest in pursuing reconciliation, the first steps should be taken right here at home. Trust must be won from communities feeling marginalised and discriminated against right here in our island nation. Victims in Sri Lanka must feel that the Government is advancing, rather than obstructing, the cause of justice. Without credible action to address historic grievances, fancy speeches delivered at international podiums will only ring hollow and disingenuous.