What does Prabhakaran's death mean for Sri Lanka? - The Expat Blog

What does Prabhakaran's death mean for Sri Lanka?

Ayeshea Perera - Monday, May 18, 2009 5:15 PM

Prabhakaran is dead, the LTTE are finished and the war is over. A war that has been such a big part of my life, that its difficult for me to envision Colombo without its hundreds of checkpoints, the necessity of carrying identification papers at all times and the half expectation that either me or someone I know will get blown up in some random bomb explosion.

So how do I feel now that its over? If it means that all my family and friends can now live safely and happily, that the high cost of living blamed all these years on the war will go down, and that this will initiate a new era of inclusiveness and a willingness to address certain fundamental issues, I’m elated. But really, as much as I wish/hope/dream that this will be the next step, my more immediate reaction is one of apprehension. I’m afraid that this military victory will be used as a tool with which to legitimize some things that should never be accepted. The current Sri Lankan government’s track record in terms of corruption, human rights violations and economic management (to use a euphemism) has not been great. Ministers and their spoiled offspring have been allowed to run amok, (see a report here on how deputy minister Mervyn Silva assaulted the head of a television news channel and click here for a report on how the Presidents son along with his bodyguards attacked members of a rugby team he was playing against just yesterday). Chances are that general/presidential elections could be brought forward to capitalize on the euphoria of victory before the significance of the win fades away in public memory. Then what?

And you can call it collateral damage – you can question the sanity of a decision to stop a war when one side is clearly at an advantage and you may say that the lives lost over the last few weeks are nothing compared to the lives that would have been lost if the LTTE had been let off the hook. But the governments almost blatant disregard for civilians holed up with the LTTE as they made their last stand is to put it mildly, a little disturbing.

I also fear that there will be a tendency to ignore some very real issues of identity and citizenship now that the war is over. The fact remains that despite the fact that Tamil has constitutionally been given parity of status with Sinhala as an official language, many Tamil citizens still are unable to register complaints or defend themselves in their own language in a police station. They are unable to avail themselves of civil services in many areas across the country because public servants are not proficient in Tamil. The issues are real and they must be addressed. Tamil people have to feel included in this new “united Sri Lanka” that is being trumpeted in all the headlines and this has to be done without delay.

Of course the potential of what can be achieved with the war over is huge. The Colombo stock market was the best performing in Asia during the 2002 ceasefire (when there really was a ceasefire) and Sri Lanka can hopefully use its high literacy levels and resources to develop economically. How we go forward from here is crucial. And that’s what scares me.

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8 Comment

From Harish Rao

May 19, 2009 10:45 AM

Just saw Rajapaksa's address. He started the address in Tamil. Could this be the first step in reconciliation. The ball is very much in his court.

On the subject of unruly politico kids, there is so much of similarity between SL and India. A couple of years ago, the then Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr. Kumaraswamy's son ( himself an ex-Prime Minister's son) vandalised one of the most popular restaurants in Bangalore because he and his drunken friends were not provided a midnight feast. He is expected to be a cabinet minister in the UPA government. So, restaurants in Delhi, beware. The kid likes Biryani.

From amico di sri lanka

May 20, 2009 2:52 PM
The end of the LTTE has given a great opportunity to Sri Lanka to reconcile its divisions and the rancour within its society, this can be achieved by the serious assimilation and integration of all sections of its ethnicity, this opportunity has regrettably been achieved by violent methods. There is no need for more blood to be spilled, now the guns must be returned to the armouries and the soldiers to their homes. From this day Sri Lanka must talk peace and heal all the divides within. If Rajapaksa wishes to leave a legacy of peace, he must pledge to talk the talk and more importantly lead the walk of actions by drawing in a new era of peace and tranquility, of progress and emancipation to all. Sri Lanka is a country of unparalled beauty, of the land and its peoples, and has the potential to rank among the best in every sphere with its resources and the skillsets of its citizens. I wish that this is the first day of a new Sri Lanka, one where no tigers need rise to take up their struggle again, those men and women may have done abhorrent and inhuman acts, but in their minds they were fighting for their freedom and their Tamil Eelam. I wish all the best to all the Sinhala and Tamil people in the new Sri Lanka, all the best to my favourite emerald isle, i truly love you!

From JS

May 20, 2009 11:19 PM
Of as much as I am happy that a South Asian country has been able to successfully put an end to a terrorist organisation like the LTTE, something which India, that has dealt with terrorism for so long, has not been able to do, and neither Pakistan, I am as apprehensive as this author. Rajapaksa might have started his speech in Tamil but it really needs to been seen what he now does to solve the political question of the Sri Lankan Tamils or how he plans to put an end to their decades of marginalisation with a Sinhalese majority. He has been rather ruthless in the war, not caring that thousands innocent civilians have died. UN puts the figure around 7000. Even if there is a political solution that is acceptable to both the sides how does he plans to compensate for the mothers, daughters, fathers and sons killed is any body's guess - there is nothing he can do about it. Seven thousand is not a small figure. LTTE might have been wiped out but I'm not sure if the issue that they said they stood for has also been wiped out.

From Deshan Ranasinghe

May 21, 2009 3:28 PM
I agree that the war's end means a new era for Sri Lanka. Already the tourism autrhority is planning a campaign overseas to get the tourists who have kept out of this beautiful isle back to the country. I also saw a report on ALjazeera where an economic analyst was predicting that Sri Lanka will gain favour with investors on diverse business areas to re-consider the country as a place with great opportunity. David Chater of Aljazeera who has been covering the issue for a while referred to the island's past in the world tourism map as the 'crown of the jewel of South Asia'. All this predicts the positive future we all can look forward to. This is all good news and I have been dreaming about this day since I was a child who grew up through this mayhem. I also can feel for the Tamils of this country as I spent almost 5 years of my life in the beautiful eastern town of Batticaloa where my father too was in the 'service'. Now that we have won the war, we must win the 'peace'. I quote David Chater here. If the needs and rights of the Tamils are not met, the long term consequences would be the same. If a certain community is seen as sidelined in the country they live in, all it takes is a man with a single minded determination and an idea of so-called 'liberation' to come forward and paint a dream that people could believe in. We must remember that there is a huge international diaspora of Tamils who are willing to take the cause to bloody levels again. While sitting in their happy and comfortable sorroundings overseas, they wouldn't for a moment bother about funding yet another struggle without any regards for the fate of their own poor brothers and sisters up in the North and East. So I think the basic issues and concerns of the Tamils have to be looked into. As a Child I have faced the horror of conflict and and the uncertainity of living in an area where you are a minority and you know the guns could start firing at you at any time. At teh very early stages of teh conflict my father spent hours trying to figure out what motivated these young lads (who wre now in custody) to join the fighting ranks and I still remember him sharing the poems and art (his way of interrogation and understanding their deep rooted hatred and anger, although he himself was a tough officer the lads feared)these young prisoners had written and painted. He always told us, later when we were grownup and he had seen the start and the gradual rise of the armed struggle to the bloody heights first hand, that you can crush the armed struggle with military might but you have to win their hearts and minds to see a permanent end to this problem. I'm sure he would have been a very happy man if he lived to se this day. I think this country has plenty (despite being such a small island) for all of us to share and prosper in. We talk so much about our golden beaches, but I'm sure most of my generation and even most before me have never perhaps seen the best beaches of this island; like Passikudah and Kalkudah, in the east. Too bad we have been shut down from all this beauty for so long. This is an island blessed with so much abundance and wonders and yet, we have been dogged by a war that has made this land what it is today. Hopefully, this end is the great new beginning. As we rejoice and celebrate the end of this gruesome war, lets also start taking the first steps towards winning a true and lasting peace. I certainly wouldn't want my child to witness the bloody mayhem that our generation has grown up with.

From eshani

May 25, 2009 11:09 AM
I dont want to comment on the war because we know what we have have gone through: we of all ethnicities have lived through it and suffered enough! Just a quick msg to you though: as at now the macro picture may not look as if the govt is doing a lot to address the problems of the Tamil community, but let me say they are doing quite a lot without much fanfare:building the structures. It may take a while to show (with all the mud slinging from the int.community,limitation of resources etc), but we know the commitment most individuals, organizations,our forces, govt officials have taken on and it's incredibley noteworthy, the 'humanness' they are going through in dealing with all these problems. I'm am not politically motivated but a person working to bring all communities in Sri Lanka together.All Sri Lankans should be stake holders in this and I only ask the next generation (especially the expatriate community)DONT take your hate to the next level, it's not worth it but to give you're support to make this world a better place for ALL of us.

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From Careers Nigeria

September 18, 2009 1:50 PM
Hi there !! Yes, Prabhakaran is dead, so it means a new life to SriLanka. No war and have a peaceful atmosphere. Regards, Annete Duffel

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