Let us focus on the issue of the Sri Lankan Diaspora; Sri Lankan citizens who for whatever reason, have left the country. The fact remains that both Sinhalese and Tamils who are expatriates in Western nations do not in general talk to each other. In foreign universities a complete cold war is on between the Sinhalese and Tamils. Sometimes there is serious aggression. The divide today, 13 years after the end of the bloody 30 year chapter in our recent history, is far worse than even at the height of hostilities.
It is a fact that not all Tamils in the West are blind supporters of the LTTE but yet we often (erroneously) use the term ‘Tamil Diaspora’ to mean supporters of terror. Having said that, we as a nation practising Buddhism, should delve into the zone of wisdom where we understand how ‘terror’ is created and the diverse forms of ‘terror’ and learn from countries such as Singapore who managed to keep such situations from ever arising by implementing far thinking policies.
Many are the impartial Sri Lankan born Tamil intellectuals, now in Europe and US, from the older generation (who hold memories of a different Sri Lanka when they were young) who can be roped into a proper discussion for permanent stability in Sri Lanka. It is a fact that human beings who hold ultra- fixed views do so often based on either actual negative experiences or going by unverified accounts.
North-East
Most of the younger generation of persons who largely make up the current pro-LTTE lobby abroad have never lived in the North-East of Sri Lanka and were not born in this country.
Seriously following/researching, the reconciliation and national unity discussions for over twenty five-years and talking to multifarious persons, this writer has recorded narratives that often sounds like fiction.
One of them was told by a young business couple of Sri Lankan origin but mixed parental nationality, who lives in Sri Lanka but having studied abroad and hold dual citizenship.
They narrated to me how a young Tamil Diaspora professional in his thirties who was a vociferous LTTE lobbyist who had never been to Sri Lanka, had finally come here for a holiday and met a die- hard Sinhala nationalist professional close to his age.
The fairytale
The unbelievable result was that they became friends over a couple of beers and conversations on philosophy, wisdom and law. The fairytale end to this story is that today they are professionally working together.
This above example seems like fiction but the reality is that human beings are mysterious creatures of their circumstances; moulded as clay from each passing day to day experience.
Although holding fixed views is a very human phenomena, probably the best religion/philosophy in this world that understands this nature and explains how to approach it is Buddhism.
Thus in teachings such as the Kalama Sutra we learn about problem solving and how to take a decision. These teachings are practical and meant for real life implementation.
The Buddhistic concept remains the best method of peace building and it is time that Sri Lanka asserted this fact and genuinely developed such policies through its governance decisions.
Rather than continuing to wage a cold war (although it currently looks as if there is no option but to do so) with a segment of persons connected to Sri Lanka who hold the view of supporting the LTTE, we should in a true pragmatism of Buddhistic understanding, at least now set up a local and international strategy to work with hearts and minds for ensuring the reigning of peace in the mind.
The Sinhalese Diaspora is also a strong factor in the discourse on enhancing communal harmony. The Sinhalese Diaspora has a grievance that has to be understood. They feel that their voices are not heard at the UN and their perspective has to be listened to. They are somewhat diverse in their views. Some of them feel and speak ardently on the impact of colonisation on this nation and the loss of our heritage. Some feel that the original pre colonial national flag and terms such as Sinhale and Siwhela should be valid today.
These suggestions are not crimes. Just by them stating these does not mean they are racists. What they say and why they say it should be heard.
Likewise, if we wish to exercise a complete depth of unbiased query then we should be open to listen to why a person says he is an LTTE supporter. Yes, the LTTE as an organisation carried out terror but we should question the many aspects how this nation saw the birth of a group such as the LTTE.
This should be referred to the post-colonial occurrences of the country. We should be honest and examine acts such as the riots that took place from 1950s up to the burning of the Jaffna Public Library and the 1983 calamity. The fact remains that a war is where humans die. Philosophically speaking there are no heroes in war. Only corpses. Statesmen of a nation are there to ensure that man-made calamities such as a civil war never arises.
If there are those who use their political power to thrive on the battle syndrome, then they are not statesmen but abject opportunists. Statesmen listen to the people because they know the people are their masters. People of a country which are the citizens and consist of what we term as the masses have many views, sentiments and ideologies.
Listening to all sides of a story with equanimity is a Buddhistic trait and only if this encompassed within national policy that we can at least now gain true independence.
UN drama
Having any citizen of a country thinking that their only recourse for getting a solution to whatever their grievance is through another country cannot spell any good. The UN drama played out every year in Geneva has to be looked at as something that we could have easily avoided; at different intervals in our history and can even now, after all those wasted decades, still rectify, late as it is.
Citizens of a nation who migrate to other countries are called the Diaspora. Such mass migration can be looked as a loss as well as an asset; depending in how one interprets it.
A loss because they are no longer contributing to their ancestral birth land. An asset because they are in the international sphere which no country can isolate itself from. A Diaspora member, whether Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim or Burgher who holds an inherent loyalty to the country of origin can be an incredible asset to that nation. The opposite can naturally have drastic repercussions as we know only too well.
If citizens migrate with a serious sense of grievance then it collectively becomes a tool that vested interests could use.
In Sri Lanka, the first to leave in droves were the Burghers after the 1950s and then the Tamils, which increased after 1983. During the war high numbers of Tamil citizens left the country and as records show many fled LTTE atrocities committed on the Tamils as well as forced recruitment of Tamil children as child soldiers.
It could be argued that Sri Lanka has not committed itself to the post 2009 challenge to unite Sri Lankan origin communities abroad. Although it looks like a near impossibility, Sri Lanka being a Buddhist country could mobilise us with the knowledge that with the correct use of the mind any enemy could be brought to the path of love and understanding.
Of course the best way to use Buddhistic wisdom is to prevent enemies, and this holds true whether as an individual or as a nation.
Meanwhile, especially from the older generation of Sri Lankan origin Tamils, there are hundreds of thousands of them across the globe that could be used to unite the Sinhalese and Tamil Diaspora in the West which could change Sri Lanka’s image in the eyes of the world.
The solution to Sri Lanka’s internal problems lies within the country and with each individual. Politicians (of any colour) pontificating about peace as a yearly mantra at the UN is not going to create a miracle solution.
In the same way focusing on issues of persecution of the innocent during February or March every year is also not going to sanctify the trail of human rights. Sri Lanka’s solutions have to remain an internal matter and to do so we have to ensure we do not create situations that only add to the mess.
No nation that seeks stability and social cohesion can afford to arrest or jail persons on the flimsiest of evidence. If such actions are carried out domestically, the true independence Sri Lanka solely requires today will be squandered foolishly and repercussions will be felt in the international sphere.
We ordinary Sri Lankans cannot directly usher in policies that will help in national unity but we can contribute greatly to create the framework for people-related connectedness and thereby influence policy. We are our country.
Reconciliation should not be confined to I/NGO project proposals or token initiatives that are distant from the heart. Reconciliation should be viewed from a Buddhistic lens and seen as an ongoing process connected with the evolution of reality. It is both an internal process as well as an external one.
Countries around the world are reconciling to their past, sometimes dating back to the very origin of those nations and some are taking positive steps to rectify mistakes.
Some ideas
Sri Lanka could think out appointing in each of its missions abroad, a national reconciliation officer, drawn from the diplomatic staff already present in Lankan foreign missions.
These officials could be affiliated with Sri Lanka-based intellectuals and practitioners in diverse fields from academia to environment or arts who will be able to inspire new initiatives to unite Sri Lankan (domiciled locally) and the Tamils and Sinhala Diaspora abroad.
These Sri Lankan intellectuals and practitioners can also be given the title of national unity officers.
Impartial pro-peace Tamils who do not support terrorism can be selected from across Europe and the West to work with the related reconciliation/national unity officers in Sri Lanka and abroad as mentioned above. These persons could work through many categories of interests such as Sri Lankan traditional knowledge, village development, entrepreneurship, environment protection, science and innovation, local and global health solutions, comparative spirituality and heritage studies, to name a few.
These themes could be used to get Sri Lankans overseas; both Sinhalese and Tamils to work together for solutions needed back home for a true country centric identity based on the indigenous.
Working with the North-East affected by 30 years of battle against terrorism and working with the rural South which has many unsolved issues should be a top priority. These should be initiatives that are entirely originated and supported by Sri Lankans.
For genuine reconciliation, Sri Lanka should move away depending on foreign agencies for funding local peace-building programs. Peace-building should not be looked at what someone would do because they are paid to do. Those in the NGO and INGO sector who are there because they want a job might as well learn a new trade.
Instead peace creation should be looked at as something that is inculcated as a way of life and as a task that will bring us close to liberation from the cycle of life and death; i.e. Nirvana.
Our education system should be moulded for this task and we should take a cue from our pre-colonial gurukula tradition of knowledge sharing and introspection. Whatever we learn from primary grade in school should be shaped towards building empathy, understanding, and kindness – to humans, animals and nature and the current globalised synthetic and meaninglessly competitive education system does nothing in this regard.
Indigenous
The Government should encourage committed Lankans to create solutions that are authentically indigenous and present them to the State.
In this our guiding light can be our ancient monarchs who led this country to greatness and where we never had to depend on the world for our sustenance. Having solid and holistic relations with the world and depending on them fully for every aspect of survival are two different things.
This writer is currently leading an initiative to develop a Lankan traditional knowledge based model for national unity and economic stability which will include working with Sri Lankans and those with Sri Lankan roots.