Can she deliver the peace we need?
[May 26, 2005] 

By An Indo Lankan
[Asian Tribune] 2005-05-22 

Chandrika Kumaratunga does not appear to have learnt how to control the media the way her predecessors did. 

‘We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.’
Martin Luther King, Jr.

It is said as humans living in this complex modern world, we cannot be consistent. Some famous person whose name I cannot recall once said, "Consistency is nice for computers, but unlikely for humans."

The definition [Longman] of the word consistent with reference to people is- "always having the same beliefs, attitudes and quality in other words one who does not contradict himself or herself”.

Consistency is something we do not associate with or expect from politicians. First and foremost, politics is about power… first to attain it, second to retain it, and only third, to exercise it in a manner that is not specific to the first two. That is perhaps why those of us outside feel all politicians are the same.

In post independent Sri Lanka we have seen politicians of all shades come and go, change hues, trade and be traded. Consistency certainly has not been one of the virtues of these ladies and gentlemen in Sri Lankan politics.

If one were to look into the eleven years of Chandrika Kumaratunga in national politics, the first thing that comes to mind is the media bashing she has had to stomach. Perhaps that’s her own fault….!

She does not appear to have learnt how to control the media the way her predecessors did.

Whatever Kumaratunga's flaws may be, she does come through as a warm and honest person at all times. Everyone who has had occasion to meet her in person confirms this. As we see from the outside, she flouts all traditional norms and does not practice the so called political correctness [which is nothing but being ambiguous]. Chandrika in that sense is a politician who is so unlike a politician. She often defies all political logic by calling a spade a spade and survives.

Her stand on Sri Lanka's ethnic crisis has been remarkably consistent to this day. >From day one she has been steadfast and even bold enough to be respectfully critical of some policies of her famous parents on this issue.

In the early nineties Kumaratunga surprised and perhaps shocked her senior party collogues by saying the Tamils of Sri Lanka have been oppressed over the years both by deed and also constitutionally. She said their genuine grievances needed to be addressed. She said ”negotiations and not war is the solution.” Kumaratunga has been firm in her view that devolution of power to the periphery is the one way to resolve this smoldering issue.

Today's Sri Lankan Government is perhaps the first one in the world which has in it so many reformed militants or terrorists if you wish, who have chosen to tread the democratic path. Chandrika and her late husband coaxed several Northern militants to shed their arms. She brought the JVP into Government. Now she is attempting to guide the LTTE into mainstream politics or for the moment work with an elected Government.

What is remarkable is that she has personally suffered at the hands of these ex militants and still has the courage and nobility to forgive and forget. The question in everyone's mind today is… will Chandrika's unwavering stand on the ethnic issue for the past eleven years be remembered as mere good intentions? Will the raucous minority bring her down?

In the best of circumstances in any democracy there have been and will be the extremists and ultra nationalists. Two names that come to mind are Enoch Powell of the UK and Jean-Marie Le Pen of France, both of whom vowed to turn back the political clock but were consigned to oblivion.

Let us hope and pray Chandrika Kumaratunga will be bestowed with the blessings of the Almighty and the backing of all right thinking leaders to face her adversaries and deliver peace and tranquility, to this country we call home.

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Last Updated Date: May 26, 2005 .