Colonel Ratnapriya Bandu and the lessons of reconciliation

The story of Colonel Ratnapriya Bandu of the Civil Security Dept and his work with the rehabilitated LTTE cadres in Vishvamadu, has not received adequate attention of the media and of the Government. What is most important is how much exposure the Sinhala and Tamil media gave the farewell accorded to this Officer so that, the positive messages from this event would reach the public.

Often, positive stories are not given the attention they deserve, while only the bad ones get highlighted. Thus contributing negatively to the shaping of attitudes and opinions.

The secret of his success in handling the delicate task of reintegrating rehabilitated LTTE cadres back into mainstream society, requires an in- depth study. Shamindra Ferdinando, in his article in the Island of June 19, draws attention to the importance of the achievements of this Officer, when he states that “Ratnapriya Bandu recently proved that his reconciliation model is perhaps the world’s best, one that can be used in any part of the world struggling to contain extremism.”

There are many lessons that emerge from the emotional scenes that took place during his departure.

The critical lesson from a Reconcilation perspective is that, he has clearly won the trust of those whom he worked with. The gestures of affection were clearly spontaneous and heartfelt. It clearly showed that, whatever perception there was of the Army in the North, those perceptions could be changed and the people won, over a period of time, by treating them well and with dignity.

It also clearly showed that the ordinary Northerner did not necessarily feel hos- tile towards the Army, as his view was determined by his experience of the Army personnel that he associated with. This was clearly expressed by a woman who told Col. Ratnapriya Bandu “apiwa dhala yanna epa sir (please don’t leave us sir)”. As Shamindra Ferdinando pointed out in his article, “The images proved beyond doubt that the Tamil community is ready to move forward, though some disruptive elements hell- bent on causing ethnic tensions, regularly attempted to whip up animosity.”

Provincial Councillor Sivajilingam’s lament that such an emotional farewell by the rehabilitated cadres was a betrayal, was disappointing but not surprising, and is typical of those who wish to keep the pot of ethnic tensions on the boil and keep the communities apart. It is no different to the politicians of the South such as Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila, who keep repeating the manthra of Demela bedhumwadhaya ( Tamil separatism) at the drop of a hat, in order to cause insecurity among the Sinhalese, in furtherance of their political goals.

The Tamil community paid a terrific price during the conflict, for which the LTTE has to take a large part of the responsibility. It, therefore, behoves civil society leaders of the Tamil Community and other influentials, to educate and create awareness among their followers that, despite the slow pace of progress, the actions of the current Government have greatly contributed to creating a climate of freedom, both in the South and North, where people are beginning to enjoy the fruits of such freedom.

If the new found freedom in the country is used to feed the people, particularly the youth of Jaffna, with a continuous sense of victimhood arising from perceived and real discrimination, it will not create a positive mindset and will stand in the way of the Tamil community becoming active stakeholders in a Nation Building exercise.

If Rajani Tiranagama could actively and fearlessly express her opinion during the stifling and hostile atmosphere prevalent during the days of LTTE dominance, it is not only not difficult, but the absolute responsibility of Northern intellectuals to create a dialogue among themselves, as to how they can engage with the Sri Lanka State to create a just and fair society.

Soon after the Ratnapriya episode came the news that Police had detected some LTTE material and some ammunition in a three- wheeler, in Oddusudan. This was sufficient for those who wish to raise the bogey that the LTTE was trying to raise its head again and that, the Government was lax in dealing with the situation. However, in a detailed article, D. B. S. Jeyaraj ( Daily Mirror of June 30) describes the action taken by the Government to follow up on this incident, which shows the authorities are equal to the task and are vigilant to the possible resurgence of any form of LTTE- type action.

Jeyaraj also points out that the LTTE has been militarily wiped out but that, overseas LTTE sympathisers can try to foment violence in Sri Lanka, to try and revive the LTTE or, create the impression that such a revival is possible. However, it must be said that very few sane people will support such a revival, given the ordeal the Tamil people underwent at the hands of the Tigers.

The only way to ensure that such views don’t gain traction is to keep the diaspora aware of the slow but definite progress in improving the lot of the people in the conflict areas.

Unfortunately, the present Government is remiss in spreading the positive achievements in the area of Reconciliation, both here and among the diaspora. This enables misinformation and distortions to shape the attitudes of people living abroad, without the counter narrative of positives. Indeed it would be correct to say that, even those who live in the conflict areas themselves are not aware of Government steps to address their grievances and therefore, continue to feel a sense of victimhood.

While the LTTE has been defeated and is unlikely to raise its head anywhere in the near future, the surest way is to defeat the LTTE in its ideological battle. For this, the country has to adopt a strategy of giving dignity to all its people and ensuring their safety and security within a just society. Such a strategy has to be implemented speedily, without allowing political opponents to undermine such efforts.

The laudable efforts of Col. Ratnapriya Bandu are not an isolated phenomenon, but are one of many such goodhearted efforts by various sections of the Sri Lankan community. In 1998, at the time the Human Rights Commission office in Jaffna was opened, the Jaffna citizenry was highly appreciative of the work of then Military Commander of Jaffna (Susantha Mendis if memory serves me correctly) for the understanding and humane way he handled the problems of the people.

In July 1983, when the mobs came down Kassapa Road, Colombo 5, the Sinhalese in the area surrounded and protected the house of V.S.A. Pullenayagam, one of the country’s senior most lawyers. They warned and drove away the mob stating, "Atha thiyanda epa. Me Ape Mahathaya" (Don’t touch him. He is our man ). At that time, Mr. Pullenayagam was widely known as Kuttimani’s lawyer. Kuttimani was one of the LTTE big names.

There are scores of other incidents at grassroot level, that reflect the goodwill of people of different communities. The events of July 1983, though a black mark in our country’s history, also showed how Sinhalese and Muslims rallied round Tamils who were under attack, and provided protection, even hiding them in their homes, away from the ravaging mobs.

The tsunami which caused death and destruction to all communities, saw people reaching out to one another in their moment of need. And so on and so forth. The success of a Reconciliation process will depend on how well such goodwill is built by dispelling doubts and suspicions among different communities, while respecting their diversity.