Show the world we mean business!!

I won’t start this post with what has been happening today, as I’m sure most people already know about the horrendous loss of life that has marked today as one of Sri Lanka’s bloodiest days.

As usual the blogosphere is in a turbulent mix of opinions about what has taken place and what actions should be taken about it. Nothing new about that right? We’ve all got so used to screaming and shouting about an incident for a few days and then happily going about our usual schedule without a care in the world. Nothing it seems has changed in our own lives.

The sad thing about our behaviour is that it is very indicative of the entire war situation in the country. People keep dying and the war just keeps on going back to it’s usual routine. They attack us, we attack them, they bomb us, we bomb them, etc, etc. But nothing seems to be able to change that routine. It seems to be an ingrained part of our society now.

Instead of thinking about what the government and the armed forces should be doing in the short term regarding this latest attacks, we should all be thinking about the long term. As in what are we going to do in order to ensure there is a lasting peace, that keeps everybody happy in the long term, without us having to deal with yet another resurgence of war.

Easier said than done right? Unfortunately whatever solution is put forward, there will always be some party who will be upset or aggrieved about it. But maybe we should be thinking about the greater good of the country and the overall majority (not just the racial majority). We need to have a solution that’s going to prove to everyone that we as a nation definitely want peace. This solution needs to prove to the world that we will go to any lengths to achieve this peace. I have a very simple solution, let’s see if any of our so called leaders will have the balls to stand up for what’s right and do it.

Firstly let’s look at what the main grouse of the LTTE is. Basically, they claim the Tamil people have been discriminated against for decades by the Sinhala majority. Ok, let’s take that at face value, without bothering to argue the point. A simple way to end this grouse would be to ensure there’s absolutely no discrimination when it comes to the way the North-East is treated.

Let’s take a good, hard look at the North-East provinces and decide what the people of those areas are lacking. Firstly, get rid of the check points and army camps. Then, take our country’s entire defence budget, and turn it into a rehabilitation budget for the affected areas. Build them the hospitals, schools, universities, harbours and even airports that they feel they need in order to feel part and parcel of this land. Why not even go to the extent of offering the LTTE leadership advisory roles in the entire project? Let them advise the government on how they feel the people of the North-East can be helped by proper infrastructure development.

If there’re are no longer any armed forces in the area, how can they claim they are being attacked? If the North-East areas are being developed on an aggressive schedule, how can they claim discrimination? Where then are they going to find reasons to continue this war? If the Tamil people are given not just the same treatment, but preferential treatment, won’t that automatically make the LTTE a redundant entity?

We as a nation need to showcase this solution and it’s implementation to the world. Show the international community that as a nation we are willing to starve the majority areas in order to make amends for what has happened before. Invite monitors in to see that we mean business when it comes to rebuilding the war torn areas of this country. Put all our cards on the table and make the honest effort to make peace.

Now I can already hear the nationalistic screams of how such a plan would leave us totally open to attack and ultimate defeat, and yes, if you want to look at it that way, you can. By getting rid of all our armed camps and checkpoints, pumping our entire military budget into a rehab project and letting the LTTE become advisories, we are leaving our throats totally exposed for a killing strike. But isn’t that the whole point? By doing so, we will prove without a doubt to the entire world that we mean business!!

By opening ourselves up to even the most vicious of attacks, we effectively put the ball in the LTTE’s court. From that point on, any attack whatsoever, can be highlighted to the world as an example of what a blood thirsty creature the head of the LTTE is. Let the world community then be the judge of who really is interested in a continuing war and what the real agenda behind it is!

So, there you have it, my simplistic solution to this war. What remains to be seen is if any of our leaders, present or future, will ever have the balls to go against the majority opinion and actually end this war on a peaceful note.