Freedom of expression and terrorism

The disruption caused at the inaugural meeting of the newly formed National Alliance for Peace recently has perturbed many. Dozens of anti terrorist demonstrators had run amok at the Colombo Public Library Auditorium, the venue of the meeting denouncing the Alliance. It might be far fetched but is compelling to draw a parallel between the fate that befell an NGO conference at Bentota a few years ago and the recent incident . Those who were at the receiving end on both occasions were peaceniks. The difference however was that in last week’s incident there were no physical attacks on the NGO fraternity.

We are no fans of peace oriented NGOs or other self appointed peace makers, for whom campaigning for peace is a lucrative business. Funded by dubious foreign sources, these peacniks are having a field day much to the annoyance of those who really feel for this country and especially those whose children are battling terrorism in the war front. How profitable peace making is manifest in the proliferation of NGOs. With the LTTE remaining intransigent and hell bent of carving out a separate state and murdering civilians, crusading for peace in the south is by all means a wild goose chase.

But it is not impugnable that these NGOs too have a right to express their views on the on-going conflict. One might rightly argue that the activities of these organisations have a dampening impact on the will of the people, which is a sine quo non for effective prosecution of the war against terrorism. Having crossed the Rubicon in the war against terrorism, Sri Lanka has no choice but to fight it to a definite finish. The need of the hour is a total focus on the military effort to make it a success. This view may be anathema to those who seek peace at any cost.

But even the ‘civilised’ west has felt more than ever the need for annihilating global terrorism of which the LTTE is part and parcel. The US has already taken the lead in the war against the scourge of terrorism. The salvo it fired in this battle a few moons ago by launching missile attacks on suspected terrorist bases in Sudan and Afghanistan in retaliation against the bombing by terrorists of its embassies in Africa, is still resonant. Canada and the European Union appear to have come to terms with the pressing need for cooperating with the civilised world to stem terrorism.

Ironically the peaceniks of Sri Lanka are deriving their funds mostly from this part of the world.

The LTTE has already got a foretaste of what is in store for it in the western capitals and appears to be packing up for shifting its headquarters to South Africa. With the sympathy for terrorists being on the wane in the west and the LTTE being embroiled in a protracted war where scoring a win is at a tremendous cost, its apologists may want to employ ploys of all sorts to bring about another round of peace talks to enable the terrorists to regroup, take delivery of more arms cement and the like and recruit more cadres with a view to launching fresh attacks on the state. The various fronts of the LTTE are working overtime to achieve this end and some of the plethora of local NGOs may have fallen for their trap.

The credentials of the peace oriented NGOs in Sri Lanka on the other hand are irreparably dented due to a number of reasons. They never condemn the LTTE for the heinous crimes it so often commits against civilians. For example, the assassination of the two mayors of Jaffna, Mrs. Yogeswaran and Mr. Sivapalan in quick succession did not make a ripple in the south in the NGO circuit. None of these peaceniks took to the street holding placards and condemning the LTTE for these crimes. When the LTTE downed the Lionair plane with over fifty civilians on board a few weeks ago, these champions of human rights chose to look the other way. Likewise whenever the terrorists strike in the city taking hundreds of innocent lives, mum is the word on the part of these crusaders for peace. Peace making in other words in Sri Lanka has come to mean nothing but globe-trotting and organising and attending seminars and conferences – in the English medium, of course – where participants are well fed and paid.

Perhaps it may be unfair by eminent persons like Prof. Tissa Vitharana et al who are partners of the Alliance and were present at the ill-fated meeting last week to adopt such a broad brush approach in castigating the so-called peaceniks. But sadly, we are afraid, this is the general impression that people have of the NGOs campaigning for making peace with the terrorists.

Therefore, the emergence of another alliance may have earned the wrath of those who went for the jugular of the NGO allies last week.

But does this mean that the rowdy scene at that meeting could be justified on these grounds? No! It has to be condemned and the freedom of expression of these NGOs safeguarded in the name of democracy so long as they do not act in violation of the law. Those who try to rout them by coercible methods will only play into the hands of the LTTE apologists propagating the lie that the majority community is not prepared to accommodate opposing views and "peace moves."