Of truths, half-truths and untruths

Truth is often bitter and painful. Our Ministers and other ruling politicians are kind enough to remind us about it quite often. However, they are the very same people who sang sweet truths to our ears during election time.

Be that as it may, one has to remember that truth is always relative and not absolute. There is always a gap between relative and absolute truth. What one person sees as truth may be an untruth to another, depending on his location or vision. For example, the moon is closer viewed from the Earth but would be far away to an inhabitant of Mars. Or to take an example in which logicians are obsessed with a door half closed is also half open. That is there is more than one way of expressing fact. This gives rise to half-truths or imperfect truths.

Our intention now is not to dwell on philosophy but to focus our attention on much more mundane affairs of politics and life. Let us focus, for example, on what is termed as transitional justice to the victims of the fratricidal war that raged in our country for almost three decades. There are several key issues that torment them, particularly the people in the North and East.

First, they want to know the fate of the missing persons. It includes not only those that went missing during the war but more particularly those sons and daughters whom their parents themselves handed over to the authorities in response to their call after the end of fighting. In fact it is an untruth to say that the latter category of persons is “missing”. In fact, the authorities who received them from their parents have a duty to say what happened to them, whether they are dead or alive? If dead, how did they die? If living, where are they now?

Office of Missing Persons (OMP)

Though Parliament has approved the setting up of an Office of Missing Persons (OMP) it has so far being not established. The government is dragging its feet while bragging about its human rights record.

Or take the question of returning to the people lands in the North and East that are currently occupied by or in the possession of the Armed Forces. Here truths, half-truths and untruths are all in circulation. It is true that a considerable quantity of lands has been returned to their former legitimate owners but many remains to be done. They are mostly not government lands but private lands taken over during the time of the war. Many lands are not occupied by the Armed Forces but are either lying waste or are being cultivated by them. There is no call for the closure of security forces camps.

As far as the question of releasing political prisoners or those that are in detention without charges and those convicted in Courts promises have been made but no action has been taken. It is a tragedy to keep them imprisoned for years and years without an end while hard-core leaders of the LTTE have been released and some are receiving state political patronage.

Even after seven years those displaced persons are still in refugee camps while those re-settled also need basic facilities to start a decent living. Here again the return of lands to the former owners would provide them with a means of livelihood and rejuvenate the economy of the North and East. Incidentally, the authorities are yet to provide a solution to the displaced Muslims who were evicted from the Jaffna peninsula by the LTTE several decades ago. Procrastination has become the hallmark of politicians.

International community

The government is yet to honour its pledges to the international community and do justice to the victims of the war by the establishment of a Truth Commission despite loud pronouncements about instituting one. Perhaps it has got cold feet in face of position by chauvinist forces in the South. This may also be a reflection of similar chauvinist tendencies within the government itself. It is apparent that certain fringe political parties in it are trying to prevent progress towards a democratic solution to the national question by threats and blackmail.

Misuse of public property

This brings us to the vexed question of Constitutional reform.

The public seem confused as to what the intention of the government when a part of the government opposes fundamental reforms such as abolition of the executive presidency and another part supports a new Constitution.

Unless the government takes a firm decision on what it wants to do, whatever pronouncements by its leaders have to be taken as half-truths or untruths. It should actually have no ambiguity on this issue as they have pledged a new Constitution that includes a democratic solution to the national question at subsequent elections.

Transitional justice is not the sole issue. People have almost lost faith that the government would fully investigate and punish those responsible for bribery, corruption and misuse of public property. The ineffectiveness of the bodies created for the purpose and their financial strangulation by depriving them of funds and resources does not leave room for any optimism among the people. Discriminatory treatment of those alleged with such crimes also worries the public. Actually certain persons seem to be especially protected by the powers that be.

It is also not pleasant for this column too to repeat over and over again the same deficiencies of allegations against the government but in the context of what is happening it is forced to do so.

This situation could be overcome only by a united and concerted effort by the civil society. The government must also drop its paternalistic role and take people into confidence and learn from them in a spirit of humility.