The Good the Bad the Ugly

The conflict in Sri Lanka has killed an estimated 65000 people, mostly civilians, and has stalled the development of the country for that past 20 years. Anyone still not convinced who the good guys are and who the bad guys are in the conflict in Sri Lanka need to take the following into account. LTTE was never a choice Tamil people made. They were forcefully bestowed upon them. Unlike the government which in the face of war and conflict, somehow managed to remain democratic, LTTE is autocratic and dictatorial. One issue with the Sri Lankan democracy may be that minorities are not adequately represented in the parliament. But this is not endemic to Sri Lanka and not worth years of war. More established democracies such as the US has also sought to grapple the very same issue for several years.

Then there is the tolerance to opposition. With all its faults Sri Lankan government belongs to a list of few countries that a person is able to openly criticize the establishment. Anyone, of any race, color or religion is able to exercise the right to, either politically or legally, challenge any policy or action of the government without risking life and limb. On the contrary, any opposition to the LTTE is swiftly curtailed by violence. LTTE has assassinate hundreds of Tamil intellectuals, activists and opponents merely for disagreeing with the LTTE leadership.

And then there is the issue that probably best defines the difference between the good and the bad guys; the regards for civilian life. It is true that as part of the campaign, military action of both sides has claimed thousands of civilian lives. But it can be safely said that the government has never deliberately targeted civilians. It is counter-productive for the government to attack civilians when winning the hearts and minds of the civilians especially that of the Tamil people is the foundation of the Sri Lankan government campaign. On the contrary, the LTTE has deliberately attacked civilian institutions such as the time LTTE bombed the Fort bus stand or Central Bank building. The LTTE needs to attack civilians and disrupt the normal life in order to exist. Rebels can only survive in a world of chaos.

So despite the diplomatic rhetoric of the international community which is essential to play a mediatory role, it is safe to conclude the LTTE is the ‘bad’. There is little doubt the international community, especially entities like the Norwegians disagree. But in order to carry out the ‘ugly’ role of the peace broker, they have little choice but to occasionally criticize the ‘good’ guys as much as they do the ‘bad’ - all in the name of peace.