KATHMANDU, DEC 29 - People tend to take much of the hardship in their stride over time and space. More especially so through conflict, which might have simply refused to be resolved.
According to Sri Lankan political scientist, Arjuna Parakrama, people increasingly tend to accept increased militarisation and even brutalisation.
"The uproar caused by a death of a solitary student in 1976 in Sri Lanka created a huge furore. But the furore may not have the same intensity if security personnel shot dead many in contemporary Sri Lanka," said Parakrama, reinforcing the need to keep the citizenry talking and asking questions. However, as he hastened on to add, this is what which does not happen.
Chances are, even the most upright and cut and dry type of city dwellers end up as meek and submissive since they are invariably bludgeoned into submission by the brutal force. "You cow down no matter how upright and cut and dry you may be," Parakrama further said.
Meanwhile, as he further said, militarisation comes with enough dose of hoax, with one and all at the helms promising resolution of the crisis at hand. There are all the chances of a wrong person being shot dead. "While the death of a crème de la crème may mean some furore, it is not necessarily the case when it is someone insignificant," he said, adding that sense of fear of the military is all-pervasive.
In fact, it is this sense of the fear of the military which Parakrama billed as the most dangerous thing about conflict. He suggested that members of the civil society could help improve the scenario by raising voice against instances of intimidation and horror.
He was of the view that a period comes when people start debating horror and intimidation rather than democracy and civil liberty for understandable reasons. In fact, their debate is restricted to a particular gory incident with enough "ah" and "oh" while the greater issue of civil liberty gets blurred. So much so that even donor agencies which usually fund organisations working to keep the morale high think twice before funding them.
Media, like any other agencies and organisations, can contribute to the cause of conflict resolution if the point is made to refrain from axe grinding, he said.Posted on: 2003-12-30 05:07

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