To Sei.Kathie

Two boys were friends. One boy, the stronger and more powerful one, from an influential family, stole the cycle of the weaker boy. The boy owning the cycle did not complain nor fight. But the boys stopped talking to each other and the friendship ended. After some time, the boy who stole the cycle came around in the same cycle and told the owner of the cycle, “our friendship is more important than a cycle, so let us forget the cycle and be friends”.

ending 1:

The boy was angry and hurt “you are a thief, you stole my bicycle” he said, “now you come here without even returning my property, without apologizing you want to be friends again”.

The mother of the poor boy heard what was going on and came outside, she tried to talk sense into the rich boy, it would not work. Then she also got mad, she grabbed the boy by the ear and took him to the police station to make a complaint.

At the police station the OIC recognized the boy who stole the bicycle, he knew his parents were very influential. He called the boy’s farther at once. A man in a uniform turned up a few minutes later at the police station, he threatened the women and whispered something in the policeman’s ear he took the rich boy, the bicycle and left in a brand new range rover.

The policeman then grabbed the poor boy and put him in the cell. He was accused of trying to steal the bicycle and assaulting the rich boy. He eventually went into juvi and came out a few years later as a bitter young man.

The first thing he did when he was out was to find his former friend and stab him to death. Thereafter he served a sentence of life imprisonment.

ending 2:

The poor boy did not forget nor did he forgive his friend that day. But he had a kind heart. He was also intelligent, perhaps beyond his years. He realized that his friend obviously doesn’t understand what he had done,or that he had done wrong. And besides he valued his friend more than his bicycle.

So they started talking to each other again.

Over time the boy who lost his bicycle was able to show how his friend that he had hurt him by stealing his bicycle. They were growing up and the boy who stole realized what a terrible thing he had done.

He returned the bicycle and genuinely apologized to his friend. He resolved never to steal again.

@Cyberviews touched a nerve with my comments did i? Rather than your rude comments re my intlligence or lack thereof, read my comment again and remember i said i have worked with these kids before therefor i am, in a position to speak on their behalf. Also trust me there is worse things pevading our society than your implied “self perpetuating discourse.

I do not think that I should disagree with you.

There are no shortcuts to justice, peace or reconciliation!

Thanks izou 01/14/2013 • 9:17 pm for your kind response. My comments given elsewhere is copied.

A comment on the article by Amal de Chickera titled “Racing Tanks with Bicycles” has been published as another article.

It is to be seen whether SLU and others who supported the “Charity” of the SLU would actually come out to defend the necessity that compelled them to hide the naked truth.

Most probably they will accept the last paragraph in the article as the way they want or have been told to bring in the “reconciliation” to hoodwink those who want the minimum by asking the Government to implement the Recommendations OF ITS OWN LLRC.

The last paragraph in the said article is given below for your information

A parable of a stolen cycle

Charity to me is a positive thing, to be fostered. But it should be saved from being used as a tool to cover up land grabbing and other abuses – by perpetrators themselves or others.

I would also like to end with a story of a cycle I have heard from East Timor. Two boys were friends. One boy, the stronger and more powerful one, from an influential family, stole the cycle of the weaker boy. The boy owning the cycle did not complain nor fight. But the boys stopped talking to each other and the friendship ended. After some time, the boy who stole the cycle came around in the same cycle and told the owner of the cycle, “our friendship is more important than a cycle, so let us forget the cycle and be friends”. There was no mention or indication that he was going to return the cycle, apologize, make up for his actions in any way, or make a commitment never to act in that way again.

Will such a model of reconciliation work?

Dear Sie.Kathieravealu,

We already have dynamic student leaders from our first and second future leaders conferences stepping out of school and it’s heartening to know that they are standing against the injustices . These students not only stood up against injustices of their own ethnicity but of other as well.

Example:
When the incidents in Dambulla Mosque occurred it was very encouraging to know how so many of our students who were non Muslims expressed their concerns and voiced out against the injustices which had occured.

It has only taken four years for the first batch of students from our first and second conferences to step out into society and already engage in activities which they pursue for a better and righteous Sri Lanka to live in. The future can only seem brighter with such students taking a stand for whats right and the best is yet to come as we always say. It is of our strong belief that these students are being led in the right path and will strive hard in correcting the mistakes of the past.

In my personal view SLU has done a tremendous job in the last four years compared to any other organization that I have observed in mentoring young student leaders to stand up for whats right and in creating change.

Glad to note that some of the “TRUTH” are coming to the surface little by little. That is how a 15 to 20 year program of an NGO works.

You are correct in saying that certain things must not be “rushed” but then my worry was where will these students be by the year 2028. Would they be able to “regain” the things their parents and relatives lost? They seem to being brought up in a different environment where questions would not be asked about “violations of human rights and other basic rights”.

Am I wrong in saying that as long as you are prepared to accept what is given and not asking for anything extra like Oliver Twist, there will always be peace and harmony in ALL the countries.

Dear David,

The efforts made by SLU in Mullaithivu was not initiated towards reconciliation but toward alleviating the pain suffered by the people and was initiated by the request of the people in the villiage. This is just one project that has been done by SLU of the many that has been initiated. Efforts for reconciliation by SLU has been made during the Future Leaders Conference and deeper issues such as justice, accountability and equality like you mentioned is discussed during the Mentoring Weekend / Champions of Change and during the sessions that the Dream Team has during the school relations tour. Sri Lanka Unites believes in reconciliation having to start from the grassroots of the country but SLU does not say that this is the only solution towards recociliation, its just one solution that we implement in a systematic manner in which a young student leader would understand towards the problem in the country when it comes to reconciliation. Tapping into deeper issues of a young mind is a very sensitive and dangerous thing and should not be rushed as it has a high possibility of creating more animosity among the various ethnicities present during the conference or any other SLU based event.

As for your accusations that school packs and bicycles are of no values, I find it rather immature and amusing as it shows the lack of research that has been made by you in finding out the needs of these people. The lack of facilities for the children to have a proper education was there even when they had their lands.

Well, we do witness highly EDUCATED persons supporting Dictatorships and even tyranny as a “repayment in gratitude” for all the material support they got during their school-days’ and even thereafter.

We do also witness the “economically poor” exchanging their rights for a few rupees that too as a “repayment in gratitude”.

These or this is one of the causes for the “rich becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer”.

In a “truly democratic system” it is the “majority” who come to power. In the present-day situation, the “poor” are the “majority” but still they do not come to power. They are the “subjects” of the “minority” who are in power.

The rich are providing us with “fish” to eat but they do not teach us how to catch a “fish” or do not give us the mechanism to catch a “fish”.

Cyberviews,

SLU response to Amal is Polite but hard hitting.
SLU has pointed out that Amal’s best efforts were not good enough as he bases his arguments on SUPERFICIAL information. That is not the hallmark of a critical thinker.

“It must be stated at the outset, as indicated by Amal de Chickera himself, that his thoughts and ideas were spurred by browsing through images on a social media site. With all respect to the author’s best efforts and the website for their citizen’s journalism initiatives, it would surely have been better if the article was based on a wider and deeper level of information and the courtesy of a consultation with Sri Lanka Unites or connected groups involved in the project.”

You seem to have confounded politeness with respect.

If Amal, who I suspect is a staff member of the Equal Rights Trust, has a better way of doing things it would be interesting to see what he and his trust has done by way of helping these unfortunate children to obtain an education.

Lets wait and see what Amal has to say and offer.