Emotional People and Emotional

Nations

Photo by REUTERS/ Mariana Bazo, via Time magazine

LALITH GUNARATNE on 12/26/2016

There is no getting around it, we humans are emotional beings.
Thereby, nations made up of humans will possess an emotional
psyche which is reflected on how it is governed. The issue is
whether this psyche is aligned among most citizens or not.

Diverse multicultural nations will have some dissonance, yet as a

country like Canada shows with three dominant societies the
Francophone, the Anglophone and the Aboriginal people First
Nations, Inuit and Metis and the 200 odd nationalities that inhabit
Canada in relative harmony, shows good governance based on
great leadership can indeed live in relative harmony.
However, former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper with his
Anglo Saxon biased divisive politics nearly undermined this
cohesiveness. It takes only one strong leader to upset the
applecart. Justin Trudeaus election in 2016 brought the
traditional focus on Values and multiculturalism back, as he
vociferously defended through his election platform.
Back in 1956, Sri Lankas fate changed with Prime Minister
S.W.R.D. Bandaranaikes Sinhala only language policy. This
divided a people who had lived side by side for millennia and
made the Tamil population, as well as the Muslims and Burghers,
strangers in their own land.
When a communitys identity and a sense of belonging are taken
away through their right to communicate, people become
emotionally vulnerable.
Emotions are simply feelings that arise when a need is not met.
When a need for acceptance, sense of community and inclusion
are not met, it could impinge on the need for safety to give rise to
feelings of insecurity, frustration, fear and despondence. It takes
basic Values of respect and dignity away. When that happens,
people lose hope and the desperation can lead to violence.

In Sri Lanka, tension between the Sinhala and Tamil communities

was inevitable as both groups asserted their post independence
identity and authority.
Could this tension have been managed with strong leadership and
governance to bring the nations diverse people together, on a
shared identity and citizenship, while respecting everyones
distinct cultural, religious and linguistic differences?.
Culture, religion and language are such emotional triggers that
have been central to Sri Lankas seven tumultuous decades of
independence. With fortitude to stand firm on the Values of
respect and dignity, Sri Lankas political leaders could have
avoided the tragedy of over 100,000 deaths at the hands of the
insurrections and war.
However poor the leadership was, I do marvel at the resilience of
the Sri Lankan people, having lived through two major
insurrections 1971 and 1988-89, the war and the Tsunami. This
resilience stems from a certain equanimity and beauty; an
underlying thread that weaves through the nation even at the
worst of times. That thread survived among the people even as
the political leadership bled the country hiding behind emergency
powers after the 1970s to compromise on democratic values.
Governing with a Firm Hand
The first duty of government is to govern wrote former
Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau who was in charge when
Canada experienced its own separatist terror with the 1970
October Crisis. It is absolutely essential to have, at the helm of
the state, a very firm hand, one that sets the course that never

alters, that does not attempt to do everything at once out of

excitement or confusion, but that moves along slowly, step by
step, putting solutions in place[i].
It was a lack of a firm hand and perhaps acting out of excitement
or perhaps confusion, with the Sinhala chauvinists breathing down
his neck, that Prime Minister S.W.R.D Bandaranaike lost his nerve
to order the Police to retreat, during the June 1956 Satyagraha
campaign, putting the peaceful protesters at risk[ii].
Satyagraha or non violent protest is the noblest form of dissent,
which requires tremendous emotional control, discipline and
courage, as we learned from Mahatma Gandhi, later emulated by
Martin Luther King Jr. and so many more.
The Tamil Federal Partys peaceful Gandhian protest led by a
genial S.J.V. Chelvanayakam at Galle Face without Police
protection was broken up and attacked by thugs. This humiliation
and the second attack on the April 1961 Satyagraha could have
been the first step towards the brutal war thirty years later.
Canadas Crisis
As Canada went through its brutal French Canadian separatist
uprising culminating in the October Crisis in 1970, after seven
years of terror acts by the Front de libration du Qubec or
Quebec Liberation Front (FLQ), Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau had
to act. Things came to a head when a British Diplomat James
Cross and a moderate Quebec politician, Pierre Laporte were
kidnapped in Montreal.

When Trudeau asked the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)

to go after the terrorists they went to town arresting Communists,
Maoists, Trotskyites, artists, musicians, hippies, people with long
hair anyone they deemed a threat to the nation. This is exactly
what Trudeau was worried about when oversight is taken away,
Police would take the law into their own hands. Trudeau railed
against these arbitrary arrests and eventually got them to target
the FLQ.
As the crisis loomed larger than anticipated, Emergency measures
were called to mobilize the Canadian army. Trudeau very
reluctantly passed the War Measures Act on 16 th October 1970.
Trudeaus anguish is reflected in his book, Memoirs;
I was deeply disturbed by it, and extremely apprehensive about
what would ensue. I was afraid that it would lead to abuse, and I
was worried about the political consequences.
Invoking the Emergency Powers limited fundamental rights and
suspended institutional checks and balances. Trudeau used this
exceptional measure to deal with this crisis, but knew well that
democratic practices and international law seeks to impose
temporal, procedural, and substantive limits to emergency
powers[iii].
The next day, Canadians were horrified to hear that Pierre Laport
was killed as the FLQ made their serious intent known. This led to
many arrests, mostly in Montreal of whom, many were innocent
yet such was the reality of a war like situation, but the FLQ was
cornered.
At first, Trudeau was accused of over reacting, and being a
French-Canadian himself, many Quebeckers treated him as a

traitor to the cause, saying the FLQ was a conspiracy fabricated to

crush the idea of Quebec sovereignty in favour of English Canada.
Finally, Trudeaus actions were supported by a majority of
Canadians, as he was able to bring the immediate situation under
control.
The situation was no less complex and emotionally volatile than
that what we saw in Sri Lanka with much worse results. Crisis like
this require great statesmanship with integrity, toughness and
objectivity and Trudeau walked this tight rope mindfully.
When Trudeau was asked what the October Crisis taught him
about the art of governing, he said;
First of all it taught me that you can be the most prescient
futurologist in the world, you can lay out the best-made plans and
define your priorities with utmost care, but if you show yourself to
be incapable of managing a crisis when it arises, you will lose
your right to govern and the whole thing will blow up in your
face.
Blow up in Sri Lankas face it did with the 1983 Black July crisis.
The contrast in how this crisis was managed by President J.R
Jayewardene on that dark day of 23rd July 1983 defined the next 3
decades.
The rest is history. Sri Lanka is yet trying to get back to normal
by finding that balance in the shared identity and common ground
amongst its diverse people.

This is not easy, as Canada too swings back and forth with the
question of Quebec sovereignty depending on provincial and local
politics. It is yet an emotionally volatile issue where language is
central. The intricate balance is kept with strategic and
thoughtful federal government leadership by being closely
engaged with the Francophone population across Canada.
It is the sense of decency, respect and justice, where citizens take
responsibility for themselves that is core to Canadian Values that
underlies this balance, especially in the worst of times.
An Honest Account of Values
Governance is about creating an honest account of justice.
Honest account of justice stems from the laws of the nation.
These are based on certain human principles and Values. Honest
account of Values is provided through the institutions that
govern. When they are compromised, we compromise the very
Values that form a foundation of a nation such as justice, fairness,
equity, equality, freedom, based on the basic human Value of
respect.
It is every citizens responsibility to hold themselves to account
accordingly to keep this balance. However, there is a times for
thoughtful defiance and action.
Even Nelson Mandela gave up his non-violence when the Afrikaner
apartheid was relentless in trampling on the rights of the original
people taking their dignity away.

Desperation gives rise to our reptilian nature and that is as

natural as our ability to love unconditionally. However, action
taken strategically, like when Mandela was careful only to attack
public infrastructure and not people (even though there was
collateral damage), it can be affective in attracting the attention
of the powers that be.
This is the lesson for leaders who are blinded with power and not
mindful of humans real nature to defy and avenge, even to a
point of harming self, when there is nothing to lose anymore.
People have to give up a lot to leave their families and a normal
life to join a rebellion. Sri Lanka was no different to what history
has taught us, as we witnessed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam rose to become one of the fiercest forces in the world in its
time.
The key is what can our present and future political leaders learn
from all this?
Leaders have to learn the Power of Balance
When tempers run high, it is crucial to get back to the framework
of Values for an anchor. Values are mediated through emotion
by language. When there is dissent, mindful and brave leaders
will not send in the guns, but create space for crucial
conversations, as when there is room to express our feelings and
needs, we dissipate the energy of those emotions and find
common ground for empathy.
The current Sri Lankan politicians have to learn from our own
history and of others to facilitate a balance between the tension

of order and democracy. It requires leaders to take an honest

account of their own deep and meaningful purpose of what they
are in place to do to lead and to serve based on very basic
human Values.
What is paramount then for leaders is to learn to manage
themselves first. This is done through quiet time for daily
reflection and meditation, as that slows things down and enables
the space to gain insights, especially when there is a crisis. When
one manages self, the ethical, moral and spiritual elements of
leadership becomes possible. Then we can create an emotionally
stable society. Virtuous and strategic political leaders can inspire
diverse people to a shared citizenship and common purpose.
Ultimately though, the power is with the people, as we have seen
real change in recent history electing the new SirisenaWickremesinghe government in Sri Lanka in 2015, the 2016
Trudeau team election in Canada and even the Trump election in
the USA.
That is where communication platforms such as Groundviews and
Colombo Telegraph among others provided people a space to
exercise their power to disagree, which is the first step towards
exercising our democratic rights.
A Tribute to Groundviews
Sri Lanka lost its space for open and safe conversations for most
as people and communities got polarised driven by fear in the last
three decades. When we lose that space for expression, we lose
the opportunity to understand the feelings and needs of people
leaving no room for empathy.

As Sri Lanka got more and more polarised, Groundviews,

established at the height of the war, provided a safe platform for
most of us to keep our communication lines open for better or for
worse.
Reading articles and comments over the ten years saw the
expression of extreme anger, frustration, despair and
hopelessness from many people and through the comments, this
outlet was the stage for many passionate, heated debates. This
expression enabled people to dissipate their energy in a way that
perhaps kept these emotions from leading to more violence. It
also led to better understanding of each others aspirations, fears
and pain.
This is a tribute to the courage and the conviction of the people
who operated the Groundviews platform even under dire
circumstance and duress in the last ten years, which gave many
of us the trust that real change is possible. Let us continue to
exercise that right to hold our political leaders accountable to
we the people.
Congratulations to Groundviews for your tenacity and holding true
to the value of freedom that we all cherish.
[i] Memoirs, Pierre Elliot Trudeau (1993)
[ii] Politics and Society, Volume II, Regi Siriwardena; International
Centre for Ethnic Studies
[iii] STATES OF EMERGENCY: ISSUES FOR CONSTITUTIONAL
DESIGN CPA WORKING PAPERS ON CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM NO.
5, AUGUST 2016 ASANGA WELIKALA

Posted by Thavam