To sum up, Sri Lanka today needs a dual strategy:

1. A political solution (a top-down approach, to accommodate the conflict political stances), and an equally important, simultaneously implemented strategy focusing on:

2. Reconciliation in civil society (a bottom-up approach, which involves Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims home and abroad, people of Sri Lankan dissent, and most importantly the different segments of the Tamil community (Jaffna, Trinco, Vanni, Batti, up country, etc. etc.).

These two are like rails of a rail-track - and the SL train cannot move forward unless the track is in order (its absence explains the 62-year stagnation, and especially the post May 2009 stagnation). Whoever comes to power at the forthcoming polls just cannot change the present-day situation without getting this issue right.

Having clarified that reality, let's look at the MAIN challenges that could possibly prevent an SL government from moving a twin track top-down and bottom-up policy vis-à-vis the ethnic question:

1. First is first: the ganinnanséla of the JHU (excuse the language, I cannot find a better term in any of the languages I speak to describe them; this term is borrowed from (in my view) the best Sinhala language blogger in today's cyberspace: www.taboosubjects.wordpress.com)

2. Related forces, which notably include those seeking petty political mileage. Managing this challenge (not forgetting the likes of VW's JNP) is definitely a tough game, which essentially requires:

- Perseverance – will power to face challenges, setbacks, and keep on moving forward at a steady pace towards a given cause.

- Extremely strong campaign using every single possibility offered by modern technology, reaching out to the largest possible audience (all ethnic groups home and abroad, in all three languages...) Reconciliation initiatives should NEVER commit the fatal error of not providing adequate representation to all concerned entities

- International support - a new multi-ethnic movement with a concrete plan for post-conflict reconciliation and development needs to be heard of and positively received around the world (from Delhi to Brussels to Washington DC to Tokyo) - NB: this by no means implies a jathyanthara kumantranaya ...international support of this nature is a necessary prerequisite to challenge far-right-wing and (in the case of JHU) fundamentalist forces. In the global zeitgeist of today, this is what one could call ‘benign international endorsement’.

- A crystal-clear discourse on a national agenda (e.g. something on the lines of “Sri Lanka is a quintessentially multi-ethnic, multi-religious nation, and our diversity is our primary strength. In Sri Lanka, no form of extremism, separatism and fundamentalism can be tolerated {whether it is Sinhala, Buddhist, Tamil, Hindu, Christian, Islamic or anything else}. United in diversity and mutual respect, we form the ‘Sri Lankan Community’, which does not provide any space for hatred, discrimination, ethnic and/or religious subordination”).

It is also essential to ensure that any new policy towards the ethnic question HAS to be CONSISTENT – unlike President Kumaratunga’s inedible peace-porridge (i.e. using ‘peace negotiators’ with no background whatsoever in conflict resolution, fighting away on the battlefront while going around in peace thavalam, singing MoUs with JVP while pondering ‘near-federalism’, sending Kadi all over the place with a discourse that alienated the Diaspora and many a Tamil home while bringing in the Oslo music - the list could go on a thousand miles and more)

A long-term strategy would be to develop in parallel a strong public opinion in support of a categorical distinction between religion(s) and the state – in the SL context, letting religion play with politics leads to mayhem and tragedy, and at the present juncture, we are very well-placed to understand that.

To a very large extent, politics are about rational choice, and dealing with dire realities, hence the necessity of active public engagement on concrete measures (immediate and long-term). In the case of SL, it is also a matter of taking up timely challenges and worthwhile risks, and manoeuvring cautiously on a stormy sea. This is difficult, but possible and requires a new political movement, which needs to be young, innovative, and firmly oriented towards social, cultural and economic progress.