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The
development and indeed in part the stabilization of
post conflict situations has shown on many occasions
that slight elements of the truth battle to emerge
despite a huge force weighted against it. It comes
from various quarters as in the case of Pat Finucane
with the issue again becoming a focus and highlighted
recently through both an investigative documentary
and supported by investigative journalism. Yet for
many years this issue amongst others has been raised
and battled for against established barriers set up
and placed against it for obvious reasons.
Fundamentally
this is not an issue of only nationalist concern,
as perceived and wanted to be perceived by such forces
against change and justice. This is an issue for human
and civil rights, an issue in fact concerning the
very fabric of democracy within our society as a whole.
It is an issue of a state and its departments whom
are supposed to serve and protect its civilians, which
then has in fact lied, covered up, deceived and colluded
with others in the targeting, sanctioning and murder
of many of those very civilians.
This,
put in a recently historical context, was done in
South Africa which showed a similar situation of support,
collusion and indeed their then regular active participation
in the murders of its civilians. Yet as also with
the case of Stephen Lawrence three scenarios initially
developed when the state and its departments came
under increasing scrutiny by wider society. Firstly
they increasingly attempted to isolate the situation
upon individuals, renegades, corrupt persons etc.
Secondly they engaged in the political agenda of discrediting
all concerned in relation to the issue addressed against
them while closing ranks with the acknowledged code
of silence or mapped consensus. While thirdly they
gave a public show of participation with the private
mindsets of non participation, so leading to non co-operation,
mislaying and misleading of evidence and facts or
in this case the actual destroying of the evidence
itself.
So
when many look objectively, not only at the Pat Finucane
issue but at numerous others combined with shoot to
kill through to the sanctioned murders of many civilians
and are then told by persons that this was just a
few corrupt officers, it is then both an insult to
the memory of those murdered and to peoples intelligence
even to suggest such. The call also from the obvious
quarters not to acknowledge such a situation along
with increasingly manufactured and developed issues
to attempt to sidetrack the issue of concern is historically
an initial part reaction in defence of positions concerning
state questioning on its involvements and I believe
it will intensify in this situation.
Yet
the question here to be answered is not whether or
not there was state involvement but how high up the
ladder it actually went. It is becoming even more
obvious that not only did various state departments
have knowledge and indeed involvement but also key
and important figures knew of the situation.
This
being the case, the then activities or lack of was
driven from the top down, so in effect then from an
institutionalised mindset of the usage of collusion
within the state departments as a whole. This then
raises an even greater question, that this situation
means not only is the collusion institutionalised
within the departments but the very nature of those
departments bring in elements which raise very serious
questions within key government departments and circles
right up to the highest echelons.
In
effect this is an issue basic to democracy and democratic
governance of a state to its peoples. As a close relative
of Terry McDaid stated on the Panorama programme,
‘they have all the answers'. And so they have.
I believe we may see more of the hidden past materialise
as time goes on despite the barriers against the truth.
If
the government and the state have nothing to hide
then let the truth roll out. If not as is usually
the case then it will have to be dragged and battled
out. People call for an international public inquiry.
This will have its limitations and as past history
and indeed the present show barriers will still be
erected against the truth coming to the fore. Nevertheless
many people from 'both sides' of our community would
like to see such an inquiry and demand it as a right
especially in the light of the ongoing developments.
Yet until we achieve a final solution to this problem
we need also initially to attempt to put in the mechanisms
so that this institutionalised collusion finds it
more difficult to rise it head in force again against
its own people.
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