PROCESS CONSULTING FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED ENTERPRISES

Hello World,

Having worked as a Business Consultant with a management consulting firm, I think I have quite a view of what business analysis is, more specifically process design for SME’s (Small & Medium Enterprises). I have read quite a bit on the internet about this and I happened to notice that most of the information provided is superficial and the in-depth analysis or reporting is usually absent. It makes perfect sense when we come across such information on the websites of consulting firms and freelance business consultants because they only want you to know the top cream so there comes a demand for the cake below which may mean business to them. The other resources available however are very informative from one or the other standpoints but still stop at throwing the proverbial wisdom of process design/streamlining, business transformation and consulting in general.  I feel, a little glimpse into the nuts and bolts of a typical consulting exercise would help people interpret and work out the proverbial wisdom that they have already been rammed with. So here I am writing about how the Process Design/Streamlining Exercise would be, especially when engaging an external consultant for the cause. Click here to download the pdf version of this post.

Let’s Mark the Corners

SME generally covers a whole bunch of businesses and there is so much diversity within the group, even within segments owing to reasons far beyond the scope of this article. However, from the business process standpoint, they all have a common science dissolved in their composition. This means that whatever we discuss here might suit to every business provided the appropriate interpretations and analogies are made prior to verifying its applicability to the concerned business. I would however attempt to educate the budding entrepreneurs and start-up’s with the basics that I have learned so that they can assess the state of their business and identify room for improvement. The well-established businesses can however verify the vulnerability of their business processes and do a superficial health-check. Overall this article will help you gain a perspective with which you can assume your business as a living being, identify and analyze its anatomy to understand the basic necessities of a business……things that are required to keep the business up and running. A missing part is more dangerous than a bad paint job. I guess we can proceed now.  

System Study alias Process Understanding

Quite similar to the need for a Guidance, Navigation and Control system employed in aircraft and spacecraft, the businesses need to know where they are, where they are headed and how are they are moving towards their future state of position. We consultants call it System Study or Process Understanding. It is a neutral diagnostic tool we use to assess the current size, structure and working of the business. The objective of a System Study would be, to deeply identify the business elements and processes, their workflow pattern, data input/output/storage capacity and to map down the entire business. 

How we do this is simple. We meet with the concerned process owners (employees of the organization) and ask them to narrate what their job is and how they proceed with their day-to-day operations. We note down the details they give us, sometimes even record our conversations and then transform their narration into a neutral position/department specific Process Flow Diagram. The process flow diagram would contain a flow chart with each step of the process described with the mentions of data inputs/outputs and storage. Here’s an example layout (Fig.1):

MS Visio can be a good tool to draft process flow diagrams. It is nothing but boxes, lines and text. All we need to know is what box would hold what text connected to what other boxes by what lines. Read it again if you wish to amuse yourself but MS Visio is a very simple tool that anybody can use. Beware of those who would say only certain expertise can make someone use Visio. They might as well steal your kidneys while you are still alive. My opinion on MS Visio is that elementary school kids can use it for their homework. They might have to provide medical help to their teachers who would later fall unconscious to the ground but using MS Visio is definitely within everyone’s grasp.

The process flow diagram (PFD) would be given to the concerned process owners for review and after their clearance, recorded into the final PFD Documents that we would compile for all the departments of the business. From this point on, the PFD’s would serve as the basis for discussing process design and dynamics. So we always make sure we got it right. We would also get the concerned division head’s approval on the same. The simple reason is that, sometimes, employees lie about what they do fearing replacement/reprimanding. A simple participation during the project initiation meeting would prevent most of the chaos. So my advice to business owners is that always include your teammates in important meetings where their participation is discussed so that they would know that at some point of time, their direct involvement with a consultant like me would be necessary and their cooperation is being appreciated. Also they might add valuable points to our exercise and we would never know until we engage them in these meetings.

Process Gap Analysis

This is where we business shrinks huddle up and talk the process run we are going to execute. We would share the process flow diagrams among ourselves and go over each of them, individually and as a team. We would identify the process design gaps and their probable impacts on the business. We would do a Risk Based Internal Audit to assess the current vulnerabilities of the system and match the issues identified with the Process Gaps. Now Risk Based Internal Audit is a whole different phase of management consulting which has to be isolated and discussed separately owing to its vastness and quite frankly, the funny stuff we consultants do with it. I will try to get one of my future posts dedicated to Risk Based Internal Audits. I am sure that would be fun. Let’s get back to process gap analysis.

Any part of the process where the current design fails to provide adequate measures to capture and process business data would be classified as a process gap. For example, in the purchase process, if there is no room for vendor/supplier analysis, there is no room for the business to validate the selection of a vendor for a particular product. This would mean that the business is dependent on the purchase personnel for proper selection of the vendors/suppliers. This in turn means that the business, in the purchase aspect is more people dependent and not process dependent. This makes room for human errors and non-uniform execution of the purchase process that renders it vulnerable. With such a process gap, the purchase process cannot be streamlined to meet changing management policies. This would hold back the organization from progressing into the future to grow and adapt to the dynamic business world.

In case of start-up’s, we would do the System Study with the owner alone and draft the process as the business owner has envisioned for his/her business. Quite frankly, it is easier to avoid the trash than to clean it after it clogs the system. 

Once we identify process gaps and note them down, we try to come up with necessary process elements and control measures that may fit into the current process and fill the gaps appropriately. The controls may be systemic or manual depending on the organizational need. It is always important to keep the base process unchanged while adding new elements. Only where the process has too many gaps to be filled, or is contradicting the business goals/mission/vision, we can design a whole new process. The understanding of the business goals, mission and vision is very important for this. However, after the addition of new process controls/elements, it is absolutely necessary to verify the interaction of the edited process with the rest of them so as to avoid compatibility issues.

The new updated Process Flow Diagrams are then compiled based on the already captured process and the newly developed ones. All the document outputs are separately marked next to the concerned stages of the process. To give a better perspective of the workflow, we may, depending on the need, prepare what we call as the Process Wise Document Flow List, which would essentially contain a table with fields for Document Name, Prepared by, Verified by, Approved by, Submitted to, Frequency of Submission, Mode of Submission, Filed/Stored in and anything more in case of specific need. Based on the updated PFD’s, we fill out the Process Wise Document Flow List (PWDF List)with the document movement data. This list gives a more data-oriented view of the process. Often times, we tend to identify the need for important control procedures from this list. 

Once the updated PFD’s and PWDF Lists are ready, we sit with the business owner and process owners and go over them step by step. It is often considered boring or unrelated by some but I have seen business owners who are more serious than us when it comes to process design and related details. During this process run with the business owner, we stop at crucial points in the process where we have added new elements and discuss the significance of the new process. The actual PFD is termed as “As-Is” PFD and the updated/proposed PFD is termed “To-Be” PFD. Just a little jargon that is commonly used in the field of consulting. After we do the process run, we try to brainstorm with the business owner regarding the process gaps, possible options and the viability of the process. With SME’s, most often the clients want what their big brothers in business already have, assuming that would benefit their business. The hard fact is that one business process cannot fit or suit another business, be it the same kind in the same industry. Some business owners, mostly the CEO’s and Founders of start-up’s do show immense sense of enthusiasm in creating a process design very specific to their business needs. Heads of established businesses often tend to clean-up what is already there and leave it as it is. It is truly a matter of choice, given the state of the business and the future goals of the entrepreneur. Once we find a common ground to settle on for the process design, we mark the changes and freeze the processes. 

Standard Operating Procedures

Nothing happens in business without careful planning and systematic execution. At least the successful businesses have come so far only by being careful in planning and systematic in execution. Now from planning to the execution, there is always a part that reality plays which should never be skipped. All that happens while executing a plan/process needs to be documented beforehand into a comprehensive manual. Unless we define our book clearly with all the detail, we would never succeed by “Going by the Book.” The detailed write-up of all the processes, along with the PFD’s, PWDF Lists and the formats, in a department wise manual with also the mentions of the organization structure of the department/division would comprise what is called a Standard Operating Procedure. The formats however are an addition to what had already been developed. When we touch the existing processes, amend them and include new features and controls, there comes a need for additional data capture at certain points in the process that would keep it sustainable and fail-safe. Now these new data, need to be captured by either the existing forms/formats or the new ones that we may have to create. Adding an additional field in the existing format would make it easier for the process owner but sometimes, it simply won’t be feasible. In such cases, we develop the required formats and registers and review it with the process owners prior to inclusion in the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) document. Essentially all the processes need to end at a specific storage point, usually file or folder in the computer. This is usually included in the processes. In case of a strict information security policy, the data may be required to be stored in a different location. In that case process for establishing the regular data back-up at the remote facility needs to be developed and drafted into the SOP’s. 

At every stage of the process there would be company policy that has to be implemented. Although the process description would have it in details, it is better to include a separate Policies Section in the respective SOP’s and record the process specific policies. In case of too many policies, a separate policy document may be drafted. 

This way we develop the SOP’s for all the departments of the business and proceed with the review with the business owner and process owners. The new processes, control procedures and data processing methods now get a full-fledged form. I would like to suggest here that processes would seem all creamy and nice until they are documented into the SOP’s. They have the tendency to turn poisonous the moment they are implemented. A thorough brainstorming is very necessary to analyze the feasibility options of anything before freezing on the SOP’s. With the SOP’s frozen, we would then have a documented version of the business that would, from that point onwards, dictate the business. So please think twice before freezing on them. 

Process Owner Training

Employees will always be a mixed bag. Some will welcome change, some will just go by it without questions and some may even resist. This becomes significant especially when we tend to amend a long lasting tradition within the organization that may transfer responsibilities or include new players. We need to keep in mind that without a compliant workforce, the process designs mean nothing more than paper. This is the reason it becomes important to include the process owners in the review and brainstorming sessions. Sometimes the insight that an employee gives could go far and beyond helping the process streamlining exercise. 

After the SOP’s are released, training workshops are planned to train the process owners with their processes. Some businesses have a weird iron fist work atmosphere where the SOP’s are released and we’re done!!! The implementation is either 100% or 0%....In cases like these, it is usually not more than 30%. I personally feel that workshops for each division involving the employees would make it more fun, get everyone informed at the same time and also bring about the new level of involvement among the employees. The comedy has no bounds when the business has most of its employees underpaid. They would get furious at any additional responsibility given to them. Something very common among SME’s from around this part of the globe. 

Each process owner must be provided with a copy of the SOP and Policy document along with a set of formats and registers they would be using. In case of an ERP under implementation, the screenshots of the respective pages need to be provided. Never assume that the employees can do it since they have been doing it for a long time. It is experienced employees that often make the silly blunders. Treat the workshop like a standard 101 class and explain every detail of the process and the process owner’s responsibilities. Once we get the process orientation done, we can understand that the business is ready for a trial run. 

If the business is attempting to implement an ERP Software as part of the process streamlining, then we have include one additional player, the ERP Software Vendor. Now all ERP’s are not the same and so their constraints too would be unique. It is important to include the ERP Systems Design person from the Process Gap Analysis stage. Only the concerned ERP expert can exactly narrate the ERP-related process constraints and needs that would have to be addressed and included for in the new processes. The reference for the formats in the ERP shall be the formats/registers we have already prepared using excel/word.

Start-up’s can do with excel and word formats in the beginning. These formats can later be incorporated into an ERP Software when the time comes for expansion. But without specific formats for each process, the business would remain blind on what happens and how it happens. Loss of process history is the major risk, any business, new or established must avoid under all circumstances. The business needs to know what has happened in order to evaluate the credibility and composition of the events.

Process Implementation

After the training workshops, the new set of stationery is supplied to all the process owners. This would include the new formats in hard copy (ERP software implemented in case of electronic formats). Having an ERP software expert alongside during implementation would also help trouble shooting. 

We would also appoint experienced personnel from each division as the go-to person in case of trouble during unforeseen circumstances. This way we help the individual division work and progress on its own. This is also a good way to introduce the art of mentoring within the organization. We consultants, would however be there to take all the recoil when implementation begins.

The date of implementation would be announced, starting on which the new processes and formats would replace the old ones. Usually a physical presence at the workplace helps trouble shoot problems faced. But that does not warrant a micro-managing nuisance that may irritate the process owners. Businesses where the management has specifically taught the employees to cheat the authorities and customer usually have this problem of non-compliance when micro-managed. Therefore it is advised not to encourage any short-cuts while training employees. 

It is during this implementation stage when we can actually get to know the reliability and feasibility of the process design. Sometimes the processes seem perfect on paper but in real life it won’t last an hour on the floor. This is why we discuss feasibility options during the gap analysis and have back-up plans prepared. 

Business Incubation

Once we see the new process in place, we might think it has worked pretty well but we would never know when the system would collapse. Therefore it is always required to incubate the business for at least one quarter with the help of the consulting team. Now the ideal way in my view is to create a whole new division for Operations and let that division play the role of an in-house business consultant. Things tend to change and we need someone to identify the changing trend and make necessary arrangements. This is the reason established businesses have a separate team to take care of operational effectiveness. Small businesses can either do with dedicated personnel such as a business analyst or the business owner has to step up to the job. Most small business owners don’t refrain from playing that role. 

The incubation needs to be more supportive and diagnostic in nature rather than managerial in function. The idea is to see how the business is fairing with all the new changes in place and what may be the future problems that the business may face trying to keep the implementation intact and live.

Small businesses, in turn would have a completely different challenge. They won’t have too many employees to carry out all the elaborate paperwork and data entry that would go into implementing the detailed processes. This is something the small business has to go through because, it is simpler to cut down on the process to bring down the work load but that way the business loses its capacity to grow into the one as envisioned by the entrepreneur. The process design should factor in the less personnel element but that cannot be given the priority if the business model does not allow any process compromise. We would always suggest hiring personnel for the role but then small businesses have their financial constraints. 

However, the first few hires, in my view for any small business would be an Accounts Manager and HR Manager. One for the handling the revenue and the other for handling the reason for the revenue……. that is how I see any business. These two positions can get any small business the first platform for expansion into any format. 

Tao of Process Design

If you wish to see your business grow into the future, transform your dreams into careful planning. Please look for sustainability and solidarity rather than short term financial gain. Today’s 100 is a loss compared to a daily 1 on a recurring basis. Always look into the future, see what has to happen in order to facilitate things that you expect to happen. Irrespective of the size of your business, being systematic is the only way for it to be sustainable and profitable in the long run. Learn to differentiate between symptoms and problems while making decisions. All that you do will not result in immediate revenue but all of your revenue will be a cumulative result of whatever you have done in the past. It is always the business owner who owns the problem. Outsiders including business consultants can give a million ideas but it all comes down to the efforts of the business owner with respect to implementations and further carry forward. Learn to treat advisory as advisory and nothing more. We are ready to work with you only on specific terms of agreement and the most significant one will always be your commitment. All we can do is to help you see your problems and help you repair it. Never try to copy others. Your original plan/work may not be very flashy but it carries an intrinsic value called originality that no other entity can match. Learn to categorize current and future organizational needs and take time to review them frequently. That is the only way to know your business.

Now that we have gone over a few areas of process streamlining exercise, I hope you would have, by now, gained a new perspective of planning your business and also gained a new perspective of Process Consulting for SME’s.

On a very different note [a shameless plug], if you are interested in unique tamil short films, feel free to visit https://www.summamovies.com/. I couldn't tolerate the mass masala entertainers anymore and decided I will do my best to produce content with substance. I have a long a way to go as a producer and a start-up founder, but I am glad our journey has begun. I look forward to your support. Each film on our site costs INR 15. Thanks!!!


Regards,

LEFT IS RIGHT: VERBAL Vs. NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Hello World,

I have quite a few things to share with you but before I could put things together my brain got ambushed by what I would like to term as “Left-Right Confusion.” This has been gently frying my cerebrum, sautéing my brain stem and blanching my spinal cord and serving the “Nervous System au Freak Sauce” to my thoughts. Before I begin my rant, click here to download the pdf version (rough draft) of this post.

I am documenting this 1 year and 3 month long observation of a very weird social behavior of the people of Chennai, otherwise known as “Chennaite” (by the rest of the world) and “MadrasKaaran” by the people of Chennai.  My observation does include individuals (all total strangers to me) of both the genders and people from about all walks of life. I would however make a mention that this observation of mine does not necessarily conclude that all Chennaites exhibit this weird behavior but in fact this observation would like to be documented as an indicator of potential city-wide damage of the friendly communication habits in the future, assuming this continues and spreads to everyone. I am a Chennaite myself and I love my city and it is that love of my city that has prompted me to document my observation of the phenomenon that I think is seriously detrimental to the long-term well being of my beloved city. My mental GPS always hits a technical snag or an experimental error while navigating through routes that involves more than 2 left turns or right turns. So I always stop during my travel and ask someone on the road about the route to my destination and make sure I am on the right heading. It is this habit of mine that gave me the fantastic opportunity to meet and talk to different individuals in Chennai among whom I noticed this weird element of communication that I would like to analyze today. Thanks to all those who were generous enough to help me with the directions during these instances.

It is an internationally known and followed yet unwritten code for telling directions that calls for using hand signals and gestures to explain the route to someone who asks for one. The idea is usually to help the traveler/commuter to understand and remember the route to his/her destination. For those who have trouble understanding this please look at the pictures given below and thrust your face into the palm of your hand for not understanding it before. ;)

 

I don’t own the images shown above and here are the reference links for these:

http://www.iheartjapan.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/directions.jpg

http://media.makeadare.com/img/57fac2944/image_4e4e9bba81.jpg

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/images/1655_how_to_ask/2162146_directions_555x203.jpg

Observation

When I stop and ask someone on the road about the way to get to a specific spot in the city, the person almost always used his/her right hand to point to the right and said “…take the left….” (When the actual direction was indeed the right turn, as the hand signal had conveyed). Non-Verbal Rocks!!! ;)

Boundary Conditions and Isometricity

Why on earth would anyone with everything working right use the right hand to point to the right and ask me to take that left?

If the intended subject of the communication is actually “The Right,” why is “Left” being used verbally?

From a communication standpoint, the non-verbal communication is substantiated with the verbal declaration of what is being conveyed non-verbally, except the fact that the non-verbal and verbal communication elements completely contradict each other, rendering the purpose of the communication deviate away from the otherwise presumed purpose of helping the receiver receive and process the information effectively.

Our scope right here would be limited to the “Why?” element alone and discuss the possible reasons that we may identify.

Possible Reasons

1.       The person may be suffering from a neuro-developmental disorder namely Gerstmann’s Syndrome which has left-right disorientation as an indicative symptom. There may be other neuro-developmental disorders which may cause left-right disorientation and therefore let’s just stick with “Neuro-Developmental Disorder” and maintain things in the simpler sense.

2.       The person is already occupied mentally with something else that he/she could not possibly make out the connection between what he/she is intending to say and what he/she is actually saying (let alone the hand gesture).

3.       The person is contradicting his/her non-verbal communication with his/her verbal explanation on purpose, where the intention is to confuse or challenge the listener and let the listener struggle to interpret the actual message being conveyed.

4.       All the other million possible reasons put together and royally ignored due to their state of insignificance with respect to this post. ;)

Interpretation

I am no psychologist and this post is not diagnostic in nature and therefore I just have to waive the possibility of the neuro-developmental disorder. Even if I were to possess such intellect, the seconds-long conversation about simple directions may not have served as a suitable and comprehensive diagnostic tool. I guess the concerned individuals can recall how frequently they confuse right with left and I sincerely hope it does not put them in an alarm situation.

As for the “occupied-with-something-else” reason, why would someone with real working senses choose to involve in a communication while they are mentally occupied with something else (I mean to an extent where one cannot realize that they are saying something that is contradicting what they enacting simultaneously)? Assuming the person is occupied with something else and then proceeds to speak to someone, it would only mean that their brain would have cordoned off a minute section of itself for the conversation. But we must consider the fact that we are, in the end, only human and it is normal to confuse the left with right. The question however is that, what are the chances that almost everyone that I asked for directions might have been mentally occupied with something else, over a period of 1 year and 3 months?  It has to be mentioned that there were a few instances where the generous minds correctly mentioned the route to my destination without confusing left with right but these are clearly outliers that have to be gently ignored. Irrespective of one’s state of being “mentally occupied with something else,” is it not normal brain function to analyze what has to be conveyed prior to actually conveying it in any form of communication? We cannot demand the analysis of the “correctness” of the message since that would mandate a philosophical bent entirely based on idealism. We can however demand the analysis of the “consistency” of the message conveyed in verbal and non-verbal formats. In other words, one can verify their words and actions to make them consistent with each other. When the right hand is used to point to the right, the logical verbal form of the message would include a “right” and definitely not a “left.” I am sure even a dead duck would nod in agreement to this idea.

The brain chooses to listen to a question, process an answer and deliver it non-verbally and verbally, except the verbal part would completely walk up and down the ass of the non-verbal part which by some mysterious ways is attributed to the fact that the brain was occupied with something else. How the friggety frat is this even plausible? More than that how come this happens almost every time I ask someone for directions? Honestly, this analysis just needs more information which, as for the moment, is unavailable to me because I have no freakin idea about it.

As for the reason of “purposefully distorting information” during any communication, I have to say it is a rather interesting one to look at, for this really tells a tale about “short-span communications” between complete strangers in the Big City Ecosystem. I go on long rides on my motorcycle and most of the spots I ride through are comparatively rural. I ask for directions the same way I do in my city and I never had anyone confuse left with right or just threw random directions at me and let me figure it out. In fact the rural folk had the generosity to explain the route to me very clearly and most of them asked me if I had got it right. I thank them for their generosity to spare their time for me and even more, their cultural dominance over the city-dwellers in the effective communications context. The city-folk too are generous but not as proficient as the country folk when it comes to effective communication.

Now why would someone deliberately distort information during a communication and let the listener struggle to interpret the right thing? Why would someone say “left” when they are actually meaning “right” just because they want to be discreet to the listener and impose a sense of “nothing-is-free” when the nature of the conversation is not argumentative? In fact it is a simple case of explaining the directions to some lost traveler who has asked for directions. The very intent of such distortion is an indication of an element of misanthropy in a person’s socio-psychological construct. In other words, if the person deliberately succumbs to a self-imposed question of “Why should I be very clear with my communication?” and eventually distorts the messages conveyed, then it indicates a possibility of dust and rust in the top deck. If this is not the case, then what kind of Marijuana dipped in salsa causes someone to point to the right with their right hand and deliberately say “Left”?????? I am sure such a person would be no stranger to blue elephants in baggy pants playing banjos.

Concluding this rant, I would like to mention that I sincerely hope the right-left confusion does not spread like an epidemic. Whatever may be the reason, communicating effectively is a symbol of civilization and a platform for portraying one’s culture in terms of social behavior. While we are human and are bound to be occasional victims of mal-functioning perceptual and motor skills, it is a positive thing to keep attempting to communicate effectively and at times, help lost travelers find their way to the destinations of their choice.

It is interesting to note that there has been considerable academic research in the Left-Right Orientation topic. Find below the link to an online experiment created by Dr. Eric H. Chudler, who is the Executive Director of Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering and a Research Associate Professor in the Dept. of Bio-Engineering at University of Washington:

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/java/hands1.html

Anyone can put themselves through this test to find out to what extent they confuse the directions in their mind. I put myself through it and the results show that I fall under the 11% of the total responders so far who show a difference of 4-6 seconds between the two tests. Not too shabby… ;)

For those of you who might love to indulge themselves in something additional related to this topic, here are the links:

http://typeindepth.com/2010/11/mixing-right-and-left/

http://bodyodd.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/04/24/11359120-why-some-cant-tell-left-from-right?lite

http://www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/2012/04/cant-tell-your-left-your-right-you-neednt-worry-about-it

http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Gerstmann%27s-Syndrome.htm

Next time you tell directions to someone, please make sure you say what you think or intend to say and make sure the other person has understood it. If we decide to take the pain of helping someone, let’s just do it in a complete sense and let fundamental physics live in peace. It is always wonderful to let Verbal and Non-Verbal communications stay on the same team.

On a very different note [a shameless plug], if you are interested in unique tamil short films, feel free to visit https://www.summamovies.com/. I couldn't tolerate the mass masala entertainers anymore and decided I will do my best to produce content with substance. I have a long a way to go as a producer and a start-up founder, but I am glad our journey has begun. I look forward to your support. Each film on our site costs INR 15. Thanks!!!

Regards,

IN THE WAKE OF LANKAN GENOCIDE

Hello World,

I have embedded YouTube videos that have content that might be disturbing to some due to the nature of its (violent) content. So watch the videos at your own discretion. You can click here to download the pdf version of this post which will not have the disturbing videos.

I would like to bring to your attention something that has in the recent times, caught the attention of media and public in this region of the world, the claims of war crimes in Sri Lanka during the military ambush executed by the Sri Lankan government to put an end to the Tamil rebel uprising. The Sri Lankan government succeeded in killing the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the military ambush. However, several events during the ambush that got documented on photographs and videos seem to project the idea that the Sri Lankan military had violated international human rights laws. As per the videos and photographs that have been publicized by the international mass media, the Sri Lankan soldiers have methodically executed their prisoners of war and also abused and killed civilians in the process. Now for those who are not clear about the photographic/video documentation, please find below the documentary as telecast by Channel-4, a british public service television broadcaster:

 

 

These given below are some more links of similar video footages that have been released to substantiate the war crimes claim:

After pictures, video of Sri Lanka's war crimes surfaces  

Continuing Genocide in Sri Lanka - ABC News 

Before we begin, I would like to make it very clear that the issue has language-based-ethnicity as the root cause. I do not approve of the acts of human rights violation committed. However, the accused here is the Sri Lankan government, including the military agencies, operatives and heads of the Sri Lankan government. Just because there is a language-based-ethnicity in the system, it is absolutely foolish to consider all native Sinhalese speakers and Buddhists from Sri Lanka to be the potential perpetrators of the criminal acts. Those who are responsible for the inhuman acts are criminal suspects, irrespective of their native language or religion. The main reason I am trying to make this clear is because, I speak Tamil. Tamil is my native language. But I am Indian as I was born in India. Apparently, folks around my place here are agitated over the war crimes that were committed in Sri Lanka and are expressing their anger against the Sinhalese-Buddhist government of Sri Lanka. There is however, certain section of the population that has the clarity regarding their inferences and implications on the matter. The causes for the inhuman acts are ethnic identities and the need for establishment of ethnic superiority in the Sri Lankan society. That doesn’t mean all Sinhalese-Buddhists approve of what the Sri Lankan government has done. I have very good friends who are Sinhalese speaking Sri Lankans. I have enjoyed their company in my classroom, workspace and even on the cricket field. We never had any differences with respect to ethnicity. A very good Sinhalese friend of mine has even worked for a Tamil organization in Sri Lanka in the past. Just because certain sections of the local mass media here in India have been repeatedly referring to ethnic identities, the issue under scrutiny has been grossly misunderstood and the craving need for ethnic classification of the accused has taken over the objectivity. So, we will be attempting to analyze and interpret the incidents that took place in Sri Lanka with the perspective of human rights violations and the responsible perpetrators. Their native language and religion is of no use to us since we do not have the objective of spreading contempt and envious thoughts against the ethnicity of the perpetrators. A criminal is a criminal, irrespective of what language he/she speaks and what faith he/she follows.

The Tamil LTTE Cadres and civilians massacred in Sri Lanka are Sri Lankans by birth. The LTTE was formed to protect the Tamil-speaking Sri Lankans and they took to arms demanding a separate state of their own. This war has been going on for decades and after a series of cease-fire agreements and failed bi-lateral talks, the Sri Lankan government decided to put an end to the rebel uprising. Now from a democratic stand-point, any government cannot be blamed for attempting to curb internal military conflict due to a rebel uprising. The LTTE took to arms and they were met with arms by the Sri Lankan government. What sparks the debate is the fact that the Sri Lankan government has allowed its forces to go above and beyond the international laws to methodically execute prisoners of war and civilians. Adding fuel to fire is the sexual abuse and physical torture that the victims were subjected to. 

The videos and photographs show the dead bodies of victims naked and mutilated. The male victims were stripped naked, hands tied behind their backs and eyes tied before they were shot from point blank distance. The female victims were stripped naked, raped and hacked/shot to death. I remember that at one point in the Channel-4’s documentary, the Sri Lankan soldiers comment about one of the female victims still moaning while they were loading their bodies on to a truck. This is quite a repetition of the holocaust that devastated Germany in the past, except there were no sophisticated Gas Chambers and organized Ghettos. Additional claims against the Sri Lankan government point out that the international UN-backed organizations and journalists were not allowed to operate in the war-hit regions of Sri Lanka and meet the rehabilitation and emergency medical needs of the wounded and displaced. 

As per the report submitted by the Panel of Experts to the UN Secretary General on the Accountability in Sri Lanka, the panel approves of having identified “Credible Allegations” and has classified them into categories as given below in the excerpts from the report’s executive summary:

About the Sri Lankan Government:

“Thus in conclusion, the Panel found credible allegations that comprise five core categories of potential serious violations committed by government of Sri Lanka: (i) killing of civilians through widespread shelling; (ii) shelling of hospitals and humanitarian objects; (iii) denial of humanitarian assistance; (iv) human rights violations suffered by victims and survivors, including both the IDP’s and suspected LTTE Cadre; and (v) human rights violations outside the conflict zone, including against the media and the critics of the government.”

About the LTTE:

“The Panel’s determination of credible allegations against the LTTE associated with the final stages of the war reveal six core categories of potential serious violations: (i) using civilians as human buffer; (ii) killing civilians attempting to flee LTTE control; (iii) using military equipment in the proximity of civilians; (iv) forced recruitment of children; (v) forced labour; and (vi) killing of civilians through suicide attacks.”

Click here to download the pdf version of the complete report.

Now the question to be asked is that, in spite of the Panel identifying credible allegations with regards to serious violations why hasn’t the International Criminal Court initiated any legal action to ascertain the truth? In case of Germany, the government that did the war crimes fell and it was convenient for the next interim government to initiate legal action against the perpetrators. In Sri Lanka, unfortunately, the perpetrators are still under the shade of power. Therefore all the communications as documented in the report and the specifics of the recent resolution all beat around the bush of the Sri Lankan authorities to implement recommendations and ensure things are done right. Frankly, this is the biggest political joke of this decade. Asking an administration tainted with accusations of genocide and war crimes to make sure their planned rehabilitation efforts are executed in the appropriate manner is like asking the murderer to choose to apologize to the family of the victims whom he/she killed. 

The reality of the situation may be hard to digest but the simple fact is that innocents have died and those that are responsible for the death and displacement of innocent civilians in Sri Lanka are still walking free and most probably will continue to do so. The only way Rajapaksa and the Sri Lankan government under his leadership can be tried for war crime is when the Sri Lankan government falls. In all the cases of tyrant leaders that were tried and convicted for war crimes in the past, with or without international intervention, the trials took place in the courts of the country that served as the origin for the war crime and/or the perpetrators of the war crimes. Given this predicament, even if by a remote chance, the current Sri Lankan government is tried at a court for war crimes, there are high chances that Rajapaksa and team would walk out free in the end. The moment an administration smells legal action against its leaders, they will either vanish to other countries or retire from the post. So during the trial they can easily declare that they are not in power anymore and they were not entirely responsible for what had happened. A few unlucky individuals may get convicted and they too would get an offer of political asylum from another country and accept respectful banishment from homeland as a consequence of their actions. 

The conclusion of the Internal Review Panel Report on Sri Lanka admits that the UN failed to adequately respond to the events that occurred in Sri Lanka. This is the indication that international organizations make compromises with their policies and procedures as long as they know they won’t be in trouble. The United Nations has all the resources and political authority to intervene and operate on issues related to genocide and war crimes but it failed to protect the innocent civilians of Sri Lanka and did not make any move to exert its policies with force. Only when the news got out in the media, they released the report admitting their failures. No point in playing the blame game now that the innocents are already dead but it has to be noted that even the policies and procedures of United Nations and its subsidiaries are not entirely self-sufficient and fail-safe. When things go wrong, there is United Nations but when the UN goes wrong, nobody knows about it until it writes a report on itself and releases it publicly. I would however appreciate the honesty of United Nations to acknowledge and admit its failure in Sri Lanka. Please click here to download the pdf version of the report. 

There is however a big lesson for all of us to learn from what has happened in Sri Lanka. As mankind progresses into a new dimension of civilization, the concept of ethnic identities has grown exponentially in the hearts of humans that goes way beyond the realms of spirit of nationalism. Man has started to learn the importance of his own ethnic identity in an effort to remember where he comes from and what makes him unique. Man has started taking his native language, religion and culture more seriously than before. But the alarming fact is that this has taken the grip of reality to fade away in many a mind and has distorted the way the inferences are made. Now in order to protect one’s own ethnic identity, man has learned to hate other ethnicity and similar identities. This type of “hating others to protect self” type of ideologies have been spreading fast in the past few decades and at times have resulted in large scale violence. The uprising or Tamil rebels, which is a case of separatist terrorism and the subsequent methodical execution of prisoners of war and Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka by its own government is just one example. How far can man go for the sake of his faith, language and ethnic identities? Since when did man create this element of civilization that calls for denouncement and damage of other cultures as an act of retaliation to protect one’s own culture? If hating another culture is justifiable in any sense, then what should we call the culture that teaches someone to hate other cultures? After all, personal choices are but a result of cultural impact on one’s thoughts, sparing the insane and ill-informed.

The Tamils of Sri Lanka have their origins in India. Even though there are claims that they are natives of Sri Lanka, history has it that a major portion of their ancestors were transported from India (from the state of Tamilnadu) to work in the farms and plantations in Sri Lanka. Over the years they settled in Sri Lanka. The cultural rift between the Sinhalese speaking Sri Lankans and Tamil speaking Sri Lankans, in my view, must have begun because of a non-existent or badly structured immigration policy in Sri Lanka. If the government had devised the immigration policies appropriately and officially accepted the naturalization of Tamils, then the opportunity for discriminating the Tamils would have been eliminated long back. We however cannot waive the possibilities of other social reasons that may have initiated the discrimination of Tamils, which resulted in the LTTE uprising and the sub-sequent war for separate state that consumed lives for decades before culminating in the methodical execution of Tamils by the Sri Lankan government. What we need now is speedy rehabilitation efforts to stabilize the displaced-and-luckily-alive Tamil civilians and legal reforms in Sri Lanka that may ensure equal rights to all citizens. An addition to it would be a revamp of UN procedures to deal with anomalies faced while implementing its policies around the world. At least the “We tried, failed and so they died” explanation may not be used again in response to a mass murder situation. What more can we expect in the wake of the Lankan Genocide?

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