President Rajapaksa agrees to make ‘province’ unit of devolution in Sri Lanka
By P.K. Balachandran
In a significant move that could help bridge the ethnic divide in Sri Lanka and lead to a lasting political settlement of the Tamil question, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has agreed to make the “province” the unit of devolution instead of the “district”, as proposed by his own Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) earlier.
“The President has agreed to make the province the unit of devolution,” moderate Tamil leader and government minister K.N.Douglas Devananda told foreign correspondents in an interaction here Thursday night.
The ruling SLFP’s proposal to make the “district” the unit of devolution instead of the “province” had dismayed the Tamils, including the most moderate, because the community had been struggling for the past 60 years for a federal constitution in which a Tamil speaking northeastern province would enjoy a reasonable degree of autonomy.
“A new devolution package which will be an improvement on the existing 13th constitutional amendment will be presented in two or three months’ time,” Devananda, who heads the Eelam Peoples’ Democratic Party (EPDP), said.
“The proposal will be officially made before the arrival of the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Sri Lanka for the 60th.anniversary of the country’s independence in February next year,” he assured.
Singh has been invited to be the chief guest at the gala function planned for Feb 4, but the invitation is yet to be accepted.
Devananda said that he had convinced President Rajapaksa that a permanent political solution was a long way off, and that it would be better to build on the existing structure, step by step, rather than grope in the dark for an elusive, radically new constitution.
“Any drastically new constitution will not get the required two thirds majority in parliament,” he had told the president.
The 13th amendment, which was enacted following the India-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987, had created provincial councils with a modicum of autonomy. But it left the Tamils dissatisfied as the provisions were either inadequate or not implemented.
Since then, moderate Tamils have been demanding what is called “13th amendment plus” as their minimum requirement.
But Rajapaksa’s SLFP went back even on this, and proposed district-level devolution and panchayati raj, instead of provincial autonomy, in an apparent bid to stem the consolidation of the Tamils in the island’s northeast.
Devananda said that all that needed to be done now was to enhance the powers devolved to the provinces under the provincial councils act, in stages.
“The opposition United National Party (UNP) should have no problem accepting It was a UNP government which enacted the 13th amendment, in the first place. I have spoken to the senior leaders of the SLFP and they too are amenable. Even the ultra-nationalistic Jathika Hela Urumaya and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, which opposed the provincial councils, are now for the continuation of the system.”
“The All Party Representative Committee (APRC) under Prof.Tissa Vitharana is in fact working out a devolution package which will be 13th amendment plus,” Devananda pointed out.
He proposed a two-pronged approach to solve the Tamil problem.
“On the one hand, the war against the Tigers (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) should continue, because they are terrorists. But simultaneously, the political demands of the Tamil people must be met. The LTTE and the Tamil people must not be clubbed together,” Devananda said.
“I will not support a war without a simultaneous move towards a political settlement,” he clarified.
“The government should immediately set up an Interim Administration in the northeast for a six months to a one year period. This administration must be political because only a political administration will be able to feel the pulse of the people and bring back normalcy after all these years of war. I want to be the head of such an administration,” he said.
He had proposed the setting up of an Interim Administration under his leadership to Presidents Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa, but both had wanted to talk to the LTTE and settle the matter with it, disregarding his warning that the LTTE would not negotiate in good faith.
“All that Prabhakaran (the LTTE chief) wants is a piece of land for him to rule dictatorially. He is not a Nelson Mandela or Yasser Arafat. He is more like Pol Pot and Hitler.” Devananda, who had survived a staggering 12 attempts on his life, said.
“Prabhakaran has to be killed if there is to be a political settlement of the Tamil question,” he stressed.
“But if Prabhakaran comes to the negotiating table genuinely, I will withdraw from politics. But the reality is, he won’t come and I won’t go!” he quipped.
— IANS
Nimal said,
December 21, 2007 @ 11:54 pm
The Sinhalese are not prepared to part with an inch of their homeland, unless the Tamils say no to separatism, terrorism and racism within their community. Once this has been done, then the process of devolution can begin, without entertaining the stupid notion that certain areas of the country belong exclusively to Tamils.
sreeboy said,
December 22, 2007 @ 9:49 am
Remember the The butt of the gun on Rajivs shoulder.You thing this is on impulse by a Sinhalese soldier?.It is the JR govt.Wake up stupid India Sri-lanka will never change .Dr Manmohan pleas take along an air ambulance equipped with trauma facilities,you will need one.
Oh Douglas the cat has nine lives when freely moving about how many lives do you have in well fortified place at the last count it was four.
You want to talk about pease while colluding with the military and killing the tamils.You want to be the governer of Northern province and hoist the Nandhi Kodi.Where is Karuna now?where will Pillayan will be in a few months or years?.You face cannot be replaced by a Sinhalese name arrying a diplomatic passport.Go and beg VP and stop at four.
ratna said,
December 22, 2007 @ 10:33 am
Some writers get excited when GOSL says something. These comments are just to fool the IC and some media personnel.
Anyway who cares what MR says?
The real president is GR.
.
Thamarai Kumaran said,
December 22, 2007 @ 12:15 pm
Nimal, Tamils never said yes ‘to separatism, terrorism and racism’. It was the LTTE and I wish you do not mix Tamils and Tigers. The problem with GOSL is that it is fighting the LTTE without the help of the Tamils.
If you can agree on that, GOSL need not to wait to talk to the Tamils. Let GOSL continue to fight the LTTE and let the Tamils have their share in their Sri Lanka now.
Anonymous said,
December 23, 2007 @ 7:46 am
Devananda is not a man without “skeletons in his cupboard” so far as HR violations against Tamil people are concerned. But he shows a great deal of realism here. The Sinhala Electorate, their minds poisoned and prejudiced as they are for over 50 years mostly by false propaganda and distortion, are unlikely to agree to a settlement formulae in one-piece. It has to come in instalments. How reliable is the President on his fidelity to Devolution on the basis of Province commitment? He has agreed to this recently and, characteristically, backed out. Devananda has done well both for the Tamil people in general and National peace in particular by securing this “concession” and giving publicity to this. Indian PM Manmohan Singh would naturally like to see some real progress in the National Question before he arrives here on Feb 04 from a regime that is not particularly known for consistency or to keep its word – specially with the Indian Govt itself. Dr Singh will not expose himself to be taken for a sucker or fooled. But, sieged as he is from all angles, MR has few options but to agree for the sake of his own political survival. Prabhakaran’s future means little to the two million long-suffering Tamils of the North-East who have lost their all due to the adventurist politics of their own un-initiated political youth – who have now become fascists of the highest order turning their guns on the Tamils themselves,
owners of multi-million dollar businesses etc. What the Tamil people yearn for is peace, security, going back to their homes, their farms, their fishing, their places of worship, their livelihoods, the development of infra-structure of their Province/s, the cessation of serious HR violations against Tamil youth, for Tamil girls to be free of rape and generally for Tamils to be free from physical desecration on cooked up reasons,
investment opportunities in the North East and the right to decide their future in their own areas within Sri Lanka. To me this certainly does not sound too much to ask.
krish said,
December 23, 2007 @ 8:56 am
Mr Thamarai Kumaran according to Chandrika a few years back there were 700,000 Sri Lankan tamils in North America Australia and Europe who knows how many now.But for sure one of them is you,perhaps claimed refugee status blaming the tigers,I know there are a lot of them in the west and down under.dont be a hypocrit.you got education perhaps welfare from wherever you are hiding at the expense of tigers.Have you forgotten the Tamil millionares entrepreuners professionals living in the these countries.What about their children.
The whole world is now aware of the tamil problem due to whom.Where were you when Chelva was appealing for very minimal rights for survival, was he able to attract any attention from Nehru or Shastri or Indira (prior to JR)When Shastri signed the first pact to re-patrite our brothers from up country he didnot raise an iota about the sri lnkan Tamils..It is the tigers who have brought the plight to the world.The terrorist govt of Sri-Lanka who chose the tigers as the tamil representative and signed a peace deal.As usual reneging now.Change your name to Thamara Kumara who do not know the meaning of racism and terrorism.Of course you know what is seperatism.
Sarath said,
December 23, 2007 @ 11:26 am
60% of the coastline and 30% of the land area for 12.6% of the population (it’s even less than 12.5% considering that many Tamils now live outisde the north east) is demografically unjustifiable. Tamils continue to make unfair demands time and time again, just like the infamous 50-50 proposal. All these unfair demands do is rile up the majority community so that they become defensive against any legitimate aspirations of the Tamils. Please come up with REASONABLE, JUSTIFIABLE proposals instead of these “have the cake and eat it too” ones that are so popular among Tamils.
Neil said,
December 23, 2007 @ 8:38 pm
Response to #7
GOSL can implement the right solution for the all the minorities who can live peacefully in Sri Lanka (like Singapore, Canada). Majority Govt no need to wait for reasonable, justifiable proposal from minority. Why are they wasting public money, resources for the fight? Parents should look after their kids in proper manner. If the parents ignore one kid and give preference to other kid, no one needs to tell you what will happen. Thing about it….. (Singhalese, Tamils, Muslims, etc are belongs to Sri Lanka)
Since 1948, all the politicians (Singala, Tamil, Muslim etc) and majority of the educated people are graving for power and money, none of them are really worried about the country and innocent people…. If this continues..out come is going to be worse than this( no one can live peacefully… no more Sri Lanka….. could be under India , America….? who knows )
dingiri said,
December 24, 2007 @ 7:12 am
Just to put Sarath’s comments in perspective. The current population density of Sri Lanka is 316 Pers/SqKm and is ranked 25th highest in the worlds. If we devide the land on the basis of the Eelam Map With 12.6% getting 33% of the land The Population densities become.
Eelam 120 pers/sqKm (ranked 63rd highest)
Rest of SriLanka 415 pers/sqKm (ranked 14th Highest)
This is tantamount to expecting the Sinhalese to roll over and die so the Eelamists can have their Lebensraum.
Thamilan said,
January 3, 2008 @ 2:43 pm
Comment # 7 and 9,
If the Sinhalese worried more about education instead of staying home and producing more kids this would have never been a problem. There is more then 1 billion Chinese does that give them right to annex Mongolia, Vietnam etc because they have a huge population.
If you think Chinese can do that, then there is 80 million Tamils and we have all the right to claim the entire island since our population is two big for Tamil Nadu and the North and East of Sri Lanka. While we are on the move we will also take over the Meldives and who knows we can also take over Madagascar as well.
Since Canada has only 30 million populations with more land then the USA they should share it with the USA since it has 300+ million people.
Get a life!!! Don’t even act smart, give the Tamils what is rightfully theirs. Getting the entire pie and then trying to steal the pie of the others seems to be popular attitude among Sinhalese.
Since you guys are a favorite protective of the Buddha why don’t you pray to Buddha to magically find you another island to solve your population problem.
Idiots like you are one of the many reason why LTTE is still in existence.
dingiri said,
March 19, 2008 @ 11:57 am
Thamilan,
Sri Lanka is not trying to grab anyone else’s land on the basis of overpopulation. We are only trying to stop the Tamils from breaking away with 4 times as they are prepared to give a Sinhalese man.
Before you can break away with both the Northern and Eastern Provinces you need to prove that the it is the exclusive Tamil Homeland. However, there are a few uncomfortable facts that fly in the face of your rather excessive land claim. Most of the land you claim was part of the Sinhalese kingdoms of the South prior to and even during Duch colonial times. The Tamil history in much of this land is less than 300 years old. There are ancient Sinhalese “Purana Gam” and archaeological ruins (in addition to newer settlements) in much of the lands you claim, as well as Moslem people both of whom do not wish to be part of your Tamil homeland. There are hardly any archaeological relics in these areas that can be ascribed to the Tamils. So, it doesnt look like you’ve got a clear cut case to call it your exclusive homeland does it?
So your China-Mongolia parallel does not really apply to the situation in Sri Lanka. Mongolia is another state and Chinese dont share their land. What the Eelamists have done is to arbitrarily demarcate a disproportionate chunk of our country and called it their exclusive traditional home land. Some Sinhalese counter this by claiming that the entire country is THEIR homeland. Therefore the only resolution I see is to devide it proportionately and equitably between the two comunities. However that doesnt seem popular with the extremists in either camp.
The trouble with some Tamils is that they see any thing short of total dominance within Sri Lanka as persecution by the Sinhalese.