CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

NEVER EVER ALLOW TO BARGAIN ON THE UNITY OF THE NATON.

A.A.M.NIZAM MATARA.

Sri Lanka may lack many things but there is no dearth for groups with vested interest pressurizing for devolution, federalism and interim administration. This is not a phenomeon of recent origin but it dates back to the time the British Imperialists made arrangements to handover the ruling of this nation to their proxy Kalu Suddas. Many patriots have defended the right of the nation to remain unitary and strengthen the brotherhood amongst all communities as a single family unit but the divisive forces continue to raise their ugly heads from time to time like the mythological phoenix. Once again these antagonists of Sri Lanka’s unity have joined hands to pressurize and force the government to accede to their divisive demands.

In the “Mahinda Chintanaya” visionary document Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse presented as a candidate of the last Presidential Election promised under the Chapter “An Undivided Country, a National Consensus, an Honourable Peace” that he “will commence extensive discussions with all political parties represented in the Parliament, as well as those not represented in the Parliament, the Maha Sangha, leaders and priests of other religions, civil society organizations, and more particularly with Tamil, Muslim and Sinhala organizations operating in the North and the East to arrive at a peaceful political settlement where the power of each and every citizen is strengthened to the maximum, without being trapped within concepts such as traditional homelands and right to self determination. My intention is to devolve power to the level of the citizen. I believe that by developing a strong citizen, we would be able to reach a solution in this national conflict.(my emphasis). He further elaborated that the national consensus that emerges from the consultative process shall be submitted to a referendum of the people as soon as such a consensus is reached.

Majority of the masses endorsed this pledge by electing him as the fifth President of this nation and in keeping with his promise the President has convened the All Party Conference and has appointed a 15 member Consultative Committee representing members from all communities in this regard.

Consequent to this move, the vicious elements with vested interests, the uncompromising diehards, the short-sighted chauvinist extremists, and paid agents of anti-national forces who were lying dormant since the defeat of the treacherous Ranil Wickremasinghe have become vigorously activated to either hamper these moves or to pressurize for blind acceptance of their archaic short-sighted and pro-alien formulae.

One of the claims these vested interested proponents make is that only a federal system of government will suit Sri Lanka and it has been accepted by the Tiger Terrorists at the Oslo discussions held in November 2002. This was even claimed by the UNP at the last Presidential Election as the main objective in their Manifesto, despite the fact that the terrorist outfit had disclaimed umpteen times that they agreed to such an arrangement. This formula was resolutely rejected by the masses in defeating Ranil Wickremasinghe winning the Presidency and attempting to grant such a solution.

Way before the Presidential Election, when the UNP government was making attempts to replace the existing Constitution by a Federal system of governance, Maha Nayake Thero of the Malwatte Chapter, Ven.
Rambukwelle Sri Vipassi Thero summoned a National Joint Committee to his Aramaya on 21st February, 2003 and mandated them to look into this matter and report on the political and constitutional implications of introducing a Federal Constitution for Sri Lanka. The committee comprised of eminent legal luminaries and historians. The committee invited legal and written submission and studied the subject in depth for over six months and submitted their report in September 2003 disqualifying Sri Lanka for such a Constitution and decreed that such a Constitution was harmful for social and religious amity and for the peaceful existence of Sri Lanka.

At the same time there are elements who vigorously campaign for Sri Lanka to adopt a Constitution of the Indian Model. A bane of our country is that we have a large number of idiots in the higher echelons who think that Indian systems and Indian methodology are panacea for all our ills. This is also such an idiotic conception.
India is an amalgamation of 625 princely States some willingly joined and some forcibly annexed, such as Goa and some of the former French enclaves. Part of Kashmir is still resisting such annexure. Each Indian State is several times larger than Sri Lanka land-wise and population-wise. Sri Lanka never existed as separate Units and there is all the danger of Sri Lanka becoming another Yugoslavia and getting segregated into ethnic mini-States if we adopt the Indian model.

The terrorist outfit too has taken advantage of the opportunity to re- present the despicable ISGA proposal granting of which by the Ranil and his cohorts was prevented by the uprising of the patriotic masses in November 2004.

Finally as a Muslim, I am duty-bound to my country to comment on the utterly foolish claim being made by the chauvinist SLMC that Muslims should be given a non-contiguous administrative unit merging Muslim dominated areas in the North and East. This is the most stupid proposal being presented at the APC, just to satisfy the political expediency of its shameless leader risking the life and property of the Muslims scattered all over the island. If such Units are to be granted Tamils in the Hill Country, Tamils in the Western Province too could claim for such Units. Muslims in Sri Lanka have lived amicably with their maternal cousins the Sinhalese community from time immemorial and have resisted all attempts to segregate Sri Lanka.
Since the State Council times, Sri Marcan Markar, Sri Razik Fareed, T.B.Jayah and Dr.Badi-ud-din Mahmoud have firmly stood against any form linguistic or territorial division of Sri Lanka. The speech made by Dr. Badi-ud-din Mahmoud presenting the Muslim case in the Constituent Assembly remains ever applicable for constitutional matters in Sri Lanka. He said that “Let me state in clear terms that the Muslim community will always oppose strongly any attempt at the division of the country whether directly or indirectly. Today the Muslims are totally in favour of a unitary government and a united Lanka. I would strongly urge in these circumstances that special provision be included in the new Constitution to avoid any such division”

Patriotic masses should shun all their petty difference and join together to oppose all forms of pressure being exerted on the government to follow unsuitable models that could dilute unity and national integrity, and pave the way for division and segregation of the country. Oppose all forms of territorial devolutions and demand to strengthen the power of each and every citizen. Then only a Sri Lankan born in Devinuwara can live as a Sri Lankan in Point Pedro and vice versa.

BACK TO LATEST NEWS

DISCLAIMER