'There are genuine 'Tamil grievances'
and genuine 'Tamil aspirations'. And on the other side is LTTE terrorism
which we will fight.'-President Mahinda Rajapaksa
NEWS POST
INDIA Sunday, September 02, 2007
Saturday 01st of September 2007 Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse
agrees that the Tamils do have genuine grievances but asserts that any
settlement of the ethnic conflict will have to be built on a unitary
state to win the backing of the Sinhalese majority which considers federalism
an anathema.
In the most extensive and candid interview he has given since taking
power in November 2005, Rajapakse also said he hoped to hold elections
by the end of 2007 in the eastern province, which the military has seized
from the Tamil Tigers.
'Federalism is a negative word in Sri Lanka because people think it
(is) synonymous with dividing the country. Also, I prefer the phrase
'power sharing' to 'devolution',' the president said, finally vetoing
the two basic demands of Tamil groups of all hues.
'But it is not like making instant coffee. Ultimately, it would be
a mistake for Western governments to allow their frustrations with the
slow pace of (political) reform in Sri Lanka to be interpreted as empathy
with a terrorist cause.
'I cannot change history or my own political circumstances overnight...
You must remember my political legacy and constraints. During my election
I received few Tamil votes because of the LTTE-enforced boycott. I was
elected primarily by a Sinhala constituency on an election manifesto
which made it clear that an ultimate solution to the ethnic crisis could
be evolved only on the basis of a unitary state.
'In any peace settlement I have to carry the Sinhala voters with me.
I cannot unilaterally impose a settlement - it has to be the outcome
of a political process - an outcome that must be long-lasting and acceptable
to the people.'
The president spoke at his Colombo residence. A tall, muscular figure
who exudes the earthy exuberance and macho good looks of a South Indian
film star, he had just finished his morning workout at the gym followed
by a swim. He wore a T-shirt and jeans and his hair was still wet.
His comments came as the Sri Lankan military prepares to take on the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the island's north, continuing
a terrible war that has killed tens of thousands.
Hitting out at the LTTE for treating the Norway-sponsored 2003 ceasefire
agreement as 'a joke', he denied secretly funding the Tigers to ensure
a Tamil boycott of the 2005 presidential election because of which Rajapakse
narrowly defeated Ranil Wickremesinghe who would have otherwise got
Tamil votes.
'This is completely laughable as well as logically absurd. Is it possible
in any country for a person who is not even in power to make a deal
of this sort? And how does this allegation co-exist with the earlier
description of me as a 'hawk' who seeks only a military victory? I can't
be both things at the same time.
'If I'm a hawk, I cannot be making secret deals (with the LTTE) for
a political solution. If I'm for a negotiated settlement, then I cannot
possibly be accused of seeking a military solution! ...
'History shows that secret deals backfire. President (Ranasinghe) Premadasa
made such a deal with (LTTE chief Velupillai) Prabhakaran and the LTTE
assassinated him.
'If you really believe that we gave him (Prabhakaran) 700 million (rupees)
and got him to organise a boycott of Tamil votes at the presidential
election, then we invite you, please, to take the initiative on our
behalf and offer him even a much bigger sum of money in return for getting
him to the negotiating table so that we may have peace in our country
and save so many precious lives.'
He went on: 'I am confident enough to tell you that I will hold elections
in the (multi-racial) eastern province hopefully by the end of the year.
We will demonstrate the viability of a Tamil-Sinhala-Muslim partnership.'
The president said he did not believe there was any such thing as 'Tamil
terrorism'. 'There are genuine 'Tamil grievances' and genuine 'Tamil
aspirations'. And on the other side is LTTE terrorism which we will
fight.'
He added: 'I recognise the legitimate historic grievances of our Tamil
people. They are Sri Lankans: proud Sri Lankans. And any organised repression
of the rights of any Sri Lankan is a blot on all Sri Lankans.'
Rajapakse said he had no hidden agenda. But he urged Tamil groups to
'present a united agenda and concrete proposals for peace. Prabhakaran
does not speak for all Tamils. The vast majority of Tamil people want
peace above everything and to them Eelam is just an illusion'.
Calling the LTTE leader 'the main obstacle to peace', he said: 'With
or without Prabhakaran, genuine Tamil grievances, the compulsions of
their ethnic honour and linguistic identity need to be respected and
addressed or the problems will not be solved.'
Asked about criticism that he was not doing enough to further a political
solution to the ethnic strife, Rajapakse blamed 'instant experts' for
'giving their text book analyses and solutions for decades with the
aim of influencing donors ... to pressure my country into imposing their
theoretical solutions rather than letting us negotiate a settlement
based on a Sri Lankan consensus and Sri Lankan realities...
'I differ from my opponents who say peace at any price. I say peace,
yes, but peace with honour and dignity. And the only question that is
non-negotiable is a divided Sri Lanka.'
(Inderjit Badhwar can be contacted at ibadhwar@gmail.com)
|
