Deadline for Devolution Proposals

Dilrook Kannangara

In a drastic move to gain cheap popularity, the UNP has echoed the demand by the Co-Chairs for the government to come up with devolution proposals soon.

UNP’s Proposals ?

It is worthwhile to note that the UNP hasn’t come up with any devolution proposals for the past 20 years!!

There were no such proposals during Premadasa’s reign from 1988-93 and in fact there was not even the mentioning of any devolution/decentralisation, etc. Thereafter during Ranil’s premiership from 1993-94 the trend continued. From 1994-2000 the UNP was in the opposition. Apart from humiliating, protesting and burning the proposals put forward by the then government, the UNP was incapable of coming up with any proposals known to the public. Then came the ‘cease’-fire joke during Ranil’s second term as premier from 2001-04. Were there any devolution proposals then? NO.

It is even more ridiculous that during this time the LTTE came up with its own proposals!! These were termed ISGA proposals and it was not met with any reciprocal or alternative proposals from the UNP administration. What were they discussing in ‘peace’ talks? Rightfully, the LTTE declared that they will only discuss their ISGA proposals and otherwise not willing to go to ‘peace’ talks and talk nonsense!! Then there passed 3 more years from 2004 to now; still no word about the UNP’s proposals.

This is another strong case against the illegal CFA and MoU signed with the LTTE. A memorandum of understanding without any understanding of how to solve the underlying problem! Amazing

What is even more amazing is that the same individual who made an election promise in 1999 to hand-over the N-E provinces to the LTTE never mentioned a devolution/decentralisation or any other plan or proposal.

Why Now ?

Why now the UNP and few others are screaming and demanding the government to put forward their proposals? Simply because the UNP is barren; they are barren that they cannot generate their own proposals; barren as all their think tanks have left leaving a residue of gobbledygook. Also the UNP is always looking upto its master -the LTTE- for guidance and at this juncture the master is very heavily engaged in a desperate struggle to collect ransom and fighting for its mere survival.

Practical Devolution

However, the government should not take hasty decisions on such important matters. Care should be exercised to protect and promote territorial integrity and sovereignty within such proposals. As I have pointed out before, any geography based devolution/decentralisation is bound to fail miserably if it is intended to solve the ‘ethnic problem’ since ethnicity has little relevance to geography. If a map is to be produced on ethnic dispersion and concentration, it will look very different to what promoters of geography based devolution have assumed. Somewhat like the national flag – red, orange and green altogether.

Immediate Relief for the Abandoned

A geography based devolution will also serve the present UNP requirement. What it plans to do is to incite a regional divide between the races and destabilise the government.

If a separate Muslim unit is to be created in the east, JHU, JVP, TNA and some SLFP/UNP MPs will resist such proposals. On the other hand if it was not created the SLMC may withdraw from the government.

If the north and the east were not to be merged in the proposals, TNA and UNP will not support it and on the other hand if they were to be merged, JHU, JVP, SLMC and sections of the SLFP/UNP will not support it.

On top of that we have the CWC and UPF unified under the flag of orange, white-with a rising sun-and green; some used to call it the flag of Malayanadu!!

What Ranil have in mind is to make these divisions. That is why he is howling for government proposals NOW.

This is the same trap Ranil was in during the last presidential election when all separatist forces were backing him to win their thamil ealam, malayanadu, sapistan, nazarustan, etc. Little that they realised they were after the same strip of land under different names!! However, thanks to Ranil’s media connections each ethnic group was told only what is beneficial to them and counter claims by other groups were not made known to them. A good example is the complete paradox in Sinhala, Tamil and English news broadcasted/telecasted by Ranil’s media. No wonder he is a “no-winner”.
However, when the government comes up with its devolution proposals, they are not meant to be hidden from the people; nor can it have inconsistencies and discrepancies between translations.
As detailed above any form of regional devolution will definitely result in extreme havoc which will be for the benefit of the UNP; it may attract some of their defected MPs.

Aims of Devolution

In my view any kind of devolution should do the exact opposite; it should not allow, once implemented, for the separatists to rally round a puppet to grab chunks of our nation for their mythical and fancy empires. Additionally, votes of separatists should not be allowed to be aggregated towards electing such a puppet. Instead, devolution as envisaged by those who see it as the solution for the ‘ethnic problem’, should create an atmosphere wherein the minority ethnic groups can have a louder say in their matters without having to go through so many agents. These unwarranted agents include the UNP (its master the LTTE and now the SLMM) and when the minority ethnic groups can handle their matters by their own representatives, the UNP will be redundant.

Myriad Nationalities and the UNP

United national?; who says we have many nationals? And who is the unifier of many imaginary nationalities?
It is important to shed some light on the birth of the United National party. As the name suggests, it was set-up to unify differing nationalist forces and it recognised ethnicity as the basis of these nationalist forces. However, only one nation was created, thus frustrating the need for such a party but still the united national party continues. In other words the reason for the UNP’s existence is the sustained strife among many “nationalities” living in Sri Lanka.
By its mere existence it recognises many nationals within Sri Lanka which is not true as there is only one nationality. Going by their name, they promote separate nationalities and also stand as their unifying force. Devolution proper will frustrate this nationality creation (as the minorities will have enough power to get their ambitions within one nationality) and hence frustrate the need to have a unifying force of many nationalities. This is the real motivation for the UNP to refrain from supporting devolution.

Given this developing backdrop, the main opposition on ground will be the JVP. And so it will be reflected within the parliament very soon. If power is devolved adequately for it to be meaningful, there will be no need to have an executive presidency all together.

Thus Ranil is doing his best to safeguard the continued existence of the UNP, the LTTE and the SLMM. It is up to the government to avoid this carefully placed trap and to frustrate the reasons for the existence of separatists and their puppets. This is the devolution we need.