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Persistent efforts to promote
federalism on racial basis
S. Akurugoda
As per some media reports, editorials, statements of foreign diplomats
and politicians favourable to a set of proposal based on federalism
with racial flavour, Prof. Vitharana is being viewed by the international
community as a very liberal and moderate politician who will have the
best inclusion in terms of comprehensive proposals.
'Liberal', 'moderate, etc are highly relative terms and depend on where
the interpreter stands. When a person fulfils the interest of another,
then the latter will naturally see the former as a moderate. For that
matter, Prabhakaran will see Thamilselvan as a moderate and not Karuna.
As far as we are aware, Vitharana is representing Lanka Sama Samaja
Party, a party committed to Marxist ideology unless declared otherwise.
The so-called international community committed to Capitalism is the
archenemy of Marxism. In other wards, the apparent Certificate of Recognition
given to a follower of Marxist ideology by the Capitalist community
is somewhat questionable.
Irrespective of the political ideologies, being a well known Federalist,
Vitharana is committed to fulfil the interests of the so-called international
community and that is why the latter sees the former as a liberal and
a moderate.
Apart from Velupillai Prabhakaran and his allies (both local and foreign),
the fronts that have to be dealt by the President include some legacies
of failed regimes within the government ranks.
Although some of the constituent political parties of the PA were functional
and had some marginal public representation when the PA was formed in
1994, they are only name board parties today (or quite correctly identified
by Anura Bandaranayake few years ago as 'three wheeler' parties). The
MPs of these parties have not been elected by the people, but have been
appointed by the previous regime of Chandrika Kumarathunga, probably,
as a mark of respect for the support they rendered when high-jacking
the SLFP in 1994 to transform its policies to those of SLMP.
When elected as the President, Mahinda Rajapakse continued to work with
the same cabinet of his predecessor. When attempting to find a political
solution to the ongoing terrorist problem, the President appeared to
have appointed MPs from constituent political parties of PA without
taking into consideration the fact that some of these parties have failed
to have at least a single elected MP in the Parliament. As a result
the number of constituent parties in the All Party Representatives Conference
(APRC) is said to be 13 in numbers.
The worse thing is that the Chairman of the APRC is a member of one
such name board party and, according to this Mahadanamutta's vision,
the headcount of this committee forms the majority when concluding a
'solution'. Views in contrary to those of the Mahadanamutta will be
buried in an annexure to the final report, despite their strong representation!
The political bomb, apparently assembled by the so-called experts of
these 'three wheeler' parties last time, had jeopardized the very objectives
of the formation of the expert panel since it was the headcounts of
the committee which determined to majority. Later, it was made known
that INGOs such as Berghoff Foundation and other foreign interests promoting
'federalism on racial basis 'were behind the formation of the notorious
'majority report' of the so-called experts.
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna has already warned the government that
it would face dire consequences, at the forthcoming budget, if it backs
the APRC proposals for a Federal State. JHU and MEP representatives
of the APRC have publicly denounced the Chairman for his efforts to
undermine the mandate received at the last presidential election for
a unitary state.
The persistent attempt by the Chairman of the APRC to sell a set of
proposals based on the very same report of the expert panel, rejected
by the main political parties (SLFP.JVP, JHU, MEP etc) who were instrumental
when bringing the present regime into power, could drag the ruling circles
into a difficult situation unless remedial action is taken in time.
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