An opportunity for peaceful
pluralistic development
Secretariat for Coordinating
the Peace Process (SCOPP)
12th May 2008
Mr. Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan (“Pillayan”) Tamil
Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP)
The Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process welcomes the conclusion
of the Eastern Provincial Election, and the possibility now of establishing
an Eastern Provincial Administration that will be able to fulfil the
spirit of devolution as required in Sri Lanka.
For too long now devolution has been seen as leading to the emergence
of a Provincial administration that is either subordinate to the Central
government, or else in absolute opposition to it. On the contrary, a
Provincial administration should be able to promote unity through diversity,
the promotion of Province specific solutions for local problems, pursued
in conformity with general government principles but not necessarily
in conformity with practices in other provinces.
The perversion of the concept of devolution began way back in 1988
when the then government, which had resisted meaningful devolution for
so long, implemented the 13th amendment when the country was in a state
of anarchy. This was in part due to the denial of democracy for over
half a decade, which led to the emergence of militant movements in both
the north and the south of the country. The brutality with which the
government suppressed those movements, whilst using the situation to
promote its own electoral prospects by arming not only politicians seeking
election but also their henchmen, has now been forgotten even by those
politicians for whom gentlemen such as Gonawala Sunil and Kalu Lucky
were treasured associates.
In such a context the government picked strongmen to lead provincial
election campaigns, engaged in thuggery and stuffing of ballot boxes
- not impersonation but actual filling wholesale of boxes with ballot
papers taken by force - against weak opponents, and set a model for
provincial government that has in general precluded independent development.
The positive contribution to a provincial identity of the Chief Minister
of the North-Western Provincial Council was the exception that proved
the rule, but even he could not prevent the steady erosion of provincial
authority by the center, contrary to the provisions of the 13th amendment.
Successive Chief Ministers since then have suffered from the practices
laid down then. Given the general principle, that movement from a Provincial
Chief Ministership to even a minor portfolio at the Centre was a devoutly
desired promotion, productive initiatives were rare.
All that has changed with the election of a Provincial government which
owes its primary allegiance to the people of the Province, whilst it
maintains close and cordial relations with the Central government. Already
the new Mayor of Batticaloa has shown, in discussion with government
and with the international community that was wary previously of contributing
to development of the area, that many independent initiatives, appropriate
to the area, are being planned. There is no doubt that the Provincial
Council, and the executive in the Province that will answer to that
Council, will follow a similar path, in close consultation with the
government, but with the ability and the desire to ensure targeted development
appropriate to the region.
In the context of such hope, for development through diversity but
without conflict, it is a pity that the same set of spoilers are once
more trying to do down the region. It is tragic that the leaders of
the oppositional coalition that lost the election are now claiming that
the election should be overturned. In order to support their claim,
they even set up an elections monitoring organization for which initially
the spokesman was a well-known representative of the opposition UNP.
Now they have instead put forward Nimalka Fernando, cited as head of
CAFFE, who has openly admitted that the UNP is part of the group, while
claiming that other parties are also represented, without specifying
what these parties are and how they contribute to the claim of pluralism.
How Ms Fernando can deny the political connection between her new grouping
and the opposition that lost the election defies the imagination, but
she has established herself in the past as that Wittgensteinian freak,
who buys a second copy of the morning paper to check that what the first
said was true.
It is not a problem that this nonsense will go on, but it would be
sad if the international community allowed itself to be taken in by
this, to the extent of refusing to work together with the new administration.
Some elements in the international media have already begun to highlight
the opposition threat to campaign against the results of the election,
and it would be tragic if such threats were taken seriously, without
proper attention to the reports of PAFREL, which had established itself
as the internationally recognized organization in Sri Lanka for the
monitoring of elections.
A proper understanding of the facts would make it clear that the people
have spoken, and that the result is as acceptable as results in Sri
Lanka generally are - and certainly very different from what obtained
during the horrors of the eighties, when massive majorities were registered
in the most unlikely places. We need to move forward now on this basis,
for Sri Lanka is ripe and ready for pluralistic development. The attempts
of oppositional forces to persuade the world to prevent this should
be seen for what they are, the sourest of sour grapes, and resisted.
Prof Rajiva Wijesinha
Secretary-General
Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process
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