2009   2008   2007   2006   2005   2004   2003

Strange bed fellows; racial majoritarianism conglomerates

Political observers say that setbacks and the push and pull games are taking the peace process to an unpredicted low. The majoritarian outlook in the south is pushing back the peace efforts and gives pride of place to racial majoritarianism, a weapon handy enough to retain or wrest power in the southern polity.

An unfortunate political trend is taking shape in the south, in that, whoever who spearheads opposition to devolution of power to the Tamils and fulfil their aspirations, are beginning to win popular support. This phenomenon evolves itself into a force that can dangerously affect the peace process and a negotiated settlement of the national problem.

Since the Liberation Tigers have earned the credibility as the sole representatives of the Tamil people, it is inevitable that lasting peace and final resolution of the conflict could be achieved only through peace negotiations with the Liberation Tigers and it is naive to say that the Executive Head of the State, President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and the party she heads, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) are unaware of this.

We have, in this column, pointed out on many occasions that the President, because of her accommodating as travel companions, the JVP, an entity that identifies itself with racial hatred and majoritarian thinking, is struggling hard to complete her passage in the peace process. Her plight, unfortunately though, is similar to one trying to swim a lengthy and hazardous course with a boulder tied on one leg.

It is pathetic anyway that the President is now trying to tie on another boulder in the other leg, that is, as rumoured in political circles, an attempt to take in another chauvinistic partner into the government, all for the sake of proving her party's majority in the parliament. It is said that the UPFA, the ruling coalition, is to join hands with the racist, fanatic and extremist party of the Buddhist clergy, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and one sees here a conglomeration of extremist elements for political expediency.

JHU has a reputation, both within Sri Lanka and internationally, of being a party with a majoritarian and extremist outlook and is not second to JVP in its opposition to devolution of power to the Tamil People and resolving the Tamil national problem through negotiation with the Liberation Tigers.

By accommodating one extremist party, the JVP, the President is unable to take forward the peace process in the way she plans and likes and it shudders to think how formidable the task is going to be by taking in another such formation, the JHU. If the JHU too, as is being planned, join hands with the incumbent rulers, no doubt this country will have a giant sized chauvinistic regime.

There is wide spread panic in the country about an impending war in the backdrop of the UPFA staggering to take forward the stalled peace process. One can feel a sliding trend in the support base of the UPFA solely due to this panicky situation and the popular wave of support as in the polls period is no more there. The extremist elements fear that this change in the electorate may lead to the pro-peace forces coming to power in the event of the incumbent regime being shown the door.

Birds of a feather are therefore understandably flocking together and hence this alleged attempt to bring about an MoU between the UPFA and JHU. It is in this context that the statement of JHU spokesperson Ven.Athuraliya Rathana Thero, M.P to the effect that they cannot afford to allow the dissolution of the incumbent government, gains significance.

11 August 2004

Print this

Email this