2009   2008   2007   2006   2005   2004   2003

“A decisive week, this is, in the politics of this Island”

Budhdhist Sinhala majoritarianism has again come to the forefront. This advancement portends a situation that can be called irreversible in the context of historical experience. Rising up in arms of Budhdhist chauvinism, it should be underlined, is not against a final resolution of the conflict through a ‘sell out’ against the wishes of the people whom the Budhdhist clergy is said to be representing, but against a humanitarian delivery arrangement for post tsunami management that may serve to build confidence between the parties. This proposal, it was expected, would serve as a catalyst to move the stalled peace process and that is all about it.

President Kumaratunga is caught between international opinion and national chauvinism. Whether to act righteously or be cowed down by racial and religious fanatics, is President CBK’s dilemma; a situation that calls for political wisdom and circumspection, both being rare commodities in this island. Sinhalese and Tamil people having suffered immensely during the past two decades due to a war which was not their seeking, were hopeful of peace after reaching mutual understanding on the necessity for political negotiations. This hope is now entangled irretrievably in the Sinhala chauvinistic mud.

Who then is responsible for this mess?

No doubt, it is the Head of State, President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga who is responsible for this situation. She cannot exculpate herself from the charge that she is the one who provided a conducive platform for extremist elements to orchestrate their fanatical opposition to anything that is just and fair. The charge against her is so serious that she not only disrupted the peace process by dissolving the parliament for narrow political considerations of wresting power from her opponents, but by the same act, brought out extremist forces that have become a deadly force within and outside the parliament.

As pointed out by us in these columns for some time now, President CBK failed to act timely in formulating the Joint Mechanism for fear of loosing her position. This delay on her part has put the nation in peril now. Extremist forces have been given time enough to stock their arsenal of political venom and vendetta against reasonable needs of the Tamil people. The President stands accused of procrastination that provided the extremist elements time and ammunition.

Even ardent supporters of the President are beginning to leave her alone with her so- called commitment to sign the Joint Mechanism, fearful of the growing trend of extremism. What does one see in the Joint Statement of the Budhdhist prelates, the Mahanayakes, prescribing that the government should not enter into any agreement with the Tamils, including agreement for post tsunami humanitarian delivery?

It is the confirmation of what was said by Tamil National Leader V.Pirabaharan in his Martyrs’ Day address in November 2004:

“….The Sinhala political organizations and their leadership, which are deeply buried in the mud of Sinhala-Buddhist chauvinism, will never be able to comprehend the political aspirations of the people of Tamil Eelam. None of the major Sinhala political parties are prepared to recognize the fundamentals underlying the Tamil national question….”

“…The southern political movements do not have the maturity and magnanimity or the political sagacity to understand and accept the fundamentals of the Tamil national question, nor do they possess a consensus or a collective vision on the Tamil issue. What we can observe in the southern political spectrum is division, disunity and mutually divergent, contradictory notions and policies…”

“…It will be meaningful to talk about a permanent settlement if the Sinhala political organisations have a clear, coherent policy, a proper insight and a consensus approach towards the Tamil national question. If not, there is no meaning in engaging in talks about a permanent solution. There is division, discord, confusion and contradiction within the Sinhala political leadership on the Tamil issue. We realized the truth that the Sinhala political leadership will not be able to offer a reasonable permanent solution to our people…”

The Mahanayakes, Budhdhist clergy with extremist majoritarian views and elements with similar thinking, by what they are doing today, have re-confirmed what Mr.Pirapaharan said in his speech last year.

JVP, the extremist force that President embraced to form an expedient coalition, has given five days notice to give up her intentions of an agreement on the Joint Mechanism.

What is the President going to do now? It should be clear before the close of this week and hence this is a decisive week in the politics of this island.

11 June 2005

Print this

Email this