North should pattern itself on Eastern model

by S. A. P. Subasinghe

(August 17, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) All Sri Lankans – regardless of caste, creed or ethnic group – who have been suffering for more than two decades because of Prabhakaran’s terror are waiting impatiently to see an end to the conflict, as our combined forces enter Kilinochchi – the heartland of the LTTE.

At the end of the operations, the people of Sri Lanka want to see a Chief Minister finally appointed to the Northern Province, as was done in the Eastern Province, thus establishing democracy in the North once and for all, especially for the Tamil community, which has been suffering for years under the LTTE jackboot. The Chief Minister will, no doubt, be a Tamil politician elected by popular vote.

All law-abiding citizens would like to see government initiatives, including development projects, getting underway and functioning smoothly under the newly established Provincial Council, as exemplified by the progress made with the Eastern Province.

Unfortunately, recent happenings, compounded by the duplicity of certain embassies, are conspiring to stop Sri Lanka from becoming a sovereign, united and independent republic, with some people calling for a political solution, while at the same time endorsing the eradication of terrorism and the LTTE.

They are trying to embarrass the government of Sri Lanka and influence the President to produce a political solution or fully implement the 13th Amendment, either of which could be suicidal for the government, which cannot betray its election promises to the majority.

Once terrorism is eradicated and Provincial Councils established, the government should be in a position to draft legislation suitable for the entire country through its legislative body, represented throughout the country by all political parties, including the TNA and proxies of the LTTE. Thus the unitary character of the country can be maintained, a process that has been accepted by Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, who has entered the democratic mainstream. (The government made a serious mistake by not allowing Chief Minister Chandrakanthan to meet the Indian Prime Minister, when all other Tamil parties were given this opportunity during the SAARC summit.)

In this context, the Chief Minister to the Northern Provincial Council too would definitely follow Chief Minister Chandrakanthan. That we can expect, while other political parties, the EPDP and PLOTE, genuinely hope to see an end to the conflict.

They all understand that there are persons with vested interests who do not want Sri Lanka to come to a final settlement after terrorism is eradicated in the North, and see the rebuilding of the Northern Province, which has been subjected to untold hardship under the LTTE. These persons do not want the people of the North to enjoy the benefits of democracy and live in harmony once again.
- Sri Lanka Guardian