Sri Lankan President Rajapakse, in his Interview with India Today, gave an indication of his proposal to solve the ethnic strive. “I feel there must be a consensus among all communities in the country to find a solution to the ethnic problem. We can come to an understanding as to how to arrive at the solution. We cannot force any solution on unwilling people. My technique is to get all parties represented in the parliament to sit around the table and negotiate a settlement.

I have advised them to analyse the past history and the constitutions of all the countries including that of India and formulate a style of governance that can suit our country. That can finally be the basis of any talks with Tamil parties like the LTTE,” he had said.

It may please one's ears to hear him, but the suggestion rings hollow, expressing the President's failure to grasp the gravity of reality. It is obvious his suggestions are not practical.

To say that he could come forward with the solution to meet the aspirations of the Tamil people after reaching a consensus among all parties represented in parliament is like saying one could bathe in the sea after the waves subsided to stillness and this can never happen.

We cannot believe that President Rajapakse who has accommodated Sinhala chauvinists can reach a consensus in this issue with all political parties.

It is recent history that the same Sinhala hard-liners did not permit any administrative set up to provide urgent assistance to Tamil people affected by the tsunami. President Chandrika could not over ride these forces and provide any relief.

Therefore Tamil people are not prepared to place any trust on any President of Sri Lanka. Today’s reality is that the Sri Lankan Tamils have rallied as one force, Tamil Nationalism, against oppression. Political reality is that the south cannot reach a consensus on this important issue. Therefore President Rajapakse must go beyond the ambit of party politics and put forward a fair solution. He must dedicate himself for it.

An English translation of the Editorial in Sudar Oli,a Tamil daily, based in Colombo

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