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Featured Article: Solution within a unitary state

Sunday, 08 April 2007

All Party Conference was summoned to find an acceptable solution to the national conflict. Minister Maithiripala Srisena, General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, states that the party will put forward a proposal for governance by Prime Minister with executive powers accountable to Parliament instead of the present system of an executive president.

What is at issue today is not who is going to govern Sri Lanka –whether it is an Executive President or a Prime Minister accountable to Parliament. That really is not the key and the vital issue.

The burning issue before the country today is to what extent there is going to be power–sharing with the Tamil home land. Sharing power within a unitary State has been rejected by the Tamil people long, long ago.

Although Tamils have been struggling for freedom for about six decades, it became an armed struggle only in the late seventies after their democratic and non-violent struggles were mercilessly suppressed by the might of the government of the day.

It was in 1985, that the moderate Tamil leaders and leaders of Tamil militant groups rallied together and put forward a demand unitedly. Thimpu was the forum to put forward the basis for solution that can meet the aspirations of the Tamil people. It came to be known as Thimpu Talks. The Tamils outlined the basis of their demands on the following lines

Recognition of Tamils as a distinct nation
Recognition that Tamils have a distinct homeland
Recognition that Tamils have an inalienable right to self –determination
Recognition that all Tamils are entitled to citizenship rights and basic rights

Out of these four criteria, the fourth one relating to the Upcountry Tamils was resolved in 1985. The citizenship issue has been resolved to some extent.

Colombo rejected the first three at that time but later recognized the first two by signing the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord.

Fifteen years later, in 2002, the third main concern of the Tamils was recognized in the Ceasefire Agreement signed between the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE in 2002.

But, the present government has derailed the peace process by de-merging the north-east, rejecting the federal concept and holding on to the concept of a unitary state. In such a situation, there can never be a political solution to the problem.