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Featured Article: Government’s proposals to resolve the national conflict

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Sunday, 08 April 2007

The government is to place its proposals to resolve the national conflict on May 1st and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party is taking steps to present it.

Minister Maitripala Srisena revealed this while addressing the Parliament on the debate on the extension of emergency. He told Parliament that the government was acting with a great sense of responsibility on this national issue. Thereafter, he revealed this to the media also.

In his address to Parliament, Minister Srisena stated that the SLFP proposal is to resolve the national conflict by maximum power sharing within a unitary state.

He further stated that another proposal of the SLFP is to introduce a system of governance, where the Prime Minister has executive powers and is accountable to Parliament. The international community has been exerting pressure on the government to place a solution without delay. But, the Tamil parties rejected the convening of the All Party Conference charging that it was tactics to delay and drag on the issue.

Every successive government failed to find a political solution. The country has missed every opportunity to solve the problem and ensure peace.

In as much as it is important to place a political solution, it is equally important to put an end to the suffering of the refugees.

We hope that government will place a political solution that can offer maximum devolution to meet the aspirations of the Tamil people.

TipAn English translation of the Editorial in Virakesari, a Tamil daily, based in Colombo

Comments (7)add comment

jay said:

The Srilankan government can never put forward a credible package to meet the aspirations of the Tamil people. The governments in the past have been trying to do this for the last 25 years and still until today cannot come up with one. They dont have the capacity nor the will to produce one which will meet the aspirations of the Tamil population. A genuine fair package will never favour their government of the Singhalese people because the Tamils in the North due to their hardyness and hardworking culture will rise economically and soon overtake the south.

The best option for them is to stick to the CFA and build on it and come to a credible win-win solution.
2007-04-10 03:49:17

Gangesh said:

they cant give an option to Tamils they never will give us what we desire so we need to bring them down by force only language they managed to understand during this 60 years!!!
2007-04-10 16:21:33

jay said:

Minister Maitripala Srisena says the government is to put forward a proposal of maximum power sharing within a unitary state. He also talks of another proposal with the Prime Minister having executive powers. From the onset, the two proposals appear contradictory. Talking in bits and pieces does not mean anything - the important thing is the proposal must give the Tamils, the right of self determination in the land that belongs to them, which means maximum devolution of powers for them to determine what is good for their future. Their destiny must be placed in their hands. Having a Prime Minister with executive powers in the first place will not give these rights to the Tamils.

Anyway, there are many examples of how states or provinces within a country are governed. In US iteself, states are run on their own laws. Japan have state governors with their team running prefectural/provincial governments. India runs their states by state controlled cabinets with a Chief Minister leading the team. In all cases, they run their governments without interference from the central government. Many countries have adapted such or similar systems and are doing extemely well.

It is therefore imperative that the proposal must have the ingradients accetable to the Tamil community. In this case, though a rational being may not see this coming from the government proposal, nevetheless, for once after 25 years, the government says they have a proposal. Whether it meets the aspirations of the Tamils or not, it must first get the nod from the Parliament before it can be placed on the table for the Tamil leadership for negotiation.

Considering all goes well and if the proposal is worthy of consideration, then it should together with the CFA be negotiated with the Tamil leadership comprising of the LTTE and other Tamil parties.
2007-04-10 16:37:25

jay said:

Minister Maitripala says the government is to put forwarded a proposal of maximum power sharing within a unitary state. He also talks about another proposal for the Prime Minister having executive powers. Looking at the way the proposals are put, both appear contradictory.

Talking in bits and pieces does not mean or provide anything - the proposal must give the Tamils the right of self determination, maximum devolution of powers for them to determine their future. Having a Prime Minister with executive powers will not give these rights to the Tamils.

There are many examples how states within a country are governed by elected representatives of the people of that province or state. For instance in America itself, the states are governed by governors and their team and within their own laws; Japan has its own way of governing their prefectures by provincial governments; India runs their states by state controlled governments led by chief ministers. There are also other countries run by state government machineries elected by the people of those provinces or states. All these governments are running their states without interference from the Central governments. Such systems of governance give the people living in those areas the right of self determination and to decide their own destiny. It is therefore imperative that whatever proposal the government is coming up with must have the ingradients acceptable to the Tamil community.

Having said all these, one with a rational mind does not see these coming from a government who believes in jungle laws. Nevertheless, after 25 years, they say they have a proposal which they say will be presented to the parliament. Again it must be mentioned that getting the nod from the south is one thing but it is agreement of the Tamils in the North and East which is of paramount importance.

If the proposal is regarded by the Tamil community as worthy of consideration, it could be viewed together with the CFA and negotiated with the Tamils comprising of the LTTE (the main representative of the Tamils) and all other parties represnting the people in the North and East.

2007-04-11 02:16:07

Soma Jey said:

One can put forward any number of genuine packages to find amicable solution to this protracted issue. But, it is not going work when GOSL is openly displaying contempt to current CFA. The basic fact is that Sinhala people FEAR Tamils, FULL STOP. It is the fear that is causing their anti Tamil mindset and to this murderous extremes. This was evident in the German people during Nazi regime. Again German were fearful that Jews.
2007-04-11 12:40:13

raw said:

r u guys dope?
2007-04-13 06:46:56

Ravi said:

Even with 100s of 1000s of constructive proposals will not be worked when the other party has genuine desire to solve the problem. This bunch of terrorists are selling inncocent tamil people's hope and their rights. If they are true freedom fighters they should show it by action, they are presently act like hitler's Nazi forces. If they really worry about tamil people suffering and their grivances they should forward relaistic solution agreeable to all Sri Lankan people
2007-04-13 23:37:21

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