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Featured Article: The South and the resolution to the ethnic crisis

Wednesday, 29 August 2007

It is the general impression of the people that the governments of the south are never interested in resolving the national problem. When the proceedings of the All Party Representative Group came to an abrupt halt two weeks ago, people felt that the efforts to resolve the national problem had been crippled. This has strengthened the view that the South will never find a solution.

Since the major opposition party, the UNP has ignored the ARPC proceedings, there can be a set back in resolving this issue. Hela Urumaya has been criticizing the proceedings of the ARPC. Likewise the JVP is very critical of the moves of the ARPC.

Certain issues have stood in the way of reaching a consensus over an acceptable proposal although ARPC has met more than 50 times. In this context it is very essential that the south must reach a consensus. But the big question is whether the present political atmosphere is favourable to reach a solution.

The history of Sri Lanka is that the parties in the south have made use of the Tamil issue either to topple a government or to capture power. At present the UNP and the SLFP-M are determined to defeat the government. Meanwhile, the JVP has made it clear that it will not come to the rescue of the government in such a situation.

It is doubtful whether the parties in the south can arrive at a political consensus to resolve the national ethnic problem. It is inevitable that the parties in the South must arrive at a consensus to resolve this problem.

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

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