|
The
reasons and excuses that politicians give for their conduct are funny
and sometimes unfathomable. So are the reasons put forward by Rauff
Hakeem, the Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, for his party’s
alliance with the government.
Let
us consider his stand. “SLMC believes that by providing absolute
majority to the government, it can pave the way for peace. That is why
we have accepted portfolios.
SLMC
will sow the seeds for lasting peace by establishing a strong
government that has an absolute majority in Parliament.” This is how he
has explained his stand.
It
will certainly be laudable if he succeeds in such an endeavour, or if
he can do so. But is it possible? Can the SLMC exert adequate pressure
on the government?.
In
as much as matches can be used for lighting a fire or for torching, for
constructive or destructive purposes, the government can employ the
majority in Parliament either to find peace or to intensify the war.
We
recall the past to point out realities to Minister Hakeem. Chandrika
government has a record of waging a war.
The first seven years of
Chandrika ‘s eleven year regime saw a great tragedy caused to the
Tamils.
SLMC
and its leader Hakeem remained in the government during that period and
offered a majority to the government that intensified a horrible war.
It was only after the SLMC was expelled from the government and thereby
the government lost its majority that the atrocities against the Tamils
started diminishing.
This is a lesson from political history. It cannot be forgotten so soon.
Another matter worth pondering is that during the regimes of Chandrika and Ranil , the SLMC might have had adequate strength to determine the majority of the then governments.
But
today that is not the situation. President Rajapakse is in a strong
position to implement his agenda with or without the support of the 5
or 6 SLMC Parliamentarians.
One more truth must be pointed out in this regard to Minister Hakeem. He has aligned with the very government that had weakened the strength of SLMC in Parliament.
Not
long ago did Hakeem roar that a lesson would be taught to those who
split his party. But today he is tame. He follows the footsteps of the
very same colleagues of his, whom he condemned as committing
somersaults.
It is difficult to understand the logic in his explanation and justification for his newly formed alliance.
An English translation of the Editorial in SudarOli, a Tamil daily, based in colombo.
TamilInsight
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
