Colombo, Jaffna, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance

Aftermath of the Victory: whither Sri Lanka?

Heartland of Eelam is fallen. LTTE is now cornered to a narrow strip of land and in near future whole bulk of 65, 610 km2 of land would be under the control of the Government of Sri Lanka. Glory of the victory would be with the Sri Lankan Army and the politicians as always would reap the harvest at the cost of the Sri Lankans. We’re practicing representative democracy. Though not futuristic as the President is, a fraction of me believes that the Independent celebrations might be held in Kilinochchi. The government has announced a rapid development plan for Kilinochchi with the hope of creating an endogenous return of the displaced civilians. Well done!

Development discourse follows with a tender cry for a political solution. India nominates full implementation of the 13th amendment as the solution, GoSL seconds and re-iterates it.

In 2008, we saw the liberation of the East. A huge development plan was implemented under the banner of Nagenahira Udanaya (Resurgence of the East) by the GoSL. Intention was to enable people in the east to “to reap maximum benefits […] from the humanitarian operations which were carried out in the region” (Budget speech 2008). I have not being to the East. I wish I would go there one day. My friends who have being there tell me that the Nagenahira Udanaya is subjected to a similar fate as many other development projects implemented in the country, that peoples are still suffering from dire poverty unable to cultivate their land destroyed from multi barrel rockets and without any aid from the government or from any other aid agency. The said economic freedom was accompanied with a shot of democracy by the Provincial Council elections. Rigged or not, UNP and TNA boycotted or not, elections were held honoring the symbolic act of representative democracy. Exemplifying the value of democracy the ex-LTTE cadre Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan of the TMVP became the Chief Minister. An ideal example was set for the others to follow if they wish! Credit goes to the government for the trouble they took. Well done!

We’re facing of another military victory. What would follow?
Last year, after the PC elections in the East were held, I participated in the residential inter university workshop on “Power Sharing and the 13th Amendment” organized by Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA). The organizers had asked two of the well known politicians to come and share their views on the provincial council system. One of them was MP Vijithmuni Soyza. He was open about the ups and downs of the PC system and was hopeful about its future. He was certain that the other provincial councils would indirectly get all the power allocated to PCs from the 13th amendment since the President would not hesitate to give them to the Eastern Province. I suspect that his confidence on this matter would have engendered from the assumption that the GoSL would not dare to deceive Tamils again, as I thought at that time. However, it proved to be another disappointment. To this date, Eastern PC rests alike the others, crippled and almost none functioning. Chief Minister Chandrakanthan has expressed his displeasure at number of times. During a recent interview with the Sunday Times complained that the PC was not being consulted on development projects carried out in the region and that he as the chief minister does not have any powers to implement the 13th amendment (The Sunday Times, November 23, 2008).

What waits North? T. Sabaratnam in his article “Kilinochchi has fallen, what next?” laments that the voice against the political settlement, what Tamils have always feared, is growing stronger. I share his fear. Though I am not aware at all about federal or con-federal set-ups, I understand that the solution to the North and East conflict lies with some sort of power sharing. If I am to put it the way I understand, Tamil people as well as the Muslim people along with other minority communities should be given a greater representation in decision making at all levels of governance. It should transgress the lines of ethnicity and religion. Would this take place after the defeat of the LTTE? I doubt. Despite replication of the word ‘political solution’, the GoSL and other political parties in the country along with the academia have not put forward a specific political solution. Sri Lankans in general and specially the Sinhalese do not show any sign of being aware of what the word ‘political solution’ implies. They glorify war and innocently assume that the end of the LTTE would be the end of the problem. Ready made solution at hand is the provincial council system. Government, like it did in the East, would carry on an accelerated democratization project in the North with symbolic elections. The way I understand, winners would be Douglas Devananda led EPDP party. MP Douglas Devananda himself might be the Chief Minister.

Would this be adequate? Would Tamils be content or feel silenced? Would the Sri Lankan army have to fight another battle to capture Kilinochchi in another ten, fifteen years? Would we have to wait and see to get answers to all these questions?