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| Monday, 22 November 2004 |
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Letters | |
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The present stalemate in the peace process, even though, there was the mandate from the people, has no reason for concern. The southern polity, now in one voice, again, resorts for help, from the 'mandate' as well as from various secular organisations in the land. It is best to ask; when the differences were all too prevalent in Sri Lanka political history, why, and how the peace makers, who continuously appear to disappear again, fail to visualise this historical dismay in Sri Lanka politics and permitted it to drag? Sri Lanka is now in a better position to start off with the peace process. Facilitators, donors and monitors, have failed in their administrative deliberations. They conveyed a message of non-consensus in body politics in Sri Lanka. Any project - peace or otherwise, has its time limits, time schedules, embodied, when arriving at their objectives. The Norwegian and Danish media in their inability to comprehend the non acceptance of non LTTE groups as representation is equally worrying. Why not have the TULF or even other Tamil parties to the conflict, who remained loyal Sri Lankans and not to their overlords outside SAARC, come to be in the government delegation this time? Peace agenda, if confined to time limits alone is not impactful, if development were not to go hand in glove, as with the agenda and deliberations. Even, if peace talks were to extend, at that time limit, with valid discussions, the development progress in hand, will firmly repose, decisive powers on the affected people and their areas. It is here..., the body polity of Sri Lanka, as well as the LTTE, will come to remain impotent owing to their inability to understand realities of the 'mandate'. The donors can have a choice; build the area after waiting for destruction and renounced genocide or peace through development - the latter form, will once again, weaken the body polity. Donors have no reason to wait for the green light from the Norwegians. Why wait? What for? Aren't Tamil polity, as a delegation, if it happens, have the right to request the type of development they too want? Can't these embodied in a Norwegian agenda? Also, why not suggest an agenda with a commitment for firm discipline to be taken by the monitors on LTTE activities? Why not have a 'points giving' schedule in the monitors agenda, where, based on non compliance by the LTTE; facilities, aid, construction of buildings, roads etc, will come to be down graded, even to the extent, cutting off the donors funds for that particular project altogether. Or even, suggesting the transfer of such funds to areas of non LTTE representation? Reporting of events by the monitors to satisfy their classified leaders in corridors of power in Scandinavia has been far too irrelevant but at a cost for the Sri Lankan peace process. The peace trio; Norwegians, donors and monitors are now been provided a real opportunity in promoting reconciliation of body politics in Sri Lanka through administrative principles. The conflict is now more severe and any chance of losing sight will only promote divergence - even the 'peace trio', are now, a part of the conflict....! LAL KEERTHIE FERNANDO - Denmark. The article of Lucien Rajakarunanayake (23/10) is very much to the point about the attitude of the LTTE, its intransigence, treachery towards the Tamil people, and its mala fides in the entire peace negotiation process beginning in the nineties. It is beyond one's comprehension how an Interim Administration purporting to expedite the process of rehabilitation of the displaced persons, should have a separate Judiciary, Elections Commission, Auditor General, full control over the sea board around and resources, right to negotiate foreign loans, etc. -features which are incompatible with even a confederation system of Government. The avowed objective of the ISGA is clearly stated in the preamble as "...to meet the urgent needs for the resettlement, rehabilitation, reconstruction and development of the North East region... and for the carrying out of any function of Government." The phrase "any function of Government" tagged on to the main objective of the ISGA is invidiously tendentious. How on earth can an interim administration exercise the powers and functions of a Government of a democratic state? I wonder how many have realised that under cover of an 'interim administration' in which it claims to be the sole representative of the Tamil people outside the democratic framework, the LTTE is seeking to retain its arsenal of arms giving the impression that it will surrender the arms only after a permanent settlement. The permanent settlement is only an illusion and will take place on the Greek Calends like the referendum on the merger of the North and East prescribed by law 17 years ago. In the same way, it will postpone holding elections even beyond five years after the establishment of the interim administration until all its adversaries and rivals are eliminated by the pistol backing gangs. And in the meanwhile Prabhakaran will be enjoying an unofficial immunity from extradition/punishment in India. These are the reasons for the LTTE's inflexibility over the agenda for peace talks by insisting on the ISGA. Of course an interim administration means also that there won't be election for five years. What can the Government do in the face of the LTTE's unconscionable insistence on the agenda to be limited to the ISGA? Since there is an impasse and the Norwegian facilitators seem to be helpless (and in the opinion of some even partisan) it may be necessary to refer the matter to the UN which has the capacity and credibility to take over the negotiation/arbitration process, not as facilitators but as arbitrators. LEO FERNANDO - Pelawatte. Daily upsurge of grave crime has become a national crisis that needs serious attention of the authorities. This problem should be given top priority before the canter becomes out of control. The only solution is the severe punishment as deterrent. The gallows must be re-introduced forthwith as it is the one and only solution for the reduction of crime in the country. Highway robbery including bank robbery, rape, murder and swindling of public money should be considered for the death sentence. The slack and lenient punishment caused the increase of crime in the country. The police cannot do anything so long as there is encouragement by way of lenient punishment and the political interference for the aid. If the VVIPP interfere in the criminal cases it amounts to aiding and abetting the crime in the country. D. ABEYSINGHE - Maho. |
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