Archives

Strong consensus on defence

The wide consensus which was achieved in Parliament on Monday on budgetary provisions for defence, amounts to a strong vote of confidence in the Government in the context of defence and security issues.

As is well known, the defence allocation won the ready support of the UNP, SLMC, JHU and CWC, with the exception of the UNP's Maheshwaran who voted against the defence budget along with the TNA.

This near unanimous endorsement of the defence allocation shouldn't be interpreted to mean that war mongerism is on the rise in Sri Lanka or that the State is getting on to a war footing.

Nothing could be more misleading. It is well known that most political parties of the South in particular are firmly behind the peace process. In fact, a war policy has only a few takers.

However, those political parties with the country's interests at heart realise that the best way to wage peace is to be constantly ready for war. In fact, it is the perception on one side to a conflict that its adversary is negotiating from a position of strength that leads it to make compromises and go for a solution which would satisfy both parties. On the other hand, if a party to the conflict realises that its adversary is negotiating from a position of weakness, it is likely to prove recalcitrant.

So, beefing-up one's defences while negotiating peace is a sound strategy and we could take heart from the fact that a strong Sri Lanka is receiving the thumbs-up from almost the totality of the body-politic.

Anyway, it stands to reason that a sovereign state has to be at a high level of defence preparedness and this couldn't be achieved without a sizeable defence budget which would meet all its defence needs.

However, any complacency at this juncture could prove highly counter-productive. The most pressing need is to wage peace and we hope no efforts would be spared by the Lankan State to put the peace talks back on track. We hope the perception that the Lankan State is strong would lead to a redoubling of efforts to re-install the negotiatory process.

The TNA, on the other hand, is wrong if it believes that the State is preparing for war. The State is performing a legitimate function by beefing-up its defences but the LTTE would be sending out the wrong signals by going on an arms spending spree. The onus is on the LTTE to prove its peaceful intentions to the Government by curbing its arms purchases. After all, the LTTE is a non-state entity.

However, the TNA has proved beyond doubt that it is in the paws of the Tigers by voting against the defence budget. One would have expected the TNA to take a more moderate stance on the State's defence requirements. But this is not so.

SAARC, EU-style

The next SAARC Summit will be held in January next year in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The many critics of SAARC argue that the Movement has not achieved much during the 20 years since its inception. Now that India and Pakistan are keen to resolve bilateral issues, SAARC is free to pursue its aim of greater economic and social integration in the region.

There are many who believe that South Asia, comprising Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and the Maldives, would be a long way off from a European Union style union. Now, officials at the SAARC Secretariat say the next SAARC Summit will address this issue and could take tentative steps in this direction.

"The EU model is likely to be endorsed by the SAARC summit to be held in Dhaka on January 9-11 next year," The Rising Nepal newspaper yesterday quoted the highly placed source as saying.

The issue of SAARC Economic Union will dominate the summit proceedings and four understandings are likely to be signed to proceed toward the economic integration of the member countries for mutual benefits. The past two summits in Kathmandu and Islamabad had drawn substantial attention of the member countries towards this issue, he added.

This move will be welcomed by all SAARC residents. Most regions in the world are moving towards integration. The European Union is the foremost example for such a union. It is a borderless area with a single currency and free movement of goods and people.

SAARC should lose no time in moving towards that ideal aim. Imagine a SAARC where goods and people can move freely without controls, visas and barriers. Add a single currency and SAARC will have all ingredients for a successful economic union.

SAARC is already working on a free trade area pact and individual countries have bilateral free trade agreements. This will also be an impetus for a fully unified SAARC.

Enhanced people-to-people contact will be an essential pre-requisite for a more closely integrated SAARC. The relaxation of visa requirements will facilitate this goal. Enhanced air links within the region and affordable packages for SAARC citizens will also help.

The next SAARC Summit should lay a firm foundation for realising the ultimate goal of a European Union-style union, which will hopefully silence the critics who have ignored its slow but steady progress.

www.ceylincoproperties.com

www.Pathmaconstruction.com

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries

Produced by Lake House
Copyright © 2003 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager