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President at SLFP Women's Conference :Peace through devolution
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Addressing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party Women's Conference at the Viharamahadevi Open Air Theatre, the President said she was confident that more than 80 per cent of the people will agree with that decision if a referendum was held. "I am ready to bet my Presidentship. More than 80 per cent of the people will agree to the devolution of power if we go for a referendum," the President added.
"I will do it, whatever the opposition towards this, if the people want to solve this problem through the devolution of power. I need the strength of the people for it," a confident President added.
She said the time was ripe for people to clear cobwebs in their eyes, set aside their narrow political power hunger to take this decision to take forward this country towards prosperity as a united Sri Lanka after solving the problem in the North-East through a great deal of devolution of power. "I may be killed for taking this decision. But we should do that for the sake of the country," the President added.
She said the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the People's Alliance have decided to solve this problem through the devolution of power and added that only the consent of 51 per cent of the people was needed to go for such a solution in a democratic manner.
"To do a revolution in the society we cannot get a 100 per cent consent," the President pointed out.
"The mere opposition from 15 to 20 per cent people cannot stop solving this problem through devolution of power," the President remarked.President Kumaratunga said a historic moment has arrived with the two major political parties coming to a consensus that the ethnic problem should be solved through devolution of power.
"At the 2001 election four thirds of the country's population voted for these two parties. So we can easily solve this problem through the devolution of power", the President added. "Those who have obtained 15 to 20 per cent votes may have a bigger number in the Parliament. But they cannot oppose if people of this country agree to solve this through devolution of power," the President stressed.
She said those who are within the Government may have berated her for talking like this. "I won't regard those accusations at all," the President added.
The President explained that the problem cannot be solved through a war. "Neither they (LTTE) nor we can win a war. There are reasons for this. It will be a big lie if someone says that this can be solved through war." She said the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the PA emphasised that the problem should be solved through the devolution of power. "So far no other alternative solution has been presented towards this," the President added.
"The people who demanded devolution of power turned their fight towards a separate state as we could not respond to their demands in a justifiable manner," the President noted. The President said there is only a limited percentage of people in the North and East area with the LTTE leader Prabhakaran. "Even they remain with the LTTE as the Government could not provide the basic needs of the people," she added.
The President said that if the country can solve the problem through devolution of power, solving the problems of the Tamils while safeguarding the rights of the Sinhalese and Muslims, no force can stop the country from reaching prosperity.
"The tidal waves taught us the lesson that we should unite and solve this problem through the devolution of power," the President emphasised.
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