JVP, Norwegians and Peace Process

K. GODAGE

Continued from March 22

A one time senior official of the European Parliament, who was responsible for the Seefeld Report of the European Parliament on the situation in Sri Lanka, Richard Gupwell, recalled as follows in a report: "The efforts to settle the problem in 1958 and 1968 were sabotaged by the South, in 1972 when the Constitution was replaced the section 29 of the former Constitution, which protected minority rights was removed, that Government discriminated in other ways too.

It was only in 1987 that Tamil was recognised as an official language after the Indians intervened, thirty years after Tamil was excluded.

The Government of President Jayawardene sought to crush the insurgency by sending in the Army in 1978 without addressing the causes of the revolt, the grievances of the Tamil people.

For the first time since 1968 a Government of Sri Lanka came up with a Constitutional proposal to address Tamil grievances and settle the issue, but that effort was killed off by the 'South' as was another attempt by the same Government of President Kumaratunge in 1997, and finally in August 2000 the Parliament of the country brought forth a set of Constitutional proposals but this effort too was aborted by the principal opposition political party which had been involved in formulating the proposals before they were tabled in Parliament. The issue of Tamil rights remains a political football in that country".

The above is the position succinctly stated as far as the international community is concerned. They are certainly opposed to terrorism in all its forms and to the use of violence to achieve political ends but to harness their support we need to address the issue of minority rights to their satisfaction.

It is not that the international community supports the LTTE; they would much rather support the democratically elected government of the country than a bunch of Fascists, all they seek is to ensure fairplay and Justice to all communities that inhabit our land.

This is why the Indians for instance insist on the following formula for the settlement which they would support:

"India supports the process of seeking a negotiated settlement acceptable to all sections of Sri Lanka society within the framework of a united Sri Lanka and consistent with democracy, pluralism, and respect for individual rights.... India maintains an abiding interest in the security of Sri Lanka and remains committed to its unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity";

In the final analysis we need to accept that there is no purpose in blaming the Norwegians or the international community; the international community will only support us with words or as they say 'Diplomatic support' as Burns did, that would in actual fact amount nothing. It is we who must get our act together.