Panchayats and the way forward

THE All Party Representative Committee's (APRC) mooting of the Panchayat system, as a basis for power devolution in Sri Lanka, is an indication that considerable concrete progress has been made in working out the parameters for a solution to our conflict by those entrusted with this task.

It is relieving that the clear outlines for a solution are already emerging, whereas it has been the experience of the people in the past that such deliberations have always been long-winded, with concrete proposals taking an inordinately long time to emerge.

This time round, however, those vested with the authority to work out a framework for a solution have lost no time in carrying out their mandate. Close on the heels of making the Panchayat suggestion, the APRC would be making a tour of India to study the system in operation.

Passing an evaluative judgment on the suitability of this or that system of devolution would be tantamount to prejudging the issue, but the public could rest contented that the search for a political solution has begun in earnest.

Lest it is forgotten, one needs to remember that the 'Panchayat Raj' concept is of Gandhian origin. The Panchayats or self-governing villages within an undivided country, were Mahatma Gandhi's answer to the need for empowering the people and bringing out the best in them. The devolution debate too centres on people's empowerment and we do not see any conceptual difficulty in making the Panchayat system the basis of a renewed debate on power devolution.

It would be relevant to remember that the Panchayats are being successfully tried out in India, proving their adequacy as an instrument of devolved power. The deciding factor is the empowerment of the people and insofar as Panchayats meet this need they could be brought to the centre of the devolution debate.

However, assessing the suitability of this or that form as a vehicle of devolution is a matter for the future. Right now, we would only like to say that the formulation of a Southern consensus on resolving the conflict should proceed at an even pace. In this task, it would be in the interest of the country if all significant political parties and forces of the country are fully supportive of the State's initiatives in the conflict resolution sphere.

The majority of the people of the country are breathing a collective sigh of relief on learning that the UNP is aligning with the Government in resolving the principal problems facing us. Quite rightly, this development is seen as paving the way for a coming together of the SLFP and the UNP for resolving the conflict by political means.

Given the logicality of this line of thinking we wonder why the UNP is continuing to refrain from joining the APRC process. If the UNP is in earnest it would join the APRC on its tour of India and help in the process of evolving a suitable instrument of devolved power. We urge the UNP to utilize this opportunity to serve Sri Lanka's interests.

Quick-fix solutions are unlikely to emerge from these processes, given the highly complex nature of our conflict. However, it is also essential that the bodies concerned work within a specific time-frame to ensure credibility as well as the quick delivery of a political solution.

Prolonged delays in the political process in the past only aggravated the conflict because of the disenchantment such delays generated in some relevant quarters. Accordingly, a determined and energetic effort needs to be made this time round to make a political solution a reality.

It is also important that the bodies involved in the search for a political solution, such as the APRC, do so with an open mind.

They should be geared to envisage even unconventional solutions to our problem because exceptional situations call for exceptional solutions.

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