A Peace formula acceptable to all
THE Government is on the threshold of
presenting a devolution package to end the three decade old ethnic
conflict that has hitherto defied a solution and dragged the nation into
turmoil and misery.
According to Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogllagama who is on a visit to
the United States Constitutional Reforms paving the way for such a
devolution package would be ready as early as April.
If so it would certainly be glad tidings for the majority
peace-loving Sinhalese and Tamils on the eve of their New Year.
Certainly the entire nation would be waiting with bated breath in
anticipation to see if at last the dark canopy that has been hanging
over this nation would be lifted to send in the light of peace and
prosperity to this once island paradise where all communities coexisted
in amity and mutual harmony.
The Minister told the AFP that he would apprise Washington on the
mechanism set in motion by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to bring about a
Constitutional change to devolve maximum power.
He dwelt on the All Party Representative Committee deliberations
where all views would be synthesised to form core bedrock on the type
and extent of devolution to be granted.
When asked, the basis on which power would be devolved the Minister
promptly replied that it would be a package that would be acceptable to
all communities.
This has been an exercise that had bedeviled all Governments in the
past - a solution acceptable to all communities - from the more
belligerent rejection of the Bandaranaike-Chelvanakam-and Dudley-Chelvanakam
pacts to the less hostile but equally vehement stances at Thimpu some
three decades later.
The All Party Conference under President Premadasa was a mere
talkshop with no worthwhile decisions reached and all other subsequent
attempts ending in stalemate.
The APC was flawed from the outset since it did not have nationalist
parties such as the JHU and the JVP included. (The JVP of course has
decided to stay away from the current deliberations but has not rejected
devolution out of hand and it bone of contention is the so-called
majority report).
However, things look different today. President Rajapaksa has
succeeded in securing the broadest possible alliance of political
parties including a sizable segment of the main opposition extending its
support to him which is cause for optimism that at last a political
solution to the national question is in the offing.
It is of course difficult to predict how the LTTE presently
debilitated by a string of defeats at the hands of the Security Forces
would respond to any proposal of the Government.
It is here that the international community who had been harping on a
Southern consensus can play a more positive role in getting the LTTE to
fall in line.
If not, it risks losing its credibility of on the one hand insisting
that a viable political solution is the answer as against a military one
and on the other hand not exercising enough muscle to force the LTTE
accept this political solution. |
‘Conspiracies, treacherous acts for short term gain should stop’
CONSPIRACIES and treacherous acts of propaganda
carried out for short term gain should stop as I will never betray
my Motherland and will not allow anyone else to do so,” President
Mahinda Rajapaksa said.
 Full Story
Security Forces strive to protect nation’s sovereignty
I wish to brief you on the passage we traversed
during the last one and half years. We all know the mandate the
President received was to implement the Mahinda Chintanaya programme.
From the view point of the Defence Forces, this feature is of utmost
importance to establish honourable and lasting peace in the country.
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Destiny had different plans for Tivanka
TIVANKA took to the law following the footsteps
of his grandfather and great grandfather, who were both in the legal
Profession. He received his legal education in England and was
called to the Bar from the Lincolns Inn in 1964 and enrolled as an
Advocate of the Supreme Court in February 1966.
Full Story |
