TNA should change course -Dullas

‘Lanka needs time, space for in-depth discussion’:

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) should not act like agents of the LTTE and risk dividing society once again, SLFP Treasurer and Youth Affairs and Skills Development Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said. He requested the TNA leadership to move forward.

“There are Tamil leaders in the TNA who respect democracy and who have years of experience in politics. The TNA is a recognised political party among the majority of the Tamil community. We respect that. It is now time for the TNA to take a new turn and emerge from the grip of the LTTE that does not exist any more,” the minister told the Daily News.

The minister noted President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s stand that there are no minorities in this country.

“This statement should have been made by late Prime Minister D S Senanayake in 1948 from Independence Square. Today we are paying for those political mistakes made by politicians of the past,” Alahapperuma said. He stressed that Sri Lankans should not be treated like rats in a laboratory to be tested for instant solutions.

Minister Alahapperuma said the government proposed a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to get together and discuss the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) report and find a practical and lasting solution to the ethnic issue.

“Since all political parties in Parliament take part in the PSC, it becomes the best place to have an in-depth discussion on the LLRC recommendations in a short time. I request the UNP not to play the traditional role of the Opposition again. All Oppositions played the same role in the past including the SLFP,” the minister said.

Minister Alahapperuma said Sri Lanka has many previous experiences in implementing recommendations and solutions without consulting the people or the Cabinet, the consequences of which were extremely detrimental to country.

“One such ‘solution’ was the Indo–Lanka Peace Accord. Nobody, including the Cabinet and the Parliament were consulted before the implementation of the accord. A large number of Indian Peace Keeping Forces’ soldiers were killed. The North and the rest of the country became a battle field destroying lives and billions of rupees worth property,” he said.

The minister said the Ceasefire Agreement between the Opposition leader and LTTE leader Prabhakaran followed.

“It was a secret and nobody was consulted. Even his own Parliamentary group did not know about it. This type of individual decisions cannot be taken on behalf of the country. The country has had bitter experiences and they cost many lives and resources. Therefore, Sri Lanka needs time and space to have an in-depth discussion and find a solution,” Alahapperuma said.