Udayan now attempting rifts using 13 A debate

Ridma Dissanayake and Rakshana Sriyantha

The Udayan newspaper has claimed that the 13th Amendment is an amendment signed by the leaders of India and Sri Lanka and the present Sri Lankan government had rejected it unilaterally.

This has raised fears among the international community that future bilateral agreements will not be honoured by Sri Lanka and that it will throw out such agreements unilaterally going by the current developments relating to the 13th Amendment.

The Udayan also states that the government is facing a serious credibility issue in that while promising UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon that it will implement 13 A plus, it was now trying to curtail powers to the periphery.

According to Udayan, by attempting to dilute the powers in the 13 Amendment the government was sending a clear message that it is not prepared grant political rights to the Tamils.

Commenting on the Udayan articles aimed at generating communal hatred and its portrayal of the government as one not willing to empower the Tamils, Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Mullaitivu District former MP S. Kanakarathna said: "The situation in Sri Lanka today is very different to that prevailed in 1987.

Then there was no national debate or political views expressed on the 13th Amendment. There was no idea exchanged among political parties or any civic organisation on this issue. Even cabinet ministers of the United National Party (UNP) did not know about that sudden agreement."

"Today we can see all shades of opinion both positive as well as negative on the Provincial Council system. The manner in which Varadharaja Perumal declared UDI which led to former President R. Premadasa disbanding the NE Provincial Council naturally created a suspicion among the majority community. By appointing a Parliament Select Committee inclusive of all political parties the matter could be thrashed out and a solution acceptable to all sections of Sri Lankans could be found."

"President Mahinda Rajapaksa has paid his wide attention to this matter and has referred it to the PSC. That is the best and meaningful measure which can be taken by a leader in such a situation, " Kanakarathnam explained.