Negotiate in a cooperative spirit

l ling to talk to the disaffected Dons, provided they take the initiative to open talks with him. He, however, said that the talks would need to be conducted by the Dons in a constructive spirit, since he feared that the agitation was politically-motivated. The President pointed out that nothing would come out of these talks if they were politically-motivated.

There is food for thought here. Problems could be resolved among parties only if there is an earnest and sincere effort on their part to focus on the problem at hand and to resolve it. Nothing would come out of their efforts at negotiating if they are politically motivated or if they are egged on by external forces which seek a change in the existing relations of power. We hope that this is not the case in the present Dons' agitation and urge them to sit at the negotiating table with the President in a spirit of sincerity.

Another issue that presents the same considerations is the present opposition among some sections to the proposed private pension scheme. Here too, there seems to be a destructive bent among those protesting it. The latter could put their doubts at rest, if they are really in earnest, by reading an explanation of the scheme by no less a person than the Secretary to the Labour Ministry, which we front-paged yesterday. There the Secretary lucidly clarifies that no deductions will be made from employees' ETF and EPF funds to finance the pension scheme. In fact, the pension project is to be funded by a separate and independent fund and the earnings and savings of employees in no way would be compromised.

This being the case, it is a matter for wonderment why the agitation over the pension scheme has to be continued with such ferocity and bellicosity. The rational and the sober could not be found fault with for concluding that these protestors are politically motivated and nothing more, since they seemingly do not see reason.

There are political forces which are all out to disrupt the state's development drive and to make life for the government very uneasy. Attempts at talking to these sections would prove futile. But it is up to those who are backed by them to see through the wiles of these forces which are destructively-oriented. It is up to those who are in earnest when they make demands to approach the government in a spirit of sincerity and to resolve their problems at the negotiating table, rather than fall prey to these opportunistic forces whose agenda is usually at variance with the good intentions of both the state as well as of those sections which are earnestly seeking solutions to their problems.

What all this adds up to is that moderate opinion in our polity needs to close ranks and adopt a rational and down-to-earth approach to resolving their issues with the government. There is little we could do about the hardliners; they would always want to make life hard for the administration. But there is an urgent need for moderate opinion, which is usually in the majority, to assert itself, overcome opposition from the hardliners, and peacefully resolve their problems with the state.

There are larger issues in these developments which need to be taken up for consideration and discussion. Despite having come some distance in democratic development, we are yet to evolve a polity where constructive discussion and debate would hold sway over passion and base emotions. That is, one could argue that not all the elements of a true democratic culture are in place in our polity. It is just not enough to hold periodic elections and to elect our representatives to governing bodies. Our public also needs to institutionalize democratic practices, such as, peaceful debate and discussion, which would be geared to resolving differences in the most rational cordial fashion. Besides, public discussion and debate needs to be aimed at positive results and results which could heal differences and bring about agreement among contending groups.

This is the spirit of democracy and this should ideally motivate public interactions and the relations between the state and the people. In other words, our politics should be nothing less than consensual politics. And such consensuality is badly needed today, as we put our shoulders to the wheel of national development. Let us not squander the opportunities that have opened unto us in the wake of a destructive conflict which has been finally overcome. Let us unite to see Sri Lanka through.