Sri Lankan Parliamentary Elections-2001 - II Poll Promises and Peace: A Critique
10 Dec, 2001 · 656
N Manoharan critically looks into the election promises of the important Sri Lankan parties on settling the ethnic question
The present analysis is based on the latest party manifestoes, statements, and speeches of the party leadership on the eve of the upcoming parliamentary elections. The following four parties/alliances have been chosen, since they would be playing a major role after the elections vis-à-vis the ethnic question.
PA: People’s
Alliance
; JVP: Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna; UNF: United National Front; TNA: Tamil National Alliance
| Party/
|
Homeland
|
Minority Rights
|
Negotiations
|
Stand on the
LTTE
|
| PA
|
No separate Eelam
|
Committed to devolution of powers
|
With a widerange of Tamil parties; international mediation not ruled out.
|
Not solerepresentative of Tamils; no recognition as long as war continues
|
| JVP
|
Unitary status of the island is essential
|
Equal rights to allcommunities
|
No third party mediation
|
Should be eliminated
|
| UNF
|
Temporary administrative setup in the North-east
|
Devolution ofpowers is required
|
Talks with the LTTE at any levels by mutually convenientmeans
|
Representative character of the Tigers cannot be ignored
|
| TNA
|
Right to self-determination
|
Special protection and safeguardsto minorities.
|
Immediate cessation of hostilities and talks via internationalmediation.
|
Sole representative of Tamils
|
This table provides a glimpse of the latest stand of the important Sri Lankan political parties on the ethnic question. Their careful reading provides confusing signals. Firstly, their positions are far from existing reality. Secondly, all of them are approaching the ethnic issue from different directions, consequently they are moving nowhere. Thirdly, their stands are inconsistent, raising doubts of their adherence to these promises. Let us move on to specifics.
Homeland: While the JVP and TNA have taken extreme positions, PA and UNP are in between. For the JVP there is no question of even an administrative merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces. On the other hand, TNA requires, apart from permanent merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces, recognition of the Eelam. UNP has proposed a “temporary administrative machinery” for a “short period”. But it does not spell out the details of this arrangement or the duration of administration. Perhaps the devil is in the details. While the proposal is designed to pacify the Tamil voters and parties, the absence of elaboration is probably intended not to alienate the Sinhalese electorates. The PA is obdurate in raising the same slogan of “devolution”, though it found that it had reached a dead end in the past seven years. So, it is not clear what miracle the alliance will perform in the coming days.
Minority Rights: Again, the parties are either ambiguous or non-committal on the how, what and when of rights to minorities. Will the PA present a new rights package if it is voted back to power or pour the same wine in a new bottle? If the UNP is committed to devolution to the minorities, why is it not providing the details? Does the JVP’s slogan of “equal rights to all communities” mean no special protection to minorities, or withdrawal of special privileges and protections enjoyed by the Sinhala language and Buddhism? What does the TNA mean by “special rights” and “protection”? These are the questions needing clear answers.
Negotiations: Here the PA wants to involve all the affected sections of the Tamils and is not ruling out third party involvement. But what would be its stand on the Norwegian peace process? JVP has easily accommodated its stand on this aspect within its ideological framework. But where will it lead? What are its strategies and how will it bring the militant minorities to the negotiating table? The UNF’s approach seems optimistic. But what are its plans if the President wrecks the peace initiatives through her extraordinary powers? Given its rightist tendencies, would the UNP-dominated UNF be sincere in this offer?
Stand on the LTTE: Views on the Tigers range from one end of the spectrum to the other. Having taken extreme positions, how will the TNA and JVP strike a balance if they are part of the same government (a theoretical possibility) after the elections? What does the JVP mean by “elimination”? Is it physical elimination of the Tigers or elimination of its separatist demand? If the LTTE is not the sole representative of the Tamils, who does the PA consider to be so? Most of the present TNA members were vociferously contesting the representative character of the LTTE not long ago. The point is, how long will they sustain this new stand? The UNF’s position is quite vague and non-committal on the LTTE.
In this regard what choice do the voters, who desperately want normalcy, have? One thing is certain: if the voters are confused, the mandate will also be confused.
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