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| Sunday, 18 May 2003 |
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DLB issue : President must end confrontation - minority parties by P. Krishnaswamy The bulk of ethnic minority political parties in Parliament, who hold a decisive vote on both sides of the House, are calling on President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga to end her confrontation with the Government and warn that the current constitutional controversy could endanger the peace process. Commenting, in a survey by the Sunday Observer, on the current controversy between the Government and the Presidency over the Development Lotteries Board (DLB), these parties are urging President Kumaratunga to engage in serious dialogue with the Government in order to quickly resolve the issue. The Sunday Observer spoke with parliamentarians representing the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, TULF, CWC, PLOTE, TELO, National Unity Alliance and the Ashraff Congress. Representatives of the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) were not available for comment. NUA leader and People's Alliance MP Ferial Ashraff backed the President's initiative to take over the Development Lotteries Board, and argued that matters would not have reached this point if the Government had included the Presidency in the peace negotiating process. However, all other party representatives spoken to, felt that the Presidential move was disruptive of the peace process. Some minority parliamentarians told the Sunday Observer that there was a perception in the country that the President's move to take over the DLB at a time when the peace process was already under strain could further exacerbate the problem now holding up the peace talks. Some claimed that the President's action could be aimed at adding to the tensions. Other parliamentarians strongly urged a return to the situation of co-habitation in power between the United National Front and the People's Alliance. ******** DLB crisis survey : Meaningful dialogue only solution by P. Krishnaswamy President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga's decision to take over the functions of the Development Lotteries Board (DLB) from Economic Reform, Science and Technology Minister Milinda Moragoda and the political crisis brewing since then, has been received with dismay by both the constituent parties of the United National Front (UNF) Government and other Tamil political parties represented in the Parliament. The reactions of the spokesmen of the parties are reproduced below: Joseph Pararajasingham, MP, Senior Vice President of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF): "Anything to disrupt the peace process will not only affect the North and East but also the entire country. Keeping this in mind, both the President and the Prime Minister should work out a feasible modality which will not cause any constitutional conflict between the Executive and the Legislature. This can only be done by meaningful consultation between the President and the PM. The President has said that at the time of allocating subjects and functions to different ministries, the DLB was given to Minister Moragoda due to an oversight. It is strange that the President is trying to rectify this oversight after 1 1/2 years. What the Tamil people feel is that she is trying to disrupt the peace process." Basheer Segu Dawood MP, Chairman of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and Deputy Minister of Housing: "The present constitutional confrontation between the Executive and the Legislature, especially at a time when intensive efforts are under way to restore lasting peace in the country, is very much disturbing. It will adversely affect the people and the country. The President and the Prime Minister should shed their political ambitions and differences in the best interests of the country and settle the current crisis through meaningful discussions. The President's move to take over the DLB at the present juncture is inappropriate. This situation is very advantageous to war-mongers." M. S. Sellasamy, Deputy Leader of Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC): "The country desperately needs peace. The war that extended for over two decades has continued to disrupt normal life besides destroying human lives and properties. Hundreds of thousands of people continue to live as displaced refugees in their own homelands. The government has been aspiring full-scale development, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in the war-torn areas taking advantage of the peace process and the international support. The current wrangling for power over a constitutional aspect will disrupt the peace process and cause far-reaching consequences. A. Vinayagamoorthy MP, Leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC): "The President is having a hidden motive of preventing the donor countries meeting in Japan from extending monetary assistance to this government. By taking over the DLB and creating a constitutional controversy, she has signalled to the international community that this marks an impending parliamentary election. She has either not given any plausible reason for taking over the DLB. It is important to note that the donor countries do not meet during an election year of a country to consider monetary assistance to that country. The President may be technically correct in taking over the DLB without consulting the PM. Selvam Adaickalanathan MP, leader of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO): "Political confrontations at this moment would disrupt the peace process. If that happens, road barriers, check-points, transport problems and other resultant hardships will rapidly return to the Tamil areas. Obviously, such constraints might also offer an opportunity to point an accusing finger at the LTTE to tell the international community that they had violated the ceasefire." T. Sidharthan MP, Leader of the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE): "This crisis between the President and the Prime Minister should not disrupt the peace process. We earnestly request the President and the Prime Minister to settle this issue without allowing it to go out of proportion resulting in the disruption of the peace process. Unless the two sides adopt a clear approach, the chances of the peace process reaping fruits would be bleak." S. Thavarajah, Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) spokesman: "This is a crisis with regard to the correct interpretation of the relevant aspects of the constitution. Constitutional experts or appropriate institutions should be approached for sorting it out. As far as we are concerned, we want the peace process to continue uninterrupted in the right direction to end the ethnic conflict and restore peace. The two sides should work towards that." S. Subairdeen, leader of the Ashraff Congress: "It is crystal clear that this is a constitutional issue. One repository of power maintains that consultation with the Prime Minister is needed only when the President deems it necessary. But the other party, the PM says, that consultations are needed all the time. So it is very clear that this is a contentious issue and the interpretation rests with the SC. We, therefore, do not want to enter into that territory. But people anticipate cohabitation and mutual understanding between the Executive and the Legislature. " On the other hand, Ms Ferial Ashraff MP, Leader of the National Unity Alliance which is in alliance with the Opposition PA, expressed views supportive of the President's decision to take over the DLB. She said: "This seems to be a problem of cohabitation in my view. Though we have been wanting this cohabitation, the government never did much to make it a success. For example, the President wanted her nominee in the negotiating team, which would have been the ideal opportunity for a joint effort. When this was refused, obviously there was no cohabitation at all. So we are not surprised at the present crisis." |
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