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| Sunday, 9 May 2004 |
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Peace talks : The CIMOGG view With talks about to commence with the LTTE, it is important to realise that the talks should be directed at a settlement, which will be acceptable to all segments of the People of Sri Lanka. This has been emphasized by India too. A settlement on any other basis will not yield peace, but will result in continuing dissension and further violence in the medium and long term, the CIMOGG says in a press release yesterday. It states the Response of the Citizens Movement for Good Governance (CIMOGG) to the ISGA proposals is the only comprehensive and constructive analysis presented by a public body, let alone the Government of Sri Lanka on this subject. CIMOGG maintains that while talks have certainly to be with the LTTE as regards maintenance of the ceasefire and non-resumption of hostilities, talks on the ISGA proposals themselves, as well as core issues and consequent Constitutional reforms will have to be broader based to include representation of all national, ethnic and religion-based parties. The CIMOGG response spells out in detail how such a broad based negotiating body could be constituted - and these suggestions include not only broad basing local representation but also foreign representation including India. The CIMOGG response also offers the outline of a possible final settlement which should meet the aspirations of all our people, maintain the territorial integrity of the country, ensure the participation of all the people in the process of development and economic management of the whole country from the smallest local unit upwards, ensure the elimination of violence and corruption in politics and which will thereby achieve a permanent peace. CIMOGG urges the Government, all political parties as well as the international groups involved in Peace in Sri Lanka, to look at the CIMOGG proposals seriously and in detail. CIMOGG accepts that negotiations are necessary with the LTTE, taking practical realities into consideration but as stated in the Response to the ISGA, does not recognise it as the "sole representative of the Tamils", just as CIMOGG does not recognise any other political or other organisation of any other community as sole representatives of any such communities. CIMOGG maintains that such a stand will result in closing the door to Democracy in the North and the East. If Peace is to be permanent, Democracy, is a "sine qua non". Democratic countries in the international community in particular, who are involved in our internal politics and who are non-partisan, will no doubt endorse this. CIMOGG agrees with those who hold the view that the Parliamentary elections in the Northern Province and in parts of the East were deeply flawed. Had there been accurate and updated electoral lists and had the LTTE agreed to an election process in keeping with international norms and had accepted monitoring we could have accepted the results of such an election as a correct mirror of the desires and aspirations of the people. It is today, questionable that the Tamil community in its entirety accepts these results. The rest of the country does not accept the LTTE as sole representatives either nor could the non-partisan international community. In the case of the Eastern Province, CIMOGG emphasizes that the merger of the North and East Provinces was a conditional merger, with provision for a referendum. Seventeen years have passed by since the merger, which was never accepted by the people. The referendum is yet to take place. The claim that the LTTE is "the sole representative of the Tamils" is even more untenable. CIMOGG in its statement issued in response to the ISGA proposals does not accept the assertion that subsequent to the Vaddukodai Resolution of 1976, the Tamils mandated their elected representatives to establish an independent state. Soon after the date cited in the ISGA proposals, the 1977 elections were held, where only 27 per cent, 32.5 per cent and 22 per cent respectively in Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai districts voted for the TULF which contested on a plank of an independent state. In the entire Eastern Province, only 27 per cent voted for the TULF, while 73 per cent opposed them. Also although Batticaloa district has a 71 per cent Tamil population, only 32.5 per cent supported the TULF. The 1977 election demonstrated unequivocally that the people of the Eastern Province did not wish to be merged with the Northern Province. In this regard, CIMOGG respects Article 21 Clause (3) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which reads, "The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of Government". CIMOGG would like to caution that to attempt working out a settlement based on the assumption the LTTE as not only the sole representative of the Tamils of the Eastern Province, but by implication, the representative of all others in the Eastern Province will lead to a political tragedy of horrendous dimensions. The Jaswant Sinha-Kadirgamar talks have recognised other aspects propounded in the CIMOGG Response to the ISGA, for example, CIMOGG states: "In keeping with international norms cited in the ISGA itself, any final settlement must ensure the human rights and the fundamental rights of all the people, the rule of law, and the territorial integrity of the State. CIMOGG offers a formula for effective and meaningful negotiations as well as the outline of a possible final settlement which will ensure democracy and good governance in the North and the East - as indeed throughout Sri Lanka - and will maintain the territorial integrity of the country." The proposal of CIMOGG is an all-inclusive negotiating Council of Sri Lankan representatives of the National Polity and not the Government only or those of a few political parties. The Indian position that "An enduring solution has to emerge purely through internal political processes" is also a confirmation of the importance of the mechanism suggested by CIMOGG. |
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