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| Sunday, 19 September 2004 |
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Editorial |  |
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Editor, Sunday Observer. E-mail: [email protected] Snail mail : Sunday Observer, 35, D.R.Wijewardana Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Telephone : 94 11 2429239 / 2331181 Fax : 94 11 2429230 UNP and the peace process The United National Party leader and the Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has apparently turned down the request of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga to co-chair the National Advisory Council on Peace together with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse. In doing so it has let go another opportunity for developing bipartisan consensus and cooperation on the question of a negotiated peace with the LTTE. It is obvious that the latter is a sine qua non for a successful solution to the National question. National interest has been obviously sacrificed for the sake of partisan interest. This shows once again the opportunistic policies followed by the UNP in relation to this issue. While acknowledging the positive contribution the UNP made in resuscitating the peace process, which had been left abandoned by the two belligerent parties after the failure of the earlier talks, we have to note that it was also done in a partisan manner leaving out even the Executive President from the ceasefire deal. It is to the credit of the President that she did not interrupt or sabotage the peace effort despite the partisan manner in which it was conducted by the UNP government. The negotiations were stalled in April 2003, long before the President intervened and took over three ministries. The withdrawal of the LTTE from the negotiating table was a direct result of the inept way in which the negotiations were conducted. It was also a sequel to the errant UNP strategy of relying excessively on international friends. The UNP was never serious about solving the National Question. Though it ruled the country for most of the time during the post-independence era, it never had a policy on the issue. On the other hand, the problem aggravated due to its wrong and chauvinistic policies. One has only to remind oneself about the anti-Tamil pogrom of the UNP in July 1983 to gauge how much the UNP contributed to the deterioration of inter-communal relations. As it had no policy of its own the UNP government of Ranil Wickremesinghe allowed its international friends to set the agenda and decide on the strategy for talks. Little did it realize that these friends were motivated by their own national interests which never coincided with the interest of the Sri Lankan state or of its people. The arrogant manner in which the Washington and Tokyo donor confabs were organized in the face of LTTE opposition showed that the UNP government had no independent voice in the peace process. The Tiger withdrawal was a direct sequel of these confabs. It is the same opportunistic policy the UNP is following even today. It does not want to share responsibility with its political rival, be it the SLFP, the PA or the UPFA. As an excuse the UNP wants the President to put the UPFA house in order first. It is trying to exploit SLFP-JVP differences over the peace process for its own narrow political gain. While the reconciliation of opposing views inside the UPFA is its internal affair, UNP political support to the President's moves in the peace front could have become a healthy factor in reaching consensus both within and outside the UPFA. Whatever it says, the UNP stands exposed as a spoiler in the peace front despite its positive contribution earlier. Fox-hunters in Parliament For the first time since 1642 when Charles I invaded the House of Commons, "strangers" invaded its floor last week. The invaders were a group of fox-hunters that were protesting against a bill to ban fox-hunting with dogs. The British MPs were, however, not deterred. They passed the Bill with an overwhelming majority 342-15. The intrusion would have been a shock to the British parliamentarians who were not used to such intrusions. That is why they have reacted perhaps excessively injuring several in the milieu. The ban shows even Britain, one of the most conservative countries cannot perpetually maintain traditions of a bygone era. It has to take note, which way the wind is blowing. Though the House of Lords may object to the Bill, the British government is contemplating special laws to overrule such objections. The writing is on the wall for the Lords too. The intrusion of "strangers" into the House of Commons has also alerted the British public to the serious security lapse in London that has moved up in the priority hit list of terrorist groups like the Al Qaeda. |
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