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| Sunday,13 November 2005 |
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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 Tribute to a leader Before we go to print next week Sri Lanka would have elected its fifth Executive President. President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga would have relinquished office. In this hour of transition the Sunday Observer considers it a duty by its readers to record even briefly the salient features and achievements of the tenure of President Kumaratunga. She assumed office at a time the country was struggling to come out of the dark reign of terror in which both rebels and vigilantes were terrorising the people with their killing sprees. Though the Southern insurgency had been ruthlessly put down by the end of 1989, state terror continued. Human rights continued to be violated. As President Kumaratunga recently said in an interview with this paper recently her greatest achievement was the ending of state terrorism and ensuring the right to life of the people. People could once again breathe freely without fear. Consequently, she was able to restore the prestige and good name of Sri Lanka in the international community. Even her opponents agree that she was the first leader to acknowledge that Sri Lankan Tamils had genuine grievances and a negotiated solution is necessary to solve the National Question. To her goes the credit of initiating the peace process through the facilitation of Norway. The fact that she was unable to bring it to a successful conclusion does not negate the significance of her contribution towards peace. She was the first Head of State to put forward a broad package of devolution though her attempts to implement the proposals therein were thwarted by reactionaries including the UNP and extremists in the nationalist fringe. Even during her last days in office she made a valiant effort to restart the dialogue with the LTTE through the establishment of a Post-Tsunami Management Structure (PTOMS) despite opposition from her own ranks. A major share of the credit in changing public opinion in favour of devolution should go to her efforts in educating the public on the merits of devolution and the futility of war. Her efforts resulted in a paradigm shift in the SLFP thinking on the ethnic issue and have even influenced the change of heart in the UNP that is visible today. She took a personal interest in the development of social infrastructure such as health and education. Her style of action was to base her policies on scientific data, for which purpose she instituted various Task Forces such as those on Health, Education and Control of Drugs. These Task Forces brought in valuable recommendations, which were later translated into action through legislative and executive action. A special mention must be made of the establishment of the National Child Protection Authority, which is being looked up to as a model by even our neighbours. Education reforms were carried out in the primary and secondary stages and University reforms are currently being worked out. Opportunities for higher education have been widened and more emphasis has been laid on English and Information Communications Technology. In the sphere of the economy a foundation has been laid for take off through the development of physical infrastructure. During the last days of her tenure she undertook measures to overcome the energy crisis through the commencement of coal power projects in spite of vocal opposition from interested parties. This is not to say that there were no failings and shortcomings in her tenure. What we want to highlight here are her notable achievements, especially in comparison with other leaders who took office as Executive President. It should also be mentioned here that she was always handicapped by the rigid Constitution of 1978, which did not correctly reflect the electoral strength of parties in the legislature. She herself had alluded to this on many occasions. We are glad to note that she leaves office with grace and people's goodwill intact unlike some of her predecessors. We wish her long life in our traditional style so that she could continue to serve Mother Lanka in the period ahead too in whatever capacity she wishes. The naked truth The veils of deception that the West is a role model of democracy where egalitarianism and justice reigns have been torn asunder. In the United States it was hurricane Katrina that exposed the racial and class discrimination of the poor African and Black communities in New Orleans. Now it is France that is being exposed. Years of so-called assimilation and egalitarianism has covered the discrimination and injustice suffered by the descendants of North African migrants living in ghettos of Paris and other cities. What is significant is these youth who are revolting are not only Muslims but also French. More than 215 years after the Great French Revolution liberty, equality and fraternity still seems to elude France. |
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