Unity vital to implement 13th Amendment

President Mahinda Rajapaksa met Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe last week to discuss the implementation of the recent All Party Representative Committee (APRC) proposals.

During the discussion, the Opposition Leader, who is also the leader of the United National Party (UNP) assured his fullest support to the Government in the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, as proposed by the APRC.

The 13th Amendment to the Constitution was introduced during the J.R. Jayewardene administration in 1987 following the Indo-Lanka Accord. Opposition Leader Wickremesinghe was a Cabinet Minister of the Government, which introduced the Provincial Council system to Sri Lanka. Although the Provincial Council system was introduced to solve problems in the North and the East, the previous Governments failed to implement the 13th Amendment fully.

Despite the Provincial Councils functioning in all other provinces, it did not apply to the two provinces that the authorities expected the most - the North and East.

The APRC headed by Minister Tissa Vitharana, after a series of lengthy discussions with the political parties represented in Parliament, submitted its proposals to the President. The APRC proposed the full implementation of the 13th Amendment that included the strengthening of the Provincial Council system. Under the original Amendment in 1987 by the then President Jayewardene, the Provincial Councils were granted regional administration powers, including Police powers, under the Central Government. Though the leaders at that time pontificated on the decentralisation of powers vested in the Government and brought the 13th Amendment, they did not fully implement the powers granted to the Provincial Councils. As a result, the Chief Ministers of the Provinces made a concerted effort to gain the powers they had already been granted by Constitution.

On the recommendations of the APRC, President Rajapaksa now plans to restore those powers to the Provincial Councils. This is exactly what the UNP proposed and enshrined in the constitution in 1987. In maintaining the structure of a unitary state, the Government is ready for maximum power devolution that would strengthen provincial administration.

Hence, it's the duty of all political parties to support the Government in its efforts to fully implement the 13th Amendment. With the UNP already pledging its consent to back the Government move, it's the duty of other parties such as the JVP, Hela Urumaya (JHU) and SLMC to strengthen the hands of the President.

It is unlikely that the Tiger-proxy TNA would get involved in this move but the JVP and JHU have a greater role to play if they are sincerely interested in protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country.

Except for a few opportunist UNP Parliamentarians and the TNA which has become a mere puppet of the LTTE, there is hardly anybody who would not acknowledge the Government's recent success in the battle against terrorism. None could underestimate the great sacrifices of our Security Forces in liberating the entire Eastern Province from the clutches of LTTE terrorism.

Our valiant Security Forces are now successfully marching towards the Wanni stronghold of Velupillai Prabhakaran who is struggling for survival. Many of his close associates and leaders, including S. P. Thamilselvam, have been killed by the Security Forces.

The morale of the LTTE is at a low ebb and this is evident from the increasing number of LTTE cadres who surrender to the Security Forces daily. We should realise that the battle against terrorism and the problems of the people living in the North and East are two different issues. Even if we eradicate the LTTE and destroy its leader Prabhakaran, a similar terrorist movement could emerge in future if we do not address the genuine problems and grievances of the people in the North and the East. The Government is supremely aware of this fact.

Eradicating terrorism and solving the problems of the people living in the North and East should go hand in hand. The success of our military operations does not mean that we should abandon our efforts to find a just solution to the problems of the people living there.

These solutions are definitely not for the LTTE. There should not be any negotiations with a terrorist outfit, unless they surrender their arms and show a genuine desire for peace. Even if we defeat the LTTE militarily or otherwise, there should be a separate solution to address the grievances of the innocent civilians living in the North and East.

President Rajapaksa is going that extra mile to get all political parties under one umbrella to find an honourable solution to the problems of the North and East civilians - our brothers and sisters. They too should enjoy the freedom and facilities that we in other provinces enjoy. They have undergone immense hardships due to Prabhakaran's tyranny.

Now it's our turn to extend our solidarity towards our fellow countrymen in the North and East. It's not a matter of granting powers to the LTTE but to the people's representatives. It is with this intention that the Government is conducting the elections in the East to restore the democratic rights of the people so that they could elect the people of their choice after more than a decade.