Lankan Tamils in UK told
Be ready for political compromises
London (IANS):
Sri Lanka’s vibrant Tamil community in Britain has been gently advised to be
ready for political compromises if it is serious about constitutional reforms in
the island nation.
The time has come for the Tamils to stop being rigid on political issues, a
meeting of Tamil expatriates was told by Jayampathy Wickramaratne, head of a
committee providing technical support to the Constitutional Assembly to draft
the country’s new constitution.
“It is impossible and is unrealistic to expect all aspirations and demands of
everyone are met,” said Wickramaratne, a member of the Steering Committee of the
Constitutional Assembly. “There have to be compromises.”
The left-wing politician also told the gathering in London on May 8 that this
was the first time the country’s two main political parties had come together to
form a government, with the support from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and
representatives of the Muslim community.
“This is a great opportunity that may not come again, certainly not in the
foreseeable future,” he warned in an hour-long speech at an event organised by
the Non Resident Tamils of Sri Lanka (NRTSL).
“It is, therefore, important that this opportunity is not missed. This reality
must be recognised,” he said.
Some Tamil parties, the TNA included, have traditionally taken a non-negotiable
stand on political issues. The now vanquished Tamil Tigers or LTTE used to dub
Tamils who disagreed with it as ‘traitors’.
Wickramaratne admitted that the process of constitutional reform currently
taking place in Sri Lanka may not result in the “best constitution” because of
contrary pulls and pressures based on ethnic and linguistic lines.
Colombo was also aware that both Tamil and Sinhalese hardliners were keen to
subvert the reconciliation process following the end of the military conflict in
2009 when the military crushed the LTTE.
“Hence,” Wickramaratne told the Tamil audience, “It is the duty of the silent
majority on both sides (of the ethnic divide) to prevail to bring about genuine
constitutional reform so that all communities in Sri Lanka live as equals and
with dignity.”
Although Wickramaratne visited Britain in a personal capacity, the Tamils who
listened to him were fairly sure that his views represented largely, if not
wholly, the thinking of the government in Sri Lanka.
Among other things, he suggested a second chamber in Sri Lanka, independent
commissions unfettered by political interference as well as an independent
judiciary.
Sri Lanka also badly needed election reforms, he pointed out. There must also be
a clear division of powers between the central government and provincial
councils. Tamil sources told IANS that Wickramaratne’s frankness was widely
appreciated by the Tamil community, and there was a general understanding that
one cannot expect Colombo to bow down to all Tamil demands.
Some Tamil participants at the meeting admitted that the free and frank
discussion that took place in London may not have been possible when the Tamil
Tigers reigned supreme. The NRTSL, which organised the meeting, was founded in
October 2014 by a group of Tamils from varying political and professional
background in Britain keen to play a role in Sri Lanka’s nation-building. |