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| Sunday, 25 January 2004 |
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Politics |  |
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JVP leader's interview with 'Asian Tribune' Make Indo-Lanka Defence Pact cornerstone of foreign policy Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Leader Somawansa Amarasingha wants the India-Sri Lanka Defence Pact to be made a cornerstone of the island's foreign policy, the Tamilnet reported quoting an interview given by him to the online publication " Asian Tribune". In a long telephone interview Mr. Amerasingha had given to the online publication `'Asian Tribune" before his departure for Sri Lanka on Monday, he said " the alliance between the JVP and the SLFP was necessitated by the urgent national need of the country, since both parties were incapable of stopping the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration, which was trying to legitimize the already existing separatist trend in the country, on their own. Ranil Wickremesinghe, was giving up parts of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation for his own personal ambitions", Amarasinghe charged. This new political alliance was born during a period when the pains of labour for such a birth were being intensely felt, the JVP leader said. The historic task of the alliance was to perform the midwifery duties for the long awaited birth, he added. He said after experiencing repeated massacres and severe onslaughts, the JVP survived because its political base was deeply rooted in the country's indigenous culture. Before any `ism', he said the JVP members were great patriots. It always believed in the Buddhist beliefs that the king should be just, which was expressed in the Pali stanza "Raja Bhavatu Dhammiko." He said that JVP did not import Marxism in its outdated raw form, but infused certain Marxist elements with the autochthonous Sinhala Buddhist culture, which is the result of more than 2000 years of an unbroken civilization that existed in the country. Online publication 'Asian Tribune" had quoted Somawansa Amarasinghe as saying that " his party was totally against the SLFP policy of sharing power despite the alliance both parties have formed". "In the future, if we implement the power sharing policy", Amerasingha said, "12% of the population of the country would get 1/3 of the whole land mass and 2/3 of the coastline creating great inequality among the people of Sri Lanka". While the JVP agreed to solve the problem by peaceful political means Amerasingha said whatever solution reached should be accepted only by a referendum. He said on such an occasion the JVP would canvass the support of parliament as well as the people against the SLFP policy. However he added that the JVP would accept the verdict given by the people at a referendum. Opposing the sharing of the power policy, Amerasingha said, the JVP would advocate a policy of decentralization of power even upto village level. Analyzing the JVP's economic policy he said it placed special importance on the indigenous capitalists of the country to invest in the country's development. But, he said, indigenous and foreign capitalists had been discouraged, under Ranil Wickremesinghe since ministers expected, what is known in Sri Lanka, as "something" from the investors. An atmosphere had been created that everybody was after this "something" he charged. He said all barricades including that should be removed to make enterprises run with profits. He said that if the businesses became profitless, then entrepreneurs would not be able to pay salaries of the employees and they would not be able to survive long. |
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