Opinion:

'Sangaree's statement political dynamite!'

I refer to the opinions expressed by Mr. V. Anandasangaree (VA), the leader of the TULF and Dr. Jayalath Jayawardene, MP, UNP Assistant secretary in "face to face in the Sunday Observer of Jan. 27 and wish to make a few comments in respect of Mr. VA's opinions only because Dr. JJ's views are rather stale and of no consequence.

VA says "We had been agitating for a solution based on the federal concept and also offered to accept the Indian model as an alternative-if the term federal is allergic to anyone. We have not changed our views in this matter and in the matter of merger of the North and East.

We assure everybody that while spurning violence we will by non violent means, and in a friendly way continue to persuade the citizens of the country to agree that no permanent solution can be found under a unitary system".

This statement Mr. VA is dynamite! It can set fire to the whole country all over again. It is this kind of statements that gave birth to the 'tiger cubs'.

These cubs were fed with federalism etc., by the TULF leaders and when they grew up, they became too greedy and ferocious and went out of control. These Tigers killed all the TULF leaders one by one, leaving mercifully Mr. VA, due to the vigilance of our security forces.

Please Mr. VA, refrain from propagating this federal and other divisive concepts and creating communal disharmony all over again when the present President, Mahinda Rajapaksa is going all out to bring about racial harmony.

Let us listen to another Tamil leader Minister Douglas Devananda. He said "As long as the LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran survives, peace and prosperity for the Tamils in Northern Sri Lanka is a myth.

Prabhakaran was the main barrier to the freedom of the Tamil people of the North and the development of that region. A political solution to the North East issue is important.

The political solution should be for the Tamils WITHIN THE FRAMERWORK OF THE EXISTING CONSTITUTION. Any new measures outside the Constitution will meet with other problems. EPDP has made some important proposals to establish administration in the Northern and Eastern regions based on the existing system of Provincial Councils".

These are the views of a responsible and practical Tamil leader. The Provincial Council system was intended by the Indo Lanka Agreement to apply only to the North and East. But as this was not possible in a UNITARY Sri Lanka, the 13th amendment to the Constitution was enacted to apply this system to the whole country.

We will studiously refrain from discussing as to the usefulness or otherwise of the PC System for now, The President is only trying to activate the establishment of the Provincial Councils in the North and East and to restore the human right of electing their own representatives to people who may not even know how democracy works not having had elections for a long time.

In his wisdom the President is attempting to solve this problem step by step reviewing each step.

What is important is to do all we can to UNITE all communities and not to find ways of DIVIDING. For example, all citizens of Britain take pride in calling themselves British. Let us too take pride in calling ourselves SRI LANKANS.

P. S. Mahawatte