Ilankai Tamil Sangam
Association of Tamils of Sri Lanka in the USA
Published by Sangam.org

Government Can Agree to JVP Demands on the Budget

And stop duping the moderates and the world

by Mano Ganesan, MP, TamilCanadian, November 14, 2007

The Tamils and Muslims are definitely looking for a new constitution. Not even the Tamil and Muslim Ministers in the government will agree to settle within the current constitution.

The JVP leader has put forwarded four demands to support the government on the budget. Accordingly, the government can now abolish the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) and scrap the remains of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA). This will help the whole world to know where this government stands on the all important issue of 'peace and a political solution.'

I also wish to ask the JVP leader what they intend to do if the government fails to meet their demands? Vote for or against the budget?

JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe is correct by describing the current APRC exercise of proposing maximum power sharing within a unitary system as 'trying omelet without breaking egg.'

The 13th Amendment escaped by just one judicial bench vote. The current provincial council (PC) system is the maximum level one could reach within the current constitution. Therefore, any new set of proposals has to bypass the radius of the current constitution.

The Tamils and Muslims are definitely looking for a new constitution. Not even the Tamil and Muslim Ministers in the government will agree to settle within the current constitution. The writing is very clear on the wall for the government. Here is a party which did not even agree to the present PC system. They now offer support and tell the government to scrap the APRC.

I respect and appreciate the JVP leader for coming out crystal clear on his party's intentions. There are SLFP and PA politicians in the government who are for war as well for a power sharing political solution beyond this constitution. What are their responses to the JVP demands? Are they intending to give into JVP demands and keep quite for the sake of their ministerial perks? This is the crucial period in the history of this country. It is not because of the budget. Budgets can come and go. We have to look beyond the budget.

Tamil speaking people have suffered enough. Nobody can dupe us anymore. Not the so-called 'federalists' within the government who speak from time to time on power sharing can dupe us. Not even India and others of the Co-Chair international community can dupe us by referring to this illusion called the APRC.

Mano GANESAN
Member of Parliament for Colombo District
Leader of Western People's Front
President of Democratic Worker's Congress
Convener of Civil Monitoring Commission
POST BOX 803 72 BANKSHALL STREET, COLOMBO - SRI LANKA
PHONE +9411 2473511
FAX +9411 2435961

MOBILE: +94 77 7312770
Email: ganesan@eureka.lk