The Sri Lankan Scene Will There Be Consensus?

by T. Sabaratnam; published December 8, 2003

Weekly Review

The Sri Lankan Scene

Will there be Consensus?

Lots of interesting and amusing events happened in Sri Lanka last week. Let me start with the most unusual, an event that has not happened anywhere in the world. Cricket lovers would know that the MCC team is now in Sri Lanka and the first test ended in a thrilling draw due to rain and bad light on Friday. But what they would not have known is that Sri Lankan Cricket Board Chairman Thilanga Sumathipala was not present at the Galle Stadium to watch the match.

He was absconding from police detectives of the CID, who reported on Saturday that they could not find Sumathipala either in his home or office. The CID is looking for him to produce before a court of law on a directive from the Attorney General’s Department, which ruled that there is a prima facie case against him for violating the provisions of the Immigration and Emigration Law. The AG’s Department made its ruling on a complaint received by it that Sumathipala had aided and abetted a well-known underworld killer, Dhamika Amerasinghe, to leave the country on a forged passport, which is a non-bailable offence.

Sumathipala filed a fundamental rights case before the Supreme Court seeking a directive not to arrest him, but the court refused it, directing the Magistrate court to determine whether there is a case against him or not. The magistrate who heard the case on Friday had postponed the hearing for January 8. Sumathipala will have to be in hiding till then or surrender to the court and be in the remand jail.

This case has already created problems for President Chandrika Kumaratunga, as there is a public outcry about police inaction to arrest Sumathiala. In addition, there is a charge that officers of the Presidential Security Division are providing security to Sumathipala. Interference with the police administration was one of the reasons given by the president to justify the takeover of the Internal Affairs Ministry on November 3. She also gave rising crime rate as another reason.

Statistics published by the weekly The Sunday Leader for the 20 days following Chandrika’s takeover show no reduction in the crime rate. The paper failed in its attempt to get the number of murders committed during that period, but said 69 cases of rape and sexual abuse, 103 cases of robberies and 122 cases of house breaking and theft had been recorded. Murders continue to be committed openly and hired killers are becoming the norm. On Monday, a private sector executive was fired upon when he slowed at the traffic light opposite Maradana Railway Station. Fortunately, he escaped with injuries.

United National Front (UNF) government supporters are highlighting these matters to show that the reasons Chandrika gave to take over the ministries of defence, internal security and media were deceptive. The real reason was to capture power and to bounce back to the centre of the political stage. Two of Ranil Wickremesinghe’s confidantes, Ministers Rajitha Senaratne and Ravi Karunanayake, are currently going round the country ridiculing Chandrika.

At a meeting in Ratnapura, Rajitha said: For the President, Tigers are now good fellows. After she took over the defence ministry, they have started behaving nicely. I did not say this. She is saying it. She has to say that. Otherwise, she will have to go to war with them, which she cannot do.

Ravi told another meeting: Before the takeover of the three ministries, the President said the ceasefire agreement was illegal. Now she has asked the army and other armed forces to strictly adhere to it. Now, it has become legal.

While his men are ridiculing Chandrika, Ranil has adopted a new posture and is trying to show the people and the world that he is a nice guy who is prepared to stomach indignities for the sake of the nation. Speaking at a rally in Puttalam on Friday, Ranil said: I could have clashed with the President. I avoided it for the sake of the country. I am having talks with the president to find a way out of the crisis. The need of the moment is to carry forward the peace talks.”

He added: If the ongoing talks between the government and the President bear fruit, a new political culture would emerge. If it failed it would prove catastrophic to the people.”

At Kurunegale on Saturday Ranil claimed he had brought the LTTE to the negotiating table, made it give up its Eelam demand and agree to a federal solution and made it to come out with a political proposal,

“The LTTE has now put forward its political proposals for the first time. Some proposals cannot be accepted. Now, it is possible for us to reach a final political solution,” he said. He added all this was possible because of his new thinking, new approach.

Ranil’s strategy is to put the entire blame on Chandrika for the disruption of the peace process. He told the diplomatic community in Colombo he would not insist on the ‘pound of flesh,’ meaning that he would not insist on the return of the three ministries Chandrika took over on November 3. He would be satisfied if he was made “powerful enough” to continue the peace talks and implement the decisions agreed upon.

Ranil made this position very clear to Chandrika on Friday when they met for 40-minutes in a continuing bid to work out a solution to the southern crisis. He told her that continuing the peace process is of paramount importance to the country, He stressed that any delay in resuming the talks would have disastrous consequences for the country. Then he asked Chandrika to take over the peace negotiations. Chandrika asked Ranil to continue. Then he said she could have the defence ministry, but he should be given all the powers needed to carry on the talks and implement the decisions. He promised Chandrika a participatory role in defense matters based on the French model. He also assured Chandrika an active role in the peace process. They agreed that the Samarawickreme- Tittawela Committee should work out a solution on that matter.

The Prime Minister told Chandrika these negotiations should not drag on. That would not be beneficial to the country. He said that, in view of the forthcoming annual conference of the UNP, he wanted the negotiation to reach a conclusion by December 15. He also told her of the series of rallies he is addressing and should be in a position to tell his supporters to prepare for an election. Chandrika said she also favoured an early end to the negotiations. “We must decide one way or the other,” she said.

International Pressure

Chandrika is under heavy international pressure to work out an understanding with Ranil Wickremesinghe and take steps to resume peace talks. Five Colombo-based envoys met Chandrika last week and pressed her to find an early solution to the constitutional crisis. They were the ambassadors of US, European Union, Norway and Japan and High Commissioner of India. Japan also announced that the aid package pledged at the Tokyo Conference would be available only after the resumption of the peace process.

Indian High Commissioner Nirupam Sen told the president that political stability in Sri Lanka is essential for India’s security and urged Chandrika to ensure political stability and the continuance of the peace talks. Former India Foreign Secretary M. K. Rasgotra, who came down to address the Indo- Sri Lanka Dialogue organized by the Delhi-based Centre for Strategic Studies and the Bandaranaike Centre for International Relations, said India backed the ongoing peace talks and the settlement should safeguard Sri Lanka’s unity, territorial integrity, security and grant the rights of the Tamil people. He said giving a role for the Sea Tigers would not be acceptable to India. This view was endorsed by Vice Admiral Das, former commander of the Eastern Naval Command.

The Sanarawickreme- Tittawela Committee will sit from Monday to Wednesday to work out a consensual solution that would enable the President and the Prime to jointly carry forward the peace process and other essential constitutional reforms. The President, the Prime Minister and the people are hoping the negotiations will succeed. If it succeeds, Norway would be requested to resume its facilitator role and talks would resume in January. If it fails, a fresh election is the option.

Ranil and Chandrika are also preparing for the election option. Ranil has already started addressing district-level rallies; Chandrika is meeting the JVP on Monday to finalize an agreement with it. There are more hurdles to be cleared. The JVP is demanding a general election once the agreement is signed, but the President wants to test the alliance at the Provincial Council elections scheduled after February. And two of the seven parties in the People’s Alliance are yet to accept the draft of the Memorandum of Understanding. The LSSP and the Communist Party have asked for more time.

While all these serious developments are taking place, the TULF is providing a little entertainment. Whether the Central Working Committee, which met last Sunday, had passed a vote of no-confidence in the President, V. Anandasangaree, is being debated hotly. “We have passed the motion,” says secretary general R. Sampanthan. “No. I adjourned the meeting before the motion was debated,” counters Anandasabgaree, who presided. He is also threatening to take the matter to the court.

The Sampanthan group has decided to proceed to the next step laid down in the party constitution, the appointment of a disciplinary Committee. It will be done on December 13. Anandasangaree’s political future will hang on the finding of that committee.

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