Breaking months of silence, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is expected to meet members of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) today (15). This long awaited meeting between the two parties, which was indefinitely postponed in June last year, is rather special not only due to the time it took to finally become a reality, but also due to the demands that the TNA – or representatives of the North and East based Tamil community as they claim – are raising.
The TNA is expecting a political solution to the Tamil community’s concerns, and thus far, ensuring the effective and satisfactory devolution of power is among the key demands of the political parties representing the TNA. However, during the past few months, they have expressed that the political solution that they are seeking should go beyond the mere enforcement of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, and that the devolution of power should be more in line with their expectations and demands rather than in accordance with the existing Constitution. Even though it is impossible to expect a single meeting to resolve long drawn issues including land rights and Police powers, this is a start.
The President needs to handle this meeting, or the worsening tense situation between the Government and the North and East-based political parties, cautiously and intelligently. The President’s conduct needs to give those political parties the assurance that their concerns can be addressed domestically, and that the Government is willing to do the needful for that. This is immensely important because this meeting is taking place in a context where the TNA has already sought India’s support to reach a political solution for their issues.
In fact, last month, the TNA and the Global Tamil Forum had expressed fears about the possibility of a new Constitution further weakening the status of the Tamil community by abolishing or weakening the Provincial Councils, which, according to them, is the only Constitutional power devolution arrangement that the Tamil people achieved with direct Indian involvement. They went on to state that they are expecting the guidance and support of India, especially of the Tamil Nadu Government, for this, and that they are looking forward to engaging directly with the Tamil Nadu Government and to strengthen engagement with the Indian Government.
It must also be noted that the conclusion to today’s meeting – or the series of meetings starting tomorrow, if the two parties agree to hold more meetings – has a direct impact on Sri Lanka internationally at a level that goes beyond India. That is because the concerns of the Tamil community post-war and allegations of war crimes during the war have been discussed at the United Nations Human Rights Council for over a decade, at which the international community has expressed dissatisfaction regarding many steps Sri Lanka has taken to ensure reconciliation and to address the alleged war crimes and cases of missing persons.
The President must also take into account the fact that an integral part of this discussion entails restoring the faith the President has lost. On the one hand, the TNA seeking India’s support automatically shows that they do not trust the incumbent Government to address their issues, and on the other hand, last September, when the President stated that he is ready to hold talks with the Tamil diaspora, both the Tamil diaspora and local Tamil politicians expressed doubts about the President’s statement.
Essentially, this is the President’s opportunity to take the initiative to restore the faith among the Tamil political and diaspora parties and to avoid more international backlash over Sri Lanka’s lethargy in addressing post-war ethnic and political concerns. However, these talks should be genuine, and not a mere attempt to pretend that the Government is finally open to resolving the issues of the North and the East.President-TNA talks: Watershed or waterloo
14 Mar 2022
President-TNA talks: Watershed or waterloo
14 Mar 2022
Breaking months of silence, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is expected to meet members of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) today (15). This long awaited meeting between the two parties, which was indefinitely postponed in June last year, is rather special not only due to the time it took to finally become a reality, but also due to the demands that the TNA – or representatives of the North and East based Tamil community as they claim – are raising.
The TNA is expecting a political solution to the Tamil community’s concerns, and thus far, ensuring the effective and satisfactory devolution of power is among the key demands of the political parties representing the TNA. However, during the past few months, they have expressed that the political solution that they are seeking should go beyond the mere enforcement of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, and that the devolution of power should be more in line with their expectations and demands rather than in accordance with the existing Constitution. Even though it is impossible to expect a single meeting to resolve long drawn issues including land rights and Police powers, this is a start.
The President needs to handle this meeting, or the worsening tense situation between the Government and the North and East-based political parties, cautiously and intelligently. The President’s conduct needs to give those political parties the assurance that their concerns can be addressed domestically, and that the Government is willing to do the needful for that. This is immensely important because this meeting is taking place in a context where the TNA has already sought India’s support to reach a political solution for their issues.
In fact, last month, the TNA and the Global Tamil Forum had expressed fears about the possibility of a new Constitution further weakening the status of the Tamil community by abolishing or weakening the Provincial Councils, which, according to them, is the only Constitutional power devolution arrangement that the Tamil people achieved with direct Indian involvement. They went on to state that they are expecting the guidance and support of India, especially of the Tamil Nadu Government, for this, and that they are looking forward to engaging directly with the Tamil Nadu Government and to strengthen engagement with the Indian Government.
It must also be noted that the conclusion to today’s meeting – or the series of meetings starting tomorrow, if the two parties agree to hold more meetings – has a direct impact on Sri Lanka internationally at a level that goes beyond India. That is because the concerns of the Tamil community post-war and allegations of war crimes during the war have been discussed at the United Nations Human Rights Council for over a decade, at which the international community has expressed dissatisfaction regarding many steps Sri Lanka has taken to ensure reconciliation and to address the alleged war crimes and cases of missing persons.
The President must also take into account the fact that an integral part of this discussion entails restoring the faith the President has lost. On the one hand, the TNA seeking India’s support automatically shows that they do not trust the incumbent Government to address their issues, and on the other hand, last September, when the President stated that he is ready to hold talks with the Tamil diaspora, both the Tamil diaspora and local Tamil politicians expressed doubts about the President’s statement.
Essentially, this is the President’s opportunity to take the initiative to restore the faith among the Tamil political and diaspora parties and to avoid more international backlash over Sri Lanka’s lethargy in addressing post-war ethnic and political concerns. However, these talks should be genuine, and not a mere attempt to pretend that the Government is finally open to resolving the issues of the North and the East.Kapruka
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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!