Ceylon Today Editorial

Strengthening SAARC

10 October 2016

Sri Lanka is described as the pearl of the Indian Ocean not only for its geographical importance, but for the role played by the island nation towards maintaining international as well as the regional relations in a dignified manner.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera quoting former President J.R. Jayewardene's speech on strengthening SAARC, reiterated that Sri Lanka would never let down SAARC and pointed that Sri Lanka would do its utmost to safeguard regional integrity.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was founded during late President J.R. Jayewardene's tenure in 1985 and since then Sri Lanka remains a pillar of strength to the SAARC movement.

Late President Jayewardene speaking at the first SAARC Summit said: "Mutual understanding of Member States was essential in realizing the goals of SAARC".

With his vast experience as a key political figure in South Asia, the late J.R. Jayewardene representing Sri Lanka at the Peace Treaty Conference in San Francisco in 1951 made a landmark speech accommodating Japan within the international community, after the country was defeated in World War II.

As the representative of a young independent nation JRJ's speech had highlighted Sri Lanka's commitment towards creating peace globally as well as regionally.

Late President Jayewardene in San Francisco in support of Japan said: "We believe in the words of the Great Teacher Lord Buddha, whose message has ennobled the lives of countless millions in Asia that hatred ceases not by hatred but by love".

Since its beginning in 1985, in the past fifteen years the SAARC movement has grown remarkably strong vis a vis regional cooperation in various areas.

India and Pakistan, the 'big brothers' in the SAARC movement stood by Sri Lanka when the island nation was devastated by the civil war for nearly three decades.

Sri Lanka with its long history of making its contribution towards healthy international and regional relations played its role remarkably well in strengthening the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

So Sri Lanka's stance on holding the SAARC Summit in Pakistan has been clearly indicated by Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera when he was addressing Parliament last week. "There was no question of Sri Lanka pulling out of SAARC or Sri Lanka saying we will not attend the Summit as there will be no more Summits to attend. The stand of the Sri Lankan Government is that regional cooperation is essential to creating better living conditions for its people," the minister said.

Being the two premier countries in the SAARC movement, it's saddening to note the escalation in the border dispute between India and Pakistan in recent days.

Sri Lanka as a friendly country of India and Pakistan could play a key role in neutralizing the tensed situation between the two countries.

The continuity in the struggle between Pakistan and India will make the SAARC movement a mockery and will damage the integrity of the South Asian region to a great extent.

India as an emerging economic superpower remains a pillar of strength to the South Asian countries. So India and Pakistan should overcome their differences through democratic means instead of reaching solutions militarily.

India and Pakistan are in possession of nuclear armoury. Any escalation in the struggle between the two countries leads to disturbing conditions in other countries in the SAARC movement as well.

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera in his Parliament address last week while mentioning that the current environment due to the escalation in the border crisis between India and Pakistan was not conducive to hold the SAARC Summit had reiterated that Sri Lanka will in no way pull out of SAARC and continue to work towards mutual understanding of Member States in realizing the goals of SAARC.

Minister Mangala Samaraweera's first statement on the SAARC Summit in Parliament remains a message to India and Pakistan in calming down the hostile situation between the two countries as well as reminding the two neighbours of the values and goals of the SAARC movement.

Daily News Editorial

MR’s sudden love for minorities

10 October 2016

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has suddenly taken upon himself the task of championing the cause of minorities in this country. Rajapaksa, of all people, the other day rose to the defence of Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran, removing the racist label attached to him by Rajapaksa's own comrades in the Joint Opposition. Then on Saturday, the former President met a group of Muslims at his party office in Nelum Mawatha, Battarmulla to apprise them of his love and devotion to their community while issuing a firm guarantee that he would protect their rights as much as the Sinhalese and Tamil communities.

He also took pains to assure them that he was not a communalist and that his opponents backed by foreign forces hatched a conspiracy to alienate the Muslims from him and unfortunately their community was deceived by these tactics. Referring to the Aluthgama incidents, Rajapaksa said he was abroad during the unfortunate happenings and no sooner he returned he rushed to the spot directly from the airport and took steps to rebuild the damaged homes and offer compensation. He went on to say that the western conspirators never rested and carried out attacks on Muslim religious places and put the blame on him. He was never responsible for any such attacks, the former President went on to assert to his Muslim audience.

It is not clear as to why Rajapaksa has suddenly woken to the realization that there indeed is a segment called minorities in this country and that they are going to figure in a big way in deciding on the outcome at future elections. We say this because with the war victory now only a distant memory it is back to square one in the electoral equation, with the minority factory playing a crucial role once again in deciding a winner at future elections, whether under PR or the old electoral system. A party hoping for victory has to carry with it the minority vote.

All this of course is assuming that MR will once again make a bid for the Premier stakes under a new party, his chances of getting nominations under a Sirisena dispensation virtually nonexistent. In any event it is difficult to see the minorities throwing their lot with new party with or without the Mahinda factor. Be that as it may, it is also difficult to see Rajapaksa winning back the confidence of the Muslims, or the Tamils, for that matter, ever again given his past actions. The former President may have rushed to Aluthgama from the airport and assuaged the wounded feelings of the Muslim victims. However he never took action against the perpetrators of the arson attacks or the unruly mob led by members of the Buddhist clergy who pelted stones and damaged Muslim businesses and establishments. On the contrary, his brother, former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, was seen in the newspapers is genial conversation with the leading lights of the Bhikkus who led the mob- virtually delivering a slap in the face of the hurt and wounded Muslims who would have expected justice to be served on their behalf. Rajapaksa went on to tell the Muslims at Saturday's meeting thus: “I have never been a communalist nor can I be one in the future”.

This claim though do not bear scrutiny when one considers the past deeds of the former President. No sooner had he lost the Presidential Election Rajapaksa famously said that he was defeated by the Tigers in the North hence he would not consider it as a defeat. This, despite launching a vigorous campaign in the North to win over the Northern voter, even going to the extent of distributing gold items among the people, said to have been recovered from the LTTE's loot. It had also been his proud boast that he had wiped out the LTTE once and for all. Then why call the Tamils who voted against him, Tigers?

Rajapaksa also summarily put a halt to the National Anthem being sung in Tamil at state functions in the North after being piqued by the rejection of his Oxford Union speech. It was only the other day that the former President told a gathering in Weligama that the Sinhalese were not a race that could be pushed to the wall but would fight with might and main, in response to the protest demonstration held by Wigneswaran, a remark tinged with racism.

The former President, no doubt, will also be judged by the company he keeps. No Muslim or Tamil has cause to doubt that the type of racist comments made by the likes of Wimal Weerawansa and Udyaya Gammanpila does not have the tacit support of Rajapaksa. The frequent criticism of the government for dismantling military camps in the North and the release of land to the civilians, is certainly not going to endear the Tamils, be it in the North or elsewhere, to Rajapaksa. The former President has all but burnt his bridge with the minorities. He would do well to cut his losses on this score instead of trying to hoodwink the Tamils and Muslims that he has now mended his ways and about plots by his opponents and foreign forces to alienate him from the minorities.

The Island Editorial

Talk about a new party

10 October 2016

 

One does not have to be an astrologer to say when malefic planetary combinations bother ruling party politicians. When the supposedly bad planets trouble them they go overseas and return when bad spells are over––of course, at the taxpayers’ expense.

As if the astrological problems troubling government leaders were not enough, the Joint Opposition (JO) has stepped up its offensives on the political front. The JO leaders have apparently decided that attack is the best form of defence. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared, in Ratnapura on Saturday, that defections from the government ranks were possible and he would not resort to conspiracies unlike his rivals and everything would be done openly. Whether he is equal to that task remains to be seen but his claim is likely to have an unsettling effect on his political enemies. In this country anything is possible; there have been instances where even the general secretaries of both the SLFP and the UNP decamped. They are S. B. Dissanayake (SLFP), Maithripala Sirisena (SLFP) and Tissa Attanayake (UNP).

Rajapaksa keeps on hinting that the SLFP rebels will form a new political party. The current SLFP leadership has sought to pooh-pooh his warning as mere rhetoric, insisting that such a move will never reach fruition. Critics of the JO claim the new party to be formed will face the same fate as the UNP offshoot, the Democratic United National Front (DUNF), which came into being following an abortive attempt by a group of prominent UNPers led by Lalith Athulathmudali, Gamini Dissanayake and G. M. Premachandra to impeach President Ranasinghe Premadasa. The DUNF failed because both Lalith and Premadasa were assassinated in quick succession and Gamini returned to the UNP’s fold. Today, the situation is different.

President Sirisena, in a bid to consolidate his power in the SLFP, is removing capable, popular party organisers and replacing them with his loyalists. The ongoing purge has weakened the party beyond measure. Political rejects have been appointed to Parliament and made ministers and organisers. It looks as though failures had become the pillars of the SLFP. Most of all, corruption and abuse of power are rampant and political brats, notorious for Rake’s progress, go berserk at night clubs. The anti-Sirisena faction of the SLFP is making the most of this situation and is flexing its muscles in the form of protests and rallies.

The only way President Sirisena can neutralise the Rajapaksa factor, which the be-all and end-all of the JO is to steer the SLFP to victory at the next local government elections. But, this is a tall order given the debilitation of the party which will have to face the polls without the backing of the Rajapaksa faction. Should Sirisena fail in his endeavour his position in the party would be further undermined. If his rivals succeed in wresting control of the party, that will be the end of the ‘unity’ government. For, the SLFP Central Committee will be able to pull the plug on the coalition government. This is a worrisome proposition for the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government and, therefore, all signs are that local government polls will be postponed indefinitely.

Meanwhile, the biggest problem the JO, struggling to transform itself into a political force capable of vying with both the SLFP and the UNP for power, is faced with is not repressive action the government is resorting to in a bid to safeguard its interests; instead it will be the public antipathy towards the presence of some rogues in the JO; they were responsible for the UPFA’s electoral defeats. The task of repackaging, rebranding and remarketing these unsavoury elements is well nigh impossible because of their bad reputation which stinks to high heaven. The question is whether with such elements within its ranks the JO needs enemies.