TNA always comes out with impractical demands -Douglas Devananda

Q What is your view on the proposals submitted by the subcommittees, particularly the committee on the centre-periphery relation, on Constitution making?

We are in the process of studying them at the moment. After we studied them, we would only be able to give our views. The reports will be brought before Parliament on January 9, 10 and 11. These are not final recommendations. They will be presented to Parliament. After that, they would be discussed for the final report.  

Q But, in the report by the committee on the centre- periphery relation, there are proposals to devolve power to the provinces. What do you think of them?

I am yet to read the whole lot. Right from the beginning, we had demanded the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in full. That is the beginning for resolving this problem. We can improve on it later on a gradual basis. It is a good start, but half done. The 13th Amendment is already a part of the Constitution. People have experienced it. We can begin with it. It will face little resistance from the people even.  

Q Resettlement, Rehabilitation, Prison Reforms and Hindu Religious Affairs Minister D.M. Swaminathan said recently the implementation of the 13thAmendment with land and police powers would suffice. What are your views?

Actually, what we say is different. We see the 13th Amendment as the beginning only. It is not the final solution anyway.  

Q: What is your stand on the proposal by some for the N/E merger?

That is actually a matter to be decided by people living in these two provinces at the moment. When devolving power, it can be done by starting with the implementation of the 13th Amendment in full.

Q: How do you look at the TNA’s approach to address it?

We believe in the resolution of this problem once and for all. The TNA does not want to resolve it once and for all. It wants the problem to fester. It puts forward impractical demands. It is practically impossible to achieve what they demand at once. Our problems can be addressed only through national reconciliation. They believe in the exact opposite way.  

Q What are those impractical demands put forward by them?

For example, the government wanted to put up an Economic Centre in Vavuniya. But, there were obstacles to it. There were disputes about its location. Finally, people in the North lost an Economic Centre. In our time, we did not act like this. We tried to secure such projects for the North. We delivered a lot in terms of development. The TNA cannot get things done. They talk one thing in the South, and another in the North.  
The Northern Provincial Council passed a resolution calling for the removal of the military from the North. How can a provincial council do it? People were asked to support the TNA at the election to remove the military.  
In the run-up to the last parliamentary election, the TNA said it held talks with the government on a Federal solution. It sought a mandate to remove the military stationed in the North. It promised to deliver all the military occupied land to people. Two years have passed now. Now, the government says it is opposed to Federalism. We wonder whether the TNA lied to the people at the election. We wonder what it discussed with the government then. In this manner, the TNA talks about what is impossible to be delivered in the current practical context. It is similar to the promise to deliver rice from the moon. The TNA’s promises are such. A solution, acceptable to the majority Sinhala community, could only be sustained. What is unacceptable to them would not be sustainable in the long run.  

Q At a recent press conference, NP Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran said that a Federal solution was the need. He called the N/E as the traditional Tamil homeland. What are your views?

In this manner, they whip up the emotions of people. Likewise, they provoke people in the South. They know the problems cannot be solved in this way. They do not like the resolution of issues. Their idea is not practical.

 
Q How realistic is a political solution in this context?

That is the reason for us to ask for the implementation of the 13th Amendment in full as the starting point. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is keen to have this problem addressed. But, it is doubtful how the political atmosphere, in which he is in, would provide for it.  

Q President Maithripala Sirisena has also taken an interest. How do you see the situation then?

It is said that both act together in this regard. It would not suffice. We have to be mindful of the forces surrounding them. The constitutional proposals should also be approved by people at a referendum. It won’ be a problem to secure the two-thirds majority in Parliament. It is uncertain whether approval of people by referendum could be secured. Only after conducting the referendum, we can see it. If it is rejected by the people, it will have serious repercussions. In such an eventuality, there would be a situation where the problem could never be addressed. Racism would raise its ugly head in that context.  

Q How do you see the importance of the role of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to secure public support at a referendum?

We cannot comment on it at the moment. We have to wait patiently. It has been the political tradition of Sri Lanka so far for the opposition to be oppositional to what the government proposes. It happens whatever party is in power. Today, the situation is a bit different. But, we cannot say anything with certainty.  

Q What is your request to the Opposition?

It is always important for the government and the Opposition to reach common ground on national issues. Otherwise, it would be harmful to the country.  

Q How do you see the current situation of the North?

Compared to the war era, the present situation is different. There is no genuine political leadership for people in the North. The absence leads our society astray.  

Q You mean....

There are social menaces coming up. A sword gang wreaks havoc. Robberies and drug addiction are on the rise. The absence of proper political guidance is the reason for it. During our time, these things did not happen. There were minor incidents. We did not see major social issues as such.  

Q In this case, you must be referring to the ‘Ava’ group. Some people say it is a group resorting to violence after being influenced by Tamil films. Your views on this....

 
Initially, it did not have any political motif. A group of misguided youths were involved in it. Today, some political parties have tended to seek the assistance of such groups to suppress their opponents. These political elements engage these groups to scuttle the political activities of others.  

Q Before the advent of Tamil militancy in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the country witnessed sporadic violence of this nature. Do you believe that the current trend would evolve into full-blown violence again in the North?

Street gangs were found at that time. It was similar to the situation in other parts of the country. There was nothing new. Tamil militant groups were a phenomenon created due to conflicts of opinion with the military. Otherwise, it was not a phenomenon created by social malaises. The suppression of democratic struggles led to the advent of militancy.  

Q How do you see the development activities in the North?

We find a fundamental difference between our approach and the TNA’s approach. If the problems are addressed, there will be no ground for the TNA to do politics. It thrives on people’s issues. 
The TNA placed obstacles when the Iranaimadu water project was implemented. They did the same for the northern railway project. They do not do anything, but they oppose anything done by the central government. It is proverbially similar to the dog in the manger attitude. 

Minister Swaminathan proposed to build prefabricated abodes for people. It is a project on a long-term loan. The TNA did not agree to it saying such houses were not suitable for people. 
But, we say our people have a serious housing problem. There are as many as 10,000 people living in camps. They are exposed to the natural elements. We proposed to proceed with the project as a temporary solution. 
People prefer to have such houses. But, the project is held up indefinitely. The TNA does not help in the implementation of another alternative proposal either. It is the people who are suffering at the end.