13 A, a multi-purpose project

In spite of the fact that the need to resolve the ethnic problem for good is undeniable, the timing for it raises several questions

President Ranil Wickremesinghe seems to be using all four “Upayas” (strategies) namely Sama, Dana, Bheda and Danda applied by the ancient Indian scholar Kautilya who lived between 375- 283 BC to solve problems.   

The President is using “Sama” (negotiation) to tackle the international community while using both Sama and “Dana” (gift) Upayas to win over the Tamil leaders. On the other hand, he creates ‘Bheda” (conflicts) among his southern adversaries. Earlier he used and is still using Danda (punishment) against those who were involved in last year’s Aragalaya which ironically catapulted him to power.   

What is unique in the President’s application of these Kautilyan Upayas” is that he utilizes these days a particular issue – 13th Amendment to the Constitution - to make “Sama” (reconciliation) with Tamil leaders and also to create “Bheda’ (conflicts) among his opponents in the south. He seems also to be successfully taking away the people’s concerns from the unprecedented economic hardships they have been going through since the beginning of last year to the sensitive ethnic issues.   

Despite being discontented with the degree of measures taken by the President to resolve the ethnic problem before the 75th Independence Day, as he promised in November last year, some Tamil leaders also seem to be happy at least with his stance over the ethnic issue. The former Chief Minister of Northern Provincial Council, C.V.Wigneswaran who is considered or attempting to be more nationalistic than the main Tamil political party, the Illankai Thamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) praised President’s policy statement after the ceremonial opening of the new Parliament session on Wednesday.   

At the beginning, nobody seemed to have taken the statements by the President on the full implementation of 13th Amendment seriously. Not a single word of protest was raised during the so-called All-Party Conference convened by the President on December 13 to discuss his promise to resolve ethnic problem before February 4. However, by showing consistency in his stance he has been successful in stirring the pot, by now.   

The southern Nationalists such as Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila along with leading Buddhist monks are now agitating against the full implementation of 13th Amendment by conferring land and police powers to provincial councils. The Mahanayakes of the Malwatte, Asgiriya Chapters of Siyam Nikaya, Amarapura Nikaya and Ramanna Nikaya had on February 1 written to the President requesting him not to proceed with his statements on the matter.   

In fact, the bone of contention of the current controversy is the President’s professed move to make police powers and land administrative powers already devolved to the provincial councils by the 13th Amendment operative. The President has to establish provincial police divisions under DIGs and a land commission for this purpose. The southern nationalists are of the view that this would lead to the division of the country while their northern counterparts argue that still the interests of the Central Government would prevail over those of provincial councils.   

The interesting irony here is that some traditional southern nationalists have risen up against the move while some Tamil parties including the ITAK have expressed their disheartenment over what they said the lack of will on the part of the government to keep the promises. When Wickremesinghe told that he would resolve the ethnic problem before the Independence Day in November, Tamil parties had demanded that what is already in the law be implemented first. They also wanted people detained under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and the lands occupied by the security forces during the war be released. The President agreed to these demands during the December 13 meeting but the Tamil Parties told him last month that they have lost hope as they cannot expect a solution to a complex problem when the government is not in a position to release at least a few detainees languishing in prisons for years and decades.   

Nevertheless, the President’s recent statements over the full implementation of 13th Amendment seems to have provided oxygen to some small parties in the south that were hunting for hot issues to go before the people, at a time when an election is declared. He told the Parliament during his policy statement on Wednesday that he and the Tamil National Alliance leader R Sampanthan had a same dream. This too could be fodder for those agitating against the 13 Amendment, despite whatever he meant. Similarly, his claim in that statement that he expected to determine the boundaries of DIG divisions according to the provinces might also be interpreted as a step towards setting up of provincial police divisions, under the 13th Amendment.   

At the same time, the statements by the President on full implementation of the 13th Amendment has pushed the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and some of the Opposition parties into an embarrassing situation. SLPP seems to evade the limelight except for the conducting press briefings by the Cabinet spokesman, Minister Bandula Gunawardena. The main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) which has become a crowd-puller these days have also thus far been noncommittal to the matter.   

How Wimal Weeransa and the leftist Vasudeva Nanayakkara who once championed the right of Tamil people to self-determination are discussing this matter within their newly founded “Uttara Lanka Sabhagaya” would be interesting. Also diehard nationalist Professor Channa Jayasumana and Dilan Perera who was in the forefront in the campaign for maximum power devolution during President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s presidency cannot evade taking a collective decision on the matter, within the Nidhahasa Janatha Sabhawa headed by Dullas Allahappperuma.   

Although the Jathika Jana Balawegaya (JJB) MP Dr. Harini Amarasuriya had said they were for the full implementation of 13th Amendment, JJB and JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake when confronted this week by journalists on the matter evaded a direct reply by saying that the President did not want to solve the ethnic problem but is attempting to divert the attention of the people, by rekindling a traditional and sensitive controversy, which could most probably be true.   

In spite of the fact that the need to resolve the ethnic problem for good is undeniable, the timing for it raises several questions. It is not clear as to what prompted the President who is totally dependent on the support of the SLPP led by diehard Sinhalese nationalists to take up this problem while the government and the country are reeling under a severe economic crisis and the country has been declared bankrupt. No Tamil party has been agitating for such a solution for the past several years.   

The move which seems to be very unpopular in the south also comes at a time when the local government elections have been scheduled to be held on March 9 and the President’s party, the United National Party (UNP) is also contesting. This fact along with the deafening silence of the SLPP on the controversy could be taken as a signal on whether or not the elections would be held.   

Therefore, the move seems to be a multipurpose project that includes breaking other parties, diverting attention of the people as well as political parties from the economic mess, and torpedoing popularity of some opposition parties. Or otherwise, President Wickremesinghe is extremely genuine as a real statesman in resolving the ethnic problem that he is prepared even to further harm his already shattered party.