By

C.A.Chandraprema

As the political atmosphere in the South heated up with all the issues relating to May Day, another bombshell came from the north with the Northern Provincial Council adopting a resolution calling for a federal state for the north and east.

Though the government kicked off the constitutional reform process earlier this month, the cry for federalism coming from the north may throw the spanner in the works even before the process has begun.

A few days ago, the TNA leader R. Sampanthan also said that the Tamils were looking for a federal state.

This has serious implications for the political future of President Maithripala Sirisena because votes from the North and East were a major factor in his election victory. MR was ahead in the other provinces.

Recently President Sirisena himself made a well publicized speech saying that when the Rajapaksas were in power, he too had participated in ceremonies in the North where they had distributed handouts amounting to billions of rupees but there was not a smile on the faces of any of the recipients. But when he went as President to the North, the people had greeted him enthusiastically even though he had no handouts to distribute to them. He described how one woman had shouted out to him in Sinhala “Api chandaya dunna!” indicating that they had voted for him at the presidential elections.

Now with the TNA and the Northern PC demanding a federal state, Sirisena has been placed in the unenviable position of having to block the aspirations of his most ardent supporters. Before the federal resolution was passed by the NPC, Mahinda Amaraweera was talking about obtaining the participation of people from the North and East at the SLFP’s Galle May Day rally. But such talk seems to have died down now.

What the TNA means by a ‘federal solution’ is actually an independent state in all but name. But it is unclear whether the NPC resolution had the concurrence of the TNA leadership in the context of differences between Chief Minister Wigneswaran and the TNA leaders. The TNA manifesto released for the parliamentary election last August, stressed among other things the following:

* We, the Tamil People of Sri Lanka are a distinct People in terms of relevant International Conventions and Covenants.

* We as a People are thus concerned about our historical habitats, our Collective Rights that accrue to us as a People and as a Nation and our entitlement to exercise our right to determine our destiny to ensure self-government in the Tamil Speaking North-East of the country within a united and undivided Sri Lanka.

* The TNA firmly believes that sovereignty lies with the People and not with the State. It is not the government in Colombo that holds the right to govern the Tamil People, but the People themselves.

* The Tamils are a distinct People with their own culture, civilization, language and heritage and from time immemorial have inhabited this island together with the Sinhalese People and others

* The contiguous preponderantly Tamil Speaking Northern and Eastern provinces is the historical habitation of the Tamil People and the Tamil Speaking Peoples

* The Tamil People are entitled to the right to self-determination in keeping with United Nations International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, both of which Sri Lanka has accepted and acceded to

* Power sharing arrangements must continue to be established as it existed earlier in a unit of a merged Northern and Eastern Provinces based on a Federal structure.

* Devolution of power on the basis of shared sovereignty shall be over land, law and order, enforcement of the law so as to ensure the safety and security of the Tamil People, socio-economic development including inter-alia health, education, higher and vocational education, agriculture, fisheries, industries, livestock development, cultural affairs, mustering of resources, both domestic and foreign and fiscal powers.

* Direct foreign investment in the North-East should be facilitated resulting in new industries and employment opportunities being created for youth.

It can be seen from the above that even though the TNA talks about ‘united and undivided Sri Lanka’ they have other things in mind including law and order and fiscal powers being devolved to federal units. The resolution of the NPC therefore cannot be welcomed by the government in the context of southern politics.

Courtesy:Sunday Island