BY NIRANJALA ARIYAWANSHA

Minister of National Co-existence and Official Languages Mano Ganesan warns that a referendum on a Constitutional amendment cannot be won easily. But he argued that if a referendum is held for this purpose, it must be won.

He further questioned what the replacement would be in case the good governance government is toppled after a possible defeat of a referendum on the draft Constitution of Sri Lanka.

However, Minister Ganesan said he would go before the Tamil people to convince them on the importance of a new Constitution in a context the Supreme Court decided to set forth the draft Constitution before a referendum.

“I have that capability, legitimacy and credibility to do so,” he noted speaking in an interview with Ceylon Today.

He said that the extremist elements would protest the Provincial Councils being empowered with the Police and land powers as per the proposals of the subcommittees appointed by the Constitutional assembly to deliberate the Constitutional amendment.

“However, they are only recommendations. The steering committee will decide on the basic facts like National issue, abolition of executive presidency and electoral reforms. I would like to urge our racist minded friends not to start a fire in the country based on the recommendations of the subcommittees,” the Minister further said.

“The government would collapse in case the referendum is lost. Who will replace it? The next administration can be extremely racist State terrorism. Do we need to reverse the country? I will also join a more progressive government. But such government is not to be seen in the horizon.

“Therefore we must safeguard this government first and foremost.” He noted.

He said that the consent of all sections must be sought when amending the Constitution. He said that the government must be tactful not to include the articles and clauses which would eventually defeat the government. However Parliament will debate the recommendations of the subcommittees on 9 & 10 December. The steering committee will consider the facts debated when drafting the Constitution. If the Supreme Court decides certain clauses of the draft Constitution needed to be approved in a referendum, the government will have to go for a referendum.

“That is why I said that we have several options. We must be able to set forth the draft Constitution so as the government is not defeated. Otherwise, we will have to act to avoid a referendum. The government must win the Constitution and not try to commit suicide. We can bring Constitutional amendments only on certain key areas.”

We inquired if the government is not bringing the clauses that the government anticipates will not be approved in a referendum. We wanted to know if the government would act so for the sake of sheer existence.

“That is one option,” said Minister Ganesan. “If a draft Constitution with progressive proposals is defeated in a referendum, there will be no new Constitution. Ethnic problem will not be resolved without a new Constitution. People will have to face the repercussions of such a situation. Don’t take this as a threat. But we have to think of the present situation.”He highlighted that there is no ‘short cut’ to resolve the ethnic problem other than devolving power.

“We have only one pound of flesh and if each one demands the entire pound nothing can be done. We have to share the pound of flesh,” Minister said. He reminded that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had promised to grant 13+ as a solution for the ethnic problem. He said that a second chamber of 55 seats had been proposed in which the representation would be five persons from each Province elected and 10 others nominated.

He proposed that 51% of the ethnic problem was due to the national language policy. He pointed out that only 49% of the problem would be spared to be resolved in case the official language policy was properly implemented with Sinhala and Tamil as first languages and English as a second language. He said he had pointed this out to the President and the Prime Minister.

“I have repeatedly said this. Fifty one per cent of the ethnic problem is the language issue. I will resolve it. Addressing the national language issue is prelude to addressing the political issue of coexistence,” the Minister highlighted.

He said further that the Tamil people had questioned him if a Constitutional amendment would resolve their problems in a context the existing laws on the national languages had not been implemented.

“Language law is like a bird in our hand but the devolution of power is like a bird perched on a tree. We must complete what is in our hand first and then address the one which is far from us. We can win the hearts of the Tamil people if we can resolve the language issue. That is my mission,” Ganesan said.

The Minister criticized the efforts of the extremist elements to promote racist and religious extremism to come to power. “Only racism is spared for them. Some elements express hateful opinions due to the encouragement of the elite. We can see a massive difference today. Then the hate mongers had government support which they do have no further. We are not confused and we will manage it,” Minister stressed.

A special unit under the Inspector General of Police has been established to act against those who spread hate speeches around the country. One Sinhala national and one Muslim were arrested recently for such expressions. We inquired the Minister of National Co-existence, Dialogue and Official Languages if the ethnic and religious co-existence could be established by way of implementation of laws strictly.

“Mere implementation of law cannot do it. Some people don’t want law but some others cannot be corrected without law. That is why we have established a special unit. Don’t look at everything negatively. It may not be sufficient. Racists first spread hate speeches. The second move is arsenal against the other races and religions. Now they are on stage one, and we must not let them to move to stage two,” Minister Mano said.

“Why don’t you arrest the politicians who make hate speeches?” We asked.

“The politicians who make hate speeches will be arrested in the second stage. The religious leaders who commit the offence will be arrested at the third stage irrespective of their race, religion or political affinity. Our stand is implementing law against everyone without considering their status,” said Minister Ganesan.

He said that certain elements within the government itself had disturbed his attempts to implement official language policy and to commit to ethnic reconciliation. He said he had no worries because he was not one parachuted to the parliament or the cabinet.

“Some obstruct the attempts due to their ignorance on the situation while some others do so due to selfishness. The second group thinks only of their existence. But I have the courage to face these challenges. I am a civil activist who was elected to Parliament after years of street struggles for people’s rights,” He said showing their trust in his experience.

He pointed out that 100% consent for the Constitution would never be achieved and the government should try to get the majority of each community. The national majority will be the Sinhalese, he argued.

He said that if the Tamil politicians thought that a solution for the ethnic problem could be sought without the consent of the majority of the Sinhala community, they would be seriously wrong.

Likewise, if the Sinhala leaders thought that the majority consent of the Tamil community was not necessary, they would also be wrong, the Minister argued.

“They must use their brains. Sinhala majority consent may be sought through simple arithmetic. But will the ethnic problem be solved unless Tamil people consent to it? A different crisis may begin. On the other hand, we cannot resolve this problem without the consent of the Sinhala people. We have to understand this binary,” the Minister said.

Misconception of Tamils should be rectified

He always highlights that the Tamil people are not the people that live only in the North and the East. He claims to represent half of the Tamil people of the country through Tamil Progressive Alliance led by him. Sri Lanka has a Tamil population of 3.2 million. Of them, 1.6 million live in the North and the East. The other half lives in Central, Western, Uva and Sabaragamuwa provinces. He argued that this Tamil community had been wrongly defined as Plantation Tamils.

“We must correct this. The Department of Census and Statistics defines the Tamils in the North and the East as Sri Lankan Tamils and the Tamils who live in other areas as Indian origin Tamils.

“There are only 200,000 – 250,000 plantation workers among the 1.6 million Tamils who live in Central, Western, Uva and Sabaragamuwa Provinces. The others are engaged in other professions. Some are lawyers, doctors and engineers. Some are businessmen. For example, I have never been a plantation worker. But I am identified as Indian origin Tamil. We are Indian minority and please correct this,” He demanded.

He argued that there are Sinhala and Muslim plantation workers also and members of any community could be workers. But he highlighted that the term plantation worker had been used to denigrate the people. He demanded to find a solution for this issue first before touching the ethnic problem in a broader sense.

Minister stressed the need to improve the life conditions of the plantation workers who still contribute to the majority stake of the GDP.

“We must be ashamed of the sale of our women to Middle East. Migration of housewives as unskilled domestic workers causes social problems. We must provide them with employment locally. For that, we must uplift the tea industry,” He opined.

The Minister then pointed out that there was no possibility of a military coup in Sri Lanka even though only India and Sri Lanka are saved of such attempts in the region.

“India has a large Army in which all communities represent. It is very difficult to unite them for a coup. But in Sri Lanka, still 99% of the members of the military are Sinhalese. That is why the Tamils identify Sri Lanka Army as Sinhala Army. They call Police Sinhala Police. But even though the military is accused for crimes, they are disciplined and there is no possibility of staging a military coup.” He worried the media had given unnecessary publicity for the extremist elements in the North and the East but he was against censoring media. A double edged sword needs to be handled with care…

“Those who rouse racist feelings must know that it is a double edged sword. It could cut both ways if not handled with care. I warn my good friends who try to infuse such crooked thoughts within the Army that they must have second thoughts because they themselves can be victimized sooner or later otherwise,” He warned.

Meanwhile, we inquired the Minister what the good governance government was doing for the people of the North and the East. He highlighted that the most basic need of the people of the North and the East was freedom.

“People want roads, buildings and other infrastructure facilities. But they aspire for autonomy within one country to take decision on their Provinces while remaining in the framework of Sri Lanka. It is their political will. Then they have the humanitarian needs. They want land and the political prisoners released too,” He emphasized.

He pointed out that the military deployed in the North and the East are still engaged in non-military civil activities. “The government is withdrawing the military camps stage by stage. I urge relieving them from non-military activities before that. Army should fight for the protection of the country. Now it has been completed. Army must not run hotels, beauty parlours etc. They must not engage in farming and fishing. Before this government elected, Army even engaged in civil administration. Now it has been stopped.”Such move would cause the people thinking of ending the economic and social issues, said Ganesan. “Then they will feel they are a part of Sri Lanka.”

He pointed out that allocation of more money to the Northern Provincial Council than the other Provincial Councils was good tendency.

Sri Lankan is our identity – Diversity is our strength

He wants to use the diversity of the country for the development. “I don’t mean to make a fruit salad by mixing all of them. We must respect the identity of all communities. Sri Lankan is our identity. Diversity is our strength. But some say diversity is our weakness. It is not true.”
He pointed out that the prominence should be given to Sri Lankan identity even though the individual identities of race, religion and culture are promoted.

“Ethnicity, religion, culture or language order can be changed. But foremost place must be given to Sri Lankan identity. I will not compromise it,” the Minister stated.
“I live among Sinhala people. If I cannot address them in their language, both I and my country will fail. When I speak in English, I speak to your brain. But if I speak in Sinhala to you, I speak to your heart.”

He said the post of Minister of National Co-existence, Dialogue and Official Languages is not a feather in cap. “It is like an overcoat to me. I can sacrifice it at any moment and I can go on the street. But my principles are like my pair of trousers. I cannot walk on the road without it.” Minister Ganesan is known as a very liberal among the Tamil politicians of whom the majority appear as nationalists.

Courtesy:Ceylon Today