{"id":106959,"date":"2013-09-22T17:26:42","date_gmt":"2013-09-22T11:56:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=106959"},"modified":"2013-09-26T01:46:40","modified_gmt":"2013-09-25T20:16:40","slug":"the-way-forward-for-the-tna-for-peaceful-resolution-of-the-political-problems-of-tamils","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/the-way-forward-for-the-tna-for-peaceful-resolution-of-the-political-problems-of-tamils\/","title":{"rendered":"The Way Forward For The TNA For Peaceful Resolution Of The Political Problems Of Tamils"},"content":{"rendered":"

By R.M.B Senanayake<\/a><\/span> –<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

R.M.B. Senanayake<\/p><\/div>\n

There was a storm created during the election campaign by the TNA\u00a0Manifesto<\/a><\/span> which referred to their demand for federalism. This was\u00a0interpreted or misinterpreted to the Sinhalese masses as a revival of\u00a0the demand for a separate State. Such interpretation no doubt was\u00a0useful to mobilize the support of the Sinhalese voters in the NWP and\u00a0the CP elections. The TNA denied that they wanted a separate state.<\/p>\n

But even a sober politician like the National Languages and Social\u00a0Integration Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara, who earlier forged an\u00a0alliance along with other leftist members in the government to oppose\u00a0any move to amend the 13th Amendment has said that the TNA\u2019s election\u00a0manifesto was an attempt to divide the country. He has also added that\u00a0the Northern Provincial Council would be assigned the same powers as\u00a0the other provincial councils and would not be given any powers that\u00a0have not been vested with the other councils. So the TNA has to take\u00a0note of these fears among the Sinhalese. Whether the demand for self\u00a0determination in the form of federalism can be outlawed is now before\u00a0the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n

But the 13th Amendment is not federalism. The best option for the TNA\u00a0is to put this demand on the back burner and instead seek to make the\u00a0Provincial Council work. Otherwise it would expose itself to the\u00a0charge that it wrecked any chance of working together under the 13th\u00a0Amendment. There are several gaps and overlaps in the division of\u00a0powers in the Law which requires patience and understanding to iron\u00a0out. \u00a0The Government should show understanding and allow the TNA to\u00a0run an administration exercising the powers devolved. The TNA should\u00a0cultivate the goodwill and understanding of the President and make a\u00a0genuine attempt to make the Provincial Council work. So the first step\u00a0is to build a dialogue with the President to resolve the\u00a0administrative obstacles and bottlenecks rather than to demand\u00a0expansion of the powers and functions of the PC. The Governor is the\u00a0President\u2019s representative and despite the bad relationship with the\u00a0present holder of the post the TNA must display maturity and repair\u00a0the estranged relationship.<\/p>\n

It is good that Justice Wigneswaran will be the Chief Minister. The\u00a0TNA will have to separate the functioning of the PC from its political
\nactivity. It will have to operate at two levels leaving those in the\u00a0PC to deal positively and amicably with the permanent\u00a0politico administrative Establishment of the Central Government. Those\u00a0in charge of the PC should seek to have a dialogue on ironing out\u00a0administrative problems and avoid the political demands. This includes\u00a0the Tamil grievances relating to lands and military occupation. If the\u00a0Government is wise it would extend its co-operation to make the PC\u00a0work. This will enable the Government to win the goodwill of the UN.<\/p>\n

The Government should activate the Finance Commission and see that the\u00a0funds to the Provincial Council are allocated by the Commission as per\u00a0the Constitution rather than through a particular Minister or\u00a0Ministers. In short it must conform to the provisions in the 13th\u00a0Amendment which have been hitherto ignored in dealing with the PCs of\u00a0the South. The working relationship with the Central Government as\u00a0visualized in the 13th Amendment should be put into practice and this\u00a0is the responsibility of the TNA as well as the Government. The\u00a0Government will have to acknowledge and respect the rights of the\u00a0Tamil people to exercise the limited self governance provided for in\u00a0the 13th Amendment. The Government should be guided by the UN Charter.\u00a0It does not recognize any \u201cpeople\u201d to secede or have a separate State.\u00a0It does not recognize a right to armed struggle for independence just\u00a0as undertaken by the LTTE? But it seems to be illegal under\u00a0International Law to deprive a people of their rights by using force\u00a0or violence against them.<\/p>\n

The TNA has to acknowledge that its PC members do not have\u00a0politico-administrative experience. Their experience is political and\u00a0in agitational politics at that. So the Members of the Provincial\u00a0Council will have to learn the subtle relationship between the\u00a0politician and the administrator. This relationship broke down after\u00a01956 and SLFP politicians of the National Parliament interfered in the\u00a0administrative decisions of the bureaucracy. This has led to the total\u00a0collapse of the district administration in the South. Since the\u00a0politicians of the North were out of power, the district\u00a0administration of the north had less challenge on this score. No man
\ncan serve two masters and the officials require clear lines of\u00a0authority and unity of command. These principles of public\u00a0administration have collapsed in the South. The TNA has an opportunity\u00a0not to politicize the administration and instead run a proper\u00a0administration through the established bureaucracy without appointing\u00a0political stooges or interfering in day to day administrative decision\u00a0making. The Tamil public from my little experience in the north show\u00a0the same tendency to take unfair advantage over others and do not\u00a0hesitate to exercise political influence. They know that without\u00a0political contacts they cannot get a child to a job or even to a good\u00a0school. But such clientalism is the bane of our democracy in the\u00a0South. The TNA must shun special favors for their supporters. They\u00a0must bring back the type of good governance we had under the British\u00a0and which existed up to 1956 under Independence<\/p>\n

The TNA should do their best to work with the District Administration\u00a0of the Central Government in the Kachcheris without allowing their\u00a0mistrust of the military Governor to affect their relations with the\u00a0District Administration of the Central Government. Through the war\u00a0years there was the fascist administration of the LTTE and the\u00a0military administration of the Army. The people of the present\u00a0generation are not familiar with a normal civilian administration and\u00a0it is up to the TNA to show them just that. The TNA must realize that\u00a0the administration is in transition mode. The Government must also\u00a0realize that the Armed Forces will have to withdraw into the\u00a0background and allow a normal civilian administration to function. The\u00a0armed forces should not interfere in the daily lives of the civilian\u00a0population or local politics. The future of the country depends a lot\u00a0on the working of the Northern P.C. Federalism is a matter of
\nConstitutional Law but the working of a federal system depends as much\u00a0on the working relationship between the Central Government and the\u00a0Provincial Councils. So a good relationship with the Central\u00a0Government is a sine qua non for both the Sinhalese and the Tamil
\npeople. Let us give the Northern Provincial Council a chance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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