Deva for devolution to merged North-East

~ EPDP leader outlines political package and stresses need for it

By Chris Kamalendran, Pic. by Saman Kariyawasam

Minister Devananda paying his last respects to his Co-ordinating Secretary Steven Peiris

Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) leader Douglas Devananda who survived a sixth attempt on his life on Wednesday has put forward a new set of political proposals which among other things call for the setting up of an interim arrangement, to end the quarter-century-old ethnic conflict.“I have already discussed the proposals with several political parties,” Mr. Devananda said in an interview with The Sunday Times.

The militant-turned-minister who is being described as the cat with many lives for his near brushes with death, said the President should set up the interim arrangement with extensive devolution, prompting even the LTTE to eventually step into the system. Excerpts:

Q: You have put forward fresh proposals. What was the need for them when the All-Party Representative Committee was about to release its final draft?

• Our proposals are practical and envisage three stages of implementation. They seek to find a common platform among all political parties and take the first step towards a final settlement. There had been all-party talks in the past, but we had little faith in them. Even the proposals now being discussed at the APRC set up by the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration are not practicable though the present mechanism is better than any previous attempt to solve the national problem. The first two stages of our proposals will set the stage for the final implementation of a solution.

Q: How will your proposals work?

• We have given the draft to the APRC. It contains three lists of devolved subjects -- that of the government, the provincial councils and the third a concurrent list. During the second stage, subjects on the concurrent list could be amalgamated into th provincial list. This could be done through an amendment passed with a simple majority in parliament. This approach would give hope to the Tamil-speaking people that a settlement of the conflict is possible. At the same time, the approach will give an assurance to the Sinhala people that it is through greater devolution of power, communities could live in peace and harmony.

Q: Is India supporting your proposals?

• India supports our proposals, which are not new. When I discussed them with Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi some eight years ago, she said her desire was to settle the Sri Lankan problem in a peaceful manner and to fulfil the dream of her husband Rajiv Gandhi. India’s Finance Minister P. Chindambaram when he was in Sri Lanka recently also insisted on its implementation. I understand that the Indian leaders have conveyed their opinion to the Sri Lankan government.

Q: Will the Government and opposition parties accept your proposals?

• If there is a will, there is a way. I have spoken to Lakshman Kiriella of the UNP and also with several JVP members. The JVP says it won’t agree to the province as a political unit, but in practice, the party is participating in provincial politics. I have discussed the proposals with the JHU, MEP leader and Minister Dinesh Gunewardena and Minister Dew Gunesekara among others. All of them endorse it. Mr. Gunesekara always says that it was my father who brought him into politics. My father was a strong member of the Communist Party. I have discussed the proposals with APRC chairman Tissa Vitharana and SLFPers. All of them are supportive of it. So, the will is there. I am sure, after the December 14 budget vote, there will be some developments.

Q: How about local government elections in the north-east?

• We are ready for the local government elections whether in the North or East.

Q: Are you for the de-merger of the North and the East?

• The two provinces should be linked. We are for a united Sri Lanka within which the Northeast should operate as one unit. That is our party’s view.

Q: Do you believe the government can end the conflict by military means?

• Many ask me whether the Tigers have been weakened. I tell them it is not so. It appears to be so because of the political support for the government in the South. But the bottomline is (LTTE leader Velupillai) Prabhakaran is a fascist. He has not changed. He is like Hitler, Polpot, Idi Amin and the likes. Therefore, this problem will continue till he is killed. I have no two opinions on this matter. If the problems of the Tamils could be solved in my death, I'm ready for it with pleasure because I'm committed to the cause. The LTTE killed Appapillai Amirthalingam, Sarojini Yogeswaran , Neelan Thiruchchelvam and many others. The problem with Prabhakaran is that he cannot live in a democratic environment.

Q: Will the Rajapaksa government come up with a just solution?

• It is not a matter of believing the government but we must device a mechanism and create the environment to bring the government into it. President Rajapakse said before and after coming to power that he was ready to talk to Prabhakaran and find a settlement. Since I move with him closely I know him to some extent. He never believed that he would start a fight with the Tigers. It was Prabhakaran who dragged him into this situation.
  I told you about the third phase during which the LTTE, whether it likes it or not, will have to step in. Now the Tigers are deep-sea fish. After the second stage they would be shallow-water fish. At the 1994 elections, the LTTE said it had no faith in Parliamentary elections and the war was the way out and it intimidated the people. Thereafter it said that anyone who contested the elections would be considered traitors and killed. But by 2004, it changed its position and allowed the TNA to contest the polls, because it felt the EPDP was leading the people in a different direction and offering them hope.
  I believe in myself and I believe that this government can find a just solution. But I need the support of the Tamil people.
  I warned President Chandrika. Kumaratunga at the 2004 elections that the Tigers would rig the polls and I advised her to place security forces on the roads leading to polling booths to minimise malpractice. Though she promised to heed my advice, the roads were empty on the polling day. The Commander-in-chief had apparently ordered the security forces to stay out. There was a secret understanding between Ms. Kumaratunga and the LTTE. The Tigers had given an assurance that the TNA MPs would give her full support. This is how the LTTE operates. The southern leadership doesn't understand Prabhakaran's character. But president Rajapaksa in one year’s time understood him. Prabhakaran wants a piece of land to rule as a dictator. He has no interest in the people.

Q: Can the present war put an end to the LTTE?

• My view is that the process to crush the LTTE should go hand in hand with the political process. The LTTE was earlier able to take the war to the government-controlled area, but this government, that is our government, 'Apey Aanduwa', can do it. The people are suffering. We have to look into the people's day-to-day issues.