Parliament

JM debate turns peace into pieces process
By Chandani Kirinde, Our Lobby Correspondent
Call it by whatever name - be it the Joint Mechanism (JM) or the Post Tsunami Operational Management Structure or an Operational Arrangement, the issue of the Government making a deal with the LTTE stirred up fiery argument and debate for and against such a move when parliament met last week. But the main Opposition United National Front an architect of the peace process strangely remained evasive and elusive on its stance on the JM.

The most vociferous opponent of the proposal was the Jathika Hela Urumaya followed closely by an equally impassioned Janatha Vimukthi Peramuma who felt this would bring the LTTE a step closer to achieving a separate state while the Tamil National Congress together with several of the SLFP segment of the UPFA Government spoke in favour of a Joint Mechanism.

During Friday's day long adjournment debate requested for by the TNA to discuss the peace process – or whatever was left of it -- the UNF managed to muster only two speakers but they too could not categorically state whether their party supported or opposed the President's move to set up a post tsunami "arrangement" with the LTTE. The SLFP segment of the Government could not do much better even though they had several more speakers, as they themselves were not fully aware of the contents of the proposed deal.

TNA Parliamentary group Leader R. Sampanthan began the debate and said there was a deliberate strategy on the part of certain sections in the country to carry out a relentless and vicious propaganda against the LTTE and said it was after decades of peacefully trying to win their legitimate rights that the Tamil people were forced to start an armed struggle.

Mr. Sampanthan said the Government's decision to begin negotiations with the LTTE was consequent to the realisation that it could not militarily defeat the LTTE and that negotiations had to be held with the LTTE to resolve the Tamil problem.

"This is the stark truth and reality and the Tamil people are conscious of this. The LTTE is conscious of the fact that they have gained this recognition entirely on its military strength and also that this military strength needs to be sustained if the Tamil people are not to be taken for a ride again as has happened in the past", he said.

Mr. Sampanthan also blamed the Government for not doing enough to encourage the LTTE to join the peace process. "The State has made no contribution to help transform the LTTE from an armed organisation to a political organisation. There has been no such encouragement from the state by giving them the chance to carry out reconstruction work in the northeast and because of this they have every reason to be frustrated", he said.

UNP spokesman and Colombo district parliamentarian G.L. Peries spoke at length on the history of the peace process saying it was wrong to say that the proposed post tsunami arrangement between the Government and the LTTE was the first direct working arrangement between the state and the LTTE.

He said there were three such committees during the UNF period in Government mainly to deal with humanitarian needs in the north and east as well as the reconstruction work.

However there was no word on the UNF's position on the JM but instead Prof. Peries said the peace process needs to be resuscitated and moved forward after a consensus is reached between the Government's constituent parties.

While Prof. Peries spoke of resuscitating the peace process, the JVP said there was no peace process to breath life into. "Only if there is some life left in a person can we resuscitate him but as we see it today the LTTE is going on violating the CFA unabated", JVP Colombo district parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa said.

He said the LTTE was on its way to consolidating the intentional requirements for recognition as a separate state and the CFA had provided the perfect platform for this and the setting up of a joint mechanism would further strengthen its stance.

Mr. Weerawansa said the JVP is yet to see a full text of the proposed JM and said it would only attend discussions with the President once they see the document but said from the details the party is aware, the LTTE would be heading many of the district committees while MPs and other people's representatives will be sidelined.

"Is the peace process only about handing over power to the LTTE or is it to address the grievances of the Tamil people?" We have to understand the real motives of the LTTE and strengthen ourselves as a state", he said.

The JVP members weren't the only ones who had not seen the contents of the JM. Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem who recently held talks with the President along with Minister Ferial Ashroff said that during the talks they too were not told enough of the details of the mechanism. "We were told that the peace secretariat would forward us the salient points of the agreement but I am yet to see it", Mr. Hakeem said.

TNA Parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran said the JM would not divide the country but would help to bring an apparently separated country together." Today can you go beyond Omanthai? The answer is no. The LTTE is in control and it run its own affairs", he said.

Ports and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera tried to dispel some of the concerns regarding the JM saying it could act as a bridge for the resumption of peace talks and there was no need for any fear. He said some of the fears expressed were legitimate given the deep mistrust between the different sides but there was no need for that.

"The CFA demarcated areas as cleared and uncleared areas but this agreement will wipe out such boundaries. He said the failure to reach such an agreement would have more advantages for the LTTE such as a claim to get direct foreign aid into their areas as well as give credence to their argument that the Government was unwilling to look into the grievances of the Tamil people.

Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar asked that caution be exercised when making speeches and every effort should be made to lessen the tensions simmering in the country. "Words are like arrows, and once unleashed cannot not be recalled", he said.

Minister Devananda who unlike others does not usually mince his words was sharply critical of the LTTE calling the group's leader Prabhakaran a war criminal who should be tried before the people and punished. "Today Tamils are killing Tamils and who is responsible for this. It is the LTTE", he said.

He challenged the LTTE to face the EPDP on a political platform and said the EPDP would respect whatever verdict the people give. In the lead upto the debate, the JHU's Parliament group leader Venerable Athuraliye Ratana Thera on Thursday raised the issue of the tense situation in Trincomalee and said the LTTE was instigating people there over the construction of a Buddha statue. After his statement, several of the monks walked out of the Chamber and led a protest march from the Legislature to Pettah where they staged a Satyagraha. On Wednesday the House adjourned early for want of a quorum.

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