11th May 1997

'Bi-partisan approach: for war'

Statement of the Sri Lanka Ekeeya Sanvidhanaya on the 'Fox Accord' between the President and the leader of the UNP.

The Liam Fox brokered accord between the President and the Leader of the Opposition generated a wave of euphoria among certain sections of our community which was reminiscent of the euphoria generated among the same sections of our community by the Rajiv Gandhi-engineered disaster called the Indo-Lanka accord.

The euphoria generated by the 'Fox Accord' was manifested not only by a plethora of adulatory statements and messages published in the press but also by a hysterical personal attack on fourteen citizens, among whom were several members of the Sri Lanka Ekeeya Sanvidhanaya, by one Macan Markar in an article under the colourful heading "Hark Hark the Spokesmen Bark" published in the 'Sunday Leader' of 13.4.97 because they had, in a statement published in The Sunday Times of the previous Sunday (under the heading "Ekeeya Sanvidhanaya opposes PA-UNP unity accord") expressed the 'heretical' view that this accord spelt disaster!

It is more than doubtful whether any of these devotees of the 'Fox accord' either analysed or understood the necessary implications of that accord.

The stated purpose of the 'Fox accord' is "the development of a genuinely bi-partisan approach to the resolution of the ethnic conflict" leading to the achievement of "a permanent solution to the conflict."

By this fatuous statement both the President and the UNP Leader have by necessary implication denied the manifest truth of the statements made by the incumbent President herself a few weeks ago and by her predecessor about 3 years ago that there is no ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka but only a terrorist conflict, and thus nourished and given credibility to the monstrous myth propagated by the LTTE and other separatist Tamil parties (now called 'Moderates') both at home and abroad that the war that now rages in Sri Lanka is a war between the Sinhalese and the Tamils.

Velupillai Prabhakaran and others of his ilk (whether called 'Moderates' or not) must surely give their grateful thanks to the triad of Fox, Kumaratunga and Wickremesinghe for this gift to their all important propaganda blitz against our country.

According to the 'Fox accord' the mechanics by which their bi-partisan approach is to be implemented are as follows:-

(a) The incumbent head of the Government "will brief and seek the opinion of the Leader of the UNP (or of the leader of the PA if the UNP constitutes the Government) on significant developments relating to the ethnic conflict both in the strictest confidence".

(b) "The party in opposition will not undermine any discussions and decisions between any other party or group, including the LTTE, arrived at resolving the ethnic conflict if these discussions and decisions have taken place with the concurrence of the party in opposition."

(c) "Against the background of such concurrence on election to Government either party will honour all such decisions in full".

Four significant matters emerge from these provisions:-

Firstly, such information as will be divulged by the Head of Government to the Leader of the UNP (or the PA as the case may be) and the opinion given on request to the Head of Government by the Leader of the UNP (or PA) about "significant developments relating to the ethnic conflict" will be held in the 'strictest confidence' - i.e both leaders will be prohibited from briefing members of their own parties or even their own Members of Parliament about them. Thus, the party in opposition - be it the UNP or the PA, and even the Government Party will be kept completely in the dark about such "significant developments" or the opinions expressed thereon by the Leader of the UNP or PA. Thus, they will, perforce, be compelled to give or withhold their concurrence to any discussions or decisions with the LTTE or any other separatist party (whether called 'Moderate' or not) in total ignorance of such information or opinions relating to such "significant developments" which will necessarily constitute the background to such discussions or decisions. What then is the basis on which they could be expected to give or withhold concurrence? What is the value that could be attached to concurrence given in ignorance of material facts ? How can the 'Fox accord' be reconciled with the dictates of 'transparency"?

Secondly, the Fox accord contemplates that a party that has given its 'concurrence' to any discussions with the LTTE or other separatist party (however described) or to any decisions arrived at consequent to such discussions will be bound for all time thereafter to give its blessings to such discussions and to abide by such decisions even if that party later realises, whether upon sober reflection, the receipt of relevant information it did not have when it gave such concurrence, or subsequent events or developments that such discussions or decisions are detrimental to the interests of the country or even set the country on a certain path to disaster.

Thirdly, it is apparent from the 'Fox accord' that both the President and the UNP Leader have agreed that the solution to what they dishonestly term the 'ethnic conflict' but is in fact a separatist terrorist conflict with the LTTE lies in a negotiated settlement through discussions with the LTTE. Though reference is made in the 'Fox accord' to discussions and decisions with parties other than the LTTE, this can only be for cosmetic effect - for the on going 'war' is being fought between our security forces and the LTTE and not with the other separatist parties (now called 'Moderates') whom the LTTE hold in total contempt and would have slaughtered by now but for the protection afforded to them by our .security forces. Thus, no amount of discussions and decisions reached with such other parties could bring about an end to the war.

The track record of the LTTE and its numerous statements over more than two decades make amply evident the fact that the LTTE has never wavered, and will never, from its goal of achieving a separate state in at least the entirety of the Northern and Eastern Provinces. Our tragic experience of talks and attempts at negotiated settlements with the LTTE have proved beyond a shadow of doubt that they always have and always will utilize such talks and attempts only to strengthen themselves and commit the mass murder and mutilation of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, policemen and civilians and visit destruction on property. A Tiger cannot be expected to change its stripes. Besides, if talks are to be held with the LTTE, there can be no doubt that the starting point of such talks will be the devolution package.

Despite the denials of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar and the LTTE it would appear from the 'Fox accord' that talks with the LTTE are now in the offing, and that at least tentative arrangements for them have already been made.

It would be recalled that the 'Fox accord' was arrived at in the immediate aftermath of one of the dirtiest, most violent and acrimonious elections we have had the misfortune to witness, and in the wake of a visit to Sri Lanka by the then British Foreign Minister Rifkind and some visits by his Deputy Fox, as well as a clandestine visit by the LTTE's Lawrence Thilagar. The timing of these incidents could not have been purely fortuitous or coincidental.

Would Mr. Fox have taken time off his duties and a General Election campaign in his own Country to commute to and from Sri Lanka to broker an accord designed to secure, a bi-partisan approach to a negotiated settlement with the LTTE unless at least some preliminary arrangements for talks with the LTTE had already been made ? It is surely inconceivable that, particularly at this time, Mr. Fox would have taken so much trouble to broker such an accord between the President and the UNP Leader for negotiations with the LTTE if the prospect of such negotiations existed merely in the realm of 'pious hope' and not on some preliminary arrangements already made ?

It is indeed tragic that without learning and becoming wiser from our disastrous experiences of talks with the LTTE, the President and the UNP Leader seem ever-ready once more to plunge into such talks with alacrity before one could even say 'Batalanda'.

Fourth, the 'Fox accord' indicates the entry of Britain as the successor of India as the 'honest broker' to 'settle' our internal affairs. The tragedy of Indian intervention is too fresh in our minds to need description. Having experienced the Indian 'frying pan', the President and the UNP Leader seem now intent on steering our country into the British 'fire'.

We should, even now, realise, that there is no country in the world that will ever play the 'honest broker' to settle the problems of another with an honest, genuine or objective concern for the interests of such other country. It is invariably self-interest that will be the abiding concern of any country that comes forward as an 'honest broker'.

We must not on any account permit foreigners to meddle in our internal affairs even if they come clothed in the garb of 'honest brokers'.

The most significant fact about the 'Fox accord' is that while it provides for a so called bi-partisan approach to negotiations with the LTTE which cannot ever hope to succeed, it makes no provision whatsoever for a genuine bi-partisan approach to the conduct of the 'war' or the military defeat of the LTTE which alone can restore peace in our land.

The crying need of our country is for a 'bi-partisan' approach to the war where at least the major parties, the UNP and the PA get together to map out and execute a joint strategy to defeat the LTTE and the machinations of the separatists called 'Moderates'.

Today, we have no such bi-partisan strategy to the war. On the contrary, both major parties regard and have regarded the war merely as a device to be employed in a despicable game of political one-upmanship. Thus, military campaigns are, at times devised not with the aim of long term gains in order to attain ultimate victory with the minimum loss of life and limb, but to boost the political fortunes of the party in power. The hard won victories of our forces in battles are celebrated and heralded by the party in power not so much as a victory for the Nation but as a stick with which to beat the Opposition and gain political advantage by saying 'We achieved what you could not achieve". The apparent gains of such victories are magnified beyond recognition and the People fed on a diet of lies and 'sunshine stories' such as that three fourths of the war is won and that victory will be achieved by the end of the year.

Similarly military debacles are minimised. Corres-pondingly the party in opposition rejoices and gloats inwardly over and magnifies debacles suffered by our Forces. The People are never told the unvarnished truth.

Policies, and strategies are devised with the interests of the country playing less than a second fiddle to the all encompassing need of harvesting votes at the next election, and deals are struck and decisions made with unabashedly racist parties to attain nothing more noble than the support of the bloc votes of minorities regardless of the interests of the country.

The need of the hour is at least a bi-partisan approach to the current war, where military strategies are mapped out scientifically and objectively with the participation of the UNP Leader not with a view to petty political gains but only with a view to ultimate victory, and such strategies are continued to be followed despite a change in government; where neither party will barter away the interests of the country and the Sri Lanka nation for a mess of political pottage in the form of the support of the bloc vote of any racial group but lends its active support to the party in power to take such measures, however unpopular they may be, as are necessary to win the war; where officers are not promoted, demoted or sidelined for political reasons; where inadequately trained soldiers are not sent to the 'front'; where the people are told the truth and mobilized in their entirety to win the war, and where at least both major parties present a united front to the separatists and to the world in the defence of our motherland.

May the President and the Leader of the UNP and their parties have the patriotism, the maturity and the wisdom to follow such a bi-partisan approach.

S.L.Gunasekare

Secretary S.L.E.S.

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