Sri lankan President eager to win over Tamils
Sri lankan President Maithripala Sirisena is apparently doing as much as he can in the given circumstances to build trust between his Government and the lankan Tamil community, and in the process also discredit his opponent and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. It remains to be seen whether this two-pronged approach will fetch the new leader political rewards. Among the steps he has taken is the purge from the Sri lanka Freedom Party's powerful Central Committee of Mr Rajapaksa's supporters and the release of a substantial portion of Army-controlled land in the Tamil-dominated Northern Province.
Earlier, soon after taking charge, his Government had sacked the then Governor of the Province, who was a retired Army officer, and replaced him with a civil diplomat. Weeks ago, the Government permitted the rendition of the National Anthem in Tamil. Mr Sirisena believes these decisions will bring the Tamil population closer to his Government and assist in the reconciliation process that has been moving forward only sporadically. The Sri lankan President is aware that a lot more can be achieved in the first flush of victory — the honeymoon period, as it is referred to — than later when fault-lines will become more acute and create bigger impediments to progress. By sacking pro-Rajapaksa elements from the Central Committee, the President is paving the way to push ahead his plans to ‘fully' implement the 13th Amendment which concerns genuine and greater devolution of powers to the Tamil-majority regions and the curtailment of authority of the President, among other things.
The 13th Amendment has been hanging fire for close to three decades now, and has over these years become a major bone of contention and cause of violence. If Mr Sirisena is able to demonstrate his sincerity through action, it will be welcomed across the globe, and especially in India. But it is not clear if sidelining Mr Rajapaksa and thereby creating an even more hostile political environment will help in the long run. The President will need his predecessor's support in the days to come, when he goes about his reconciliation effort. It must not be forgotten that Mr Rajapaksa still enjoys considerable support in the SlFP and outside, regardless of his electoral loss.
Of course, nothing can be worse for Mr Sirisena than to offend his party colleague (and the latter's band of loyal supporters) and to also not receive the endorsement of the Tamil community. The President is hoping for a fruitful relationship between his regime and the Tamil National Alliance, which is in power in Northern Province. Province Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran is a difficult customer. While he must be happy with the sacking of the military man as Governor, it will need more to keep him in good humour, as Mr Sirisena will realise. Hopefully, the President will also understand, as time goes by, that the policy of building bridges and the politics of appeasement are two different matters.