While leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) were pondering over how to make the eight-nation body into an effective tool for peace and prosperity in the region, a senior BJP leader has pointed out that the association suffers from inherent weakness due to its fragile and frail constitution.
“The SAARC does not allow discussion on bilateral issues between the founding members. It is a body to discuss only multi-lateral issues. The association should have China as a full time member to make SAARC a meaningful body like the G 20 or ASEAN,” said Subramanian Swamy, chairman, Strategic Affairs Committee of the BJP. He was delivering the first ever lalith Athulathmudali Memorial lecture organised under the auspices of lalith Athulathmudali Foundation at Colombo.
Swamy pointed out that there were many bilateral issues between India and most of the other members of the SAARC. “The only country with which India has no issues is Bhutan. What is the point in having a body like this where bilateral issues are anathema,” he asked.
The BJP leader made it clear that he was not articulating the views of his party or any other party. “But don’t be surprised if the BJP or other political parties start following what I tell here in the near future. Without including the bilateral issues in the agenda and bringing China into the association, it is a sheer waste of time speaking about SAARC,” he said.
The trade between India and the other members of the SAARC does not touch even four per cent of India's trade with other countries. This is a paradox. A country like Pakistan goes to South Korea to import bicycles at exorbitant costs in spite of the fact that high quality bicycles are manufactured in Kapurthala in Punjab. This is just one example of the lacuna we face in SAARC," he pointed out.
Coming down heavily on bodies like United Nations Human Rights Council which pontificate to India and Sri lanka about human rights violations, Swamy said there was no need for them (bodies like UNHRC) to interfere in our problems. "What we need urgently is a SAARC Human Rights Council where we can discuss our region specific issues from our own perspectives," opined the BJP leader.
Elaborating about the trade potential of the SAARC countries, he pointed out that India can outsource some of its needs to other countries which have strong foundation in certain core sectors. "The readymade business in which Bangladesh is strong is an example. Indian textile brands can make a big profit in association with companies in Bangladesh. It is a win-win situation," said Swamy.
He came down heavily on certain political parties in some of the SAARC nations which interfere in the internal dynamics of other countries by engineering defection and split in parties belonging to other countries. Though he was silent about the names, he had Sri lankan Freedom Party in mind which saw crossing over of some prominent members to the Opposition following the announcement of the presidential elections.
Swamy paid glowing tributes to lalith Athulathmudali, the former Internal Security Minister of Sri lanka who was assassinated by the lTTE while addressing a public meeting. More than two lakh students belonging to economically weaker sections, irrespective of caste, creed and religion are benefited by the annual Mahapola Scholarship instituted by the lalith Athulath Memorial Foundation. "Young graduates who complete their engineering and computer courses with the help of Mahapola Foundation Scholarship migrate to western countries as diaspora and finance the secession movements in Sri lanka," said one of the lAF dignitaries. 'We would like them to do something for the country and countrymen," he said.