Wrong words can damage Tamil-Colombo talks
Sri lanka's Northern Provincial Council's resolution accusing successive Governments in Colombo of committing ‘genocide’ against the Tamils is a disappointing move. It unnecessarily vitiates the atmosphere at a time when parties and non-Government groups were preparing to return to the reconciliation process. The election of Mr Maithripala Sirisena as President had made many people optimistic about Colombo's efforts to mend its ties with Sri lankan Tamils, which had somewhat stagnated under the previous Government.
The new ruling coalition had received a large chunk of the Tamil votes and is still supported by Tamil outfits. However, the reconciliation process cannot be a one-way street. Both parties must approach it with an open mind and be willing to make a fresh start. Wounds that have been bleeding for decades will not heal overnight, but small steps can go a long way in building confidence. The Sirisena Government has begun that process. Within weeks of coming to power, it appointed a Tamil jurist as the Chief Justice, making him the first individual from the minority community to hold the prestigious post in more than two decades.
The Government has also removed two important Rajapaksa-era appointees from the Northern Province — the Governor and the Chief Secretary. Both were constantly at odds with the local administration, but Northern Province Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran's repeated requests to have them removed were ignored during previous years. Notably, the new Governor of the Northern Province, unlike his military predecessor, has a civilian background. While it is no one's case that any of these appointments is a game-changer, they all have symbolic value and are strong indicators that the new Government is serious about the Tamil cause.
Why then, at this point, should the Northern Provincial Council have taken such a hardline stance, baffles one. Reports suggest that the Council became sceptical of the Sirisena Government after Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and other leaders seemed reluctant to demilitarise the Northern Province. But given that the new leaders had not committed themselves to demilitarisation, it is rather astonishing that Mr Wigneswaran and his men expected such a drastic move, so early in the reconciliation process.
Perhaps, it is no coincidence that the Northern Provincial Council's strongly worded resolution comes only weeks before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva is scheduled to discuss a Sri lankan war crimes report. Prepared by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and sponsored by the US, this report is expected to further censure Colombo.
President Sirisena, who seems to be more liked by foreign powers than his predecessor, is trying to contain the damage. But his job becomes doubly complicated without Tamil support. like Mr Rajapaksa, who didn't allow UN inspectors into the country, Mr Sirisena too is opposed to an international probe — he has promised a free and fair domestic inquiry instead. But Tamil leaders insist that a Sri lankan Government mechanism cannot be trusted. These are issues that need to be resolved, but not through arm-twisting tactics.