Dayan Jayatilleka on post-war politics and enduring obstacles to peace in Sri Lanka
I spoke with Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka recently on his take on post-war politics, his interpretation of the Southern Provincial Council elections, the issue of war crimes and the extension of GSP+, the challenges of peacebuilding (with peace seen as more than the absence of war) and the purported entry of the former Army Commander Gen. Sarath Fonseka to mainstream party politics.
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Dr Jayatilleke has at last belatedly realised that this government never had any intention of devolving power via the 13th Amendment though the president had given assurrances that this would be done.His persistence in promoting same,cost him his job in Geneva.Now he theorises similarly on the ‘postwar’ politics not realising – as all in sri lanka know – that the present lot of power sharing personalities, headed by the president,intend to entrench themselves,for many more years to come by any means possible,including flawed elections,luring opposition candidates with portfolos and perks,suppressing the independent media,ignoring corruption by their own appointees,keeping tamils subjugated by an army of occupation in the north and east and possibly offering portfolios to many more former tigers,by a barrage of criticism against possible contenders for the presidency,by a sustained glorification of ‘war heros’, by promotion of the president’s image by all means possible, and denigrating the opposition. He should realise that the president has no intention whatsoever of abolishing the executive presidency, or promoting just governance by implementing the 17th amendment about which.This is the ‘postwar’ scenrario which is emerging. He glosses over any war crimes ‘investigation’ – having criticised Israel , and having even proposed a ‘referendum’ on the morarchy in Britain when he was in Geneva.His criticism of Ranil W will endear him to the regime.
Good interview. I do not agree with Dayan’s last comment which is about Gen. SF running for president. Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan people are different from USA or any other country. One example is winning the war against LTTE. Already Sri Lankans are fed up with government corruption, idiots like Dr. mervin etc. If Runil W. resign and Gen. SF run with the support of UNP and other parties there will be a big shake up in Sri Lankan politics. As Dayan said as long as Ranil is the leader of UNP many people will not vote or vote for MR. It is sad and true that Ranil is holding to leadership of UNP going against majority of party members wishes. Mr. Ranil W please do a favor for your country – Resign fron the leadership of UNP!!!!!
It is true that the lack of intellectuals in the civil service and supporting institutions such as government think-tanks is a glaring omission in the fabric of democracy.
Minor point: one cannot compare Afghanistan to Sri Lanka because Sri Lanka is surrounded by the sea; it is easy to isolate and contain. It was in fact enhanced satellite-based intelligence gathering made by India which decimated the LTTE supply lines. If such methods had been available during the time of Rajiv Gandhi, one could predict a different outcome, as per the IPKF debacle.
@Heshan,
If you would permit a permutation of your phrasing, I think the outcome might be more accurate.
The [wiping out] of intellectuals in the civil service and supporting institutions such as government think-tanks is a [focused ambition] of the gosl [and was a focused ambition of the LTTE]. [This results in] the fabric of democracy [being shredded to rags].
It appears to me that Ranil W resigning may not be a bad thing. Yet the prospect of a decent and strong opposition, that is capable of taking on the running of this nation is a dim one. Despite the obvious joy we might feel at seeing the back of the current “family affair”, that passes for “governance” now, the prospect of SF nobbling together a sufficient opposition in order to run the country (no doubt as president!), is not one that brings a feeling of reassurance to some of us.
The tragedy of our country has been that ambitious, short sighted individuals who know little or nothing about governance have been governing it for so long. Why would we add to that list, by replacing an ineffectual opposition leader, with an army general whose political views leave little imagination as to its outcome?
A Tamil student in Jaffna commits suicide because of the deep depression due to being separated from his family imprisoned in one of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) concentration camps in Vavuniyaa.
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=30528