Sri Lanka’s all monk party, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), last week denied it was fundamentalist and insisted its pact with Premier Mahinda Rajapakse, which is steeped in Sinhala-Buddhist nationalism, “relates to issues common to all Sri Lankans.”
JHU President Ven. Ellawela Medananda Thera told The Sunday Times that the 12-point agreement between his party and Rajapakse, the candidate of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) was drawn up by consultation between the two parties.
Asked why his party had signed the deal with Rajapakse, the monk said the Prime Minister’s view reflected those of his right wing party.
“We had talks with both the presidential candidates Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mahinda Rajapakse. Our main concern was the unitary status of the country. We were not satisfied with the manner in which Mr. Wickremesinghe said he would handle the issue.”
“We decided to support the Prime Minister because he had agreed to uphold the Constitution and act within its framework,” he said.
On being asked whether the LTTE would be willing to negotiate with a President who wins on the Sinhala-nationalist principles expressed in the agreement, the monk replied “that has to be handled in a clever manner using the proper tactics to force them to the negotiating table.”
The JHU leader said the international community should help in this regard. “There are many rich countries such as the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and Norway from where the LTTE receives funds. They can stop this and ask the LTTE to come to the negotiating table. They have to stop nourishing the LTTE.”
Medananda Thera also told The Sunday Times that the LTTE would lose any conventional war and its strength had been over-estimated.
“Our people as well as our rulers are over- estimating the LTTE. Thanks to the foolish polices of our own leaders, they have managed to hole up in many parts of the country today,” he said.
“If the LTTE wages a conventional war with our armed forces, it would not have the strength to last even for half an hour. But they adopt dirty tactics and hide and attack. But the LTTE does not have the kind of strength they try to project.”
He was also clear on the need for the LTTE to disarm. “The question is not whether the LTTE will disarm or not. It must disarm.”
“There is no need to go back to war. If we take a tough stand, the war will be over,” he said, in statements reminiscent of Chandrika Kumaratunga’s 1994 call of ‘War for Peace’.
The Sunday Times questioned why the monks were willing to trust Rajapakse if they believed that it was the ‘foolish policies’ of past leaders that had led to the current situation, given that he has been in power for several years.
“We have looked at the person; spoken to the person and estimated that he has the strength to act according to his convictions. We will lend our support to him and see how he works,” said Medananda Thera.
The monks ruled out any form power sharing as a solution to the Tamil national question.
“Power has been devolved within the country to the maximum extent possible via the Provincial Councils and there was no room for further devolution. Any more devolution would tantamount to giving a separate state. This talk of more devolution is a fraud.”
The JHU-Rajapakse agreement says: “No racial group shall be granted self governance in any part of Sri Lankan territory… No part of the Sri Lankan land shall be considered as the homeland of any racial group.”
Peace facilitator Norway, instrumental in getting the 2002 ceasefire agreement, was condemned by the JHU leader as biased. However, the issue of the Norwegians was too insignificant to be included in the agreement.
“We do not accept Norway. It is a non entity for us. We do not recognise Norway and if we included them in this agreement that means we have given them some recognition,” he told the Sunday Times.
“They must be sent out of the country. They have worked fraudulently and in a manner that has harmed the unity of the country.”
Political analysts suggest that the JHU statements reflect an emerging polarisation in the Sinhala polity. As the race to be the next Sri Lankan President begins to heat up, the divergence between the hardliners who believe the peace process to date has only weakened Sri Lanka and the moderates who back the Norwegian mediated talks grows ever wider.
JHU President Ven. Ellawela Medananda Thera told The Sunday Times that the 12-point agreement between his party and Rajapakse, the candidate of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) was drawn up by consultation between the two parties.
Asked why his party had signed the deal with Rajapakse, the monk said the Prime Minister’s view reflected those of his right wing party.
“We had talks with both the presidential candidates Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mahinda Rajapakse. Our main concern was the unitary status of the country. We were not satisfied with the manner in which Mr. Wickremesinghe said he would handle the issue.”
“We decided to support the Prime Minister because he had agreed to uphold the Constitution and act within its framework,” he said.
On being asked whether the LTTE would be willing to negotiate with a President who wins on the Sinhala-nationalist principles expressed in the agreement, the monk replied “that has to be handled in a clever manner using the proper tactics to force them to the negotiating table.”
The JHU leader said the international community should help in this regard. “There are many rich countries such as the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and Norway from where the LTTE receives funds. They can stop this and ask the LTTE to come to the negotiating table. They have to stop nourishing the LTTE.”
Medananda Thera also told The Sunday Times that the LTTE would lose any conventional war and its strength had been over-estimated.
“Our people as well as our rulers are over- estimating the LTTE. Thanks to the foolish polices of our own leaders, they have managed to hole up in many parts of the country today,” he said.
“If the LTTE wages a conventional war with our armed forces, it would not have the strength to last even for half an hour. But they adopt dirty tactics and hide and attack. But the LTTE does not have the kind of strength they try to project.”
He was also clear on the need for the LTTE to disarm. “The question is not whether the LTTE will disarm or not. It must disarm.”
“There is no need to go back to war. If we take a tough stand, the war will be over,” he said, in statements reminiscent of Chandrika Kumaratunga’s 1994 call of ‘War for Peace’.
The Sunday Times questioned why the monks were willing to trust Rajapakse if they believed that it was the ‘foolish policies’ of past leaders that had led to the current situation, given that he has been in power for several years.
“We have looked at the person; spoken to the person and estimated that he has the strength to act according to his convictions. We will lend our support to him and see how he works,” said Medananda Thera.
The monks ruled out any form power sharing as a solution to the Tamil national question.
“Power has been devolved within the country to the maximum extent possible via the Provincial Councils and there was no room for further devolution. Any more devolution would tantamount to giving a separate state. This talk of more devolution is a fraud.”
The JHU-Rajapakse agreement says: “No racial group shall be granted self governance in any part of Sri Lankan territory… No part of the Sri Lankan land shall be considered as the homeland of any racial group.”
Peace facilitator Norway, instrumental in getting the 2002 ceasefire agreement, was condemned by the JHU leader as biased. However, the issue of the Norwegians was too insignificant to be included in the agreement.
“We do not accept Norway. It is a non entity for us. We do not recognise Norway and if we included them in this agreement that means we have given them some recognition,” he told the Sunday Times.
“They must be sent out of the country. They have worked fraudulently and in a manner that has harmed the unity of the country.”
Political analysts suggest that the JHU statements reflect an emerging polarisation in the Sinhala polity. As the race to be the next Sri Lankan President begins to heat up, the divergence between the hardliners who believe the peace process to date has only weakened Sri Lanka and the moderates who back the Norwegian mediated talks grows ever wider.
