Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse agrees that the Tamils do have genuine grievances but asserts
that any settlement of the ethnic conflict will have to be built on a unitary state to win the backing of the Sinhalese majority which considers federalism an anathema.
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President Mahinda Rajapakse (l) was elected in 2005 by the majority of Sinhala voters. Photo TamilNet |
In the most extensive and candid interview he has given since taking power in November 2005, Rajapakse also said he hoped to hold elections by the end of 2007 in the eastern province, which the military has seized from the Tamil Tigers.
'Federalism is a negative word in Sri Lanka because people think it (is) synonymous with dividing the country. Also, I prefer the phrase 'power sharing' to 'devolution',' the president said, finally vetoing the two basic demands of Tamil groups of all hues.
'But it is not like making instant coffee. Ultimately, it would be a mistake for Western governments to allow their frustrations with the slow pace of (political) reform in Sri Lanka to be interpreted as empathy with a terrorist cause.
'I cannot change history or my own political circumstances overnight... You must remember my political legacy and constraints. During my election I received few Tamil votes because of the LTTE-enforced boycott. I was elected primarily by a Sinhala constituency on an election manifesto which made it clear that an ultimate solution to the ethnic crisis could be evolved only on the basis of a unitary state.
'In any peace settlement I have to carry the Sinhala voters with me. I cannot unilaterally impose a settlement - it has to be the outcome of a political process - an outcome that must be long-lasting and acceptable to the people.'
The president spoke at his Colombo residence. A tall, muscular figure who exudes the earthy exuberance and macho good looks of a South Indian film star, he had just finished his morning workout at the gym followed by a swim. He wore a T-shirt and jeans and his hair was still wet.
His comments came as the Sri Lankan military prepares to take on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the island's north, continuing a terrible war that has killed tens of thousands.
Hitting out at the LTTE for treating the Norway-sponsored 2003 ceasefire agreement as 'a joke', he denied secretly funding the Tigers to ensure a Tamil boycott of the 2005 presidential election because of which Rajapakse narrowly defeated Ranil Wickremesinghe who would have otherwise got Tamil votes.
'This is completely laughable as well as logically absurd. Is it possible in any country for a person who is not even in power to make a deal of this sort? And how does this allegation co-exist with the earlier description of me as a 'hawk' who seeks only a military victory? I can't be both things at the same time.
'If I'm a hawk, I cannot be making secret deals (with the LTTE) for a political solution. If I'm for a negotiated settlement, then I cannot possibly be accused of seeking a military solution.
'History shows that secret deals backfire. President (Ranasinghe) Premadasa made such a deal with (LTTE chief Velupillai) Prabhakaran and the LTTE assassinated him.
'If you really believe that we gave him (Prabhakaran) 700 million (rupees) and got him to organise a boycott of Tamil votes at the presidential election, then we invite you, please, to take the initiative on our behalf and offer him even a much bigger sum of money in return for getting him to the negotiating table so that we may have peace in our country and save so many precious lives.'
He went on: 'I am confident enough to tell you that I will hold elections in the (multi-racial) eastern province hopefully by the end of the year. We will demonstrate the viability of a Tamil-Sinhala-Muslim partnership.'
The president said he did not believe there was any such thing as 'Tamil terrorism'. 'There are genuine 'Tamil grievances' and genuine 'Tamil aspirations'. And on the other side is LTTE terrorism which we fill fight.'
He added: 'I recognise the legitimate historic grievances of our Tamil people. They are Sri Lankans: proud Sri Lankans. And any organised repression of the rights of any Sri Lankan is a blot on all Sri Lankans.'
Rajapakse said he had no hidden agenda. But he urged Tamil groups to 'present a united agenda and concrete proposals for peace. Prabhakaran does not speak for all Tamils. The vast majority of Tamil people want peace above everything and to them Eelam is just an illusion'.
Calling the LTTE leader 'the main obstacle to peace', he said: 'With or without Prabhakaran, genuine Tamil grievances, the compulsions of their ethnic honour and linguistic identity need to be respected and addressed or the problems will not be solved.'
Asked about criticism that he was not doing enough to further a political solution to the ethnic strife, Rajapakse blamed 'instant experts' for 'giving their text book analyses and solutions for decades with the aim of influencing donors ... to pressure my country into imposing their theoretical solutions rather than letting us negotiate a settlement based on a Sri Lankan consensus and Sri Lankan realities.
'I differ from my opponents who say peace at any price. I say peace, yes, but peace with honour and dignity. And the only question that is non-negotiable is a divided Sri Lanka.'
