INTERVIEWS

Rajitha holds out olive branch to CBK Lands Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne has made a 'U' turn. He has decided to revive the old friendship he had with President Chandrika Kumaratunga for the sake of the country. He says he is willing to do anything for the sake of the country and its people and at present has agreed to cohabit with President Kumaratunga. Discussions between the former arch rivals are already on and both may agree to work together for a common cause in the weeks to come. Following are excerpts of an interview:

By Wilson Gnanadass

Q: We understand that in a dramatic turn of events you and President Kumaratunga are all set to bury the hatchet and forget the past and work towards cohabitation. Is this correct?

A: I don't know about Mrs. Kumaratunga's position yet. However, recently at a live television debate John Seneviratne who represented the PA was pointing the finger at 'certain members in the cabinet' saying they do not allow for cohabitation, though the prime minister is of a different opinion. He also said that the prime minister and the president were all set to go for cohabitation during the first few months of formation of the government and that the premier could not do this because of a few members of the UNF  government. And he kept on repeating it. It is at this time I said that the problem between the president and us came about only after she refused to hand over the Samurdhi Ministry to S. B. Dissanayake. At this point I said that we do not need to go through past events which will only cause more trouble, if we are agreeable to the concept of cohabitation. I said if the PA or the president is willing to cohabit with us, we will forget the past. I also said that the president should make a declaration that she is willing to cohabit and that she is ready to work with us. It is at this juncture I said since the president is older than I and senior in politics, I will first start from my side to consider cohabitation with her. This is how some sort of understanding between the president and myself started to develop. During this live debate I proposed to set an example because John Seneviratne kept on pointing his finger obviously at me.

Q: What brought about the sudden change and what response are you getting from the Presidential Secretariat?

A: Though it was sudden, I have explained to you how it all started from the live debate on TV. Though we all had different opinions and were struggling to cohabit, we thought of the country first. I thought if the president is willing to cohabit, why not us? If we can come to an agreement with Prabhakaran, then we may be able to come to some understanding with the president too. So it is like the theory of peace and struggle. That is why I said if it is so, even I myself could initiate it because I am not self-conscious. With this, my friends who are very close to the president have initiated a dialogue between the president and myself. According to the mediators, at the moment it is well and good. I can't elaborate further at the moment.

Q: Are you expected to meet with President Kumaratunga shortly?

A: We have discussed about that also and according to the mediators the president and myself are both agreeable to meet.

Q: Consumer Affairs Minister Ravi Karunanayake and you have been at the forefront of the attack on the PA in general and President Kumaratunga in particular. Are you now isolating your colleague and going it alone?

A: No. I have explained all what has happened to my pal Ravi. We had a lengthy discussion. He has a very high regard for me and he understands me. We both agreed that we have to sacrifice ourselves and our interests simply for the sake of the country. The people of this country would be very happy to see unity among all forces. Though we knew it before there was no initiative taken from either side, because both parties were stubborn like the government and the Tigers.

 Our prime minister is the one who initiated the process of cohabitation and who actually professed on this, but there was no opportunity for us to make it a reality. So therefore now we have come to a point where both sides are ready to sit and discuss. So I must say Ravi understands the situation. Both of us love our country and for that reason, both being professionals gave up our idea of moving towards greener pastures and got into politics. I will start it and Ravi will join me. If there is real cohabitation it should not be on personal grounds. It should be extended to everybody. What we profess is cohabitation between the president and the cabinet and also between the PA and the UNP.

Q: How does Ravi view this latest development?

A: He has taken it well. As always he supports me. He is with me. So there is no problem.

Q: If your talks with the president is successful, do you foresee a tie-up between the PA and the UNP?

A: Definitely.

Q: The Supreme Court is expected to give its views on the 19th Amendment tomorrow. If the court allows the UNF to go ahead with the amendment without a referendum, would the UNF make use of the chance to clip the wings of President Kumaratunga?

A: If we come to an understanding soon, I don't think it will be required to go for any amendments. When I talk of understanding, it is basically believing the president. We thought of bringing the 19th Amendment because we did not believe the president. If there is a good understanding both parties can sit together and lay out future programmes. Then the president and the prime minister can sit together and discuss and decide on all matters concerning the development of the country.

Q: How do you view President Kumaratunga's accusations against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of accepting a bribe?

A: Now if we really come to an understanding, we will agree and decide to bury the hatchet. The prime minister is very sincere on peace  on all fronts. He advocated peace with  the Tigers with a very open mind before the people at all elections. After forming the government he tried his best to cohabit with the president. So I met the prime minister today and had a lengthy discussion and I explained all what had happened up to this afternoon. He was very happy and he wished me all the best. He was very happy to see the turn of events and he said he would like to see both of us meet early. Actually what I am doing today is what the prime minister wanted all this time.

Q: You have accused President Kumaratunga of various scandals. But now you say cohabitation is possible with her. How come?

A: It is not only I who have accused her, but both parties have accused each other. I have already said that we are ready to forget the past and not to live in the past. We want to start a new chapter from today for the sake of the people. When I agreed for cohabitation with my friend, PA's John Seneviratne, even the JVP MP agreed with us. So I don't like to discuss about the past because at the moment there is some dialogue going on between both parties. Therefore, there is no use in dragging out the past.

Q: Could you explain as to how you came to understand President Kumaratunga so soon?

A: There is nothing about understanding. The PA MP at the live debate initiated it and I too agreed to respond and initiate this process. If this goes successfully we can talk to each other. And there is nothing to understand the president because I have been associating with her from the early '70s.

Q: Does it mean you are reviving your old friendship?

A: Not so. We are agreeing to sit together to do something for the sake of our people. But at the same time if this goes far it will obviously be a revival of our old friendship. My friends who are still with her for some time have appealed to re-establish the friendship, so that we could work out a formula for the sake of the country. However, I did not want to take any action behind the curtain. This time I agreed with my opponent from the PA openly before the people.

Q: The situation in the east seems volatile. How seriously will this  affect the peace process in your view?

A: I personally don't think this would have any effect on the peace process. Investigations are going on to ascertain as to what really has happened. But I feel we must act with a sense of responsibility. The situation in the north and east is very complex. The Tigers who were waging war against us have laid down their arms. We must not expect them to make a 180-degree turn and expect them to be the best of the law abiding people immediately.

We must be very cautious when taking action against them. We cannot expect much from them at this juncture. It will take a long time for them to develop a civil society in the north and east. If we expect them to have a licence for every thing, I think that will lead to misunderstandings. We must understand this and practice a 'give and take' policy. As a person who has professed peace with the Tigers I have always said that there will be many a setback in this process and we should never be sensitive to such incidents. In my view the main requirement at the moment is peace, and every other thing comes second. Peace must supercede all other things and both parties must sacrifice a lot to achieve peace.

Whether we like it or not we must make up our minds to appreciate the Tigers for entering the peace process and coming all this way. LTTE came to the peace process not because they were weak. They had other reasons like the international pressure. We must understand they are strong. This time both parties have come to the table because both sides are frustrated and tired of war. So it is the government that must be more responsible than the Tigers in achieving peace. The government troops must do their best to achieve peace. If we fail to achieve peace it is the troops and not the other prophets who will have to sacrifice their lives again. We cannot demand civil licences from those who have been carrying RPGs.

Q: You visited the LTTE prisoners who are held at Kalutara prison. What was the mood of the prisoners with regard to the peace process?

A: I am happy they have given up their hunger strike. I had a long discussion with Minister Moragoda and requested him to get the officials to move quickly in order to avoid any unwanted situation arising. I had lengthy discussions with the prisoners and they said whatever happened to them the peace process should move forward. They said it should progress even after their death. A total of 139 prisoners were involved in this protest. Ten to 15 were in a bad condition. Some had been administered saline. The majority of the prisoners were innocent citizens who begged for their release. There were a few hard nuts. I was with them for over three hours with my colleague Minister Maheswaran. I explained to him my experience in the peace process and our discussions with the LTTE in the 1980s when the entire country was against such a process. And I explained to them the sincerity of the prime minister on this issue and said that this is the best prime minister with whom the Tigers could strike a deal.

With all that they wanted something concrete. I said certain cases could be withdrawn with the consent of the AG. The second category would be with a cabinet decision, while the third is for those who are pardoned by the president. I had a long discussion with Minister Moragoda which prompted a discussion yesterday with the prime minister,  the TNA and the AG who all visited the prison. I was asked to follow up this issue because the Kalutara prison is in my electorate.