How Genuine Is Mahinda Rajapakse In His Invitation?

President Mahinda Rajapakse at a press conference with editors and heads of media institutions on Wednesday announced that he would be inviting Opposition and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe for discussions on the latest political developments and on recent events in Tamil Nadu. 'It is my responsibility to brief him,' he had added. The President followed up his words with an invitation for Friday, October, 24.

Whether the discussions will centre on co-operation with the opposition and the UNP or be a mere briefing of the situation is not known. Whatever the intentions of the President are, recent political developments in Tamil Nadu on the military operations of the Sri Lankan forces in the Wanni are a matter of grave concern with the shadow of the Indian sub-continent looming across this island once again after 21 years.

President Rajapakse is facing a crisis and when he is facing a crisis he sounds statesman-like and seeks the cooperation of the opposition which lasts only for a short duration. Indeed the events in Tamil Nadu which have the potential of bringing down the Congress government should be a matter of very serious concern to this country considering the fallout of an identical situation in 1987.

Ranil Wickremesinghe has accepted the invitation as any national political leader should but considering Rajapakse's last performance after a similar invitation was made, not much could be expected but it is hoped for the country's sake that the President has learnt from past experience that political expediency does not always pay in the long run.

When the Rajapakse government lacking a clear parliamentary majority was being stymied by its political allies the JVP and JHU, he invited Wickremesinghe to cooperate with his government in the national interest and an agreement was reached. But hot on the heels of this agreement Rajapakse indulged in a nasty piece of political skulduggery by buying over 18 UNP MPs with the offer of cabinet portfolios and all the perks that go along with that office. Political intrigue took precedence over national interests and with that the political credibility of Rajapakse took a nose dive. With that went out the hopes of the emergence of a national consensus on the all important issue of resolving the political and military conflict in the north and east.

If President Rajapakse genuinely seeks the cooperation of the opposition, particularly the UNP, he will have to now produce very convincing proposals on the political resolution of the Tamil problem and Wickremesinghe will have to equally rise to the occasion and put the country before self and party.

In the first two years of his regime, Rajapakse has been fighting shy to speak of a political solution and only now with India breathing down his neck, is he talking about such a solution loud and clear.

Still he is yet to come out with his solution given the constraints of coalition politics. It is now an open secret in government that the President has been placed in a strait jacket by the likes of Champika Ranawaka and Wimal Weerawansa whose political handbook is not much different to that of Adolf Hitler's and it is these extremists who are driving the government's agenda on the ethnic issue.

It has reached such crisis proportions in government that the more moderate elements are openly talking in the corridors of power of moving out and maintaining a neutral stand without being identified with the rabid racism propagated by the Ranawakas and Weerawansas of this government. These moderate elements in government have in fact told the President that blindly pursuing a military solution without placing a political package on the table will result in serious consequences in the months to come but such advice had fallen on deaf ears due to the drum beats of war, war and more war. This has now come to pass with the developments in Tamil Nadu. This fact is not unknown to the President and is one driving factor which has prompted him to invite the UNP Leader for talks and hopefully will make the best use of the opportunity to build bridges in the national interest.

For long he has been prevaricating and expecting the cantankerous All Party Conference comprising of widely divergent ideologists, racists and ex- terrorists to reach consensus which would be his solution. Passing the buck is a fine political art developed by Rajapakse. Just as much as he is passing the buck on the political solution he is doing the same with the implementation of the 17th Amendment by waiting for months on a report of a Select Committee on this amendment thus stalling the functioning of the Constitutional Council which is empowered to make key appointments to government offices. In the absence of the Constitutional Council Rajapakse is making appointments of his choice! All this has eroded his credibility and the standing of Sri Lanka in the eyes of the world.

With Tamil Nadu politicians urging intervention by India to stop military operations whether Rajapakse will continue to play politics is to be seen. A humanitarian tragedy has been created in the Wanni. An estimated 120,000 to 200,000 Tamils have been forced out of their homes and are without regular food supplies, shelter and other basic amenities. This is stirring the conscience of the world as it should of all self respecting Sri Lankans too for these civilians are our brethren. The cry for their well being should not be coming from Tamil Nadu but the peoples of Sri Lanka be they Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim or Burgher because the whole rationale of the war against the LTTE is to liberate these wretched of the earth from the clutches of the Tigers. 

While Rajapakse can be faulted on his attitude towards the peace process initiated by Wickremesinghe which was backed by the international community and finally scrapping the Ceasefire Agreement with the LTTE, his present move of making amends with India is a move in the correct direction. India is by no means enamoured with Rajapakse's policies - he having opted for a military solution while India said such a solution was not possible and only a negotiated settlement will work.

Rajapakse at Wednesday's press conference appealed to the media not to indulge in attacks on Indian policies. He has to take pains to avoid provocations and attempt to please the Congress government which is under extremely high pressure by Tamil Nadu politicians. It's a question of political survival for the Gandhi government. But even in doing so the President reduced his good intentions to naught by unleashing Karuna to berate the Indians. Even if such criticism is justified against India for its own cloak and dagger politics, it should have been done at a diplomatic level rather than playing to the Sri Lankan gallery for the sake of a few whistles and jeers.

India is indicating that it will respect Sri Lanka's sovereignty and will not interfere in Sri Lanka unlike what it did in 1987. Meanwhile Rajapakse cannot call a halt to military operations now, the onslaught having gathered an year's momentum and powered by his propaganda machine. Hundreds of soldiers have sacrificed their lives and thousands more injured. All this will not satisfy New Delhi as the plight of Tamils civilians in the Wanni aggravates and Messrs. Karunanidhi and company keep piling up pressure on New Delhi.

The move to invite India's Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee to observe conditions of the people in the Wanni is a good move although it is very doubtful whether an Indian Minister could move into areas still under the control of the LTTE. Everything possible should be done to alleviate the suffering of the unfortunate people who are being held as human shields by the LTTE. A suggestion should be made to New Delhi to pressurise Tamil Nadu politicians to object to the LTTE holding Tamil civilians hostage against operations of the Sri Lankan Army.

It will lay bare Indian government policy as well as those Tamil Nadu leaders whether their real interests are those of the entrapped Tamil people or saving the LTTE. But to do so the President must first establish his own credibility with the Tamil people and give them the confidence to come over to government controlled territory with assurances of safety as fellow citizens with equal rights. His case in this respect has not been helped by Sinhala supremacist statements made by the likes of the Army Commander and Minister Ranawaka. Let us not forget that just as much as Minister P. Chandrasekeran was asked to abide by collective cabinet responsibility for justifying the statements of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi, the same yardstick should have been used to call Ranawaka to order for his comments in justifying the Army Chief's racist remarks unless in the latter case it is indeed government policy. 

The key to the problem is President Rajapakse's motives. Is it his genuine desire to build up a national consensus by bringing the leaders of the largest opposition party for discussions or is it another political ploy as before? The wily Indians should by now seeing through his political strategy especially given Karuna's planned anti Indian demonstration in Batticaloa. Will he come out now with his proposals for a political solution or wait for a military victory for him to then enforce his 'political solution' which will have no Tamil input?