Waiting for the next move

Wednesday, 1 February 2012 00:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The recent avowal by the President on the final decision on a solution to the ethnic problem being with the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) despite the discussions with India are likely to ruffle some feathers and further question the future of reconciliation in the country.

While Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna asserted that the President had committed to a “13th Amendment Plus” with regard to a political accommodation of Tamil concerns and Minister G.L. Peiris seemed to be in agreement, others in the Government spoke vehemently against it. JVP’s Trade Union Leader K.D. Lalkantha has analysed these contrary events as a “film directed by the Government”.

While the Government claims it is committed to continuing talks with the TNA, it has changed the meaning of that claim to mean continuing talks in the multilateral platform of a PSC, which the TNA in a statement in December said it had only agreed to join once the bilateral talks ended with an agreement that could be submitted to the PSC. They have not agreed to being part of the PSC and earlier this week the Eastern Chief Minister also joined the call for land and police powers to the region as well as adding finance to the mix.

Even though Prof. Peiris at a press conference pledged to implement the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) proposals as soon as possible, the change in the Government’s stance towards not presenting the report to the UN could undermine the credibility of the report. The very fact that initial reports from the UK and US criticise the report for not adequately dealing with the question of accountability could be one reason for the Government not to want closer scrutiny. Moreover, if any response is made from the international community, the Government would be under greater pressure to ensure that a wider process for reconciliation is implemented.

There are also bubbling rumours that the contentious Darusman Report will be discussed at the next UN Human Rights Council, which could leave the Government with little option but to present the LLRC report as a counterpoint. Reports also indicate that the Government has already started drumming up support for the next UN gathering, which could prove to be challenging to Sri Lanka.

With all these different balls in the air, the Government is under stress to keep talks with the TNA going while keeping the LLRC report in the limelight to emphasise on the actions that are being taken. The key question of land and police powers were dealt with by Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, who pointed out that the Government has no problem with giving land to the landless people in the north and protecting the people with the police, lending a rather flippant solution to the issue.

What happens next will depend on India’s actual leverage, the Government’s felt concern about being challenged at the UN Human Rights’ Council in March and what the TNA will resolve about the PSC when bilateral talks are concluded or continued without a substantive agreement but the President’s stance sets the platform for the stalemate to continue.