WHAT SRI LANKA CAN LEARN FROM INDIA

Federalism would not lead to disintegration of existing states. It would pave the way for the establishment of a state where multiple identities can coexist harmoniously

- V SURYANARAYAN

IN an earlier article, I pointed out a significant omission in the report that Sri Lankan envoy to India Milinda Moragoda had prepared for improving bilateral relations (Sep 20). There was no mention of how Sri Lanka proposes to solve the problem of nation building. It implied that it was entirely an internal problem and India had absolutely no role.

Moragoda’s sphinx-like silence on nation building has been criticised by perceptive Sri Lanka watchers across the world, including India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla who visited Colombo this month. Ambassador Moragoda had to revise his views and in an interaction with the media, declared that India and Sri Lanka “can learn a lot from each other”. Is it a genuine change of heart? Or will Colombo once again go back on the assurances it had solemnly given several times that it would not only implement the 13th Amendment but also go beyond it.

One significant contribution made by India needs to be highlighted. In the Mannar Convention in July 1983, the Tamil United Liberation Front resolved that it would not enter into any negotiations with Colombo and the only solution to the ethnic problem was the carving out of a separate state. After the genocidal attack on the Tamils in July 1983, the TULF participated in the All Party Conference— thanks to Indian diplomacy—to discuss Annexure C that provided only for strengthening of the District Development Councils. It was silent on the issue of the merger of the north and east.