Political opportunism and Premier Modi's visit

By the time this editorial is published, Indian Premier Modi will have left our shores. During then Premier Modi signed a number of MoUs with our government led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake; the most important among them being the Defence and Co-operation Pact.

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President Dissanayake himself assured Modi that Sri Lanka would not allow its territory to be used in ways that could harm India's security.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) on defence co-operation between our two countries came nearly 38-years after the contentious Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord of 29 July 1987 was signed between Indian President Jayewardene and Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The terms of this agreement were withheld from even the Cabinet of Ministers.

At that time, the then JVP of which our current president was and continues to be part of, considered India's intentions is being expansionist and led an armed insurrection against Jayewardene's regime, which they claimed sold the interests of the country.

Today the main parliamentary party in the opposition, charges, the present MoU's lack transparency, and were signed without informing parliament or even the Cabinet itself. However, no public demonstrations against the MoUs took place. Though the Frontline Socialist Party and a few motley groups threatened to carry out protests in Colombo, they fell in line with a Court Order. No untoward incidents followed.