By L. Jayasooriya

There is an identity of opinion between Mr. Prasanna Ranathunge the Western Province Chief Minister and the Island Newspaper when they both say that the 13 th amendment was an act that was passed in parliament and therefore it has to be implemented. The Island editorial of 01/07/2009 says that the 13th amendment is very much part of the basic law of this country and Mr. Ranathunge says that except for a handful the whole country has endorsed this. How can the latter be sure of that? Let me quote the Asian Tribune on what the President has told the delegation of Wimal Weerawansa and Champika Ranawaka. The quotation says “He went on to tell them that the people of Sri Lanka had voted him to bring about a decent solution to the Tamil problem and that he had vowed to bring about an ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”acceptable’ and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”sustainable’ solution.” To the best of my knowledge the President had the full support of the Sinhalese except the traitors and the full support of the genuine Tamils in the North and in the East to finish off with the LTTE. Neither the Sinhalese nor the Tamils referred to above ever saw a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Tamil Problem’ except the LTTE Diaspora abroad and the English speaking Colombo Tamils that never joined Prabakaran to fight for the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Tamil Cause’.

The readership of the Island today is limited to the intellectual national patriots but if the Island newspaper is perceived to be pro-separatist then it will lose that readership and no Tamils will read it either. Readers of the Island must have noticed that its editor is the only patriot in this country who used to write good editorials until the end of last month and that was because he never permitted others to express their patriotic feelings. I who had unhindered access to the Island newspaper when Gamini Weerakone was the editor today cannot get anything published in the Island unless what I write promotes what the editor has already written about. The only place where I could get anything published is in the Asian Tribune. It is a pity that Asian Tribune has no print media.

Now please allow me to say what I have to say. One iota of devolution, I mean just one iota of it will institutionalize a difference between the various inhabitants of this country germinating the seeds of disunity.

Once that is institutionalized the natural tendency of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”those of the minority groups’ would be to accentuate the difference paving the way for the English educated upper class characterless men and women of the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”minorities’ to exploit the environment for the division of the country and Ponnambalam and Chelvanayagam will be re-born.

All this was forced on us by India through JR Jayawardene at a time when we could not defend ourselves against her aggression or even against JR Jayawardene. Today it is different. She won’t dare invade us again to impose her will. So why are we so afraid of India?

This 13th amendment is something that is very highly charged with emotion where the political stakes are at the highest and the harvest will be bountiful for those who will reap. Both the Island editorial and Western Province Chief Minister blame Champika Ranawake for not agreeing to the implementation of the so-called 13 th amendment as if these two have the sole right to decide what is good for the country.

The Island editorial says that the JHU among others are mere political creepers that need either the SLFP or the UNP to rise above ground but the facts are that the JHU campaigning within a period of around four weeks after the formation of the party won 11 seats a feat which no nation on earth has achieved before.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Champika Ranaswake was nowhere in the original leadership. He was I believe brought in by Ratana Thera at a later stage. Having come in, Champika Ranawake hijacked the JHU and chucked out Wijemuni who attempted to kill Gandhi the invader. Wijemuni risked his life in the process. Under Champika Ranawake the leadership of the JHU became so arrogant that everybody who supported the JHU has now dropped out. If the JHU were to come on their own now they will not get a single seat. That is not because of the Saffrons a term the Island editor uses to refer to the Buddhist monks. Contrary to what the Island Editorial says if the JHU were to contest with the UPFA under the banner of devolution then also there will be no votes for their candidates.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If the JHU could find a good leadership that is not arrogant and is prepared to implement the original agenda for which they were elected and the people have faith in the new leadership then I think they can come back on their own and even double what they originally had especially because of the talk of the 13 th amendment.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The 13th amendment is hated so much by the national patriots that the JVP will at least eat into the UPFA votes in two ways. One, by some people voting for the JVP and the other which will be more significant will be that the national patriots will not be voting at the election thus helping the UNP.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Whom are we going to please with this Hara Kiri when we fully well know that we have no friends in America and her allies with their two front men Solheim and Akashi?