By Walter Jayawardhana

President Mahinda Rajapaksa told the New York Times that he was given a mandate by the people to defeat terrorism and this time he wants to go to the people to receive a mandate to give a political solution to the problem .

He said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I was given a mandate to defeat terrorism; I have defeated them. Now I must go and tell them now I want a mandate to settle this problem forever, a political solution.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

Writing optimistically about the Presidential hopes about receiving a mandate the New York Times said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Mr. Rajapaksa is all but certain to win a second term. The opposition is fragmented.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

Rajapaksa is ready to devolve power in Sri Lanka but, according to what he told the New York Times , he is not ready to establish a federal system of government against which the the countryƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s majority is so opposed. He told the newspaper, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Federalism is out of the question,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ he said. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-It must be a homegrown solution.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

The New York Times said, India has been pressing Sri Lanka to move quickly to resettle the Tamil civilians displaced by the war and reach a deal to share central power with the countryƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s minorities. Mr. Rajapaksa has pledged to get most of the displaced, who are living in closed, military-run camps in the north, back to their homes within six months.

Mr. Rajapaksa said he had taken a number of steps aimed at forging a sense of national unity and bringing minorities more fully into the fold.

The government is offering a one-time payment of about $250 to any civil servant who learns another Sri Lankan language, part of an effort to start requiring that officials and bureaucrats speak Tamil as well as Sinhala. The president said he was also seeking ways to recruit more Tamils into the Sri Lankan military and the police force, the newspaper further reported.

Commenting on some of President RajapaksaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s fan belief that he is King DutugemunuƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s re-incarnation, who thousands of years ago defeated South Indian foreign invaders, the New York Times said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Riding high on his big victory, Mr. Rajapaksa said he needed only one verdict on his leadership: that of the Sri Lankan people.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I am not fool enough to call myself a king,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ he said with a laugh. Churchill, he mused, was thrown out of office after victory in World War II.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-If anyone doesnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t want me, I must not be the president of this country,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ he said. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-It is democracy.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚