“Above all, it has to\ntake action to ensure that the current administration and future governments\nwill not be able to enter into agreements with foreigners at the expense of the\nnational interest. New laws are needed to make it mandatory for vital\nagreements to be presented Parliament before being inked. Better late than\nnever!”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A top US official is reported to have said\nthat the US expects future governments of Sri Lanka to honour the agreements\nthe current administration has entered with it. This, we reckon, is a warning\nor even a veiled threat, couched in diplomatese, to those who have taken\nexception to the heavily lop-sided agreements\u2014the ACSA (Acquisition and Cross\nServicing Agreement) and SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement), which is to be\nsigned. The US has told its critics, in no uncertain terms, that they had\nbetter stop entertaining the idea of abrogating these pacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sri Lankan politicians are notorious for\nselling their souls to the devil. They are only concerned about short-term\npolitical gains or pecuniary benefits. They would not scruple even to cheat\ntheir own mothers if there is money in it for them. They don\u2019t give a tinker\u2019s\ncuss about selling state assets to foreigners or entering into agreements which\nare unfavourable to this country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leaders of the previous dispensation, driven\nby their yen for yuan, gave the Chinese free rein while wrapping themselves in\nthe flag; they antagonized other world powers, which are currently getting what\nthey want by helping the yahapalana leaders stay in power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n China got the army headquarters land and permission\nfrom the Rajapaksa government to reclaim land from the sea for the Port City\nproject. The yahapalana politicians who opposed those questionable deals and\ncame to power, pledging to liberate the country from the clutches of the\nChinese, gave China the Hambantota Port on a platter. Now, they have handed\nover 49% of shares of the Colombo Port East Container Terminal to India and\nJapan, backed by the US. The agreements they have signed with the US are\ndetrimental to the interests of this country, which won\u2019t ever be able to\nextricate itself from what may be termed pact traps which are as dangerous as\ndebt traps, which the US accuses China of having laid for the developing world\nto further its geo-strategic interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The government is only the controlling\napparatus of the state, and those who are in power temporarily have no right to\ncommit the country to harmful pacts at their whims and fancies. All foreign\nagreements must be properly studied and presented to Parliament before\ndecisions thereon are taken. Else, at this rate, the unscrupulous politicians\nwe are burdened with will sell this country outright to foreign powers for a\nsong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n President Sirisena revealed, following his\nabortive bid to dislodge the incumbent government, last year, that the envoys of\nsome powerful nations had overstepped their diplomatic limits to make\ninterventions on behalf of the beleaguered UNF politicians, who made a comeback\nwith their help. It may be argued that the controversial agreements at issue\nrepresent a quid pro quo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of the problems besetting the country\nanent questionable agreements with the world powers boil down to the bungling\non the part of successive governments which have either antagonised world\npowers or got too close to them, unnecessarily. No government has cared to get\nits foreign policy right for the last several decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The problem is not that the US is doing what\nis good for it. All countries always do so save this land like no other, and\nthe US cannot be faulted for that. The problem is that Sri Lankan leaders are\nalso doing what is good for the US\u2014for obvious reasons!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Opposition, especially the SLPP, has\nrightly condemned the controversial pacts the incumbent administration has\nsigned with the US, Japan and India. But mere rhetoric won\u2019t do. The Opposition\nhas to assess the situation realistically and work out a strategy to help the\ncountry manoeuvre out of this difficult situation without getting hurt. Above\nall, it has to take action to ensure that the current administration and future\ngovernments will not be able to enter into agreements with foreigners at the\nexpense of the national interest. New laws are needed to make it mandatory for\nvital agreements to be presented Parliament before being inked. Better late\nthan never!<\/p>\n\n\n\n