India works on Lankan devolution package

The news (if true) is a gleam in the dark tunnel the SriLankan Tamils have been facing. The tunnel has been very long-It took 20 years to reach this point and still we do not know how far we have yet to travel before a just solution is reached. But we Tamils have by experience known many things like this in the past, it is rather difficult to take this at its face value. The basic perception we have is the Political-Clergy-Military axis can overwrite anything agreed. SLFP has its root in UNP. Both parties are founded on Sinhala-Budhist fundamentalism. They might differ in degrees depending on leadership as to how they treat the Tamils on a day-to-day basis but on substantial power sharing fundamentalism is bound to arise. Unless this mindset is gone, its by product, the Tamil militancy will not go. It is a last straw Tamils are left with. Tamils have done tap dancing with Political settlement even before we knew that Tamils could take to arms in this fashion. The only responses were to unleash Party thugs on Tamils while the security forces looked on. It is difficult to convey this anguish in words. In fact in 1983 security forces were part of the mob killing Tamils. Now, there were no Soul searching, repentant mood when all this happened. The fact that Government is seriously considering Power sharing is because war has proved to be unwinnable.

The Government could have done a lot- a lot- other than talking of "Devolution Packages" on its own accord to put human rights conditions right. The question now is that of security of the Tamils more than anything. When we think of the Army blackness envelopes our mind, reminding horror images like medival torture chambers and Gothic horrors. Is there a way the Army can be reconstitued so that it can reflect the multi racial and multi religous nature of the Country. This is the big question. The regiments are all named after past Sinhala kings who captured Tamils or Sinhala hearaldic icons. This indicates the original intentions of the Army. Can you check from your correspondents as to the role of Army in maintaining the Sinhala-Budhist power structure for the past 40 years?

I am glad India is keen to give substantial Power sharing but the reason should be not because of Tamil Nadu. Next Election might see a Union government not dependent on Tamil Nadu, then where do we stand. A principled stand is more preferable to even an enthusiastic transient support. The establishment should have a moral and pragmatic stand. Irrespective of an belief that this is the last and final push to get out of the ruckus, We Tamils intutively know that there will be many more. One Government gives another takes it all back.

C.K.BHARATHY, New Zealand