Sri Lanka is a country of two nations, like two sides of the same coin; Sinhala majority nation and the Tamil minorities, that have different ways of looking at or dealing with the same situation on political reforms needed for the country.
Sri Lanka, known as Ceylon, in 1948 gained independence without a bloody struggle. None then expected war in the paradise island, referred as the Pearl of Indian Ocean.
With various forms of discrimination continuing, led to more uprisings from minorities. Thereafter many riots occurred at regular intervals and finally civil-war broke loose. A war the island was not able to afford; yet the rulers managed to intensify at a heavy loss of human life and cost to the economy.
Fortunately, the geopolitical changes worked in favour of the aggressive rulers; and the civil-war was brought to finish in 2009. Thereafter with a decade long negative peace prevailing in the island, the rulers were unable to reunite the divided communities. It stalled the economic recovery and the ruins remained in the previous war zones for decades.
Unfortunately, majority community leaders discriminated the minority communities in the country. As the result country lost its paradise status and within a decade, saw the first ethnic riots in 1958. Today it is just a failed bankrupt country.
Earlier most Sri Lankans did attribute the age old Sri Lankan conflict to ethnic and religious divisions in the country. Whereas, in reality it is very clear the cause behind conflict; was the effect of Dynasty politics, that exploited the ethnic and religious divisions in the country.
Today the President has plans to include a Parliamentary governance committee with greater role for the Provincial Governors; with all MPs from Provinces governing their respective Provinces based on a common National Agenda, under the Chairmanship of the Governors. The plan is to strengthen the central administrative control of the entire Country totally ignoring the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
Whereas the Tamils want political reform to enable them to have political leadership and governance over their Provinces and the 13th Amendment to be implemented in full as a temporary measure until satisfactory constitutional reforms are made. They are looking at other nations to assist them to get needed political reforms.
In this scenario, with the President calling for growth and development of people, as the ruler of the whole country must first address the genuine grievances of the minorities. The ruled minorities should for their part think out of the box to resolve all their problems using all powers of the President, than look assistance from overseas!
Northern Breeze 