UNP veto
AS was widely predicted, the opposition United National Party (UNP) has formally rejected the ruling People’s Alliance (PA) devolution package as threatening the territorial integrity of the country in a meeting with five Tamil parties on 3 July. UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe has ruled out further discussions with President Chandrika but UNP will continue to attend the Parliamentary Select Committee framing the proposals. The rejection ends a year-long cat-and-mouse game as the opposition watched Sinhala hard-line opposition to a federal solution gather momentum after the government released draft proposals in August 1995. But Tamil MPs say President Chandrika’s confrontational style of politics has alienated UNP support, essential for the required two-thirds majority in Parliament. Veteran Prime Minister Srimavo Bandaranaike issued a personal appeal for popular support for the package, stressing the government would never allow any division of the country. The Tamil parties in turn, called for a new PA-UNP consensus and urged the government to remain firm on current devolution plans. Justice minister GL Peiris wants Tamil intellectuals to go to Jaffna and sell the government’s proposals to the people but there are no takers. New plans to send 10,000 volunteers from the government’s Samurdhi development movement to rebuild Jaffna and beat the Tiger threat have angered Tamil politicians. Disillusion is growing in the government’s fragile ruling coalition and Tamil parties such as PLOTE and EPDP are openly threatening to withdraw support. The Sri Lankan Muslim Congress (SLMC) a conspicuous government ally wants the Tamil parties to drop the demand for a merged North-East to facilitate two regional councils and prevent the east’s 30% Tamil-speaking Muslim population being outvoted by Jaffna in any regional administration. But the ballot box has never seemed so far away.
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