Politics: The art of the impossible?

Politics, they say is the art of the possible. But the government led by President Chandrika Kumaratunga, it appears, believes in the converse: Politics is the art of the impossible.

President Kumaratunga has been quite explicit in her view that the top most priority of her government is to have the 'Devolution Package' implemented to end the current North-East conflict and restore peace. For the devolution proposals to be enacted as constitutional amendments, she needs the support of the United National Party to get the required two third vote of parliament. The government, it appears, thinks that this objective could be achieved by thrashing the daylights out of the UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe and his party! The barrage of propaganda that has been let loose in the state media, in technicolor headlines - in once staid, dignified and respected journals - gives the public the impression that the government and its propagandists have the stupid notion that a political party which commands 94 seats in parliament to PA's 104, can be bludgeoned into submission.

This is certainly not the way in which consensus is achieved on vital national issues in parliamentary democracies. This attitude itself indicates the political immaturity of government leaders - not one cabinet minister or even the president herself having held the rank of cabinet minister before. Relative political inexperience itself should not be a factor that contributes to immature politics, the present Labour Government of Tony Blair too having a preponderance of political neophytes in its ranks.

We hold no brief for UNP leader Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe but we say it is plain stupidity to call him the 'biggest political fraud of century' in technicolour headlines and expect political support for the government's foremost political priority. This vituperation has been interpreted by some political analysts as a ploy of the government to stall its own Devolution Package because of its unpopularity and hold the UNP responsible for it. There is also the view that these are signs of the PA kicking off its election campaign.

The harsh rhetoric of the government and by some UNP speakers have created an environment where consensus politics is impossible. To invite the UNP along with the business community to discuss devolution proposals in the prevailing atmosphere is like setting the house on fire and inviting guests to dinner. The need for bi-partisan politics in Sri Lanka to overcome vital national issues has been stressed by The Island for long years. This need has been recognised by friends of Sri Lanka and the initiative of the former British Government which resulted in the so called Liam Fox Agreement is one such example. Under this agreement both President Kumaratunga and Mr. Wickremasinghe agreed that on vital national issues the government would consult the leader of the opposition and these consultations would be kept confidential.

If that agreement was adhered to, it would have doused the political fires and created a congenial atmosphere for consensus politics. But that was not to be. The agreement it appears did not take off the ground. We do not know who was responsible for its still birth but soon after, the president and the UNP leader were locking horns.

In our front page today, it is reported that the UNP has refused to nominate representatives to negotiate with business leaders and government representatives on the subject of devolution and instead said that the government should first implement the Liam Fox Agreement. Considering the heavy artillery being fired across the barricades, it appears that the Fox Agreement is as dead as a Dodo.

But the initiative launched by the Sri Lanka business community could be used for the very same objectives of the Fox Initiative. But before that a congenial political atmosphere must be created and the extremely antagonistic attitudes that prevail today should end.

The government should also realise that their manthram to exorcise all the evil forces in this island - the devolution package - is very strongly opposed by very large and influential sections of the Sinhalese community. The Mahanayakes - despite the government munificence of gifting Mercedes saloons - are opposed to most of the devolution proposals. Besides some of the vital issues such as the unit of devolution have not even been agreed upon by the government and Tamil parties. The UNP is committed to devolution but not all the proposals of the Package.

Thus, if the PA wants a peaceful resolution of the issue through negotiations and it does need UNP support, then the first step should be to lower the tone of the 'lunu ambul' rhetoric.