Peace talks between the PA and the UNP

Nominations for the North Western Provincial Council election had closed amidst sporadic violence according to our main news item yesterday. And it is feared that the election campaign will be marred by blood shed in the next few weeks. The other day it was reported that there were as many as one thousand guns that had been issued to politicians and others during the second JVP comeback were missing in the NWP. The two main parties in the fray Ð and the JVP too Ð have in their fold many trigger happy elements, who must now be champing at the bit to satiate their blood thirst.

The recent political history of this country has been characterised by pre and post election violence resulting from a deep seated animosity among party activists in a polity divided along petty political lines. To seek politics sans violence is perhaps to be too idealistic. In the so-called good old days too, elections were not without violence. But institutionalisation of violence and the use of intimidation of opponents as a means of winning elections is of relatively recent origin. And the blame for allowing these satanic elements to enter the centre stage of politics has to be apportioned equally to the two main parties.

Both parties are nestling criminals of all sorts to their bosoms and are dependent on them for both gaining and retaining power. It is natural that when this happens these criminals become the power behind the throne after every election. Therefore there are no underdogs in Sri Lankan politics so far as electoral violence is concerned. The same applies to the JVP, which has so far made two abortive attempts to rule the country by the gun and is commemorating dead criminal cadres without any compunction. On the other hand, but for its second suicidal insurrection, which paralysed the country, the question of one thousand guns missing would not have arisen at all.

It is in this context that what is happening in the NWP at present has to be discussed. As regards the election campaign there the curtain raiser was an incident of shooting and arson. The forthcoming election is of crucial importance to both the government and the Opposition. It will be a trend setter. That the government and the UNP look upon the election as something they cannot afford to lose in an election year is very likely to lead to a ruthless contest where an all out attempt will be made by both parties to bag the council by whatever means.

Are we to consider this a karmic force at work and allow it to take its due course at the expense of the social well being and democracy? No! Time has come for us to cry halt to the use of violence as a means of winning elections or suppressing political opponents. The cycle of violence must be broken and the sooner it is done the better for the country.

Now that there is much talk about the need to negotiate with the LTTE, it would be a good idea for those who are trying to bring the LTTE and the government together at the negotiating table once again, to put their peace plans on the back burner for a while and make a concerted effort to pressurise the PA and the UNP to make peace in the NWP. In talks between the government and the UNP there are hardly any non-negotiables like the unitary character of the state, a merger and instead of a facilitator there can be a mediator. Since the business community too has taken a keen interest in a negotiated settlement of the north and east conflict, the NWP election affords them an excellent opportunity to reconcile the two warring parties as the first step towards bring about consensus between the two, a sine qua non for resolving the north and east crisis. All peace alliances, individual peace oriented NGOs and all others who have gone all out to make the government talk to the LTTE, can contribute to this worthy cause.