Prophesies on Sri Lanka’s Global Vulnerability: a Critique
by G. H. Peiris-June 13, 2013
Since Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka has found it necessary to preface his ‘Devolution and Sri Lanka’s Global Vulnerability: A Response to Prof. GH Peiris’ (The Island, 6 June) with a statement of the "fundamentals" of his stand in relation to province-based devolution, it would not be inappropriate for me to spell out the essence of my perceptions on this issue. I believe that any constitutional provision which conforms to or perpetuate the ‘Two Nation Theory’ and the idea of the northern and eastern parts of the island constituting an ‘exclusive traditional Tamil homeland’ is detrimental to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation-state of Sri Lanka. There are several corollaries to this belief. For instance, I subscribe to the view that the whole of Sri Lanka is the traditional homeland of all ethnic groups that constitute its population (a basic truth which appears to be acceptable to more than 50% of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka). I reject the oft repeated fallacy that a constitutional arrangement facilitating autonomy in respect of a range of powers and functions of government to the Northern Province would make a contribution to inter-ethnic "confidence building" (a hackneyed phrase of the reminiscent of the ‘peace talks era’ ten years ago, but still popular among our amateur social psychologists) and maintain that it would, on the contrary, jeopardise the tangible post-war advances in Sri Lanka’s efforts at ethnic reconciliation. It is also my conviction that a semi-autonomous Northern Province, while not satisfying the demands of political groups that adhere to the ‘Eelam ideology’, will increase Sri Lanka’s vulnerability to coercive external intervention.
