by Jayanath C Rajepakse
An interview with Foreign Minister Kadirgamar by Nirupama Subramaniam of The Hindu excerpted in the Daily News of 22 November contains a passage which exemplifies some of the imprecision and simplism which has marked the 'peace' debate here. Ms Subramanism asked whether the government could handle the opposition to Norwegian facilitated talks with the LTTE from hardliners (sic) among Sinhala Buddhists, if talks ever came about. The Minister responds that:

— opposition by the JVP, Sihala Urumaya and such like amounts to little, as the elections showed,

— to the extent that all of us are saying that the war has to go on as long as the LTTE is fighting for separate state, we are all on one side, the JVP, the SU, the Government", and

— "those who say there can be an instant military solution are completely mistaken".

The Minister seems to assume that all Sinhalese voting for the PA/UNP are ipso facto supportive of the devolution package, interim Council and all. He does not seem to allow, as for instance Sirisena Cooray does, that such voters may have gone for the PA/UNP in preference to smaller parties simply because they hoped that a prospective new government might look to their social and civic needs.

Critics of the so-called peace porcess do not call for war per se. They criticise the president's fraudulent and inept conduct of the war, and the inconsistency and insincerity of her search for peace through the political resolution of the prevailing problem. Nobody calls for war in anticipation of an instant military solution. There is a call for coherent, decisive and effective military action against LTTE terrorism, as a prerequisite for political resolution of the problem.

There is a two-fold danger in such simplism and dissembling. It is with those who indulge in it that the likes of Peter Hain and Rick Inderfurth interlocute — no wonder the external community stands reinforced in its resolve to enforce upon us a devolution package which they believe is opposed only by a chauvinist fringe.

At Presidential and General elections, PA and UNP had divergent interests. When push comes to shove on devolution, at a referendum, Chandrika-Ranil interests will converge. So, the tested and proven PA capacity for armed daylight electoral robbery will this time not even face a whimpering UNP protestation. So, the Sinhalese voter who stands opposed to the package will be absolutely on his own. He/she had better start concentrating his/her mind on that prospect from now.