The pressure is now on for a political solution. This process will take time and cannot be rushed. The extreme positions of the various parties are at this moment irreconcilable. Any decision taken now in haste will be a knee jerk reaction and a response to external pressures. The Government is conscious that the geo-political significance of the country has always been of great interest to global strategists and will continue to be so. India itself is aware of this factor. Sri Lanka has to strengthen itself to prevent a situation where it will have to cave in, resulting in its dismemberment. If that happens, even India will not be able to save Sri Lanka as was the case with Kosovo, when Russia had to accept it being separated from Serbia.

Handling the Political Solution after the war, has to take the security angle and the question of political stability into consideration. The subject of security will be closely tied to the decision of the unit of devolution and its powers. The District as the unit will ensure the integrity of the country. It is also the most rational administrative unit for good governance. However, the argument on the 13th Amendment, the Unit being a Province or a District will be a long drawn out one if agreement for a durable solution can be reached in the foreseeable future. However, Post war, we have to work swiftly towards a development plan which ensures good governance and gets the support of the people. It has to be a fast track to bring relief and reconstruction particularly to the war affected areas. Here the Gramarajya concept as a system is one this article will examine.

On the 28th of January 2009, The Island carried an article by Thomas Johnpulle under the title "People have found a solution to Sri Lanka’s problem: Adopt it!" Here are two quotes from him.

The first reads "Harping on a political solution to the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka has become a favourite pastime of many. According to them there is an unspecified political solution to the ethnic problem. It is easy to blame politicians for not coming up with a political solution but it is more complex than meets the eye. In fact, many political solutions were attempted, but, all failed to solve the problem. The 13th Amendment proved to be a very costly experiment. It paved the way for eight Provincial Councils which turned out to be a heavy burden on the public. However, nothing happened; nothing changed…."

The second is as follows: "Had they (the Tamil people) waited till politicians found a solution to their problems, they would have died by now! Not only did they run to the solution, they became an integral part of the solution! Unfortunate events of 1983 didn’t repeat thereafter thanks to the multiethnic community that flourished in the South…. Unfortunately, the North was cursed with tribalism and ethnic isolation which further bred intolerance. If the Southern model is introduced to the North, it will be as peaceful as the South. Of course it will not solve the terrorist element which has to be addressed militarily."

The proof of Johnpulle’s thesis is that there are more Tamils living and working in the districts out of those in the North or the East without any communal violence. That is a fact. The perceived grievances and the embarrassments of being subjected to checking by the forces because of the war are another matter.

The lesson of the war

The lesson from the war shared by all communities is that we have to work out a way to live together. The war has also taught us that the luxury of illusions and delusions that this country is essentially Sinhala Buddhist, that there are areas which are Tamil homelands or that the Christians and Catholics and the English speaking elite have a premium because of educational advantages or that the Muslims need autonomous enclaves have evaporated. In this case, the people seem to be well ahead of their politicians.

Complementarities

Working and living in harmony means complementing each other. This leads us to the subject of ethnic and social complementarities. Its definition means that every group helps the other. This interaction is taking place in the City of Colombo where the Mayors of the City have been from all three communities. The different ethnicities keep adding richness to our society and the festivals of the different religions are celebrated by all. This is an exercise in the philosophy of complementarities which has to be nurtured.

Theoretically, Sri Lanka cannot fail

Sri Lanka has innumerable assets. It has the experience of the last six decades of Independence which has bestowed it a maturity. Sri Lanka has had universal adult franchise since 1931. There is no abject poverty. It has a vibrant democracy with Governments being changed at elections seven times in the last sixty years. The judiciary is Independent. Press and media freedom is practiced.

Sadly, several unfortunate incidents have taken place where assassinations, violence and harassment have occurred. However, there is much greater diversity of opinion practiced in Sri Lanka than in several other stable countries like Singapore.

On social development, Education has been free since 1944. Literacy is high in the three national languages. Healthcare is free. The writ of the Government is now over the entire country.

Despite all the aforesaid when compared with countries elsewhere, Sri Lanka has not made the progress in keeping with its potential. Could it be due to lack of political will and vision or because of the fault lines in our basic political structure where the people have not been entrusted with responsibility.

Taking government to the people

The Grama Rajya is a structure of taking government to the people. It is a state organ that is closest to the people. People’s wisdom and participation gets maximum recognition in such a format.

The boundaries for the Grama Sevaka Division are already in place and can become the demarcation of the Gramarajya. No one can object to villages being empowered. Available funds, such as direct government grants and aid, can be fenced and equitably applied to each individual Gramarajya by the Government. As a kick start give every Gramarajya is given a million rupees with an undertaking from the State to increase the allocation by a million after evaluating performance. Let us then see what happens.

The summation of proposals from the Gramarajyas will become the tenet for government policies and even the necessary pressures for power sharing at the Centre will emerge through this method.

A working Gramarajya

What are the essentials for it to work? This will include the functional mechanism, the defined areas of responsibility, the problem of finance and the linkages with the other instruments of government.

The Functional mechanism will minimize politicization and corruption. It must also promote self-reliance and leadership rather than promoting party politics which leads to divisiveness in society. The Gramarajya formulates the village plan after consultation with the people.

With reference to the defined areas of responsibilities a study of the 29 functions assigned to the Panchayatirajya under the 72nd and 73rd Amendment of the Indian Constitution is a good guideline.

However, a few of the relevant defined areas of responsibility for the Gramarajya are set out here:

1. Land improvement and Agriculture; Water and Electrification

The Gramrajya cannot work in isolation. A continuous dialogue with the District Councils and the members of Parliament has to be maintained so that the proposals of the Gramarajya are embedded in government policy. There are 14,400 Gramasevaka divisions in the country. These can be made viable centres of government and workable solely with local effort and input