DON’T LOOK AT LANKA THROUGH TAMIL PRISM: RANAWAKA
That India is a guarantor of the northern Tamil people’s rights should now be a thing of the past
India should see Sri Lanka as a whole and stop focussing just on the island’s Tamil-majority Northern Province, Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said in an interview to The Hindu on Monday.
The Power and Energy Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pragmatic approach to Sri Lanka could enhance trade, technological and political partnerships, paving the way for a “win-win situation” for the neighbouring countries.
“That India is a guarantor of the northern Tamil people’s rights should now be a thing of the past,” he said in an apparent reference to India’s push for devolution of powers in Sri Lanka as per the 13th Amendment, consequent to the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987.
“The Sri Lankan Tamils have to cooperate with the existing government to settle their problems without dragging India into it,” said the Minister, a prominent politician in the Sinhala-nationalist Jathika Hela Urumaya (National Heritage Party), led largely by Buddhist monks. The party was a key member in former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s coalition, before several members crossed over to the joint opposition platform ahead of Sri Lanka’s January 8 presidential polls, backing President Maithripala Sirisena.
Observing that India’s perspective on Sri Lanka needed to change, he said: “It [Sri Lanka] is not part of India or Indian culture, we have created a unique, organic culture here.” India’s “support” to the LTTE had caused a “big disappointment” in the psyche of the Sinhalese people, but India could change that by engaging through music, cinema, fashion and cricket. “There are various common factors enjoyed by both countries other than Hinduism and Buddhism,” he said.
Commenting on major infrastructure projects funded by foreign nations, Mr. Ranawaka said Sri Lanka ought to have had technical audits before clearing them, pointing to Sri Lanka’s Northern Railway Line Project that was restored with Indian assistance as an example . “The line constructed by India cost four times more than the benchmark costs,” he said, adding that similar infrastructure projects funded by China should also have been subjected to greater scrutiny.
On Sri Lanka’s perceived tilt towards China, the Minister said the “mistrust” under the Rajapaksa government could nowbeburiedandIndiaandSriLankanow had a good opportunity to engage as equal partners. “We have to accept that China is going to be the next economic super power. India cannot tell Sri Lanka what its China policy should be. Unfortunately Sri Lanka was a bit trapped between the undeclared cold war between the US and China.”
On the ongoing power plant project in the island’s Eastern Province — India’s NTPC is a partner in the joint venture set up for building the coal-powered plant — the Minister said the Environment ImpactAssessment report was ready and was currently being presented for public opinion.
Sri Lanka and India are also discussing possible collaboration in the areas of power sharing and energy while also revisiting the undersea power transmission project. “Both countries have agreed to a feasibility study to be done on it,” he said.
(THE HINDU)