Sri Lanka Perspectives: January 2012

Col  R Hariharan

Highlights

President Mahinda Rajapaksa faced the uncomfortable consequences of his reported promise to the visiting India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM) SM Krishna to enforce the 13^th Amendment Plus on empowering provincial councils. In his subsequent interactions Rajapaksa denied it and said he would take action only after the issue is discussed by all political parties.  As the opposition Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said it was clear the President was trying to buy time rather than decisive action on this issue. If he really awaited opposition parties’ participation in the parliamentary select committee (PSC) constituted for this purpose the issue may never be resolved in the near future.  

The burden of heading 1.3 million-strong Army

Col R Hariharan

The Defence Minister took four months to reject the statutory complaint from his own Army chief.

Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju has aptly summed up the government’s largely self-created mess, after Army chief Gen V K Singh petitioned the Supreme Court to get his date of birth in the government records corrected: “It is an unfortunate development and it is not a healthy precedent either for the ministry or the armed forces…It is an unhealthy precedent. It does not augur well either for the ministry or the forces,” he said.

Sri Lanka: Making LLRC Report Meaningful

By Col R Hariharan

The Rajapaksa government should be happy with the report of the Commission of Inquiry on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation (LLRC) presented to the Sri Lankan parliament on December 16, 2011 as it has not pinpointed responsibility on anyone (other than political and systemic weaknesses and the LTTE) for the mess Sri Lanka finds itself after the Eelam War.

The report provides badly needed breathing space for the government, as the Commission has has done a fairly good job if one goes by the President’s mandate given to it. The well written report analyses in detail the reasons for past and present discontent of Tamils and has drawn the government attention to a number issues that had triggered Tamil insurgency.

Strategic power play in Myanmar

By Col R Hariharan

The US Secretary of State Ms Hilary Clinton’s recent visit to Myanmar, the first ever of its kind in the last five decades, is likely to be a turning point in the estranged relationship between the two countries. And that could bring the US-China power play closer home to Myanmar.

Myanmar President Thein Sein had been taking many positive steps to establish the government’s democratic credentials. And as Ms Clinton’s visit comes after a lot of preparatory work by US representatives, Myanmar had high expectations from the visit. From news reports after her visit, the chances of the two countries resuming normal relations in the near future appear to have become brighter.

Sri Lanka Perspectives: November 2011

By Col  R Hariharan

INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS

Internally, the month of November 2011 saw a politically turbulent period and the country’s economy was facing the heat from the international economic downturn. 

Acquiring of private enterprises

The hurried enactment of the bill “The Revival of Underperforming Enterprises and Underutilized Assets Bill” to take over 37 private enterprises, which the government said were not performing well, created strong reaction from most of the business houses and political parties. The bill had drawn widespread criticism from business, political circles and even Buddhist clergy. Even two partners of the ruling coalition the right wing Jatiya Hela Urumaiah (JHU) and the National Freedom Front (NFF) abstained from voting although the bill was passed with 122 votes in favour and 46 against. 

Combating terrorism: three years after 26/11

By Col. R. Hariharan 

How is India’s war on terror going on three years after 26-11 Mumbai attacks?  Like the proverbial curate’s eggs it is good in parts, while bad otherwise. 

But overall, it would be realistic to call it “limping.” In a nutshell, at the Central level the progress is somewhat better while at the state level it is uneven and tardy. At the operational level halting progress has been made in structural mechanisms and in force levels. Leadership drive and commitment to fight terrorism demonstrated in the U.S. after 9/11 attack is missing here. Even well-thought out plans continue to be hobbled by the deadweight of political priorities and considerations, rather than real time needs of counter terrorism.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh speaking at the annual conference of the State police chiefs and Inspectors-General of Police at New Delhi on September 15, 2011 gave an overview of the progress India has so far made in combating terror. He said, "The security environment in the country continues to be uncertain. The recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai and Delhi are grim reminders of the grave challenges posed by terrorism to our national security. Over the last one year, Left wing extremism has also claimed the lives of many innocent persons and police personnel." It is doubtful whether the situation has actually improved since he made the statement. 

Myanmar: Fast forward to democracy

By Col. R. Hariharan 

The decision of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) to register as a “legitimate” political party may well become a turning point in Myanmar’s history. The NLD under the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi had been at the vanguard of peoples struggle for democratic reforms during the last two and a half decades. The NLD applied for registration as a political party on November 23 as per the requirements of electoral laws. The 21 NLD signatories of the application included three founders of NLD – Aung San Suu Kyi, former General Tin Oo, and Win Tin. 

The NLD was de-recognized as a political party after it refused to re-register as a political party as required by the electoral laws for 2010 elections. It had boycotted the 2010 elections as it considered both the 2008 Constitution and the electoral laws unjust.