After the first positive meeting of the leading stalwarts of the UNP and SLFP on Friday (September 15, 2006) the growing public expectation is that both parties will form a common front to face the national crisis. If both parties join hands it would lead to the formation of the biggest national force the nation has ever seen since independence.
This combination would inject a boost to the flagging spirit of the nation and the economy. Above all, it has the potential to stand up to the world which has been exploiting the divisions to dictate terms to the nation. No power on earth could either manipulate or twist the arm of the nation as long as the major parties stick together. Sri Lanka could taste once again the power of being independent, free from the pressures and shackles of external forces.
Ranil Wickremesinghe's response to the invitation extended by President Mahinda Rajapakse is highly commendable. All indications are that this is not a feint. It seems more like the return of the prodigal son to the roots he abandoned. There is also a groundswell within the rank and file of the party to join in the national effort to meet the challenges ahead.
Leaving aside partisan politics to serve the common good the nation has been a recommendation advanced by all and sundry and observed by none - at least not until now. If the representatives of the two parties meeting during this month can lay down the ground rules for a shared partnership they would have rendered themselves and the nation a service that will go down as a monumental landmark in the history of the nation.
It will be respected, revered and remembered as the shining moment of this generation by the living as well as the future beneficiaries in the years to come. It will be a unique experiment in the political life of Sri Lanka that is noted more for divisions than unity.
But the effervescent cordiality that prevailed during the talks promises a new beginning. It is heart-warming to note a die-hard UNPer like Rajitha Senaratne saying: "We have to shed our political differences in the greater interest of the country. The country has been ruined today due to war and economic reasons." True, it were better if this was said earlier. But, as they say, it is better late than never.
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake who led the SLFP thanked the UNP for its prompt response and added that the government wished to explore avenues for achieving consensus between parties. He emphasized that all options were open and that it was not the intention of the government to confine the proposed collaboration to any particular area.
These are encouraging signs. The meeting itself raises new hopes amidst the doom and the gloom. The commitment of both parties explore the possibilities of arriving at a consensus promises a new light at the end of the tunnel. The hopes, aspirations and the future of all communities depend on consensual politics. All parties, of course, must meet and talk to plot the map of consensual politics.
The talks that began are progressing satisfactorily. The optimism expressed inspires hope. They are to meet on Tuesday again and on October 3. A joint sub committee comprising Ministers Maithripala Sirisena and John Seneviratne, UNP frontliner G.L. Peiris and former UNP Chairman Malik Samarawickrama will meet to identify topics to be discussed at the next rounds of talks.
"Once an agreement was reached on the policies to be implemented in respect of the fields identified, the delegations would proceed to deliberate on the modalities appropriate for the co-operation between the parties with a view to implementation of the policies agreed upon," the joint statement said.
Despite the broad promising signs there are bound to be difficulties ahead. Both parties seem to be aware of this and there seems to be a willingness to overcome these difficulties and differences. Having come this far it will be a downright shame - nay disaster! -- if both parties do not take the next logical steps on the road to peace, unity and total recovery of everything that was lost in the wasted years.
- Asian Tribune –
This combination would inject a boost to the flagging spirit of the nation and the economy. Above all, it has the potential to stand up to the world which has been exploiting the divisions to dictate terms to the nation. No power on earth could either manipulate or twist the arm of the nation as long as the major parties stick together. Sri Lanka could taste once again the power of being independent, free from the pressures and shackles of external forces.
Ranil Wickremesinghe's response to the invitation extended by President Mahinda Rajapakse is highly commendable. All indications are that this is not a feint. It seems more like the return of the prodigal son to the roots he abandoned. There is also a groundswell within the rank and file of the party to join in the national effort to meet the challenges ahead.
Leaving aside partisan politics to serve the common good the nation has been a recommendation advanced by all and sundry and observed by none - at least not until now. If the representatives of the two parties meeting during this month can lay down the ground rules for a shared partnership they would have rendered themselves and the nation a service that will go down as a monumental landmark in the history of the nation.
It will be respected, revered and remembered as the shining moment of this generation by the living as well as the future beneficiaries in the years to come. It will be a unique experiment in the political life of Sri Lanka that is noted more for divisions than unity.
But the effervescent cordiality that prevailed during the talks promises a new beginning. It is heart-warming to note a die-hard UNPer like Rajitha Senaratne saying: "We have to shed our political differences in the greater interest of the country. The country has been ruined today due to war and economic reasons." True, it were better if this was said earlier. But, as they say, it is better late than never.
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake who led the SLFP thanked the UNP for its prompt response and added that the government wished to explore avenues for achieving consensus between parties. He emphasized that all options were open and that it was not the intention of the government to confine the proposed collaboration to any particular area.
These are encouraging signs. The meeting itself raises new hopes amidst the doom and the gloom. The commitment of both parties explore the possibilities of arriving at a consensus promises a new light at the end of the tunnel. The hopes, aspirations and the future of all communities depend on consensual politics. All parties, of course, must meet and talk to plot the map of consensual politics.
The talks that began are progressing satisfactorily. The optimism expressed inspires hope. They are to meet on Tuesday again and on October 3. A joint sub committee comprising Ministers Maithripala Sirisena and John Seneviratne, UNP frontliner G.L. Peiris and former UNP Chairman Malik Samarawickrama will meet to identify topics to be discussed at the next rounds of talks.
"Once an agreement was reached on the policies to be implemented in respect of the fields identified, the delegations would proceed to deliberate on the modalities appropriate for the co-operation between the parties with a view to implementation of the policies agreed upon," the joint statement said.
Despite the broad promising signs there are bound to be difficulties ahead. Both parties seem to be aware of this and there seems to be a willingness to overcome these difficulties and differences. Having come this far it will be a downright shame - nay disaster! -- if both parties do not take the next logical steps on the road to peace, unity and total recovery of everything that was lost in the wasted years.
- Asian Tribune –
