SLPP Chairman pushes for consensus with Tamil community

GL turns bridge builder between North and South 

‘We must not be captured and dominated by the past’

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Education Minister and Chairman of the ruling SLPP Prof. G.L. Peiris declared in Jaffna that they shouldn’t allow the past to prevent a consensus among the communities for the benefit of all.

Prof. Peiris stressed the need to remove artificial barriers that separated communities. The Minister discussed how the ongoing new constitution-making process spearheaded by a nine-member committee chaired by Romesh de Silva, PC was proceeding.

The Minister said that the TNA had submitted far-reaching proposals to the Committee and the SLMC had been asked to furnish its suggestions. The SLPP, too, would soon be making representations, the minister said, underscoring the need for political parties to work on areas they could agree on without being trapped in problems.

The Minister, while acknowledging the need to be mindful of the past, emphasized the importance in not allowing the past to dominate the present. Prof. Peiris recalled how he sat for direct negotiations

with LTTE representatives-Anton Balasingham and Tamilchelvam  few years after the same people tried to assassinate the then President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. Prof. Peiris said that he too received injuries and some shrapnel still remained in his body. The Education Minister said that he did not bear any grudge against anyone responsible for the suicide attack that almost claimed his life.

The minister was referring to Dec 1999 attack on the final PA rally in Colombo.

The minister said so in speeches delivered at the Jaffna College, Vaddukoddai and Uduvil Girls College where one-time External Affairs Minister explained measures taken by the incumbent government to strengthen education and agriculture sectors. Prof. Peiris said that the government considered both sectors priority and was determined to help the community.

In his address at the Jaffna College, Prof. Peiris underscored the pivotal importance in interaction between Tamil and Sinhala speaking people at different levels, particularly the students as part of the reconciliation process. Referring to the Norway arranged Ceasefire (CFA) during Ranil Wickremesinghe’s tenure as the Prime Minister, Prof. Peiris shared a little bit of his experience as the Chief government negotiator at the talks with the LTTE.

Prof. Peiris said that the negotiations and related activities had been structured in such a way there were many exchanges of students between the Northern Province and the rest of the country. Such exchanges helped improve relations between the two communities, Prof. Peiris said, recalling the time Tamil and Sinhala students engaged in debates.

Education Minister Peiris over the last weekend assured the Tamil community that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s government would do everything possible to boost the education opportunities in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

 The Education Minister’s visit (Feb 5-8) took place amidst large scale protest campaign in the Northern and Eastern Provinces organized by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) led political groups and the Muslim community demanding justice for those who had been missing as a result of the conflict, release of land occupied by the military, immediate halt to excavations et al.

Prof. Peiris said that the negotiations and related activities had been structured in such a way there were many exchanges of students between the Northern Province and rest of the country. Such exchanges helped improve relations between the two communities, Prof. Peiris said, recalling the time Tamil and Sinhala students engaged in debates.

At the onset, Prof. Peiris paid a glowing tribute to the Jaffna College for the role it had played over nearly 200 years in the education sector even during the turmoil in the North. Prof. Peiris also discussed the responsibility on the part of the government to ensure all possible assistance to the North though there were difficulties.

Prof. Peiris, who is also the Chairman of the ruling SLPP said that the recent setting up of a Research and Training Complex at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jaffna would be a tremendous boost not only to the Northern and Eastern regions, but to the whole country. Appreciating the role played by Japanese Ambassador in Colombo Akira Sugiyama in the fruition of the Rs 2.8 bn project, Prof. Peiris said that Japan always backed appropriate projects on Sri Lanka’s request though some countries imposed programmes they were interested in.

Prof. Peiris said that following the commissioning of the Agriculture Faculty in Kilinochchi on Feb 5, he, in the company of Education Secretary Prof. Kapila Perera and UGC Chairman Prof. Sampath Amaratunga had an opportunity to meet Vice Chancellor of the Jaffna University and Deans of Faculties and other officials in Kilinochchi where entire gamut of issues was discussed. The Minister emphasized the importance of the Education Ministry visiting the Northern Province to explore ways and means of helping the education sector instead of the officials visiting Colombo.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa brought the entire education sector under one ministry as he felt the need to address the issues in an orderly manner and the ministry was successful in doing so in spite of constraints.

In his address at the Uduvil Girls College, Prof. Peiris acknowledged the extreme difficulties experienced by the northern farmer community. The minister explained how the farmers had been denied and deprived of sufficient compensation for their hard work. The Minister pointed out how agricultural produce from the provinces, including the North, go waste on the way to major markets.