The new dispensation in Sri Lanka is seen as a strong votary of
closer India-Sri Lanka ties, but there are many contentious issues on
which the two countries have to walk the tightrope.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe arrived in New Delhi
yesterday (September 14) on a three-day bilateral visit, his first
international visit after taking over as Prime Minister last month. Mr.
Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) together with its allies
secured a near-majority in the parliamentary election last month. Sri
Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena engineered a division in the ranks
of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), thus effectively isolating
former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Ram Madhav
The result was the formation of a national government under the prime
ministership of Mr. Wickremesinghe, with both UNP and SLFP as partners.
With the two main parties coming together to form the government, the
opposition space has been left to the third largest group in Parliament,
the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).
The new dispensation is considered to be a strong votary of closer
India-Sri Lanka relations. The President, the Prime Minister as well as
the Leader of Opposition are all seen as friends by India. The last few
years have seen a trust deficit between the two countries. Many in India
suspected the Sri Lankan leadership of encouraging forces inimical to
its interests in its vicinity. Unfortunately, the Rajapaksa government
did precious little to alleviate India’s misgivings.
Challenges for the government
The new government in Sri Lanka has many challenges to face: the
country’s economy is sagging; the United Nations Human Rights Council is
going to take up a resolution on war crimes in Sri Lanka for discussion
later this month — a very sensitive issue for both the Tamil and
Sinhala population in the country. The government has to walk a
tightrope on the issue.
It is in these circumstances that Mr. Wickremesinghe is visiting India. A
Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) will be one of the
important issues that India would like to clinch during this visit.
However, there is considerable concern about, if not vocal opposition
to, the agreement in the Sri Lankan business circles. India needs to
correct the perception that CEPA will only benefit the Indian side and
the non-tariff barriers in India will be an obstacle to Sri Lankan
businessmen.
The other perception problem that India needs to address is that it
doesn’t walk the talk on big-ticket projects. The Sampur coal-fired
power plant is one such project which has lingered for more than a
decade. The delay in its implementation has led to several new problems.
Its revival is mired in land and environment-related controversies.
Within the 500-acre power plant area, there are around 30 Tamil families
who have been living for many years. They have to be rehabilitated
elsewhere with proper compensation. In addition, more than a thousand
Tamil families, who have been additionally settled just on the
periphery, may also raise objections to the project coming up. Some of
them have lands inside the power plant area. Environmentalists are also
opposed to the power plant. They might go to court. While India may
argue that it has technologies that address pollution concerns, these
issues have the potential to get entangled in legal problems.
Another issue which is more than a decade old, on which India has not
made much progress, is that of oil tank farms on the east coast. These
British vintage storage farms give India enormous scope for oil trade in
the whole of South East Asia. India should quickly operationalise these
oil tank farms. It must not forget that the previous government in
Colombo had offered them to the Americans. It should start negotiations
for setting up a refinery in Trinco area to treat crude oil.
India’s strategic and economic priority should be to develop the east
coast of Sri Lanka, especially the Trincomalee-Batticaloa belt. The
Trinco belt has an enormous potential for trade, tourism, industry and
commerce. It has vast stretches of virgin beaches. The Trinco port can
be developed into a major port. A new airport can be developed in the
area and can be connected directly with Tamil Nadu for the benefit of
the Tamils in the north and east of Sri Lanka. Most importantly, by
entering Trinco coast, India will be making a big presence in the trade
routes of the Indian Ocean.
There are a couple of contentious issues on which India and Sri Lanka
might have to be cautious. The Tamils of the north and east must be
complimented for their overwhelming support to the TNA in the
parliamentary elections that has helped the party secure 16 seats. TNA
leader R. Sampanthan has become the Leader of the Opposition. TNA fought
the elections on the principle of greater constitutional rights to
Tamils for just and honourable place in the Sri Lanka constitutional
mechanism. The radical elements have been rejected by the Tamil voters
there. The Sri Lankan government should gratefully acknowledge this huge
contribution of the TNA and move forward with specific steps to address
the Tamil issue. Granting more constitutional powers to the provinces
is the first important step.
The UNHRC resolution on war crimes is another important issue on which
both the countries have to reach an understanding. Sri Lanka can gain
from the expertise available in countries like the U.S., India, and so
on, to facilitate a credible investigation by its agencies. It is
important for justice to be seen by the Tamils and the international
community to be delivered.
Dispute over fishing
Another contentious issue that defies any immediate answers is that of
fishermen. The historic waters between India and Sri Lanka have become a
battleground between the Tamil fishermen on both sides, leading to
frequent clashes, incarcerations, and even deaths. A negotiated solution
needs to be found on this issue. Pending the dispute over fishing, the
adverse ecological impact of bottom trawling must also be addressed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Colombo early this year raised
the hopes in that country of a stable and reliable friendship. Lakshman
Kadirgamar, former Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka and a great friend of
India, had once described India-Sri Lanka relations as “irreversible
excellence”. Centuries-old cultural and religious ties make the
relationship irreversible. But the challenge is to make it ‘excellent’.
It is too important a relationship to be left to the officials alone.
Sri Lanka requires political handling.
