Interview with Minister Douglas Devananda: No compromise on political solution NOW

By Thava Sajitharan

Eelam People’s Democratic Party leader Minister Douglas Devananda, who is in Jaffna campaigning for party candidates contesting the upcoming local polls, spoke to LAKBIMAnEWS over the phone last week on matters concerning the local council elections as well as the invitation extended to him to join the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. Excerpts:

It has been reported that you were asked to join the SLFP and you responded by saying 'only after a political solution to the Tamil problem was implemented, that such a request could be considered'. Minority political parties being absorbed into major national parties; is that a healthy trend? Do you think the need for identity politics has ceased as far as the Tamils are concerned?

You are hurling the question at me while knowing the answer yourself. Why did we have a war? The war was waged to secure a political solution to the ethnic conflict. So, one cannot say that the conflict ended with the end of war. In my response, as you said, I stated that we could think about such a move once a political solution had been arrived at and the confidence of the Tamils won by the Sinhala political parties in the south.

I did not enter politics just for the sake of it. It was the milieu in which the Tamil people were living that forced me into the armed struggle. And it was the milieu that made me enter the democratic mainstream in the second phase of the struggle. Today the violence has been brought to an end. The causes of the violence have been gotten rid of.

The next step should be to introduce a political solution. I have long been maintaining that it should be ‘13th amendment plus’. Once it is implemented and our people begin to have faith in the southern parties, we can then consider the invitation. We are in politics to serve the people. Self-interest has no role to play.

Also, this is not the first time I have been asked to join the SLFP. The president has extended me the invitation on previous occasions too. I gave him the same response.

In the case of the eastern province, the government aligned with the TMVP and contested the provincial election together. However, disputes are now reportedly cropping up between the Eastern Chief Minister and the central government. Now, given the fact that you are deemed a formidable political force in the North, isn’t it correct to say that the government is trying to thwart the occurrence of such a dilemma in the Northern Province by incorporating you into the SLFP?


I’d prefer to eschew commenting on this issue. I want to first prove myself and then answer this question through my deeds and not words. I am acting with confidence. We wanted to endow the Tamil people with a bright future. That was not possible through non-violent means in the initial stages. Sometimes, we use medicine to cure an illness. When it doesn’t yield the expected results, then we resort to other means such as performing surgery. Now we are again reverting to treating the decease through medicine. Do you get my point?

Ok, let me borrow your metaphor: in your opinion, has the illness passed the crucial stage? Has it reached a stage where it could be cured completely?

The one who is suffering from the illness would always want to cure it. She or he ought to have that confidence. If one needed to control cholesterol, for instance, one ought to control oneself in the first place.

Earlier the government said that the political solution to the problem could be talked about once the war was over. Now, the president is maintaining that a political solution is possible only after the next presidential election is held. Isn’t there an end to this dillydallying?

The president may have expressed that opinion. My stance is that it should be implemented at present. The first phase of the process would consist of the full implementation of the 13th amendment. The complete solution may be implemented after the presidential election.

What prevents the government from implementing the 13th amendment in full with immediate effect?

The president has said that the provincial council poll ought to be held in the north. But there are problems. A vast number of people from the Vanni are in IDP camps.

They have to be resettled. The government is prepared to have the polls once the resettlement is done. My request for the government is that an interim council should be established until such time.

It is feared that there would be an expansive militarization in the north and east and that such a measure would dilute the geographical ethnic equilibrium of the regions. Are these fears reasonable? What have you got to say as a Tamil minister in the government?

I haven’t heard of such thing and I don’t believe that such a situation would arise.

What is the situation regarding the IDPs? How is the resettlement process going on?

The process has been expedited. And the results would soon be manifest. Discussions are going on. We are planning to let people such as those from other districts, elderly persons, children, pregnant mothers, government servants leave the camps and this would speed up the decongestion process.

You head a special task force entrusted with the task of developing the north. Yet another task force headed by Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa was formed recently... what is the difference between the two committees?

Well, I am told that the committee headed by me is expected to handle political affairs while the other will deal with the technical part...

It is learnt that you have been engaged in active election campaigning in Jaffna and Vavuniya over the last few weeks. How is it like?

The environment has become conducive to hold a democratic election in Jaffna after a long time. I think this is the first time such an opportunity has arisen since 1977. This healthy situation ought to be preserved and enhanced.

Today, PLOTE supporters have torn asunder one of the cutouts that we put up. They have also berated people in the neighborhood. On hearing this news, I told my comrades that we should take a complete non-violent stance and adhere to the principle: “ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also”. Others may instigate violence and attempt to stir us up. But we should not allow ourselves to lose our temperament, I told my comrades.

Because of this non-violent stance of ours, the Vanni district members of the Tamil United Liberation Front have now publicly endorsed us and offered open support. In addition, independent group 1 and group 2 have also announced their support at today’s (Friday) press briefing to the EPDP candidates contesting on the SLFP ticket.

Contrary to your claims, it has been alleged that oppositional parties such as the TNA are not allowed to carry out their campaigns independently and that your party poses a threat to them... What is your response?

It is a lie. Having foreseen their inevitable defeat in the upcoming polls, they are making these allegations up to conceal the humiliation they would have to suffer. For instance, one Remidias, who is supposed to be the mayoral candidate of the TNA gave an interview to the BBC some time ago where he alleged that armed groups were running amok in Jaffna and forcibly confiscating the polling cards from the public. BBC contacted us to obtain our version. At the time of his statement, the government printers had not released the polling cards. When that was the reality, how could they say that the polling cards were seized from the people?

But Mr. Anandasangaree has also both openly and indirectly accused your men on many occasions of being responsible for unbridled violence in Jaffna... what’s your take?

What I would say is that these allegations are baseless as well as malicious. That is why I cited the above example. As I told you earlier, the whole of the TULF members in Vavuniya summoned a public assembly and endorsed our candidates today. What does this show? Now Anandasangaree might come out and say that there is money scam behind this pledge of support or that these people were intimidated. Do you understand my point? I adhere to what I preach and I preach what I adhere to. My desire is that we should have a free and fair election.

(LAKBIMAnEWS, 26.07.2009)