S Jaishankar nudges Sri Lankan government to fully implement 13th amendment

Notwithstanding recent clamours of opposition from within the Sri Lankan Government, New Delhi on Wednesday once again nudged Colombo to fully implement the 13th amendment to the constitution of the island nation to ensure devolution of power to the local governments in its Tamil-majority Northern and Eastern Provinces.

“It is in Sri Lanka’s own interest that the expectations of the Tamil people for equality, justice, peace and dignity within a united Sri Lanka are fulfilled,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in Colombo. “That applies equally to the commitments made by the Sri Lankan Government on meaningful devolution, including the 13th amendment to the Constitution. The progress and prosperity of Sri Lanka will surely be advanced as a consequence.”

Jaishankar made the remarks during a joint news-conference with his Sri Lankan counterpart Dinesh Gunawardena in Colombo.

“As we promote peace and well-being in the region, India has been strongly committed to the unity, stability and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka,” he said, subtly nudging the government led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to pursue an “inclusive political outlook” that would encourage “ethnic harmony” in the Indian Ocean nation.

He reassured Sri Lanka of continuation of India’s “long-standing support” to the reconciliation process in the island nation, where a 26-year-old armed insurgency came to its end in 2009 with the government security forces defeating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that claimed to be fighting for political rights of the minority Tamils.

The 13th amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka was an outcome of the July 29, 1987 accord between New Delhi and Colombo. It was passed by Sri Lankan parliament in November 1987 resulting in creation of the provincial councils. The process of devolution of power to the local governments as envisaged by it remained incomplete though.

With the Rajapaksa Clan returning to power riding on a Sinhala-Buddhist nationalist wave, a section within the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party has been opposing full implementation of the 13th amendment of the Constitution of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s Minister of Public Security, Sarath Weerasekara, a retired navy officer, last month said that the 1987 accord between India and Sri Lanka was no longer valid. He earlier publicly opposed implementation of the 13th amendment of the constitution in the island nation.

Jaishankar’s visit to Sri Lanka came at a time when the government run by Rajpaksa Clan appear to be bucking under pressure from China, resulting in uncertainty over the role of India and Japan in developing and running the East Container Terminal of the Colombo Port.

The External Affairs Minister said that India would continue to support Sri Lanka’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. “There are many proposals under discussion, including in infrastructure, energy, and connectivity. Their early implementation is obviously in our mutual interest and would definitely accelerate Sri Lanka’s economic recovery,” he said.