India-Sri Lanka relations date back to centuries. The bi-lateral relationships between the two nations are multifaceted. Language, religion, shared cultural heritage, and traditions play an important role in stitching the bond between the two nations. The presence of significant Tamil communities in the island nation fosters better social and political ties.
Tamil influence in Sri Lanka
The Tamil speaking population has migrated to Sri Lanka centuries back in search of trade, conquest and the spread of culture. According to historians, these developments took place during the Chola dynasty. As per the Department of Census and Statistics 2021, there are three main demographic groups among the country’s almost 23 million people: Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim. The ethnic composition consists of 75% Sinhalese, 15% Tamils, 10% Muslims and others.
Ethnic tensions and civil war
The Tamil minority which has its presence in the Northern and Eastern region of the country was subject to discrimination and marginalisation in areas such as education, employment, and political representation. This led to ethnic tensions in 1976 between the Tamils and the majority Sinhalese.
Emergence of the LTTE
As ethnic tensions grew between the minority Tamils and the majority Sinhalese in 1976, resulting in a civil war in 1983. It is this time that Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) emerged as a major rebel organisation under the leadership of Velupillai Prabhakaran during this period.
India-Sri Lanka Accord and the 13th Amendment
After a series of negotiations, an accord was signed between India and Sri Lanka on July 29, 1987, by the then Indian Prime Minister the late Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J R Jayewardene to address ethnic conflict, promote peace, and provide devolution of powers to provincial councils in the Northern and Eastern regions.
This paved the way for the Constitutional amendment. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka, was enacted in 1987 with the sole aim to address ethnic tensions and enhance regional autonomy.
Today, Sri Lankan Tamils have been struggling to recover from decades of a civil war that lasted until 2009, claiming thousands of lives.
Then came the worst economic crisis which reached its peak in 2022. It was the result of a combination of factors of domestic policy, policy mismanagement, corruption, decline in tourism, debt crisis and Covid-19 pandemic impact.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s election victory
Experts say the newly sworn in President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will face many challenges not only on the national front but also on the international stage.
“I will understand the complex task ahead and will work to meet the aspirations of people,” Dissanayake said after his oath ceremony in Columbo.”I will work to inspire confidence in the people who did not vote for me,” he said.
The 55-year-old Anura Kumara Dissanayake beat 38 other candidates in the presidential elections that concluded on September 21.
Concerns of the Tamil population
What worries the ethnic Tamil population is that his party, Marxist-leaning Janatha Vimukhti Peramuna (JVP) has never supported Tamils. Dissanayake, being from the same party, how will he address this issue?
Agreed. His victory does not come with a bed of roses, Dissanayake has a humongous responsibility on his shoulders and has to face many challenges not only on the national but also on the international stage.
Dissanayake is considered to be pro-China and became known for fanning anti-Indian sentiments in the Island nation. He was also instrumental in opposing any investigations into alleged war crimes during the civil conflict between LTTE and Sri Lankan forces.
More recently, he threatened to cancel Gautam Adani’s 450 Megawatt (MW) power project in Sri Lanka if elected. He termed the agreement “corrupt and against the country’s interests.”
Gautam Adani group had clinched a major power deal with Sri Lanka in March 2022 for the development of renewable energy projects, especially in wind power.
Question is can Sri Lanka afford to make India an enemy at this juncture? Not just China, the US, and the IMF have provided support, India too was the first to extend a crucial lifeline to the island, with over $4 billion in assistance.
Dissanayake understands the challenges he faces. “I am not a magician, I am a common citizen,” he said, “We don’t believe that a government, a single party or an individual would be able to resolve this deep crisis,” he said.
He also accepted that he has strengths and limitations, “things I know and things I don’t … “. He cannot ignore anything at this juncture as everything is interlinked and his responsibility is to be part of a collective effort to bail out the nation from hardships.
Reforming Sri Lanka’s political culture
Experts believe Dissanayake and his party seized this moment by pledging to transform the island’s political culture and dismantle its political dynasties. This is evident from the fact that voters in exercising their franchise have completely removed them from power and give a new face a chance.
His immediate task is to concentrate on economic recovery as his election manifesto promised to revisit the terms of the IMF bailout package, along with a commitment to taxes.
Nothing is impossible when you have the commitment to do it. But Anura Kumara Dissanayake has to maintain “credibility and predictably with the bondholder group and the official creditor committee and get it over the finish line,” says Anushka Wijesinha, an economist and director of Colombo-based public policy think tank, Center for a Smart Future.
This will not only help Sri Lanka overcome default status but will also strengthen the JVP/NPP alliance government in dealing with international lenders and move on.
Minority interests
At the same time, internal peace also matters. Being in the driver’s seat he cannot antagonize minorities historically, his JVP party has been seen as opposing Tamil interests, which led to fewer votes for him in the northern and eastern provinces, where the Tamil and Muslim populations are mainly concentrated.
After all, a successful leader is one who has the ability to inspire and mobilize people towards common goals.
The writer is a senior journalist and former Addl. Director General of All India Radio and Doordarshan.
| Posted by Veena Nair | 
