13th Amendment A Minefield; Don't Step In

Since coming to power, the key interlocutors of this government have been intimating a quest to ‘amend’ the 13th Amendment to the constitution. Such pronouncements are not just political theatre.

- Ranga Jayasuriya

They betray a real conviction born out from the nationalist ideological orientation and a belief that this is the opportune local and global moment to strike. They confide that India, the underwriter of the 13th amendment is no longer ‘really’ interested in it. They contend that Narendra Modi who has unilaterally abolished the special status and split into two, the Muslim Majority Jammu and Kashmir State would not be swayed by Tamil Nadu politics. Modi, a Hindu nationalist would easily relate to the sensitivities of the Sinhala nationalists, they flutter. After all, why would Modi care to perpetuate the legacy of the Congress Party and its late Premier Rajiv Gandhi, they challenge you to the debate.

In truth though, these are fatal miscalculations which if acted upon would have dreaded consequences. They are born out from a sense of self-induced delusion. Last week, what was dubbed as the first virtual summit between Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi might have pricked the bubble.

Aside the usual pleasantries and political niceties, the essence of the differences was relegated to the latter half of the joint statement: “PM Modi called on the Government of Sri Lanka to address the aspirations of the Tamil people for equality, justice, peace, and respect within a united Sri Lanka, including by carrying forward the process of reconciliation with the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka.”