The article “A resounding but fractured verdict” (Jan. 29) by D.B.S. Jeyaraj is an excellent analysis of the just-concluded Sri Lankan presidential election. As rightly observed by him, the sharp ethnic divide in the pattern of voting raises anxiety about the country’s future.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s victory is the result of the near-total support of the Sinhalese. He is yet to earn the trust of the Tamils. There is no gainsaying that the LTTE, a terrorist organisation, needed to be defeated but it is also true that the tendency of the Sinhalese majority has been to deny the Tamils their due. The President should hasten the promised political solution. India, too, should take interest in the affairs of the island nation in the larger interest of democracy.
N.R. Sathyamurty,
Cuddalore
The changing nature of the civilian-military relations in Sri Lanka, where a retired Army Commander contested the election against Mr. Rajapaksa, is a matter of serious concern. The tendency towards the militarisation of politics and the politicisation of the military, as averred by the writer, does not augur well for Sri Lanka and South Asia, particularly India.
Anjan Kumar Sahu,
New Delhi
The ethnic problem continues to smoulder in the island nation. The manner in which the problem was put across was, unfortunately, wrong because of the violence and loss of lives and property it caused. The government’s responsibility to address the problem with understanding and to find an amicable solution in which the ethnic minority is assured of its right to live with dignity continues to exist.
M. Ramankutty,
Tripunithura
President Rajapaksa has won two battles — of eliminating the LTTE militarily and defeating the combined opposition politically. Now it is time for him to prove himself as a statesman too. He must work towards building a strong, vibrant, democratic and united Sri Lanka. As an immediate neighbour, India can and must play a positive role in enabling him to solve the ethnic issue based on genuine devolution of powers within a united Sri Lanka.
Comdt G.V. Mathew (retd.),
Thiruvananthapuram
