Colombo, Jul 25: Former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has warned that the country may move towards renewed “anarchy” unless the leaders opt for reconciliation and reconstruction through dialogue.
Kumaratunga, who was the President of the island nation between 1994 and 2005, was critical of her successor Mahinda Rajapaksa, charging him with adopting “authoritarian” policies.
Urging Rajapaksa not to club Tamil civilians with the now vanquished Tamil Tigers, Kumaratunga who is still a member of a ruling party said, “Sharing political powers with Tamils will not reduce our strength...rather it will bring together diverse skills and talent to enrich us.”
She accused the government of projecting Sinhala Buddhist as the dominant force with others being excluded and warned that this would lead the country to anarchy.
“We must also negotiate with the minorities and their leaders and bring in further suitable concessions as required today,” the former Sri Lankan President said in a memorial lecture here yesterday.
Her hard-hitting comments came as pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance won control of two thirds of local council seats in the just-concluded elections held in the island's former war zone.
Kumaratunga blamed the successive governments, including that of her father, for leaving the root causes for Tamil militancy and the violent conflict that has raged in Sri Lanka for over three decades. PTI
