Chandrika Kumaratunga has stood by her pledge to work with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for tsunami recovery in the northeast of Sri Lanka. A 'joint mechanism' envisages co-ordination between the government and the rebel outfit for the distribution of aid and relief material in areas where the LTTE is strong, besides proposing a decentralised system of decision-making on the matter of rehabilitation.
President Kumaratunga appears to be taking personal responsibility for the joint mechanism by signing an agreement before presenting it to Parliament. This is both a victory for her as well as an achievement for those who have actively supported constructive engagement with the rebel outfit. What is remarkable is that this was done without recourse to extralegal methods of silencing the opposition, an option exercised by some previous leaders of government, not to mention the LTTE.
Despite the clear advantages of the joint mechanism, the president came under tremendous pressure not to co-operate with the LTTE. Two abortive fasts unto death by prominent Buddhist monks ended without Kumaratunga shifting from her position. With the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna QVP), the junior partner in the ruling coalition, threatening to withdraw support if the joint mechanism was approved, the very survival of her government was put at stake.
However, despite the political risk, Kumaratunga decided to work with the LITE for post -tsunami relief. While this has led to the JVP withdrawing support, the government continues be in power as the main opposition party has decided not to use the issue as a political lever for one-upmanship and partisan gains.