Mahinda Rajapakse – divider extra-ordinaire?

By Luxman Arvind

(February 20, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Is President Rajapakse endowed with extra-ordinary powers to divide? He began dividing the once-powerful and cohesive UNP – whose MPs are now in a state of playing musical chairs where one does not know in which party their MPs are presently in. Often the MP himself does not – like the case of Karu Jayasuriya who is becoming an expert in travelling to and fro parties. Then he divided the LTTE along the Northern and Eastern Tamil reality - to the applause of all.

Next was the JVP. Dividing the TNA from the Sampanthan wing where Shivajilingam broke away was small beer. It was then the turn of the Army – that fortunately did not succumb to divisions along Unit and caste lines. Then astonishingly, the Maha Sangha is on the verge of division with the controversy of the aborted February 18 Great Meeting of the Maha Sangha - the three main Nikayas “to save the country from disaster and bad governance.” Many believed it shall not be long before the domination of the Kandy-based Goigama Chapters will be challenged in due course. It is reported the powerful monk from the South – responsible for the calling off of the February 18 Conclave – threatened he would start a new Rohana Nikaya with 500 temples in the Low Country.

Will the Sinhala South be divided again into the Up Country and Low Country factors as we saw prior to the 1950s? It is said there is some good in the art of dividing in the theory “one divides to multiply” but that should not happen to a once united people and country that is already divided along racial lines – emotionally for the moment. Is the talent of dividing a salient or negative trait?