_ BackCONCLUSION
It is difficult to believe that the prime aspiration of Ramalingam of Velvettithurai in the District of Jaffna would be that politicians of his race should have the power to rule Muthu Banda of Dehiattakandiya in the District of Ampara, or Ibrahim of Kathankudy in the District of Batticaloa, or Sirisena of Gomarankadawela in the District of Trincomalee. His prime aspirations would be no different to those of any ordinary citizen of any race living in any part of the Island. They would be to live together with his family in peace with his fellow citizens; to provide his family with three square meals a day; to educate his children and find them employment according to their merits; to get medical attention when he or any member of his family is sick; to be free of discrimination; to associate freely with whomever he wants and speak his mind freely on any subject whatever; and to freely engage in such cultural, religious, recreational or lawful political activity as he chooses. It is only the ambitious politician whose prime aspiration is to rule or control the lives and fortunes of others. All the aspirations of Ramalingam of Velvettithurai, of Kiri Banda of Kandy, of Ahmed of Kalmunai and Piyasena of Matara could and would be fulfilled by the simple and uncomplicated excercise of fairplay in Government. Is fairplay a task so difficult of accomplishment or a task that could not be accomplished under a unitary constitution ?
What this Country needs today is not the 'Package' nor the vivisection of our Country in the name of 'devolution'. What the Sinhalese, the Tamils, the Muslims, and all other races who together constitute the Sri Lankan Nation need is a mature political leadership with a commitment to the Country rather than to self: a leadership that realises that while people belong to different races, the problems afflicting them do not - that there are no different types of hunger called 'Sinhalese hunger', 'Tamil hunger'and 'Muslim hunger', and that such problems must be tackled not as 'Sinhalese', 'Tamil' or 'Muslim' problems, but as national problems according to a national plan, and acts accordingly; a leadership that realises that the key to peace and harmony whether ethnic or otherwise lies not in pandering to the hunger of politicians for power,whether in the name of devolution or not, but in fairplay and justice, and acts according to the fundamental principle that all citizens of all races, castes, creeds and political opinions are entitled to equal rights in every part of the Country; and above all,a leadership, that realises that the People are not mere voters to be duped or manipulated by political horse-deals and fine words, but human beings to be served, and proceeds to serve them.