The ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa recorded an emphatic win in the local council polls held in the turbulent northern areas of Sri Lanka. The elections, held just two months after the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Eelam (LTTE),
Sri Lanka
< class="maroontitle">SLFP wins local council polls in the North
The ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa recorded an emphatic win in the local council polls held in the turbulent northern areas of Sri Lanka. The elections, held just two months after the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Eelam (LTTE), were largely seen as a measure to test the public confidence in the Rajapaksa administration. Only 28% of the eligible 1,25,000 voters cast their ballot. The elections were held for the Uva, Jaffna and Vavuniya councils on August 8, 2009. The fact that pro-LTTE faction Tamil National Alliance bagged 5 seats in Vauniya, while the ruling coalition got only two seats shows that popular support still exists for the Tamil separatists among the Northern Tamils. The victory of TNA has also contributed to the credibility of the elections.
Bangladesh
< class="maroontitle">BDR halted the long march to Tipaimukh
The Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) foiled an attempt by anti-Tipaimukh agitators of entering India this week. The long march was organised by Tipaimukh Dam prevention committee (TDPC) and Sylhet Division Development Action Council. It was flagged off from Dhaka on August 8 with the motive of crossing the border to reach Tipaimukh in Manipur. Nearly 5000 protestors participated in the long march. The dispute over the Tipaimukh Dam has become a major irritant in India-Bangladesh relations. The effigy of the Indian High Commissioner was burnt by a student organization called Bangladesh Chhatra Federation at Dhaka on August 12. The ruling Awami government is trying to maintain a cooperative approach in resolving the dispute. This is largely due to the impressions carried back by the Parliamentary team, which visited India early this month to assess the project.
Maldives
< class="maroontitle">Constitution turns one
On the occasion of the first anniversary of the Maldivian constitution, President Mohamed Nasheed has said the ratification of the constitution triggered an unprecedented transformation in the country. In his weekly Friday address to the nation he assured the people that his government will abide by the constitution. President Nasheed gave a hint of holding the local council elections in the near future. Former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom also delivered an address on the same occasion elsewhere in the Maldives. He said that the present constitution is the result of the hard work done by the previous government and a lot of work is still required to make Maldives a vibrant democracy. On a similar occasion, the speaker of the Maldivian Majlis (legislature) Abdulla Shahid called on all political parties to put aside personal differences in the interest of the nation.
Pakistan
< class="maroontitle">Political Reforms Announced in the Tribal Areas
On the 63rd Independence Day of Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday (August 14) announced a landmark reform by allowing political parties to function in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). For more than 100 years, FATA has been ruled by a draconian set of laws that allow indefinite internment and collective punishment among other castigatory practices and over the years led to widespread feelings of alienation among the tribesmen. In the past 30 years, the political vacuum in the region largely contributed to sections of the tribes coming under the sway of radicalized clerics, making FATA an ideal sanctuary for the likes of al-Qaeda. Political reforms, a long standing demand of human rights groups and counter terrorism experts, are expected to act as a counter weight to militant leaders and clerics. The bill which will be passed into law later this month is another signal that Pakistan has come to realize the seriousness of the Taliban insurgency in the Frontier. Unfortunately, policies framed to address the unrest in the Frontier, while ignoring and even promoting the insurgency in neighbouring Afghanistan, is at best a high risk adventure, and at worst myopic.
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