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Born in war-torn Sri Lanka, Sandamali Wijeratne ’06 (Mt. Lavinia) has been researching a solution for the strife of her native land as an honors thesis project.
She is delving into the deep-rooted ethnic conflict between the Sinhala government and the militant secessionist Tamil group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and the policies that may be applied to reach peace.
Her study contends that federal agreements have become an increasingly popular way of sharing power in ethnically divided yet territorially united democracies.
Belgium, India, Malaysia, and Spain have used federalism to grant extensive cultural and political independence to minority groups while retaining considerable power in their central governments. She uses these examples to serve as a model for Sri Lanka.
“Federalism in Sri Lanka would entail, according to my proposal, a central federal government based on ‘consociationalism,’ where all ethnic groups are proportionally represented, as well as local governments within the federal subunits made up of officials elected for those specific areas,” says Wijernatne.
“Under the federal system, the federated subunits would have greater autonomy, mostly in dealing with cultural affairs,” she explains. “For instance, the dominant ethnic group of a federated region (that might be a national minority) would have the power to organize education, public services, and government offices and so forth in their own language.”
For Wijeratne, her honors thesis is not just a scholarly endeavor.
“This project is of immense personal significance for me, as I have only known my country in a state of war,” she reveals. “It is also very different for me because for three years I actually stayed well away from studies focusing on Sri Lanka, preferring to gain knowledge of other parts of the world, and not wanting to be ‘restricted.’”
Her adviser John Kincaid, Robert B. and Helen S. Meyner Professor of Government and Public Service, is impressed with her knowledge of the subject and dedication to the research.
“By researching the way other countries have benefited by Federalism, and applying those resources and experiences to her home land is exactly what a honors thesis is about,” he says. “She has put in tremendous amounts of work to solve a problem that thousands have been dealing with for over two decades.”
The double major in international affairs and English, shared her findings at the 20th annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research April 6-8. She is among 40 Lafayette students whose research has been accepted for presentation.
Although she’s concerned about how her thesis will be reviewed, she’s more concerned with how it may be judged at home.
“I do not think my mother will be too happy with a federal system because like most people in Sri Lanka, she believes that it will mean handing over too much power to rebel groups,” she says. “The question is not whether minorities deserve these rights – she would never question that – but rather whether guerillas can really be trusted with so much power, as they have fought violently for their own ends, sometimes even at the expense of the minorities they claim to be fighting for.”
Upon graduation, Wijeratne plans to concentrate on international law and earn a Ph.D. in political science, then return to Sri Lanka and pursue a career in public policy.
She serves as president of the Asian Cultural Association, has been invited to join Phi Beta Kappa, and directed a play entitled The Education of Ms. Asia at the college.
Honors theses are among several major programs that have made Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research.