By: Eurasia Review
October 22, 2012
By Shenali Waduge
A country of 20m people, a majority of close to 15m people (the
Sinhalese) is into its 3rd year having militarily eliminated 30 years of LTTE
terrorism. What has confused matters is the manner in which elected Tamil
leaders have claimed that the LTTE terrorist demands and those of the Tamil
people are one and the same on the grounds that the LTTE was the sole representative
of the Tamil people – something that the Tamil people did not deny or
disassociate from and nothing that the Sinhalese can be blamed for quoting. Now
that terrorism is no more, several questions emerges – whose grievances are to
be solved, how internal are these grievances, are these grievances exclusive to
Tamils and whether Sri Lanka is in a position to solve the grievance that All
Tamils of the World have. It is not Sri Lanka but India that holds the key to
unlocking what the World Tamils really desire.
India – Sri Lanka Relations
Over the years Sri Lanka has been inundated with voices all lining up to
be “speaking on behalf of the Tamils” – our question is – which Tamils are they
referring to? If it is Sri Lankan Tamils, our next question is what are the
grievances of the Tamils that are exclusive to them and denied to them
legislatively and constitutionally? Is there any grievances that are not common
to Sinhalese, Muslims, Burghers and Malays – does the world think that these
people do not have grievances themselves or are their grievances not important
and only those of Tamils that should matter? We cannot get anywhere unless
these fundamental questions are answered. With 15m Sinhalese no one can deny
they will have more grievances than any other.
No wonder even Sri Lanka’s Government is confused – Karunanidhi and
Tamil Nadu politicos are calling for an Eelaam for all Tamils, the Sri Lankan
Tamil Diaspora is also making different calls that one wonders why they would
need to have so many different organization names if they are all asking for
the same thing, then they have managed to rope in Tamils of different
citizenry, then some cyberspace e-Government has been set up known as a
Transnational Government….we really don’t know who is wanting what and for
whom. These calls are perfect reasons for nothing to be done except to be
dragging issues hurling accusations at different times all part of a game in
politics called delaying tactics – unless this really is the modus operandi and
explains why these parties are in existence – which doesn’t give much benefit
at the end of the day to those who really matter. As for those who really
matter – did they ever matter? To Prabakaran, they didn’t. The reasons are
simply enough.
Here was an organization making USD300m profit annually and througout 30
years Prabakaran and his LTTE did not make a single road, did not construct a
single house for poor Tamils, did not create a single bright child except teams
of child killers, did not put up a single school, did not build a single
hospital or health center but Prabakaran did make a magnificent swimming pool
deep in the jungles, an amazing underground house going 3 storeys underneath
with tiled toilets and all the amenities – he was even served restaurant style
food…. This is not how the Indian Maoists carry out their rebel movement,
that’s for sure. The Tamil people need to know that Prabakaran did not aspire
for any Tamil Eelam – he did aspire for an LTTE Eelaam where he and his stooges
and their families would reign over all other Tamils and the rest of Sri Lanka.
In reality Prabakaran and the LTTE dug a grave in the pursuit for a
global Tamil Eelaam drive because what he did was to ensure that no such Eelaam
would ever be given and who better than India to realize this, because whatever
India’s faults India is one nation that will not take too kindly to being
broken up. That is why India will never allow a Tamil Eelaam which is why Tamil
politicians in Sri Lanka, Tamil Diaspora the world over are slowly distancing
themselves from verbally using Eelaam as a reference alongside their grievance
malady because they know it will not get them anywhere. More so because Sri
Lanka is in a position to prove statistically that hardly 500,000 live in the
North (which includes the 300,000 the Sri Lankan military rescued) negating the
“we can’t live with Sinhalese because of discrimination” chant because over
1.2m are presently living and working amongst the Sinhalese – and not one can
claim genocide if according to the BBC Channel 4 Sinhalese have nothing to do
but ethnically cleanse Tamils! Let it not be forgotten that it was these very
Tamil leaders who were against poor low caste Tamils enjoying education when
the Government brought legislation in 1957.
What is presently obviously clear is that the Sinhalese people have
stopped waiting for its Government to be putting the story straight
internationally. It is because Sri Lanka’s representatives have failed to
address questions with proper answers that we find ourselves humiliated and not
meeting the challenges head on. People are welcome to ask questions and they
must also be prepared to accept the answers. We are getting a little tired with
all these fancy words and notions flung at diplomatic discussions all to make
merry-go-round type solutions that would be detrimental for the sovereignty of
a nation and realistically speaking having nothing to do with any Tamil
grievance either.
We do not need to continue to remind that Tamil Nadu people and
politicians made numerous attempts even appeals to the British to consider
allowing a separate Tamil state at the time of independence to India which was
denied by both Britain and Indian leaders. This was the first
“self-determination” attempt for Tamils to have a separate Tamil Homeland in
Tamil Nadu – Tamils remain the ONLY significant minority race without its own
homeland especially when the state of Tamil Nadu – (land of the Tamils) is 95%
Tamil, Tamil is the official language and Tamil culture, heritage and religion
enjoy greater Tamil freedom than anywhere else in the world). Therefore no
sooner Tamil Eelaam is referred to we are only going to be directing that
solution to India and Tamil Nadu – therefore it is best that if Tamils really
want anything to stop the fairytale Eelam in Sri Lanka and get down to the real
issues if any.
When asked direct questions the defence has been to quickly say that the
demand for Eelam in Sri Lanka has been forced because of bad rule…I think it is
the Sinhalese containing 74% majority who would have first grievance over bad
rule because being the majority everything affects them first. The most unfair
observance is that it appears to be perfectly agreeable for Tamils to go atop
international platforms, use electronic media, lobby politicians and decision
makers and promote falsehoods and lies all associated with Tamil grievances and
when any Sinhalese puts the story straight with facts – it is described as
being racist and tantamount to causing greater animosity and distancing any
forms of reconciliation!
The continuance of bringing up riots is outdated because no such event
has happened in over 30 years and quoting such is irrelevant in the present
context. If some of the arguments are applicable to the Black Americans then
they should be asking a separate state in USA as well! Then there is reference
to Mahinda Rajapaksa promising not 13 but 13plus – the country is not run by
only Mahinda Rajapaksa, he is elected by the people to ensure that the
sovereignty and integrity of the country remains undivided and undevolved.
Then those apologists of TNA say that they are not demanding a separate
state – please read their 2010 election manifesto which is the most credible
reference to what the TNA is all about – what does the TNA want :
a) a Tamil Nation in the island of Ceylon (Ceylon is being used in 2010
when it should be Sri Lanka)
b) The Call for a Federal Constitution – reference to
“self-determination”
c) Abandoning the unitary model – shared sovereignty
d) Our Lands and Our People exploited – aspiration “for genuine
autonomy”
e) the Tamil people are entitled to the right of “self-determination”.
f) Power-sharing in a unit of MERGED Northern and Eastern Provinces
based on a Federal structure
g) Devolution of power over land, law and order, socioeconomic development
including health, education, resources and fiscal powers.
h) Direct foreign investment in the North and East
i) De-militarization – removal of armed forces, military apparatuses and
High Security Zones from Northern and Eastern provinces.
This is the TNA manifesto of 2010 with TNA appealing to the Tamil people
for the “right to self-determination” which clearly indicates what the wishes
of the Tamil politicians are, therefore when to whitewash this others say “we
are for a united Sri Lanka … as Sri Lankans.. and we don’t want separatism” …
we want to know who is saying what and who are we to really believe? Unless
that assurance comes the Governments of Sri Lanka are not going to have it easy
from the majority people –the Sinhalese for under no condition is the country
to be divided or devolved – the simple logic to this is what Tamil Governance
in the North – when the majority of Tamils are living amongst the Sinhalese
including the TNA politicians! What Tamil Eelaam when 72m of the worlds 77m
already live in a state where Tamils are the majority, Tamil is the official
language – isn’t this what the Tamil people want, or do they still not know
what they want?
However, the Sri Lankan Tamils can change this scenario – they must
finally stop putting one foot here and another foot there. If the Tamils can
firmly say that they are not for any division of the country – we can finally
get rid of these leeches out to divide the country. The call must come from the
Tamil people. The Tamil people of Sri Lanka must finally realize that Tamil
Nadu is not concerned about them nor is India – they have enough of issues to
resolve. More importantly, Sri Lanka is not part of India, we have different
cultures, different beliefs and certainly different behaviors. The Tamil people
must also realize that the Tamil Diaspora most of whom are today involved in
fisticuffs amongst each other are doing so only to gain greater control of the
LTTE illegal kitty – they were no where when the LTTE was running the show. The
Tamil people must also realize that just like the Sinhalese and the Muslims we
all agree that politicians are the same whatever party they belong to.
But what is true is that the Sinhalese, the Muslims, the Malays, the
Burghers and the Tamils do have problems – their problems are no different from
the other and they are all related when one looks closely to administrative
fallacies and administrative hiccups which can easily be addressed if we, that
is the people stand together and demand actions from the people we have elected
to office irrespective of any politics… this is the only way to move forward,
for in aligning with the selfish games that politicians play we are simply
being used to advance their agendas.
It is up to the Tamil population living in Sri Lanka to decide…. If they
continue to go with the Tamil Eelaam theme – the road leads to Tamil Nadu, if
they go with the Tamil Diaspora confusing rhetoric – they are losing the
opportunity to start a new chapter with the Sinhalese – the people must come together
for a country to prosper.
