The unsuccessful struggle

G. D. C. Weerasinghe

The eighth part of the serialisation of the book ‘Conflict Resolution Lessons for Sri Lanka’. The seventh part was published on March 19.

This Act seeks to prevent these discriminations. After objections were made as regards to the implementation of these acts by the vellalars headed by Mr. Sundaralingam at that time, the Government soft-peddled the implementation of this Act and the non-vellalar were continued to be treated in a discriminatory manner.

This shows how non-vellalar were never able to enter Parliament at that time from the Northern Province. As a result, large numbers of non-vallalar were prevented from any participation in the political process.

When the struggle for Eelam by the vellar was unsuccessful within legal parameters, the non-vellalar were mobilized for the struggle.

They were primarily given recourse to extra-legal or terrorist activities. What Prabakaran did however was he eliminated all other groups including the Parliamentary vellalar group.

He was able to do this because he used guns under his ruthless leadership. He now is in control of the entire situation and has a set of puppets in Parliament. They dutyfully obey his orders as otherwise, they too would be bumped off.

The leader of the TULF (formerly the Federal Party Mr. V. Anandasangari is the only Tamil leader who defies the orders of the Tigers and he is given protection by the government. Therefore, he has survived.

All the other TULF leaders have become puppets and are carrying out Prabhakaran’s orders. The TULF was the largest democratically elected Party before the Tigers established their terrorist rule.

The start of the armed conflict

It is necessary for us to understand as to how the present situation in Sri Lanka developed. Sri Lanka is a small island subjected to various forces, internal and external. J. R. Jayewardene as the President in 1977, carried out a policy which was extremely pro-western and in fact, very pro-American.

These actions I believe led the Government of India to believe that their strategic interests were being threatened or undermined. As a result, the Indian Government assisted various terrorist groups by providing training as well as contacts with other terrorist groups who were fighting in the Middle East led by Mr. Yasser Arafat.

It was thereafter that Mr. J. R. Jayawardene realized his strategy was incorrect. He understood that no country would assist us if this incurs the displeasure of India. This vividly displayed the correctness of Napoleon Bonapart’s dictum, that in formulating a policy of a state, it should be decided by its geography.

Thereafter, he invited Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India to enter into an agreement to assist the government to solve the terrorist problem.

The Indian Government agreed to this proposal and the Agreement was signed on certain terms and conditions. The terrorists were to lay down their arms and there was to be temporary merger of the North and the East until a vote determined whether it would be a permanent merger or not.

Terrorist groups other than the Tigers, laid down their arms. Tigers made a token surrender but concealed their weapons. Since the Tigers were not complying with the terms of the Agreement, the India Army went on the offensive against the Tigers. In the battles that ensued about one thousand Indian soldiers died.

This offensive was entirely financed by the Indian Government and fought by the Indian troops who suffered the casualties. The arms and equipment were also supplied by the Indian Government.

The Indian troops had driven the Tigers to the Wanni and had surrounded them. It was a matter of weeks before the Tigers would have been eliminated. At this stage when the Tigers realized that their fate was sealed, they contacted President R. Premadasa who had by that time, succeeded J. R. Jayewardene.

President Premadasa took a decision which is inexplicable to comprehend. The Indian Government had sent troops to Sri Lanka and was fighting a battle here thus saving Sri Lanka from having to fight these battles.

They were also financing and providing the equipment. This was done by the Indian Government in spite of strong opposition from within India, especially from the state of Tamilnadu as regards Indian assistance to Sri Lanka.

Requested

President Premadasa requested the Indians to leave Sri Lanka with their arms and equipment within a period of three months. I am reliably informed, that this was done at the insistence of the LTTE. This showed the complete lack of vision of President Premadasa.

The devastating results of this decision are now seen. If a correct decision had been taken by President Premadasa, Tigers who were surrounded in the Vanni would have been decimated and we would have been devoid of this problem.

There is no doubt that many groups in Sri Lanka strongly felt that the presence of Indian troops should not be allowed to continue. No leader with a vision should have bowed down to street opinion.

Politicians with vision should explain to the people the necessity to erase the terrorist cancer from the body politic. Politicians should have explained to the people the great contribution the Indian Government was making in helping us fight the terrorists. The very people who agitated in 1989 for the removal of the Indian army are now clamouring for Indian help and for Indian troops to come back.

The organisation of the army should have been centred on the basis of a national identity, that is instilled into the troops. In England, the troops fight for the King and the Country. The battle cry is instilled into them.

Our troops must also have a battle cry with “Rata” (Sri Lanka), “Jatiya” (Sri Lankan), “Agama” (all religions in the country) instilled into them. The troops must be indoctrinated with these slogans.

This must be their battle cry. No objections can be made stating that Jathiya means Sinhala. It means Sri Lankan. “Agama” would include all religions in Sri Lanka. It is necessary to intoxicate our troops with these slogans.

For the purpose of integrating the people of the country into a cohesive unit, it is also necessary that the circular which compelled children to study in different streams be removed. The democratic right should be given to the parents to decide the language in which their children would be educated.

No basis

During the British rule the upper classes were all taught in English. This applied to both the Sinhala and Tamils. Most of these people who studied in English did not lose their Sinhala or Tamil identity.

In fact, the Sinhala and Tamil resurgences were carried out by people who were educated in English. Therefore, there is no basis for the Tamil racists to say that Tamil children should be educated in the Tamil medium. And a move should be mooted to help in the cementing of unity between different communities.

Foreign interference

It is necessary to bear in mind that foreign countries seek to influence the affairs of our country. We are move vulnerable to interference as we are a small country with a small population. Exertion of influence on countries is done in many ways. Direct influencing is done by directly giving loans or withholding loans.

Then there are the two institutions - the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund which are virtually controlled by the US Government. By withholding or granting of loans to our government, the Western governments influence government policy. These loans are wrongly referred to as “Grants or Assistance”. These are loans granted by a Bank which have to be repaid with interest. The Asian Developments Bank adopts the same policy.

Non-Governmental Organizations are being used by foreign governments to wield influence on the policy of our government. Those who finance these NGOs are the foreign governments which want to keep us under neo-colonial control. Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups commit terrorist acts against these governments and their citizens. These governments will never hold discussions with these terrorists.

But, they request us to parley with the violent racist group of terrorist called “Tigers” who masquerade under the guise of fighting for Tamil rights but have killed so many Tamil people, assassinated the President of Sri Lanka, attempted the assassination of another President of Sri Lanka, assassinated a one-time Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, attempted the assassination of the Commander of the Army Sarath Fonseka, the High Commissioner for Pakistan in Sri Lanka Col. Bashir Wali Mohammad and numerous others too great a number to mention.

The leader of the Tigers - Prabhakaran is under death sentence in India for the assassination of former Indian Premier Rajiv Gandhi. There is an international warrant for his arrest which Interpol has not executed. The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has sentenced him for 200 years for this murder.

It is with such a group of terrorists that the International Community want us to negotiate. Unfortunately, we are a small country which is economically weak and therefore, are compelled to negotiate with them.

Covert operations

The covert operations of the Secret Services of western countries are inconceivable. There are 14 agencies in the United States involved in intelligence gathering and intelligence operations.

During the last World War and thereafter, up to the early 1960s, the No. 2 of the British Secret Service was a man called Kim Philby. He was a Soviet agent who had penetrated the secret service. Guy Burgess was another agent in the Secret Service during the war years. Besides, there was yet another called Donald Mc Clean who was a high-up in the British Diplomatic Service. He was also a Soviet Agent. There were several others like them.

The man who tipped off the Soviet Union that the Japanese would not attack the Soviet Union in 1941 was a Soviet Agent called Sorge who was living in Japan. This enabled the Soviet Union to move their troops on to the Western Front to fight the Germans who were advancing towards Moscow in 1941.

This example will give you an idea as to how the Secret services of the big powers operate. It is very simple for them to operate in a small country like Sri Lanka which is not economically powerful.

In this context, we cannot afford to be anti-west. In mentioning these facts, I do not intend to be anti-west and I am not anti-west. I am only exposing the reality as to how international operations are carried out. It is therefore necessary for our key decision-makers to understand the realities that prevail. We have to take into account the forces that are operating and to formulate our policies within the parameters of our resources.

Is there discrimination?

The cry of the Tamil racists that they are discriminated against is without any basis. In 1983, there was a break down of law and order. But there was no discrimination. Can Tamil racists cite any Act of Parliament by which the Tamils have been discriminated against? In this connection, I wish to draw your attention to the two Acts passed in the United States around 1964 called the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act.

The Afro-American population formerly referred to as Negroes were not able to vote in the Southern States. Various devices were used such as conducting of tests in order that they invariably fail to ensure that the Negroes would not be permitted to vote. In order to remedy this, the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1964, giving them the right to vote sans confronting any obstacles.

In the North as in the South, there was de-facto segregation. If an Afro-American applied for a loan to buy land in a white residential area, he would not get it. This was on the unwritten understanding that if an Afro-American was to reside in a white residential area it would reduce the value of the land.

Under the Civil Rights Act, quotas were introduced to minority students and women to enter the Universities. There was an action filed by a white student claiming that he was discriminated against because of the reservation of places for minority students. The American Supreme Court held that there was no discrimination as this was an Act to redress centuries of discrimination against minorities and women.

In the 1960s, Mrs. Sirima Bandaranaike introduced a scheme called standardization to give redress to acts of discrimination the British had introduced. In percentage terms of the population, the Tamils had excessive numbers of professionals as well as in employment in the government services.

This was the direct result of the British Policy of “divide and rule”. Any attempt to rectify the wrongs done by the British was called discrimination by the Tamil racists. They are unable to point to any legal provision of a discriminatory nature. They only talk of their aspirations which I believe should be Eelam.

The necessity for men of vision to lead our country cannot be over-emphasized, In 1940. Great Britain was at great peril. At the time, all the major Parties that consisted of the Conservative, Labour, National Liberal and non-party leaders formed a National Government.

They set aside their parochial interests for the greater good of national interest. They did this because they were men who were willing to rise above their narrow personal views for the sake of the country. Churchill in Vol III of his book “The Second World War” (page 11 and 12) gives names of the Members of the Cabinet.

(To be continued)