Sri Lanka - from here to eternity
Gomin DAYASRI
Forces marching towards the North. Picture by Rukmal Gamage
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Sri Lanka may win the battle against Tamil Tigers but not the war as
“they have’nt got the Tamils on their side -N. K. Narayanan, National
Security Advisor (India)
India neither could defeat the Tamil Tigers nor get the Tamils on
their side when the IPKF was around in the North and East. Defeated on
both fronts in despair they left. Can Sri Lanka do both or undo the
gallant work of the armed forces who have sacrificed so much?
An expression by the National Security Advisor but there is more to
it -it reflects more the hopes of India than the thoughts of India. Yet
it carries a message which needs to be addressed.
The grievances of the Tamils require responses. It is not only the
Tamils but should include other minorities together with the Sinhalese
who are a provincial minority in two provinces, all of whom have
exclusive grievances. Importantly, are they legitimate grievances? If
so, it is imperative that relief must be forthcoming without hindrance.
It is not only the Tamils who face problems, so do the Muslims and
the Sinhalese whom Narayan’s India has forgotten because they do not
have a constituency such as the Tamil Nadu which props any cause of
their brethren across the Palk Strait irrespective of the leadership
they profess whether federalism or terrorism.
Politically, Narayan has to pamper Tamil Nadu to keep the Congress in
office, yet mindful that if secession tendencies succeed in Sri Lanka,
central government of India will be in peril as it will serve as an
impetus for their own terrorist and separatist movements, which are
proliferating presently.
India’s prescriptions for the neighbours are always primarily in the
interest of India yet it contains a worthwhile message.
Though most of the problems are endemic to all communities, after a
30 year war to display good faith of a caring majority the legitimate
grievances of the minorities require priority attention in a nation
building exercise. The Sinhala majority should give leadership to
achieve these objectives to convince the Tamils of their sincerity.
It is the Sinhalese leadership that must be in the forefront of the
struggle to attend to the legitimate grievances of the minorities, after
the annihilation of the terrorists.
It would be an ideal rejoinder to the cries of federalism which can
lay the seeds to futuristic secession movements that will once again
surface after the defeat of the present terrorists to breed fresh
terrorism.
Grievances of the minorities can be addressed forthwith without the
tinkering of Constitution which is an impossibility to amend with
provisions dealing with 2/3 majorities and a referendum. Therefore a
pragmatic and a priority approach is paramount.
Tamils have watched the situation sitting on the fence to see who may
win the final battle. True, many of the innocent Tamil people in the
Wanni region are captive in the hands of the LTTE who manipulate them to
suit their agenda.
Majority of the Tamils preferred to live with the Sinhalese with whom
they have many common identities or seek residence abroad, rather than
under the yoke of the terrorists. Over the years they learnt life was
more secure and comfortable with the Sinhalese than under the
terrorists.
Allegiance
They had no love for any government or terrorist but willing to
switch allegiance to which ever side that emerges triumphantly for their
own betterment.
Those who went abroad desired to return triumphantly and supported
the LTTE displaying the traditional expatriate mentality of “returning
nobodies attempting to be some bodies” in their visionary state of Eelam.
A telling characteristic was that the Tamils escaped from the
clutches of the LTTE wherever possible to emigrate abroad or live with
the Sinhalese. Still they cheered whenever the LTTE defeated the
predominantly Sinhala dominated armed forces from afar, as being of
common Dravidian stock (just as much as they would at the cinema) but
cared not to live beside them-understandably it was toss up in a head or
tails situation. Now that the security forces are forging ahead, few
Tamils openly support the terrorists.
Intelligence
Colombo’s elite society is no different; but more opportunistic.
Tamils were under an element of duress, which the decadent Colombo’s
commercial interests cannot plead in defense. Unless India’s
intelligence services sourced, that the days of Prabhakaran were
numbered, Narayan would not have gone the distance.
Our governments of the past and present - for which the Sinhalese
voted overwhelmingly - have to share the blame.
With the politicization of the administration from 1972, merit gave
way to sycophancy and created a class of administrators who worked to
the dictates of the political authority to whom priority was their
electorate. They neither identified the legitimate grievances of the
minorities nor found solutions for the identified grievances.
Worse, they have not given effect to the language provisions which
are enshrined in statutes making it unquestionably a legitimate
grievance. If there was insufficient funding, surely foreign financial
and logistic assistance could have been sought and it would have been
forthcoming.
The prima facie the grievances of the Tamils can be identified but it
requires attention as to their legitimacy which must be determined so
that reliefs flow to the genuinely deprived.
Otherwise as in the case of the Indian estate Tamils- the party they
voted for held Cabinet portfolio under each successive government from
1977, unique in our political annals- but beneficiaries have been the
CWC leadership and not the estate Tamils.
It is a classic case of a community under the captivity of a
monopolistic single party where relief does not percolate down to the
people.
The identified itemized minority grievances as reflected in the
experts’ committee report are as follows:-
1. Failure to implement language provisions enshrined in the law, 2.
Security Concerns, 3. Acquisition of Land, 4. Land and Water, 5. Child
Recruitment, 6. Lack of development, 7. Multi ethnic defense and police
force, 8. Lack of Employment opportunities, 9. Rehabilitation of
internally displaced persons, 10. Inadequate infrastructural benefits.
The majority of the grievances are common to all communities though
there are some which attract only the minorities.
It is probable that after the defeat of the LTTE militarily, all
those who opposed terrorism will have divergent views in settling the
national issue.
There would be many in the ranks of those leading the fight against
terrorism with words who will desire to impose a federal solution Those
who are tacitly assisting the terrorists with foreign funding will
settle for a federal structure as a comfortable stepping stone to revive
separatism.
To them if Eelam is not possible today, they will look to an Eelam
for the future and construct a road map that will lead to a distant
Eelam.
Presently knowing that Eelam via Prabhakaran is a faded dream with
the terrorists losing ground on all fronts- no more homage will be paid
to the sun god and he would soon be disposable.
His foreign aided local sponsors would now maintain a temporary low
profile and search for issues in the interim such as corruption and good
governance to come clean from the muck and dirt acquired on backing
losing issues and unearth a leadership that will be amenable for their
accommodation from where they can launch a campaign to usher the seeds
of federalism.
Realignment
The realignment of the divergent groups may arise where common
enemies will become common friends in the name of federalism.
Search has to be for a new leader acceptable to India and the
International Community knowing well the UNP in the present form cannot
win the electorate. Presently, the Leader of the Opposition is more in
peril than the Head of State in a possible ouster by the same forces
that once brought him to power.
With the defeat of the terrorists, to survive they have to strike
fast and the immediate objective is the Leader of the Opposition the
softest target for dismissal.
The prime issue is to ensure whatever solution is reached on the
national issue, no legacy be kept alive for the revival of terrorism in
the future.
To do that requires reasonably satisfied minorities who have
reasonable confidence in the government- requirement is immediate action
by the government to win hearts and mind of the minorities on fast
delivery that brings satisfaction and not mere empty words and political
fanfare to satisfy cahoots.
Legitimate
Terrorism is a lurking fear in every country and can never be totally
eliminated but there is an area where road blocks can be introduced to
ensure that terrorism can be halted by legitimate means swiftly; by
enabling constitutional and statutory provisions to halt a resurrection
of terrorism and such preventive methods to eliminate terrorism if it
surfaces again.
J. R. Jayewardene bequeathed the Eastern Province to the terrorists;
Premadasa provided arms ammunition money cement and shelter to the
terrorists; Chandrika Kumaratunga created financial structures with the
PTOMS to fund the terrorists; Ranil Wickremesinghe gifted the CFA to the
terrorists to strengthen themselves to launch more terrorist attacks on
the State - so it only entrenched provisions that will stand as a
guarantee to the State in a fight against terrorism in the future.
If a federal constitution was installed such as the envisaged in the
2000 Bill of Chandrika Kumaratunga it would have been the launching pad
for Prabhakaran to usher the State of Eelam. It contains the ingredients
to sow the seeds of secession.
Like it or hate it-Sri Lanka has to live with the 13th Amendment.
India has realised it more than Sri Lanka as the architects of the
legislation.
With the experience of 19 years the Provincial Council system has
proved to be a colossal failure yet it cannot be jettisoned due to an
unworkable amending procedure.
Still more in its reintroduction no room should be left for the
resurrection of a rebellion and harmful provisions has to be cushioned.
Nevertheless the grievances of the minorities cannot be assuaged with
constitutional or legal provisions as experienced-it will satisfy only
the political authorities or international community or aspiring
terrorists.
It requires for its fulfilment political will, necessary legislative
instruments, speedy executive directives, judicial support,
administrative integrity and ingenuity, a caring majority and a
considerate minority.
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