Glance at the national problem

(Continued from yesterday’s Op-Ed)

Tamil PATRIOT

The demand for self determination by Tamil leaders is based on the assumption that Tamils have a homeland in the North and East and can manage their affairs more effectively without interference and importantly, discrimination by the central Government.

While there is a valid argument for doing so, and hopefully the matter can be resolved after the dust has settled after conclusion of the war against LTTE, it is also important to realize that a large section of Tamils in the North have migrated to the South, the concept of a Tamil homeland has lost some credibility.

Unrealistic

Development activities such as these could not be undertaken in the North and East due to protracted war earlier

It is also unrealistic to expect sympathy for such a proposal from the South in view of polarization of society created by war and conflict. At this stage in the history of this strife torn country it is more important to unite the country under one leadership.

More importantly what the people in the North and East need is emancipation from war and conflict, from hunger and poverty, and from absolute despair as in the case of thousands of refugees. Only a strong central Government with cooperation from all sections of the community can achieve this. Transfer of power from centre to provinces is unlikely to address the urgent needs of people for rehabilitation, reconstruction and development, which has to be the responsibility of the Government.

What is also conveniently ignored by Tamil leaders is that there has been considerable progress in business and industry in the South, resulting in a high level of industrialization through transfer of technology, formation of new industries such as in the garments sector, especially in the Western Province. It has brought the country to the threshold of NIC status. If only there is a period of unbroken peace, all such advances could be extended to the North and East, together with growth of tourism for which there is unlimited potential in the East. There are several Tamils who have set up businesses and prospered in the South for several decades.

Also, the LTTE had no serious intention of negotiating with the Government for any kind of autonomy within a united Sri Lanka. As one Tamil nationalist and LTTE supporter quoted Mao Tse Tung, “power flows from the barrel of a gun” and any thought of a negotiated settlement was pure fantasy. Any overtures made such as the Oslo accords between Balasingham and G.L. Peiris were never seriously pursued.

Sacrifice

The limitation of this strategy, as shown in recent developments, is an all or nothing mindset, which also makes a major sacrifice on the civilian population, who have lost their lives, have their homes and lands completely devastated by war and conflict.

Moreover, it has polarized the entire Sri Lankan community, where there is considerable animosity between majority Sinhalese and Tamil sections of society. A large section of the Tamil community both in Sri Lanka and overseas appear to be isolated from the mainstream society due to the long period of war and conflict.

Several generations of Tamils have grown up assuming that Sinhalese are their enemies. It has given rise to a culture of supporting a war as the only option and a people who are very reclusive and antagonistic towards the majority, without a proper understanding of the causes of such a conflict and not looking for solutions outside an armed struggle.

No doubt, the major mistake made by successive Governments and politicians in the South was to abandon English education, which was probably the highest standard in the British Commonwealth at time of Independence.

It had devastating consequences for youth of the country, resulting in high unemployment and frustration due to very limited scope for employment of Sinhala and Tamil educated people. It resulted in two insurgencies in the South and the very costly war in the North and East.

The real grievances of people in the North and East have been clouded by several decades of war and conflict. The major sacrifice made by the international Tamil diaspora was to finance an unproductive war in the North and East that has devastated the country, especially the North and East. It will be mind boggling to know the total amount of funds allocated for such an operation by the Tamil diaspora. It will easily exceed one billion US dollars, i.e., one thousand million dollars.

Prosperity

If only a fraction of that was allocated for development of the North and East without resorting to an armed conflict it could have yielded unimaginable prosperity for people of the part of that country and enriched the entire country to even surpass Malaysia and Singapore as Asian economic tigers and not the destructive Tigers in the battlefield.

In summary, the grievances of Tamils that existed over 50 years ago, such as need for greater opportunities in public service, recognition of Tamil language and admission to universities are no longer valid.

The Government public service is the least lucrative source of employment. There are universities in Jaffna and Batticaloa. Tamil language is not and has never been a passport to employment of youth. Incidentally, Tamil has enjoyed equal status as a national language since 1987, but not been properly implemented. So, what are we fighting for? Yes, there has been and is discrimination by the Government, which has been greatly aggravated by an unproductive war and culture of confrontation, organized by Tamil politicians and LTTE for over half a century. The Government and Sinhalese politicians need to be magnanimous at this time of victory over the rebels and open their hearts and doors to the poor Tamil people and give them a fair go in rebuilding their society.

Reconciliation

Time is a great healer, and people from all sections of society need to give time for reconciliation. I propose the Government appoints a Truth Commission to investigate problems, atrocities committed by both sides in the conflict and consider submissions for solution to problems created by a long period of conflict. We can also consider submissions by other minorities and whether they have similar grievances.

The Government needs to make a major commitment for economic and social development in the North and East, supported by the business sector for commencement of factories and business in that part of country. There is a need for Constitutional reform for greater inclusion of minorities in the Government. Most importantly, there is a need for a paradigm shift in mindset of Tamil leaders and people to accept their position as part of Sri Lankan society and work towards emancipation from war and conflict, hunger and poverty, and new hope for the coming generations. There is a need to end not only violence and conflict but also the polarization in society that has divided our beautiful country for so long.