By Shenali Waduge

“Have the Tamils suffered injustices purely because they have been Tamils? In what ways do the Sinhalese who make up 74% of the country’s population secure special privileges purely because they are Sinhalese?”

The world’s worst terror outfit was eliminated by Sri Lanka – No foreign consultants, no foreign governments, no foreign armed forces provided the strategy & the manpower. Sri Lanka did it Sri Lanka’s way. A Government that faced endless diplomatic hostilities with calls for ceasefires & amnesty for LTTE leaderships withstood enormous pressures & as a result won plaudits from the Sri Lankan masses, therefore it is with wonderment that post-war we find the same Government in tenterhooks on deciding its future course of action. A Government that was able to weather the storms that arose in the final stages of the battle must surely be able to tackle the calls for “political solutions” from the very nations that wanted the terror to continue, if not we must wonder what & where lies the problem!

There has been much discourse, many writings, much debate & focus on the “desired” political solution for Sri Lanka. It seems the external forces are more concerned with the political solution than the people of Sri Lanka! Undeniably, the Government must be in an enviable position. Post-war means the requirement for much funds to phase out development, rehabilitation, reconstruction & resettlement. The nations that attempted to broker a ceasefire & maintain the LTTE’s terror status quo are the very nations that provide the “aid” & therefore they don’t miss opportunities to tie these to “pre-conditions” – beggars can’t be choosers they say! Judging by the manner the Government was successful in playing nations against each other it seems the same gameplan is in progress to ensure that enough funds are pledged for development drives & naturally with it accompanies the “yes” to “their proposed solutions” (temporarily, we hope).

Part of the publics respect for the Government stemmed from the ability to withstand foreign pressures & to stoically back its armed forces. What therefore surprises most at present is whether the Government is being pressurized into implementing the 13th amendment or not! The scenario during the last stages of the conflict was extremely critical – the entire logistics of the war & humanitarian effort required money & arms. To meet the requirements for both we needed to look beyond our shores. With the LTTE defeated the country has to now look inward – if the problem lies within Sri Lanka the answer must also be found within Sri Lanka. We do not need to listen to foreign counsels since we have to discover the root causes for our problems & find the solutions that best fits Sri Lanka’s future. So we are all wondering why Sri Lanka needs to continue to appease foreign nations. All these nations are ever ready only to condemn.

We are well aware that it was the follies of past politicians that had to be eventually reversed through the sacrifices of the armed forces. The success of the entire operation lay in the fact that the Executive backed the armed forces & allowed it to decide how the war should be fought. That is what has made the present Government rise above all previous ones. Therefore the country is on a high alert not wanting to waste the golden opportunity that lies before us. We do not want the politicians to commit political hara-kiri by being misled & entrapped by foreign nations – such an eventuality is more than difficult to accept post-LTTE defeat.

Therefore, rushing into an irrevocable constitutional change is likely to create further problems & may not be the solution after all. Thus, the Government before presenting any solution must answer a simple question which must be conveyed to the international community as well. Have the Tamils suffered injustices purely because they have been Tamils? In what ways do the Sinhalese who make up 74% of the country’s population secure special privileges purely because they are Sinhalese? The grievances are been promoted & projected purely because no Government has had the courage to ask this question & is this so difficult to ask & answer? People seem to have forgotten that in 1983, the IGP, bulk of DIGs and the Attorney General were all Tamils.

We also need to know whether the LTTE was actually a “grievance” to the Tamil people – because the Government sacrificed its soldiers & committed massive funds for the elimination of the LTTE to allow the Tamil people to lead a peaceful & secure life. Given that we answer the first question arriving at the fact that there is no exclusive injustice legally or constitutionally denied to the Tamils & if the LTTE factor that also denied the Tamil people peaceful co-existence has also been removed – we need to now know what other “grievance” the Tamils have that justifies the need for foreign nations to demand a “political solution”. It is rather unfair that the entire “grievance” scenario becomes only focused on 12% of the country’s population. What about the rest of Sri Lanka’s populace– do they not have grievances? Surely the Sinhalese that make up 74% of the country’s population (14.8million) must have a plethora of problems that have had no platform all through post-independence. The world enjoys projecting 70,000 plus figures as numbers to depict the tragedy that has prevailed over Sri Lanka through almost 3 decades….where are the voices for over 65,000 Sinhala youth who were mercilessly gunned down or tortured to death by the Premadasa regime in the late 1980s? Are these Sinhala youth not important – where were the human rights doctors to carry their case to the international human rights courts? These numbers are not even mentioned.

Sri Lanka’s problem unfortunately is not confined to its territorial waters…the overbearing shadow of India continues to prevail. India has taken over from where the foreign colonial rulers left. India’s role in Sri Lanka’s predicament hastens the country to be mindful of India’s actions (even the goodwill gestures) at all times with much caution. Why? When India was well aware that its own state of Tamil Nadu with a Tamil population of 65million had ideas to separate why did India decide to build a group of Tamil militants in Sri Lanka to fight along the lines of Tamil separatism? Surely India was aware of its ripple affect upon the very state that was first to harbor separatism? Diverting Tamil Nadu attention to Sri Lanka & watching from the balcony the separatist struggle in Sri Lanka, the move obviously was meant as a destabilizing factor as well as to permeate India to elevate its international stature in line with its own desire for regional hegemony. It is unfair to say India’s interest in Sri Lanka rests with India’s own fear for internal security threats, when the very fear was actually created by India – its intelligence failed to detect the masterplan to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi & moreover well aware of the LTTE’s links to terror groups within India, India chose to ignore assisting the GOSL to deal with the LTTE & chose to do so only during times when the Sri Lankan armed forces were really pressed against the wall. We also need to question whether the death of Rajiv mattered to India’s governments at all, if it did no sooner the LTTE was identified as the culprit India should have given its all to help Sri Lanka crush the LTTE – none of that happened. Rajiv’s assassination took place in 1991 & after 18 years of no avenge for Rajiv India is suddenly jumping in to help Sri Lanka & shamelessly declaring it was to avenge the death of Rajiv (especially when his widow is aligned to the party leader whose name is mentioned in the Jain report for links with the LTTE? The answer lies in one simple answer – China. If not for China’s sudden emergence into the scene, India would have never opted to assist Sri Lanka to eliminate the LTTE. But, we must at all times as Sri Lankan’s remember that all our “friends” are inspired by their own “interests” which adequately requires us as Sri Lankans to make sure our country’s “interests” are never sacrificed or compromised at any given time!

Is it possible for India’s final plan to annex Sri Lanka someday? Is the Indo-Lanka Agreement & subsequent 13th amendment & the provincial council systems to facilitate this move – as seen through the rehearsal by Varatharaja Perumal when he declared unilateral independence & still remains a guest of India. Or should we just excuse India’s role as strategy blunders for which they regretted later – thus helping Sri Lanka during the final stages?

India’s desire for regional power far exceeds its relations with Sri Lanka or the other SAARC neighbors. It is by bullying these very nations that India attempts to show its prowess. By aligning with US, India is now bracing itself to be China’s rival in the East thus 20million Sri Lankans will be of no consequence especially in the light of the geographical benefits Sri Lanka is able to provide through trade – therefore the easiest option would be to take over Sri Lanka using the very arguments that we place as reasons why India should not be hostile towards us (presently it is doing a good job choking Sri Lanka economically). We can basically dispense with the “feeling sorry for the plight of the Tamils in Sri Lanka” by India for 300 million Indians live below the poverty line and 800 million earn less than $2 a day. India is well advised to look after its own people first. Immediately, after the Accord the London Evening Standard declared “India … is the colonial power in the region today.  If the Indian navy had shut off the Palk Strait Tiger reinforcements and supplies, if in fact Mr. Gandhi had behaved with that rigour he demanded from Britain in our treatment of the Sikhs, the terrorists would have been defeated by now”, while the Wall Street Journal editorialized that India was like “A rogue elephant trampling upon its neighbors”.

With the present focus on a document called the 13th amendment we need to ask how much the 13th amendment has afforded the country so far & what the 13th amendment plus is likely to offer? Barring the North, Sri Lanka’s provincial council system has prevailed & we see little or any comfort in realistically continuing this system other than of course providing “employment” to politicians. Leaving aside the 225 members of parliament the country ends up having to take care of the needs of over 600 PC members & their coteries as well as the upkeep of the state institutions, How has the system helped to deliver in so far as the “ethnic” tag is concerned? Elections in the East was more about Muslims asking Muslims for their votes & Tamils asking Tamils…while the 13th amendment & provincial council system was supposed to break ethnic divides it has only strengthened & created systems for division. There is an outpouring of minorities to the Western Province & while this will no doubt dispel any argument about “ethnic rivalry”, it was not the provincial council system that attributed towards the influx of Tamils but the lucrative nature of Colombo per se for gainful employment, education etc. One of the drawbacks in the effective implementation of the provincial council system has nothing to do with “Ethnicity” in the least – it is just that most of the politicians do not want to “reside” in their provinces & develop the areas that come under their control. Rightfully, all the “national” schools, medical colleges etc should be abolished. The provinces must develop & upgrade the schools & teachers should reside & teach in these areas, doctors should all not be scurrying for employment in Colombo etc….this is exactly what is happening & this is why the provinces are getting neglected….it has nothing to do with “ethnicity” – but will our politicians accept this truth & agree that go to their provinces for “holidays” or “openings” – can the doctors, teachers agree that they would rather be in Colombo than their own villages/province? This is where the fault lies & unless we can set systems to change this the “plus” to any of the 13th amendments will just be adding to the administrative hiccups in place. The remedy recommended has now become worse than the malady itself.

One of the condescending arguments which needs due attention is that while the Indo-Lanka Agreement was clearly nothing close to an “agreement” the 13th amendment too was a hurriedly prepared document that served only India’s vested interest. Whether we are to continue with this Trojan Horse is what most of us want to know from the Government. Surely, we have enough intellectuals who are able to bring about a solution that will ensure that the public will not be at the receiving end of future problems. In arriving at a solution it is of utmost concern that we do not get carried away by a few voices that have had the luck to remain alive & free of LTTE gunfire & who are presently parroting a “grievance” scenario ‘discrimination” & rights of the Tamils. We again return to the basic question of what are these exclusively denied rights…it is important that we do not for the sake of appeasing foreign governments or even local groups continue to utter claims that “Tamils have a grievance ” & not be able to tell what they are – thus we need to know what these exclusively denied grievances are. Therefore, it is advised that we uproot these “grievances” & place them with “rights”. Everyone can have grievances but no Government can provide or cater to each grievance. It is best that the Government concentrate of ensuring that Group Rights be looked after.

Gun-boat politics has left us with a system we do not feel happy about not because of its Indian origin but because the system has only provided lucrative jobs to politicians & their cronies & nothing substantial to the public. Given, the present system & the manner in which the MPs of these provinces presently exercise their role, adding to their job description is hardly likely to make any major differences. The public sector & its success runs on seamless administrative processes but more so on attitude & one thing the public sector lack is not that they are inefficient but they lack a drive – the feeling that they are in that role for a purpose, which makes them poor customer-centric centers & any person whatever ethnic group they belong to will have enough experiences to relate about the shoddy manner they have been treated. Again, it has nothing whatsoever to do with “ethnicity”.

We need to all be aware that the LTTE was only part of the problem. The major component of this lies in a quest for a “separate” state & while Sri Lanka has succeeded in nullifying the terrorist attachment to this quest, rudiments of separatism still remain. When India crushed the We Tamil Movement in the 1960s it was well aware that “separatist” tendency would prevail & it was this that encouraged India to divert Tamil Nadu’s attention towards Sri Lanka just to buy time. The state is in no position to stop people having “separatist” tendency however, the State is obliged to ensure that mechanisms are put in place to overcome & address these tendencies. Therefore, the declaration of independence by Perumal works well to depict that the present system has flaws which need to be removed or replaced – that decision lies in the hands of the Government. It is also reminded that a Government is only “caretakers” of the country. They must not think that the country is theirs to do as they please & these “promises” made to people like Ban Ki-Moon, India, & other foreign nations is never binding as they too are serving only a term. Decisions that affect the entire population of Sri Lanka must be thought-out with much care for generations are likely to face the repercussions – good as well as bad. We have suffered decades of problems because of the blunders of most of Sri Lanka’s leaders which is why we are earnestly hoping that this Government will not join that coterie.

The strategists that created Prabakan Inc ensured his legacy remained in tact – the international dowry of the LTTE is USD300million & none of their nefarious activities have actually been affected as a result of the LTTE elimination in Sri Lanka – their narcotics trade, arms smuggling, human smuggling all remain in tact. What Tamils in Sri Lanka need to ask is why the LTTE strategists did not use millions from their coffers to make the North & East far better than even Colombo? Why was not a single village developed, children educated, even sent abroad for foreign education, if these children were “denied” admission to medical college etc…why did the LTTE not finance them to obtain foreign doctorates? Why was only buildings built to tax their own people???

Presently, there are cries asking that the Government does not give into India’s demands for the implementation of 13amendment PLUS…the sovereignty of the Republic is inalienable & the 13th amendment violates article 1 & 2 of Sri Lanka’s constitution although JRJ legitimized it to safeguard his own political career.

One aspect we seem to have overlooked is that prior to the implementation of the 13th amendment it was a common belief that the “official language policy” of 1956 was the root cause of the conflict. Subsequent to the implementation of the 13th amendment & Tamil being accepted as an official language (for just 18% of the population) there are still calls for self-determination. Are we running around the mulberry bush because we can only proceed forward if we know exactly what the ailment is?

India has no moral right to hold us to any demand or promise for it failed miserably to uphold its – not only was India not able to disarm the LTTE, it lost even territory to the LTTE though it boasted of disarming the LTTE within days, the Accord promised to not allow India’s territory to be used as haven for Sri Lanka’s terrorists but Tamil Nadu still remains not only a safe haven but its hospitals have even nursed the LTTE wounded.

Sri Lanka’s solution should not have to be India’s solution – we are very much a sovereign country & it is a shame that we should have to fly to India for briefing sessions. Demarcating territory can not solve problems. India’s own federal system is falling apart with the central government having to intervene all the time especially on matters concerning ethnic discrimination, attacks on Muslims, Christians etc. Repealing the 13th amendment is justified for it has given us nothing really to sustain its existence more so since we are at a juncture that we can actually decide on the best course of action to be taken. Land powers must belong to the Central Government & it is wise for the Government to make an amendment to the 13th amendment to ensure this status quo. The agrarian services were taken back to the Central Government with the Supreme Court ruling that a simple majority was sufficient for this purpose. Changes will ultimately rest upon the decision of the main opposition – which has labored to appease the minority while totally ignoring the majority. It is this that has resulted in the election failures…overcoming their desire for power should be to win the confidence of the majority who realistically bring politicians to power, therefore the UNP would be advised to put their eggs in the correct basket this time round at least. Changes for the betterment of the country will be strengthened by the joint efforts of the two main political parties in Sri Lanka.

The question at all times is whether devolution of power should go to “politicians” or whether it should be “empowerment to the people”. The “political solution” under the 13th amendment ONLY provides “power to the politicians” & NO SOLUTIONS for the people. This defines the need for an election process that allows the people to vote for the people they desire & highlights those incompetent ones while removing the easy path to power through the national list. We have to again remind politicians that it was their blunders that created all the mess that prevails.

We are all in agreement that carving territories is not the solution – there is no country that does not have a problem. With the armed forces giving us a rare opportunity to start life afresh with the elimination of terrorism – for Sri Lanka’s future we need to change our attitude. Essentially, on the surface we do not see a problem, purely because we are aware & we can give enough of examples to show that Tamils are not discriminated because they are Tamil. They own property, their children enjoy different types of public & private schooling, they hold jobs in both private & public sectors, they are members of professional bodies & in most cases they are better off than most Sinhalese. However, the emotional ties that have severed the lives of the people come from instilling “aspirations” that are purely to sustain the lifestyles of a few. The “separatist” agenda in Sri Lanka was one such move – for unlike the separatist struggle that arose in the 1960s, Sri Lanka’s one was solely commercial as can be seen from the members who are now attempting to resuscitate the LTTE through a farcical drive called “Government in Exile” – perhaps Canada which has been kind enough to give Quebec to the French may also feel generous to allow Tamil Eelaam to be declared in Scarborough where the majority of Tamils live! The “political solution” that is being called for is just that – political, for it is to encourage the will of the politicians to prevail over the will of the people.

This is reason enough not to accept solutions that have been half-heartedly introduced by force. Let us go back, see what former solutions that worked well & allow our intellectuals to plan the proper system that should be implemented –just as the armed forces were given the green light to steer the war to success, allow those who are knowledgeable to design the constitutional reforms for a better Sri Lanka to prevail – thereafter the politicians can champion this drive. The end goal is for all Sri Lankans to live together in peace.