Who stands in the way of Communal Integration in Sri Lanka ?

Outlook India.com reports that  according to the  TNA leader Sampanthan the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said that,  “…India would never backtrack from its position that Tamils in Sri Lanka should lead a life of dignity and self respect in a peaceful environment, and  that India is fully with Sri Lankan Tamils and would continue to engage with TNA”.

 

If Manmohan Singh had said that,  India under the Premiership of Manmohan Singh is then a threat to Sri Lanka. The report  added  that, “… the Indian side also explained its position and how it was working with the Sri Lankan Government in implementing the 13th Amendment plus approach which envisage devolution of power to Tamil Dominated Provinces .”

India is definitely forestalling the right of the people of Sri Lanka  without whose accord even the government of Sri Lanka cannot implement the 13 Amendment despite it being law. We should not be disturbed by India’s threats, but ignore India on the issue of Sri Lanka Tamils, which is a matter for the government of Sri Lanka to decide. 

Cuba a little country under the shadow of the giant USA has withstood all threats and aggression of the USA.  We should learn a lesson from them and stop our stooging to India. 

To begin with we should stop excessive advancement of India in our economic development projects.

There were reports apart from India’s activities in the north building houses, and railway lines that the Government of Sri Lanka is ,on a proposal of the Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen, setting up  a joint task force representing public and private  authorities on both countries to  double the  present trade with India.  Sri Lanka’s export to India  stands around US$ 500 million while its imports from India is around US$ 4.5 billion last year.  Who stands to gain ?   

In addition to that it has been announced that  India has agreed to set up a special Economic Zone with facilities for skill development to promote exports to India,  in the Eastern Port City of Trincomalee.   Are we not binding ourselves to the needs of India’s own economic development ?

There are also reports that Sri Lanka is planning to invest in Indian port projects. But there are those that question as to whether there is an ulterior  motive in seeking such investment.  "The new transshipment hub in Cochin and Vizhinjam Port are seen as direct competition to Colombo Port which has been expanding largely due to the cargo from India. In such a scenario, there's no valid reason for Sri Lanka to invest in Indian port projects as it would only hamper their projects. There could be an ulterior motive behind their intention," said Hemant Bhattbhatt, senior director at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. Though India is said to be  Sri Lanka’s biggest trading partner , China remains Sri Lanka’s biggest donor state.

However, despite all these economic issues India will not change its old political desire to dominate over Sri Lanka.  India will  never give us a “cadeau”. India’s intention from 1970s had been clear.  India wants to dominate Sri Lanka and divide  it Communally and make Sri Lanka another  Indian State.  Our accommodating India in our development projects amounts to the proverbial Camel’s head under the tent, or even better “ like taking a fox to guard a poultry farm.”

The International Community, and the UNHuman Rights Council want Sri Lanka to give  a rightful place to the Tamils. But they do not see that it is the Tamils led by the TNA and India ( along with the Tamil Diaspora) that do not allow Sri Lanka to treat its Tamil Community as a part and parcel of its own Nation of Sri Lankans.  It is they who stand on the way to communal reconciliation.

India, which has voted with USA against Sri Lanka accusing  it for violation of human rights, (which amounts to a discrimination against the Tamil people in Sri Lanka) , and the International Community and the UNHRC constantly accusing Sri Lanka for the violation of human rights against the Tamil Community only help to separates the Communities in Sri Lanka when the Government of Sri Lanka is doing its best to reconcile the Communities removing the distinction of separate communities in Sri Lanka in favour of a Sri Lankan Nationality.

What we want in Sri Lanka is a communally integrated nation of Sri Lankans, where we  are respectful, honest and friendly towards each other . It had always been  difficult for the majority Community to win the hearts of the Tamil people.  It had been  the problem that ended up in terrorism. Even after the terrible experience  of terrorism , the Tamils seem to still yearn for that  suffering, rather  than the emancipation and freedom that the President Mahinda Rajapakse has promised.

The Tamils have still not absorbed  the importance of what the President said  after the elimination of terrorism that, “ there is no minority and majority in Sri Lanka.  The major obstacle to the failure to  understand this simple logic by the ordinary Tamil people,  is the TNA, India, and the International Community with their  hypocrite interest in “human rights”, which they themselves do not observe and respect.

India which is still in its pre-terrorist mentality of the 1970s, would pamper TNA that perpetrates the separatism in  Sri Lanka, for their own benefit, rather than advice the TNA to settle matters with the Government of Sri Lanka without running to them, as India has no moral right to interfere into the internal affairs of Sri Lanka.

The separatist Tamil National Alliance is reported to have told India, “  that the Tamils in Sri Lanka should be given an opportunity to lead a "dignified life" and there should be no effort to "cheat them again" .

The President of Sri Lanka and his Government have not waited until TNA  tells them  to provide a dignified life to the Tamil Community in Sri Lanka.  The TNA MPs -the so called representatives of the  Tamil people of Sri Lanka have not up to date taken any positive action towards ameliorating the condition of living of the  Tamil people in the North or East, except going round the world asking different Countries to help them get the Sri Lanka government to recognise them as the representatives of the Tamil people, and devolve political  power to them.  The poor Tamil people  are not asking for political power but they want a higher living standard,  employment, health facilities  and education  for their children which the Government is already engaged in giving.  TNA has not taken part in any of the development projects in the North and the East, other than raising their voice to talk about  devolution of political power to the North and East.

It was Prabhakaran and TNA that “cheated”  the Tamil people, though now TNA after Prabhakaran comes forward to represent the very people against whom TNA worked  along side the terrorists as their proxy, representing the terrorists in the Parliament of Sri Lanka, without defending the Tamil people oppressed by the terrorists.. 

What moral right has Sampanthan and his clique of the TNA MPs who have come into Parliament after duping the poor Tamils of the North and East,   not participating  democratically  as elected members of the Parliament and go to India to ask India to  help the Tamil people in Sri Lanka ? 

India on the other hand has no right as a sovereign State in the neighbourhood of Sri Lanka to take one community in preference to the other Communities for special treatment.  India should deal with Sri Lanka as a whole  nation composed of different Communities.

The only way TNA MPs have  to show their bona fides of their genuine interest in the Tamil people who voted them into power  is by actively participating in the Parliament of Sri Lanka of which they are members and  coordinate their efforts to the welfare of the Tamil people to give them  a “ dignified life”.

Sampanthan had said, "The TNA is prepared to join the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) process to find such a solution. But, unless I have a commitment from President Mahinda Rajapaksa, I cannot go the PSC with a clear conscience. I am not prepared to betray my people."  

But he cannot put forward   conditions to join the PSC .  It is their duty to join it if they are Members of Parliament representing the Tamil people.  In the PSC the majority vote prevails  as it is the case in a democratic system of government.  Therefore the TNA has to place their demands  before the PSC without a pre-conceived  prospect of  winning their demands.  They have to use “ toleration and compromise “.  In refraining to  nominate their representatives to the PSC,  TNA is becoming an obstacle to the democratic process of Parliamentary procedures.

TNA MPs harping of “ political rights” to the Tamil people is only  ploy  to make  the Tamil question an arm to win political power for themselves.  India understands that and keeps encouraging them as it fits into their Agenda against Sri Lanka.  The International Community and the  UN Human Rights Commissioner do not seem to take that into account.

On the other hand Naveneetham Pillai,  has an axe to grind, being a  Tamil herself, believs that the Sri Lanka Terrorists were freedom fighters who were  fighting to liberate the Tamil  Community from the  Sinhala Majority, who represented to her the White Regime of  South Africa.

 It was reported that Sampanthan the TNA leader had said, “"If we get assurances that we will not be cheated again and that our people will not be deceived once again, we are ready to walk towards the path of finding a (political) solution. The negativity has to be removed,"

This is the last thing that any Sri Lankan would expect a political leader representing the Tamil people would tell about a government that waged a war to eliminate the terrorists who for thirty years made the lives of the poor   Tamil people “ a hell”.  The terrorist made the Tamil people go  through untold suffering  allowing their children to be kidnapped and pay ransoms when ever they were called for, and usurped  their freedom and  their way of life. TNA who as a terrorist  proxy took  orders from the terrorists  did nothing to  stop the suffering of the Tamil people .  And it is this TNA that is now accusing the Government of Sri Lanka  as having cheated the Tamil people.

Tamil people may soon understand who really cheats them the Government or the  TNA.

India’s role is not to assert to TNA that India will  assure that the “Tamil people in Sri Lanka  lead a life of dignity and self respect in a peaceful environment,”  which is the role of the Government  of Sri Lanka, but to  pressure TNA to fully commit itself to the political process towards arriving at a viable solution.  India should not change its role from advisor, to protector.
If India makes those statements to please the Tamil Nadu, then India is not being wise.  In this respect an Indian political commentator  Shastri Ramachandran has said:
 “It may not occur to the DMK and AIADMK that their posturing may be driving Sri Lanka (away from India) into the arms of China. If these parties persist in their unfriendly campaign, Sri Lanka may be forced to not only hand over more projects to China, or even Pakistan, but even start sending their defence personnel to these countries for training. Then the fat would be truly in the fire.
Sri Lanka is in a zone of Indian influence and is of enormous strategic value. India is Sri Lanka’s preferred partner and the one country from which it would like all help. Instead of creating conditions that make Colombo approach Beijing or Islamabad, it is high time the national parties make the DMK and AIADMK see strategic sense…….”