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The dead P-TOMs

Seven months has gone since the tragic tsunami hit Sri Lanka, India and other countries in the South East Asia. But the P-TOMS agreement to take up relief and reconstruction work for the people affected by it is almost dead. There is no possibility that it will be taken forward.

Six months, half a year, was needed just get to that agreement. The country, the people and the international community have no doubt about who was behind that delay. Now due to the ruling of the high court placing temporary ban on certain aspects of P-TOMS all possibilities of activating it is lost.

There are people who say that the government must go along with the high court ruling and that it has no other option. Not only in this issue but also in the matter of the Trincomalee Buddha statue the high court has come to the aid of the government and the Sinhala Buddhist chauvinists.

In this context the views expressed by the LTTE political wing leader Mr S P Tamilselvan and theoretician Dr Anton Balasingam are a good responses, to those who raise the matter of the high court ruling and to the international community.

Tamilselvan has said, “Government signed the P-TOMS agreement after dragging its feet for a long time. We are only asking the government to implement it in the form in which it was agreed upon. Government cannot escape by giving excuses like the high court ruling.

We did not start the ceasefire agreement or the peace talks after consulting the high courts. We are not concerned with the court rulings of the government. That is the problem of the government. We have told them not to come to us carrying the rulings of the high court. We are waiting to see if the President will use her executive power to do something about implementing the P-TOMS. If she comes forward to do this that will be welcome. Such an action will create a constructive environment”.

There is profound meaning in this view and that must be understood. If the high court is blocking an agreement reached by the government and the LTTE then it is the responsibility of the government to deal with that ban. That is not a problem for the LTTE. It is the responsibility of both sides to remove any stumbling blocks on its side and it is not appropriate to expect the other side to bend over to deal with the stumbling blocks of one side.

Anyhow, if the government fails to implement an agreement it reached with the LTTE, be it due to the high court ruling or for any other reason then the government is guilty of failing to uphold an agreement. Tamilselvan has confirmed this through the views he has expressed.

President can implement the agreement using her executive power in spite of the high court ruling. Will she do it? The views of Tamilselvan also indirectly express this.

Also important is the view expressed by Dr Balasingam in London when he met the Norwegian facilitators. Tsunami relief and reconstruction is about people’s urgent needs to carry on with their living. That cannot be postponed any further. He has said,

“International community has the responsibility and duty to help the people affected by natural disaster and war. If the international community continues to neglect this it will mean that it has failed in its humanitarian obligation. We ask the international community to desist from making this error. If the P-TOMS agreement is not going to be implemented then it must give the aid directly to the Tamil nation without any further delay”.

What is the response of the President and the international community to the expectations expressed by Tamilselvan and to the matter pointed out by Balasingam. Tamil nation is waiting to know.

25 July 2005

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