2009   2008   2007   2006   2005   2004   2003

Sinhala nation disgruntled over its majoritarian -centered leadership;

The martyrs day speech delivered by the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam Mr.V.Prabakaran on 27th November 2004 has elicited numerous critiques in the media. An entirely new perspective from the South that the Sinhalese masses having been neglected by their leadership and therefore disgruntled and dissolussioned, would turn to bank on Mr. Prabaharan, is being portrayed by Kalinga, a Sinhala journalist in his article in Sinhala titled “What is the government response to Prabaharan” published in the Sinhala weekly ‘Ravaya’. Appended below is the English version of this article.

Tiger leader Mr.Prabaharan has, in his recent Martyrs day speech, dealt with clearly on the current political trend. Reminding the modality conflict between his freedom movement and the former United National Front (UNF) government in the progress of the peace talks, the president’s unreasonable political moves thereafter and the attitudinal change of the present United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, Mr.Prabaharan has dealt with the political situation with very deeper insights.

The Sub-committee SIHRN institutionalised by both the parties during negotiations were later found to be inadequate and ineffective in meeting the intended resettlement, rehabilitation and reconstruction needs of a population of people displaced from the North due to military operations and hence the LTTE decided not to participate in the activities of that Sub-Committee. Also, the UNF government unilaterally participated in the Donor conference in Washington. As an equal partner in the peace process, this was a let down for the LTTE and therefore the organisation suspended its participation in negotiations.. Consequent to this, the government of Ranil Wickremasinghe put forward three proposals in succession for an interim administrative arrangement, all of which were found to be inadequate and wanting. It is at this stage that the LTTE submitted its own proposals, said Mr. Prabaharan.

When the UNF government of Ranil Wickremasinghe expressed readiness to recommence negotiations on the basis of the set of proposals submitted by the LTTE, the President snatched three ministerial portfolios from the ruling Ranil’s UNF. Hot on heels, the President also dissolved the parliament, entered into a coalition with the racist JVP and ordered an election. This coalition won the elections and formed a minority government, an amalgam of sorts, in that, formations having divergent views on the national question expediently got together to wrest power. Prabakaran defines this coalition entity as an ‘inappropriate government’.

Mr. Prabaharan accuses that this coalition government did not have a cohesive and clear stand on the national question. He points out in his speech that the JVP holds a cynically opposing view of resolving the Tamil national problem through negotiated means. Emphasising that this coalition government cannot satisfactorily take forward the peace process on the basis of the ISGA proposals submitted by his organisation on behalf of the Tamil people, he reiterates that the organisation’s stand on this matter is very clear and unambiguous. He also points out that if the government has any concerns over the proposals, those matters could be subject to discussion and negotiations over the table when the talks recommence.

Mr.Prabakaran opines that the President’s insistence on discussing core issues parallel to the ISGA proposals is either to pacify the JVP or with a duplicitous intention of misleading the International community or still worse, it may be a ruse to prolong the peace process as a time buying tactic.

The LTTE leader has not failed to deliver a substantial challenge to the southern polity, in that, he has called upon the political leaders in the south to declare their stand on fundamental aspirations of the Tamil people relating to their Tamil homeland, Tamil Nationhood and the right to self determination. He has also taken pains to indicate that if the southern polity does not act with circumspection and far-sightedness in dealing with the Tamil national problem, it is purposeless to engage in negotiations with them.

Not provided with the political space for equality through devolution, the mandate for secession too repressed militarily and expected to live as second class citizens under a Colombo-based unitary constitution, worse still, a three-year cease fire too having not delivered the basic peace dividends, Mr. Prabakaran says that the Tamil people cannot continue to languish in such a political void any further. Realistically, Mr.Prabakaran underlines the fact that the LTTE as a responsible political movement fighting for the freedom of the Tamil people, has no alternative other than to take forward the freedom struggle if the government does not take cognizance of the ground reality.

This speech lucidly and succinctly presents a clear overview of the Tamil perspective and does not fail to touch on the lack of cohesion and sincerity in the Sinhala polity and its parochialism. The ball is now in the government court. What now is the government’s response to Mr.Prabakaran’s candid and forthright views?

Is the President capable of bringing together JVP into the equation to act with circumspection as Mr.Prabakaran suggests? Or, is the President working with some hideous militaristic intentions? One does not see a sense of urgency and sincerity in the Sinhala leadership in resolving the Tamil national question. For all intent and purposes, one sees in the fabric, a rather selfish and party oriented moves that do not in any way contribute to the welfare of the nation.

Ranil Wickremasinghe, true to fact, displayed statesmanship during the initial stages of the peace process, but intertwined with that sincerity was the inner motive to gain popular support;. there was a subtle intention to win the support of the Tamil people in the presidential election which was however his goal. The President on the other hand is seriously engaged in retaining her presidency through political machinations and this seems to be her priority rather than the national question. In fact, she is only making use of the national problem as a part of her ‘power plan’ rather than prioritising it. Political expediency is the name of the game the President is engaged in.

The President does not have the sagacity to take forward the peace process with JVP as a willing partner. Neither does she possess the courage and determination to marginalise the JVP and take on board the support offered by Ranil Wickramasinghe and his coalition, the UNF. Evidently her real road map seems to be to completely take away the national question from the political fabric and ensure her continuity in politics with the help of JVP. Equally selfish is Ranil Wickramasinghe and his party to stabilise their party position with an eye on the seats of power.

In the final analysis, it is Mr.Citizen who has to pay for the consequential disaster that would entail and the Sinhala people, one wonders, frustrated over the dismal failure of their leadership to deliver, may turn to Mr. Prabakran for succour.

Courtesy: Ravaya Sinhala weekly/Uthayan Tamil daily

20 December 2004

Print this

Email this