ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Asada M Erpini

With the US-spearheaded resolution that is due to be tabled at the UNHRC sessions starting on 27 February, which in no way would be complimentary to Sri Lanka as regards alleged human rights violations, the TNA has a team of its Parliamentarians visiting Tamil Nadu (TN), according to media reports on 25 February, at cursory glance, on a hilarious mission.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Third World, Developing or Resource-compromised are all fashionable and condescending euphemisms that only mean the same ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” poor. And, Sri Lanka, unfortunately, is one such country, however much one may love it. When the US, Canada, Australia, Norway and some EU nations batter Sri Lanka, all that the puny island could do is to turn the other cheek ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” not for a slap but for a sock that shatters the jaw.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Were Sri Lanka a rich country with vast oil reserves, as are found in some lands in the Middle East, or if it had rich uncles controlling the US economy, as is the case with Israel, the situation would have been ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” to use an expression that is widely used by the Americans themselves ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” a very different ball game. At least in the initial stages and until the US discovered that Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s rulers were not ready to tow its line, the island nation would have had an ally that was ready to defend it at international forums including the UN Security Council, come hell and high water.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Furthermore, none of the countries carrying the battering ram against Sri Lanka depends on the latter for its existence. In contrast, Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s economy will face a crisis if it is not allowed to export its garments and tea to the US, EU or Australia. As a result, all that Sri Lanka could do when the US is positioning its multi-pronged missiles against it is to plead with the other UN member nations to be objective and to accept that the war against the LTTE was a step it had to take to bring back the peace and normalcy that Sri Lankans of all ethnic and religious groups, including the non-LTTE Tamils, longed for. Yet, the US has its armoury of overt as well covert actions and a plethora of arm-twisting strategies that could persuade some of these nations to be on its side or stay without supporting Sri Lanka at a time when the country is in dire need of friends.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lanka is powerless even to contemplate any direct action against the US and its allies that are hell bent on presenting the resolution at UNHRC sessions against it. Additionally, none of the individuals who will steal the limelight at the proceedings on behalf of their mother countries is the recipient of a red cent from Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s treasury. As opposed to that, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs get paid and enjoy enviable benefits at the Sri Lanka tax payerƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s expense. Yet a team from the TNA, comprising Mavai Senathirajah, Selvam Adaikalanathan and Suresh Premachandran are to ask the TN state government to pressure the Central Government of India to support a resolution inimical to Sri Lanka. The absurdity of the whole episode is that the TNA continues to refuse to nominate its members to the Parliament Select Committee, which is the appropriate forum to discuss matters of interest to Sri Lankans, including the Tamils, in spite of repeated requests by President of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mahinda Rajapakse, the elected Head of State.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Additionally, India is not Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s colonial master that has the State Government of TN as its viceroy for Sri Lanka. The TNA MPs running to TN, crying that the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Sinhalese bulliesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ are not giving them their marbles back is worse than being childish.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The stance that the TNA has taken and the numerous meetings its bigwigs conduct in the Western capitals at which sob stories are fed to the eager media correspondents buttress the position of the US and its anti-Sri Lankan allies. This unsavoury charade is built on the premise that TNA is the major Tamil political group, when in fact its member MPs cannot claim that they represent even 4% of the population in the country.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If Sri Lanka is to have any chance of long-term success as a result of the highly laudable moves such as the Sri Lanka ArmyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s proposed 5Rs – Rehabilitation, Re-integration, Re-construction, Resettlement and Reconciliation ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” seminar, which is scheduled to be held in August, the TNA should be banned from continuing with its actions that undermine Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s sovereignty. Legislation should be put in place post haste to achieve this goal. The Government of India led by Jawaharlal Nehru declared secessionism illegal in 1963 that put paid to the clamour for independence for a Dravida Nadu or Dravidisthan by Tamil bigwigs such as Ramasamy and Annadurai. It is natural therefore that those players in the TN political arena today are using the TNA as their catƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s paw to achieve what their forefathers could not get back in India half a century ago.