Open letter to Opposition Leader Hon.R.Sampanthan
Posted on November 12th, 2018

By Nallur Murugan

Dear Sir,

I thought of writing you this letter because you have become the custodian of democracy, rule of law and constitution of Sri Lanka and at the same time you are always in the news. Internal party dispute between you and the Northern Chief minister is now debated in the open and discussed in the media. Local authority election results conducted in 18 Feb 2018 have clearly shown there is nothing between you and EPDP leader Douglas Devananda whom your party and Tamil media supportive of you character assassinated Devananda. It has been proved your permanent interests prevail. Your feud with former Chief Minister also is not seriously taken by ordinary Tamil people. Moreover 16 SLFP MPs met you and discussed current political situation with you. On top of that you met the American delegation and complained to them about the other members of the National Executive Council of Good Governance of which you are also a party as members of National Executive Council. Tamil people over several years gave you a mandate to solve their problems but you are making petitions and complaints to the foreign  forces which are inimical to Sri Lankan interests. This is no surprise because your leader S.J.V.Chelvanayagam fondly known as Ceylon Ghandhi sent a telegram to Queen Elizebeth not to withdraw the British Air force base from Sri Lanka when former Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranayake in 1956 had demanded the British Air Force bases to be withdrawn from Sri Lanka. No one would dispute if supporters honour S.J.V.Chelvanayagam as Ceylon Ghandi. But the truth remains the original Ghandi the Mahathma was the face of the Anti-colonial movement  in India which demanded full freedom from British. Original Ghandi demanded closure of British military bases but the so called  Ceylon Ghandi demanded the  other way. Still you fascinated  the policy of venerating imperialist forces without any shame. History of your party is full of contradictions, manipulations and betrayals which the majority of Tamil population failed to grasp. It has been the consistent party (Federal Party) policy to fan the communal flames and grab parliamentary seats. Majority of the Tamils were not aware of the theme at election meetings and campaign conducted by major national parties UNP and SLFP. The theme was economy, unemployment, development and so on. However, you and your party along with the so called independent Tamil media manipulated and told the Tamil that the national parties fanned communal flames. Tamil people generally believed what was told by your colleagues. To make your memory fresh, in `1970 parliamentary elections SLFP coalition promised to bring rice even from moon. In 1977 parliamentary elections UNP under JRJ promised to distribute 8 KG food stuff on ration basis.

The manner in which Tamil National Alliance led by you untiringly engage in what some media describes hate speech”(propagate communal felling ) is clearly indicating your obsession with parliament seats and ensuring your party winning the seats without any opposition from the other political  parties  such as  United National Party, Sri Lanka Freedom party and the newly organized Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna and host of other parties. It is not a secret the hate speech syndrome was orchestrated by the Official weekly organ, Suthanthiran  of Ilankai Tamil arasu katchi (ITAK)the  or Ceylon Federal Party under the stewardship of S.J.V Chelvanayagam. TNA has been the most powerful political alliance in the  north and somewhat diminished status in the East. Of course the federal party is the strongest single party in the alliance. Federal party was formed in 1949  as a breakaway faction of All Ceylon Tamil Congress led by G.G.Ponnampalam. Breakaway was attributed to G.G.Ponnampalam’s decision to join the D.S.Senanake’s government as a minister and also your party  blamed  G.G.Ponnampalam  for his support to disfranchise (Ceylon Citizenship Act of 1948 ) the upcountry Indian Tamils. This Act was aimed at weakening the influence of leftist parties, particularly LSSP among the Indian Tamils. Unchallengeable leader GG was instrumental along with Prime Minister D.S.Senenayake for the disfranchisement of Indian Tamils. Gradually your party  ITAK became the  political force in north and east of Srilanka. It is very fitting description to conclude that father of communal politics in Ceylon was none other than G.G.Ponnampalam leader of Ceylon Tamil congress who demanded for 50/50 parliament representation for the minorities of this island. I would like to remind you that late  M.Thiruchelvam became minister of local government in the 1965 UNP government led by Dudly Senenayake. M.Sivasithamparam of Tamil Congress was given the Deputy speaker position. Now  you became the opposition leader positon in the present Good governance coalition which is very controversial due to the fact you are part of the National executive council formed by the advocates of the Good governance along with many parties UNP, SLFP, JVP, JHU SLMC ACMC, Democratic party of Sarath Fonseka .It is not a rocket science to conclude that you are the Government sponsored opposition leader. We all boast Sri Lanka is a vibrant democracy which have resorted to a stupid precedent by selecting you as the Leader of the Opposition. Meanwhile your followers and the so called independent Tamil media never bothered about this aspect of governance and busy disseminating hate speech, (pure communalism) which has been the bread and butter of Tamil media in Srilanka notably since Independence.

I am eager to direct some questions at you as the leader of the TNA and the inheritor of the mantle of leadership from the leaders such as S.J.V.Chelvanayagam and late Appapillai Amirthalingam.

(i). Tamil mainstream leadership in the early seventies created the Tamil militancy and brainwashed and encouraged young innocent Tamil youths to take up arms against the Sri Lankan state. Government of Sirimavo Bandaranayake  in 1970s introduced the new University entrance system called standardization aimed at providing higher education opportunities to students from backward areas,  the main  accusation  by your party  was standardization had been introduced to deprive the Tamil students of higher education. Tamil youths of those years without  understanding the pros and cons blindly believed and the rest is history. The experience witnessed in the last three decades proved the benefits achieved by  Tamil students from Trinco your area Ampara, Batticaloa, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi and Vavuniya. The  achievement of the students from these areas have been excellent. Don’t you think the Tamil leadership intentionally misguided the Tamil youths with the long term plan of  sustaining the parliamentary seats?

(ii).  Tamil leadership boasts of 70 long years of struggle for the rights of the Tamil citizens-Is it true that you have struggled other than retaining the parliamentary seats. Can you deny that the Tamil leadership aligned with UNP and alienated the SLFP and other progressive forces? It was the policy of the Tamil leadership to instigate the Tamil youths to oppose the  so called Sinhala government when the SLFP came to power. Can you adduce a correct answer why your party aligned with UNP, part of which your party shouted, was responsible for 1983 communal riot and the burning of Jaffna Public library? You and your colleagues never made self-inquiry whether it is right to carry out the so called struggle against the so called  Sinhalese governments while you and your team comfortably live in Colombo and visiting north and east only during election times. The 70 years political journey of ITAK and TNA gave you and your group excellent comforts. Have you ever thought of the untold sufferings of the former Tamil combatants who had made tremendous sacrifice for their cause they deemed right? They are now nobody, they depend on meagre government assistance and other well-wishers support for survival. Still their plight has also become a scoring point for you at election meetings.

(iii). who is responsible for the three decades of mayhem and agony of the Tamil people in north and east? The so called Tamil freedom fighters were the creation of the Tamil leadership and they believed what the Tamil leaders discoursed to them and the Tamil youth at the beginning of the struggle had faith on you. The Tamil leadership betrayed the Tamil youths, Tamil people and the country. When the LTTE turned against you, you and your colleagues without shame pleaded to the government and the security forces against whom you made lot of noises, protected you in fortified houses in Colombo. You and your party is responsible for the action and atrocities of the so called liberation fighters as you were the creators. Being a professional lawyer I don’t need to remind you about aiding and abetting.

(iv).The other day you were flanked by the SLFP 18 MPs who left the Government and the photographs illustrated how honorably these MPs were interacting with you. Don’t you feel ashamed of your many guided visits to Kilinochchi and sitting before LTTE political commissar as slaves when the LTTE was de facto rulers in the Vanni area? The whole world   is aware that that you and your colleagues were impotently watching the sufferings of the entrapped Tamil people in Vanni.

(v). during the last episode of Ealam war at Mullivaikal more than 300,000 Tamil people were protected by the security forces (including some of your MPs). Despite limitation of resources the security forces handled the situation diligently. During the former President’s tenure thousands of former combatants were rehabilitated and integrated with society. Vast amount of land under the control of the security forces were returned to the owners. Constructive programs were initiated to provide livelihood to the families of former combatants. Of course those programmes are still continuing.

Do you have credible evidence of the civilian deaths other than just repeating thousands?   Do you accept that credible evidence is lacking for dispassionate observers seeking truth? Geneva and other forums with the close cooperation of the selfish diaspora groups have become another stage for you betraying the Tamil people for your sole objective of retaining the parliamentary seats.

(vi). Are you not ashamed to use the word Sinhala Buddhist hegemony to incite the Sinhala people and the state? Can you raise your finger and say at least a single Tamil Hindu citizen was converted to Buddhism? Can’t you appreciate the fact that Srilanka in the past centuries were protected by the wise counsel of the Buddhist monks during time of invasion by Indian and European invaders? Why do you and your colleagues paint a wrong picture about Buddhism and Buddhists monks to the innocent Tamil population? How more than a million non-Buddhists cohabit with Buddhists in western and other provinces? I like to remind you that Buddhism associated with tolerance made the cohabitation so peaceful and smooth. Please tell the people what happened to the Sinhalese people lived in Jaffna and have you made any sincere efforts to relocate our Muslim brethren in Jaffna and other places in north who were ethnically cleansed in early nineties? Can you remember the displaced Tamils during the 1983 communal riots having temporarily dispatched in the government ships to Jaffna and other places returned to their original homes in Colombo and suburbs within one year? Returnees  did not encounter any problems as such other than some minor nature.

(vii). I would like to present you a question many people have been asking-what is the logic behind supporting former successful Army Commander who led the security forces to wipe out terrorism, Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka at the 2010 presidential election? You have been showing the face as the protector of Tamils rights and on many forums denounce the regime of former president (though you have good relationship privately with him) for killing thousands of innocent Tamils at Mullivaikal. Field Marshall Sarah Fonseka was the Commander of the Sri Lankan army which totally annihilated the LTTE and brought peace to Srilanka. How come you and your team decided to support the candidature of the leader of the  alleged killing force?

(viii). The other day former Minister of Economic development Basil Rajapakse during an interview with Tamil media in Jaffna told that TNA never extended any support to  the Government of Mahinda Rajapakse to solve  problems encountered by the northern people. While you and your party leaders were provided full security along with other parliamentary perks by the Mahinda ‘s Government your party chose not to extend support to the Government of Mahinda.

(ix). It is very strange  you have become the custodian of Sri Lanka constitution. I put it to you, have you or your party participated in the constitution making process in 1972 and 1977. Present generation may not be aware; you have boycotted 1972 constitution enacting process. Real reason was you were worshipping British colonialist and you were against Sri Lanka becoming a real independent country. Your political bankruptcy has been exposed. Now you are the custodian of the constitution which you denounced.

Before concluding I like to reiterate Sir, You cannot fool the Tamil people forever because they have started to think differently as illustrated by the results of the February 2018 Local authorities’ election. They are ready to vote for national parties even though you label the national parties as Sinhala chauvinist parties. I want to remind that the Tamil speaking people have been living in all 25 districts in Srilanka and you may find Hindu temples, Islamic mosques, Tamil medium schools  throughout the country. However you and your colleagues try to amplify isolated incidents.

Sir, Sri Lanka, our motherland has been a unique one and the free education and other welfare measures like free health facilities uplifted and emancipated impoverished citizens irrespective of race and religion.

Please abandon your communal politics which would not bring anything other than misery to Tamil people and as a responsible political outfit try to give up communal politics and lift the Tamil people from their poverty, landlessness and unemployment.

Thank you

2 Responses to “Open letter to Opposition Leader Hon.R.Sampanthan”

  1. Charles Says:

    Nallur Murugan, Thank you Sir I salute you. I am not surprised there are lot of others like you but who prefer to be silent. I Went to Jaffna in 2014, and met most beautiful people . They entertained ;e in their hopes and they made everythiong possible to make me at home with theM I didi not for an instant think I was in the North with strangers. I will not forget tht one week I staid in Jaffna. I travelled all over and i did not get so much even a hard look.

    There is no doubt we are all one people the children of mother Lanka.

  2. Hiranthe Says:

    Thank you for publishing this Nallur Murugan,

    We all should get together and develop this beautiful land as its rightful children. Asking for breaking the Mother Lanka into pieces by bringing bogus claims by the selfish politicians had taken all of us back some 100’s of years.

    We should not pay attention to any politicians who is preaching separatism. Any Tamil can come to the top of the ranks like anyone else. there is no obstructions for that. Vignashwaran was the CJ of the whole country who is now preaching separatism. Mr. Kadiragramam who loved by the whole nation was a true son of Mother Lanka.

    Let’s work together and bring glory to Mother Lanka, not to Mahinda, Runil or Sampandan. They will die tomorrow like all of us but the country should remain undivided for our future generations to live without fear of internal wars at the borders and bomb blasting at public places and schools if the so called Ealam project goes ahead with the help of the West and India.

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