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What do the Tamils of Sri Lanka really want?

SHENALI WADUGE

Who really has genuinely striven to address this question? Many for means of political gain come forward to express what the Tamil people desire but is it really the voice of the Tamil people or is it their own notion of what the Tamil people want?

Making things all the more difficult is the question of the division amongst the Tamil people themselves & there are plenty of divisions amongst them. Jaffna Tamils & Eastern Tamils do not see eye to eye. The question of caste is another area that the Tamils are deeply divided upon and one of the main reasons for the strength behind the LTTE whose leader himself belongs to the lowest of castes. In this eventuality it is highly unlikely that he will ever consider entering into the democratic mainstream of governance for the simple reason that he is aware that no Jaffna votes would come to him because of the caste he was born into!

Be that as it may, the nation needs to really address the situation head on vis a vis the grievances of the Tamil people. This is not a time for dilly-dallying & constant delaying tactics. Successive Governments have adopted a policy of completely ignoring the simple needs of the ordinary people of Sri Lanka. This is applicable not only to the Tamils in Sri Lanka but to the Sinhalese, the Muslims and others who make up the populace of Sri Lanka. Governments choose to appeal to the ordinary masses only in times of election – to secure their vote and of course a plush future for themselves in office.

Little does anybody remember that the ordinary Sinhalese people, the ordinary Tamil people, the ordinary Muslim people make up the majority? Then why is it that representatives of all these people are satisfied in completely isolating their needs except in times of election when promises are showered upon their innocent minds? To answer this it is prudent to note that the needs of the ordinary Sinhalese, Tamil & Muslims is & will always be different to the needs of the middle class and the ultra rich & as long as we live in a cosmopolitan society this will always remain so. Therefore, a Government keen to adopt policies with a vision to taking the country towards a journey of development should never sacrifice the simple needs of the ordinary people. There needs are as simple as the lives they lead.

For the ordinary Tamils of Sri Lanka the language barrier has become a very noteworthy problem. The Government apparatus has not been sympathetic to the Tamil people who may not speak or read a word of Sinhalese or English. Therefore as an immediate measure the Government requires addressing this and ensuring that all Government circulars, documents, roads & all other public places/institutions are all in Sinhalese & Tamil mediums. Likewise, the police too must ensure that every police station should have a Tamil speaking officer to effectively take down grievances. Where Sinhalese live in the minority the needs of the Sinhalese people should also be met. We may recall India, a land that has over 20 languages, wherein a person traveling from the North to the South of the country is like a foreigner himself if not for the medium of English that helps him communicate and not feel left out.

The secret really lies in not been made to feel left out. Therefore, as a united Lanka, we should take utmost steps to ensure that NOBODY who is a citizen of this country feels left out. Now these are simple administrative details that even a cabinet paper is not required for its effective implementation. Why it has not been done so far answers the question to why Sri Lanka remains in limbo – the nation has been in the hands of very incompetent officials (from top to bottom) who lack the passion & initiative to prioritize needs & get them implemented.

We have Parliamentarians who are supposedly representing the needs of the people yet seem to prefer to address macro issues instead of demanding the Government to quickly put these language barriers at ease. A request for a simple road is usually answered with a design to prepare the world’s largest road network in Sri Lanka to be completed in 20...!!! However this is not to say that there are no public officials who do not know what should have been done but unfortunately their voices have never been given ear to.

The other issue that the Tamils of Sri Lanka grieves over is the question of employment in the public sector & their allegation of discrimination. Whatever practices has been of the yesteryears any employment be it to the public or private sector should always be on MERIT and not because of the ethnic group that one belongs to. Therefore, no one is morally correct in justifying the need to be recruited on ethnic grounds. This practice if it remains so should cease to be. State apparatus should always keep this in mind. The success of the private sector today is a result of employing people suited for the roles based upon their performance & merit. Therefore, in selecting an officer to any position in the public sector, it is wise to adopt a means to recruit the best based upon their competencies. It is suggested to incorporate the good practices of the private sector as often anyone entering the public sector feels their job is secured for life with a happy pension as well. This mindset triggers their lethargy to function to the best of their abilities and thus dangers the State apparatus in functioning to its full potential – the end result – the ordinary man suffers!

Another question that has continuously been echoed is the fact that the man from Point Pedro should be equal to the man from Hambantota. We have heard this phrase over a dozen times. But realistically, let us question first whether all the Sinhalese themselves are living equal to one another. Has any Government if at all paved the way for a Sinahalese man from Colombo to be equal to a Sinhalese man from Moneragala? Please remember that the most developed part of Sri Lanka – Colombo is also in need of development & not without grievances. Even its plushest areas get flooded even during a simple rainfall.

There are plenty of differences amongst the Sinhalese, there are many Sinhalese who harbor more grievances against the Government than the Tamils of Sri Lanka, but are they demanding a separate state? If for the sake of grievances everyone starts demanding a separate state or one of self-determination then our most successive Opposition leader who has obtained close to half the votes of the country has more right than anyone to demand a separate state wherein he will finally become its Supremo.

Therefore, as a new Government with a new Leader takes over the mantle of office it is opportune to remind him that answers to the nation’s woes are SIMPLE so long as the solutions are approached in a SIMPLE manner.

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