Srilankanisation Must Follow
Military Victories
Dilrook Kannangara
This nation has gone through so many changed over the past three decades.
The most gruesome of all such changes is the creation of a mono-ethnic
North. As a result, the security forces found it very difficult to establish
their presence in the North. Although the Palali defences housed around
40,000 soldiers at the Northern tip of the island, it was not sufficient
to overcome the mono-ethnic nature of the North. There are severe dangers
of ethnic isolation. It leads to growing intolerance and hatred among
the isolated community towards the other communities. It also gives
them the false impression that they can survive without the co-operation
and help from the other communities. These dangerous tendencies must
be handled skillfully. The best cause of action that the government
can take in this regard is to launch a srilankanisation program that
closely follows military victories.
It is important to understand the struggle for Tamil Elam. It has both
militants and cowards. While the LTTE is the main militant group fighting
for Tamil Elam, never forget that there are many more coward groups
aspiring for the same Tamil Elam. They know very well that the only
way to cheat the government to give in to demands depends heavily on
the mono-ethnic nature of the North. While weapons may be used against
the militant Tamil Elamists, other legal remedies must be used against
the cowards who work tirelessly for Tamil Elam.
Racial-federalism is their favorite tool to win their Tamil Elam without
undergoing any hardships and making no sacrifices. There is a great
danger that after the Sri Lankan soldiers have won the war, these cowardly
elements will try their best to disintegrate the little island of Sri
Lanka along ethnic lines. Already there is a massive campaign launched
by them to promote racial-federalism. These attempts must be defeated.
Best counteract for these attempts is to launch a vigorous srilankanisation
campaign. The end result of the srilankanisation campaign is to ensure
that there are no significant pro-disintegration forces at work throughout
the country. In order to do this it is essential that the North is transformed
into a multi-ethnic community. Fortunately for Lanka, the Northern Province
offers the best development potential among all provinces of Sri Lanka.
It has abundance of minerals, arable land, fisheries and many more industrial
inputs that can propel it once again to a business hub. However, in
order to reap these benefits the North needs people of all communities.
Muslims who were evicted by the LTTE in 1990 as part of their ethnic
cleansing acts must be resettled in the North. Sinhalese who comprise
the majority of Sri Lanka must be settled in the North with adequate
business opportunities. As a start, immediately following a military
victory, a large number of army garrisons must be set up in the North.
These should also have their supply sources in the North itself that
can provide almost all food and beverage needs of these garrisons. These
farming communities within large military garrisons can be the founding
stones of an expanding multi-ethnic community in the North. Their industries
must be expanded to include mining, shipping, forestry, etc. soon thereafter.
Profit earned from these industries can be reinvested to develop the
war ravaged North. This type of an action plan would achieve multiple
purposes and would ensure that both short term and long term security
concerns are well addressed.
This campaign helps the nation in another way. Economic underdevelopment
was excused by the people for too long as their leaders always cited
terrorism and war as the biggest stumbling blocks for prosperity. When
the war ends, these excuses will not be valid anymore. However, all
the other provinces have achieved significant development and the absence
of war cannot in no noteworthy way further develop these provinces.
Therefore, the engine of economic growth in a post-war situation must
be the North-East provinces that had meager economic contribution for
the nation during the past three decades.
Race-based federalism must be stopped in order to integrate Sri Lanka
once again. Race-based demands (other than cultural and religious demands)
should not be tolerated and should be made illegal. It should be noted
that it was race-based demands in 1918-1949 that eventually boiled downed
to federalism and separatism. In this regard it is worth the while to
note that the most number of Tamil and Muslim votes are cast to race-based
political entities. This is not so among the Sinhalese. Instead Tamils
and Muslims should be integrated into the main political parties without
entertaining race-based demands. The biggest obstacle to do so is yet
again the mono-ethnic North and highly fragmented East.
Some racist elements are making a big fuss about settling Sinhala people
in the East. Why can’t they settle down in the East? Is it because
they are Sinhalese? This type of despicable allegations must be condemned.
People of all races can live in any part of Sri Lanka and there is nothing
anybody can do about it; that is the law.
Just because Tamils have lived in an area does not mean that no one
else can live there. All unused land must be put to productive use;
race is completely irrelevant.
It was this type of racist allegations that costed the country dearly
when its two main development projects were abandoned thanks to these
mean elements and terrorists working together. The 1940-60s resettlements
projects and the 1970-1988 Mahaweli project failed due to the acts of
these nasty elements. Had these projects succeeded, Sri Lanka would
be much more developed than now. These same elements are back in action
to retain the North-East for the sole use by the Tamils. Their campaign
must be vehemently busted for the sake of Sri Lanka through a process
of srilankanisation.
Tissa Vitharana is back in action to please Manmohan Singh this time.
How ridiculous that Sri Lanka changes its own destiny to satisfy Indians!
It is pathetic that Lankan leaders fail to learn a lesson after the
1987 debacle that further aggravated the issue. Cannot they understand
that integration is the best defence against disintegration?
The government and Tissa Vitharana in particular must study alternative
models in proposing a solution for the so-called ‘ethnic problem’.
The highly successful Malaysian model is the best candidate in such
a consideration. Peoples’ support would only be forthcoming for
such a solution, not for a solution that further divides the nation.
What we need is srilankanisation, not disintegration of this land.
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