By Charles.S.Perera

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ UNP was never a progressive party.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Progress came to Sri Lanka only after SWRD BandaranayakeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  broke away from UNP to set up a new political party of the people. When UNP came to power once againƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  under the leadership of JR Jayawardhana, it was digression from the path of progress delineated by the MEP.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  JR is responsible for the present dilemma of Sri Lanka withƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the 13th and the 17th amendments. After him the R.Premadasa government attempted to trace a new path of progress, which wasƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  jagged withƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  potholes, and led to his own destruction. .

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It was a relief for the people when ChandrikƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  a Kumaratunga was elected into power.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Much was expected of her, but she failed as she was perhaps immature in politics, headstrong and was later manipulated by theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  UNP.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ When Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse came into power he inherited theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  errors that had been committed by the UNP, and uncertain political situation to which UNP had ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ takenƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  our country. Chandrika Kumaratunga had done nothing better other than adding to the confusion, initiated by UNP.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Both hadƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  strengthened the terrorists to the extent they were ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ on the verge of setting up a separate Tamil Eelam State.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The country was shrouded in fear where the terrorists had the upperhand terrorising the people, massacring the innocent, assassinating the Government Ministers,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  political leaders, military and police officers, attempting to assassinate ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the Army Commander and the Defence Secretary. Every day the sun rose in Sri Lanka bringing fear into the people not knowing where the next bomb will explode,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  which school, or whichƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  political leader or army and police officer will be targeted by a suicide bomber.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Mahinda Rajapakse who took over a sins of the previous governments was determined to change the situation and set up priorities.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Having failed to meet the terrorist leader to come to a workable solution to end terrorism, he sought the aid of the Norwegian Mission who had been mediating between the Government and the terrorists to arrange negotiations for a peace settlement.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The terrorists abandoned the negotiations and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-gave noticeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ of their determination to settle the problem through terrorism, by blasting a claymore bomb killing a busload of people, and closing sluice gates of a tank depriving thousands of farmers ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  water for their farmlands.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ That forcedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the President Mahinda Rajapakse, who wanted to avoid ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-a war ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…- against the terrorists, to resort to military operations.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The international Community did not intervene then to speak to the terrorists and ask them to return to the negotiating table.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Therefore, though the International Community, with their followers the Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the UN now seek to accuse the Government of Sri Lanka for war crimes, they ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ were themselves responsible for the situation that arose, when the Government of Sri Lanka having no other alternative, resorted to a military solution to end terrorism.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Therefore the International Community and the UN are equally responsible for theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  what ever happenedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  in Mulativu during the final phase of the military operations against the terrorists.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ However, the terrorism was finally eliminated by the new President Mahinda Rajapakse to the great relief of the Tamil, Sinhala ,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Muslim and other Communities of Sri Lanka.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Now the terrorism in Sri Lanka is past history.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It is time the several communities in Sri LankaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  forget the past and begin to think differently to continue life after terrorism, without the past memories of hostilities.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ All that terrorism and the thirty years we lostƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  battling against all odds to divest ourselves of that ruthless terrorists were to end the suffering of all the people without distinction of their race, religion or culture.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Those thirty years of suffering was the result ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  failure to understand ourselves as a people living in this Island home together.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It was the result of one community trying to compete against another.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ That competition ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ was begun by ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a handful of Tamil politicians who wanted to divide this country, separating the Tamil Community from the rest.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It was the result of the Tamil politicians demanding equal rights, along ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ with the Majority Sinhala.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It was also the result of the egoism of the Tamil politiciansƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ failure to understand that the Sinhala majority had been the target of all colonialists.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  For more than four hundred years the different colonial forces, killed and massacred the Sinhala villagers, burnt their homes killed their youth, destroyed all that was sacred to them .

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Buddhism of the Sinhala peopleƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  was an eye sore for the colonialists.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  They ensnared the people away from the religion of their forefathers, forcing on ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ them their own false religions.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  They built their Churches, bigger than The temples of the Sinhala people.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It was like theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Spanish Inquisition where the indigenous people who refused to accept theƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-True FaithƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ were massacred and their temples desecrated, and the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-crossƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ forced upon them.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Colonialists mutilated the culture of the Sinhala people. No other community in Sri Lanka suffered so much for so long in the hands of the colonialists.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Therefore when the Independence was finally won the Sinhala people ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…”the majority that suffered generation after generations wanted ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to recuperate what they lost to the Colonialists.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Tamil politiciansƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  refused to accept that situation, but wanting to cash on it by ignoring the stolen rights of the Sinhala majority, asked for equal rights along with them.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ As it is nowƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the Tamils created the ethnic problem separating themselves from the Sinhala majority.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The problem is not with the Tamil people, but with the Tamil politicians , Tamil academics and the Tamil intellectual.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ These Tamil politicians, and the Tamil intelligentsia ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ are still the trouble shooters, who defy the peoplesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ desire to unite without the distinction ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ of a minority ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and a majority community, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This isƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  seen in the Jaffna civil society meeting the visiting Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ms. Nirupama Rao,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  as reported in the Hindustan Times of 2.9.2010:

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ In Jaffna, Rao had an interactive meet with members of the civil society where Tamil academics and intellectuals shared their complaints, apprehensions and expectations about India’s role in Sri Lanka with her.

According to reports, Rao was told that the people of Jaffna expect India to play an active role in extracting a political settlement on the ethnic issue from Colombo. But at the same time, doubts were expressed whether India, which sided with the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime in its fight against the Tamil Tigers, would indeed help the Lankan Tamils to get that. Mere resettlement of war-displaced Tamils in small pockets of the northern districts will not achieve anything, she was toldƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

These Tamil ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-civil societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ is again trying to create trouble in Sri Lanka, affirming their difference, their distrust of the rest of the people of Sri Lanka, with a show of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-allegianceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ to India.

Why should we allow India to settle our problems ? ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The problems of the Tamil people is the problem of Sri Lanka..ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Therefore the Tamils should interact with the Sinhala people forgetting their communal difference.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Tamils as a part of the Sri Lanka nation should separate themselves physically and mentally from subservience to India.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  We should be a nation independent of India. For that the Tamils and Sinhala should work together to build up the lost trustƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  and confidence and mingle as friends settling our problems in dialogue.

India in turn ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-subservientƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ to TamilNadu through fear of their breaking away from the central government interferes in to the affairs of Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  In trying to help develop the North and East , forgetting the existence of the South, India is only perpetuating the Sinhala, Tamil communal difference.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  We in Sri Lanka on the other handƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  want to forget our communal differences and work together as one people.

In the Tamil terrorism in the North and East, the South too suffered.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The Sinhala people always come forward to defend the nation whether or not the other communities fall in line with them. That is not to show that the Sinhala are superior to Tamils.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  But that is what the Sinhala ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ had always been, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ whether it was against terrorism or colonialism.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

For that matter the Sinhala do not ask for ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ any different treatment from the rest of the ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ communities.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The Sinhala people had always extended their hand ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  friendship.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The unfortunate incidents of 1983 wasƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  initiated by the Tamil terrorists, instigated by RAW of India.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  India is continuing its expansionists ambitions unabated nowƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  trying to win over the Sri Lanka Tamils on to the Indian sphere of influence..

Not only is India trying to seal the communal difference of the Sinhala and Tamils, but also introducing a new element to differentiate the Tamil community itselfƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  by bringing inƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the question of Indian Tamils pointed out by the Indian Foreign Secretary, as it is seen by the report in the Hindustan Times of 2.9.2010.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦.They are basically IDPs of Indian origin who had been resettled in Vavuniya area after 1977 riots. They had been cultivating their lands there and now after the war they had been shifted to the Menik farm IDP camp,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ the foreign secretary said.

There are today two groups of Tamils in Sri Lanka. The first are the Sri Lankan Tamils, who either descend from the Tamils of the old Jaffna kingdom or who migrated to the East coastƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ (note the words ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-old Jaffna Kingdom)

TheƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  GovernmentƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  of Sri Lanka is naƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚¯ve to allow India to assert its rights over North and East Sri Lanka, with their hypocritical aid to construct houses and make demands for the benefit of the Tamil people separating them from the other communities.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The President Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse will we believe soon set up a viable reconciliation process to bring together the ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ different communities in Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The reconciliation is not devolution of power.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It is not the ordinary Tamils who wantƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  devolution of power.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ For the ordinary people of Sri Lanka, whether they are Tamil, Sinhala , Muslim or any other, what is necessary is ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ first a peaceful existence, thereafter an improved living standard, employment, shelter, health facilities, and education opportunities.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Devolution of power is a demand ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the Tamil politicians, Tamil academics, and the Tamil Intelligentsia.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ There is already an ongoing reconciliation process at school level, where the children of different communities meet in recreation, cultural events and sport.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It is this that has to be encouraged and expanded. This is where the Tamil politicians, Tamil academics and the intelligentsia could help, instead of leaning on India to get political rights for themselves from Colombo.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is regrettable that their intelligence does not make them realise that it is working with the government of Sri Lanka without harbouring hatred towards the Sinhala and other communities that they can become a part of the larger Sri Lankan Nation.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse has taken Sri Lanka on a progressive path. He is honest and sincere.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  We have to place our trust on him. We have gone through thirty years of suffering.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It is not too much for us to give the President a few more years to take us out of the separatist mindset, toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  reconcile the communities and build a united ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ nation of Sri Lankans, not separated as Tamil, Sinhala, Muslim or any other.