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Let Easterners have equal opportunity
Friday, 4 April 2008 - 6:52 AM SL Time
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The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has, in a statement announcing its boycott of the Eastern Provincial Council election (EPCE), inveighed against President Mahinda Rajapaksa, his government, the JVP, and the JHU for promoting ultra Sinhala nationalism. We neither endorse nor dispute this view. Instead we wonder how the TNA would describe itself. Isn t it less ultra nationalistic than the SLFP-JVP-JHU combine? If so, how come it has placed itself at the beck and call of the LTTE, whose genocidal racism knows no bounds?
Among the reasons the TNA has given for its decision against taking part in the EPCE is the demerger of the Northern and the Eastern Provinces, which the LTTE and others of its ilk want to turn into a separate state. (They have very subtly adopted the term Tamil speaking people to include the Muslim community which constitutes about one third of the Eastern Province population so as to claim an overwhelming majority in that part of the country and to sell their homeland project to the international community. Ironically, this, they do, having ethnically cleansed the North of Muslims!) How could the TNA, which advocates the break up of the country along ethnic lines, oppose the separation of two arbitrarily merged provinces, based on a Supreme Court decision?
The TNA and other apologists of the LTTE may claim secession is essential as the Sri Lanka State is racist. But, who has rendered the State so racist? It is the power elite including the TNA. The SLFP once sought a short cut to power though its language policy which proved to be disastrous. Both the SLFP and the UNP stand accused of having instigated ethnic violence, the worst instances being in 1958, 1977 and 1983, when savage crimes were perpetrated by Sinhala criminals sponsored by the JRJ government against Tamils. The TNA carefully avoids dumping the UNP together with SLFP, the JVP and the JHU, as it needs the UNP s support to demonise the present government and the State internationally. The TNA et al are strangely silent over racism of the TULF, which adopted the now infamous Vadukkodai Resolution (1976) at a meeting where it vowed to skin the Sinhalese alive and make shoes from their skins. And the LTTE, which was part of the Tamil militant movements that got a turbo boost from the resolution, is fulfilling that vow. Besides massacring Sinhalese and Muslim civilians in their hundreds, it has also accounted for the cr me de la cr me of the Tamil community like Neelan.
Racism is the means by which political parties usually secure block votes, be they majority or minority organisations. In this country, only the much maligned old leftists have desisted from stooping to such low levels for political gain.
As much as the SLFP and its cohorts campaigned on a majoritarian platform at the last Presidential Election with a smattering of minority support, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) pandered to exclusive Muslim interests in the Eastern Province at the recently concluded mini polls. And it is readying for a repeat performance at the upcoming EPCE. It wants a Muslim as the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province, where the Muslims constitute only about one third of the population. Would the SLMC act in a manner different from the SLFP, the UNP, the JVP and the JHU at the national level, if its support base to be tapped constituted over 70 per cent of the population? The same goes for the TNA. How would it act, if its constituency had the majority status in the country? The minority parties carrying ethno religious labels have demonstrated, in their enclaves, that they, too, have supremacist tendencies.
As much as President Rajapaksa wants this country to remain unitary in keeping with the desire of the majority community, the TNA and others are backing Prabhakaran, who is on a campaign to carve out a mono Tamil enclave. Rauff Hakeem desires to have a non-contiguous Muslim council in the East, should the LTTE be given autonomy in that province. Don t all these agendas reek of ultra nationalism or racism? They do! And abusing ethnicity and religion for expediency is the name of the game in politics. Even the so-called five star democracies in the global North are no exception. Look at Obama s difficulties in the US due to his skin colour and Islamic roots. The so-called White America is not enamoured of him. His near and dear ones are worried about his safety, even though he is being protected by the Secret Service! More and more White Americans may be coming forward to back him, but whether America will have a Black in the White House remains to be seen.
The TNA has also denounced the government s military campaign against the LTTE. It wants the government to halt its war effort and resolve the conflict through negotiations. Paradoxically, the TNA, while advocating a peaceful solution, resists the attempts by a breakaway LTTEgroup the TMVP which has chosen the path of peace, to be assimilated into the political mainstream. The reason why the TNA condemns the TMVP cannot be violence, for an organisation which has become the mouthpiece of the LTTE cannot have abhorrence for violence at all.
The TNA s odium for the TMVP stems from the fact the latter has emerged as an effective counter to the LTTE and given the lie to its sole representative claim. Without the LTTE in the East, the TNA cannot win an election. Hence its polls boycott. Rigging and violence that the LTTE resorted to in 2004 to ensure the present TNA MPs election are well documented in the European Commission Polls Monitoring Mission s report on that election.
We hope communal politics won t ruin racial amity in the East. In that province which is home to all ethnic communities, we believe no one should have a monopoly over the Chief Minister s post. The best way out is to appoint the Chief Minister and the Governor on a rotational basis from different communities for about one and a half years at a time so that every ethnic group will have an equal opportunity.
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kinglanka
Joined: Nov 2007
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 4 Apr 2008 16:39:49 GMT Report for Abuse
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Late 90's when LTTE becoming powerful against foolish GoSL, these TNA members saw a potential opportunity of talking for LTTE in the house.
Now the things have turned around, they are no more willingly talk for LTTE. They are forced to do so.
If LTTE let them live until they lose entire control, I am sure TNA members also will join with democratic system. |
Gaja
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 4 Apr 2008 22:48:19 GMT Report for Abuse
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The TNA et al are strangely silent over racism of the TULF, which adopted the now infamous Vadukkodai Resolution (1976) at a meeting where it vowed to skin the Sinhalese alive and make shoes from their skins.
The pictures in Gaja's LNP space are from Vaddukodai/Thunaivi area. These pictures confirm the reality for majority Tamils - that even in this day and age, our children do not have the benefit of democracy and hence they use the floor instead of desks and chairs and they use small leaves instead of paper plates.
It does not matter which side - if they do not have a structured system through which to bring out equal opportunity environments - they need to let Truth flow - and become the instruments of Natural Justice. Otherwise with time they will reap the consequences of their own actions - good or bad. Whatever we do for ourselves comes with us.
Jaffna / Vaddukodai carries strong investment in higher education. That Truth naturally overrode the hasty political words and actions of TULF. I believe that Jaffna as well as Vaddukodai will emerge with new dignity to become the educational capitals of Sri Lanka.
It is no coincidence that Vaddukodai with its Malaysian pensioners became the birthplace of this war that helped Tamils take their excess investment in democracy to other countries. That is how power is intuitively shared - it was as if the old pensioners were foretelling through those politicians. Truth happened.
In terms of LTTE - like with every other group and every individual - they have their own inner justice system. So long as they do what they do with faith and in the consciousness of the Tamils they claim to represent - they will be protected by Natural Justice and its messengers. Likewise, if they cheat the people in whose name they fight - they will be punished by Natural Justice.
The fact that Tigers have such strong support amongst Tamils means that there was a genuine cause - which was not visible to many of us who had other options - including international living through our higher education. Tamil Tigers would have made excellent soldiers in the Sri Lankan army and yet they did not have that place. Truth spoke because the Sinhalese government was enjoying benefits far beyond their earnings.
Gaja Lakshmi Paramasivam - Australian Tamil
Edited By - Gaja - 4 Apr 2008 22:52:02 GMT |
Gaja
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4 Apr 2008 22:54:32 GMT Report for Abuse
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It wants a Muslim as the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province, where the Muslims constitute only about one third of the population
There is nothing wrong with that if Muslims make up for lack of majority through greater intellectual power. That applies more to Tamils due to their greater investment in education compared to any other race in Sri Lanka.
Gaja Lakshmi Paramasivam - Australian Tamil |
Gaja
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4 Apr 2008 23:18:22 GMT Report for Abuse
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The best way out is to appoint the Chief Minister and the Governor on a rotational basis from different communities for about one and a half years at a time so that every ethnic group will have an equal opportunity.
In other words, the author also recognizes and confirms the divisions on the basis of race. It is therefore inappropriate that the author criticises others who have used natural racial divisions. Where race is a natural factor to separate - as gender is - it would help a genuine user stick to the strengths of his/her side and not try to deliver on behalf of the whole. It is the difference between specialisation and general practice. If racial differentiation is wrong then so is specialisation.
In areas where we have not invested much in democracy and this does include many parts of Batticaloa - including Mankerni, Vaharai and Kathiraveli where some of the fierce battles in this ethnic war were fought - natural divisions must be accepted and valued towards diversity. The two must not be forced to live together.
Fair and Just elections in Sri Lanka's east would be fought and won on racial grounds. Given that majority are Tamils - any other group representing Batticaloa would be undemocratic even if that were through the votes or by absence of voters. Democracy works only when we vote on the basis of natural identification - i.e. through intuitive connection as community, family, institution.
In a just democracy, the winning group would appoint its Chief.
Ministers are common to all people and the one that is driven by 'issues' that are particular to Batticaloa is the most deserving person. If this cannot be achieved through the political path - there are other ways - including through administration and business. Batticaloa Muslims do have the strength of business. But, they lack the numbers to lead government through natural identification. This was also the problem of Jaffna Tamils - who had the higher administrative skills but did not have the numbers that come from natural identification by majority. If Sri Lanka had been truly a common state - we would have not limited ourselves to various georgraphic parts of the country and denied ourselves the benefit of multicultural diversity.
We act through (1) Intuitive Truth (hence voting) (2) Logical derivation based on common principles and values (hence public administration) & (3) through immediate physical observation (business).
Successful election is based on our ability to use (1)
Successful admin depends on our ability to override (1) and think on behalf of the whole
Successful business and lateral expansion is driven by our ability to observe without thinking and use the observation to benefit us by not thinking of others at all.
It is body, mind and soul - in reverse order.
Gaja Lakshmi Paramasivam - Australian Tamil
Edited By - Gaja - 4 Apr 2008 23:22:40 GMT |
AnuD
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 5 Apr 2008 03:26:10 GMT Report for Abuse
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We hope communal politics won t ruin racial amity in the East. In that province which is home to all ethnic communities, we believe no one should have a monopoly over the Chief Minister s post. The best way out is to appoint the Chief Minister and the Governor on a rotational basis from different communities for about one and a half years at a time so that every ethnic group will have an equal opportunity.
This is what I agree.
Let people accuse JHU and JVP as ultra-nationalists. they should ask the GOSL to give terms to CHIEF Ministers from all three communities. |
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