"That was only an alliance of three political parties that contested in 2001", Anandasangaree has said adding that "it is mainly this kind of mischievous distortion that keeps me from you at arms length."
The following is the full text of the Anandasangaree's letter to Devananda:
My Dear Thamby,
My worry is about the people who suffer
Thank you for responding to my letter addressed to His Excellency the President, protesting against your appointment as Head of the Special Task Force for the administration of the Northern Province. Even if you had been appointed as Head of the Special Task Force to administer the Kayts Electorate I would have opposed it. But when the entire Northern Province is handed over to you along with five administrative Districts comprised of fourteen Electorates how can I keep quite? Don't you think that you on your own should have declined to accept it. Please be assured that I do not have anything personal against you. All my worry is about the people who had been undergoing untold hardships for more than quarter of a century. I have not turned bitter towards you all of a sudden. The bitterness had been there from the time you took control of the Kayts Electorate with its nine Islands and stated harassing the poor people who have had bellyful, by that time, from the LTTE. Your taking control of the Kayts Electorate did not in any way bring relief to the people there. Contrary to that, apart from their poor living conditions, threats, intimidations, deprivation of all their rights, the democratic rights in particular, were on the increase.
Both of us were in Parliament from October, 2000 till January, 2004. Did I ever look at you or smile at you? Why? Because even after enjoying power as Member of Parliament and as a Minister, you did not change your attitude towards the suffering masses. I had been complaining about you to both the present President His Excellency Mahinda Rajapakse and his predecessor in office Her Excellency Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge, a number of times. You can still verify that.
The trip to South Africa was one that I never asked for I did not want to displease the President. The fact that I will never spare the LTTE till they give up violence is no secret. I had a sacred duty to save the country from the LTTE's false propaganda deliberately done to bring discredit to all of us. Don't you remember how a young lady irresponsibly accused the Sri Lankan Forces of various charges. On the ethnic issue my views are well known all over the world. But you, unmindful of the collective responsibility you had as a Minister, tried to promote your solution although there was an All Party Representatives Committee appointed by the President working on it and the minorities were anxiously awaiting the outcome.
I never intended to slander you, not to sling mud on you. Unfortunately in my opinion you have not changed your ways. My discontentment is not due to your appointment as the Chairman of the Special Task Force. It is about the unfortunate people who are suffering for well over two and a half decades without any hopes of salvation. If the Cabinet had approved your appointment it is a pity that most of its members do not know about your past and the present. If you had informed me of your appointment with a view to invite me to join you to serve the people I would have taken it as the biggest joke because as a Minister I know how you treated me.
All what I have mentioned in my letter are true and not fabricated. All letters referred to were not modified as you accuse me. This is exactly why I sent copies of the original as annextures. Whether some of those incidents are ten years old or ten days old they remain as black marks in your political career and you had not taken any steps to erase off these marks.
I do agree that our people should be saved from the clutches of the LTTE but not to fall into the clutches of another as happened in the past I want normalcy and democratic rights restored for which I seek your assistance. I reject your claim that you don't do politics for posts and prominence because I know how you won nine seats to Parliament with the 8600 odd votes all your 13 candidates jointly polled in 1994. What did you do in 2000 and 2001. If you really want to serve the Tamil Community as you say, please take into consideration all the sacrifices our leaders, thousands of youths belonging to various groups including your EPDP made and also the thousands of innocent Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese people who died due to the violence of the LTTE and destruction of billions and billions worth of property both public and private Island-wide and await the emergence of the final proposal acceptable to all the minorities. At that time I will consider extending my support to you to serve your community as you say. As it is now you will never serve your community. Instead you will only ruin them.
Please don't mischievously confuse the present TNA that contested as proxies of the LTTE in 2004 with the TNA of 2001. Which was only an alliance of the three political parties that contested in 2001. It is mainly this type of mischievous distortions of yours that make me to keep you at arms length. You very well known that it was I who disputed the claim of the LTTE that they were the sole representatives of the Tamils.
If you look forward for my advice take this letter as such but if you want my co-operation I am sorry to say that I can do it only by quitting politics. That is the only option. I can think of having completely studied all aspects of the present situation.
I am sorry Thamby this is all I can say.
V. Anandasangaree,
President - TULF
- Sri Lanka Guardian
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