Defence expenditure and the lost opportunities in Sri Lanka

‘Who are these Tamil diaspora supporting the LTTE? The older stocks of this Tamil diaspora are the victims of the standardisation scheme that left the country to gain the missed opportunities in other countries. The prolonging war has diluted the composition of this diaspora population, which now consist of the degenerated lot that is dictating the society. Tamil Diaspora is the main contributors for the LTTE to wage the war against the government.’

by R Jayadevan

(October 11, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Ever since the violent Tamil militancy started, post island wide 1977 anti-Tamil violence in Sri Lanka, the defence expenditure of the state is spiralling at an alarming rate and the latest budget proposals reveals a colossal $1.6 billion being proposed for the war efforts for the coming year. The root cause for this unnerving situation is the inability of the successive governments of Sri Lanka to empower the Tamils to accommodate them with wide-ranging political devolution to be part of Sri Lanka.

Military expenditure

Based on 2007 official statistics the state is run with the GDP of (purchasing power parity) $82.02 billion. The exports revenue and import revenues are $8.135 billion and $10.36 billion respectively. The government is also in receipt of over $2 billion as economic aid. Under these ever progressing adverse conditions, the government is proposing to spend $1.6 billon for its war efforts in the coming year. The budget deficit for 2007 was estimated at $2.22.

What consist of this defence expenditure? It is the fund allocated to recruit, train and maintain a mammoth security force and to purchase, service and engage the military equipment and infrastructures in the country. The expenditure also funds the shadow economy of the Kommission Kakkas who are engaged in the defence procurement business for the establishment and the primary and ancillary supply industries that are heavily dependent on the maintenance and the growth of the defence establishment.

Standardisation policy that started the war

If not for the government the of Late Srimavo Bandaranayake introducing the standardisation policy to curtail the entry of large number of Tamils to the universities in the early 1970’s, the Tamil youngsters would not have taken the law into their own hands to fight the government. The standardisation policy was designed to reduce the Tamils entering the state universities and that was the final straw for the Tamils in the systematic campaigns of the successive governments to marginalise the politically conscious Tamils in the country.

On the Tamils front the militancy that was started by the frustrated youngsters, progressively changed its track and became a struggle for supremacy of a group, which became the unfortunate part of the history of the Tamils. The struggle that progressed against the brutality of the government progressively moved from its track and became a struggle of a dominant group.

Human and economic cost of the war

The human and economic costs of the military expenses of both the government and the LTTE have derailed Sri Lanka from its progress to become an icon nation in the in the Indian Ocean.
The determination of the successive governments to pursue a military policy, than engaging in political resolution to the burgeoning conflict has severely hampered the progress of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka always had the will to suppress the legitimate political demands of the Tamils militarily. The very same determination was not seen in securing the peace much wanted through political means.

If the war was not means and the very determination had prevailed with the governments to resolve the conflict politically, the funds that were allocated to the defence machinery could have been spent for socio-economic development of the country.

The opportunity cost

Just imagine how best the over two decades of defence expenditure could have been spent to build universities, polytechnics, schools and the roads, railway, shipping infrastructures to boost the real economy of the country. The successive governments did not have the will to generate very same defence funds to invest in such developments, instead took the negative path to weaken the political demands the minorities. If the Srimavo Bandaranayake government of early 1970’s found the ways to build universities and technical colleges to deal with the imbalance in the university entrances, without introducing the standardisation policy, today Velupillai Pirabakaran would have been a greatest asset to the Sri Lankan economy.

Government failures created Pirabakaran

Though Pirabakaran was not personally affected by the oppressive standardisation scheme, the discontent within the Tamil youngsters who were victims to the scheme gave the opening for Pirabakaran to take the violent struggle further. If peace had prevailed and minorities had been politically empowered, Pirabakaran would have been a shipping magnate, positively contributing to the real economy of the country.

Tamil Diaspora

Who are these Tamil diaspora supporting the LTTE? The older stocks of this Tamil diaspora are the victims of the standardisation scheme that left the country to gain the missed opportunities in other countries. The prolonging war has diluted the composition of this diaspora population, which now consist of the degenerated lot that is dictating the society. Tamil Diaspora is the main contributors for the LTTE to wage the war against the government.

A false military economy is only helping the poor Sinhalese

Sri Lanka is one the most militarised country in Asia. Over 300,000 men and women are engaged in the army, navy and the air force. This is a massive employment sector for the majority Sinhalese community. This unproductive industry has become the lifeline for the poor Sinhala families. The families are dependent on the income received by their loved members serving in the forces and also the financial compensations awarded at their death whist in service.

War and peace effort of Sri Lanka

The worst tragedy of the war is the human cost that had never impacted the Sri Lankan politics to seriously to determinedly find a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Hundreds of thousands of Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims, (combatants or non-combatants) have lost their valuable lives in this horrible war. Thousands and thousands are living with the terrible scars of the war. The physical, psychological and emotional scars will take generations to heal.

But the government is undeterred in its war path and is putting away the money for the war whilst its peace body All Party Parliamentary Group (APRC) is peddling with the peace process. APRC is ducking and diving presenting their proposals to resolve the conflict. The APRC is a lame duck body which is not supported by a by-partisan agreement with the opposition party to successfully passage though its proposals in the parliament. Even the Chairman of the APRC Dr Tissa Vitharane said recently that both military effort and the peace process through the APRC must proceed through concurrently. The budget proposal does not reflect parity between peace and war in any sense.

What is awaited is government pushing through a set of proposal though the throats of the Tamils, once the military of the state does its dastardly work in the name of defeating terrorism and the LTTE. This too without the support of the opposition UNP will be impossible to achieve. What the government wants is Tamils like Douglas Devandanda, Karuna and Pillaiyan to work under its dictates and directions and not real empowerment of power to the Tamils to live with honour and dignity. - Sri Lanka Guardian