The Agenda of Resurgent EROS

by Arular Arudpragasam

(January 11, Geneva, Sri Lanka Guardian) Whereas EROS (Eelam Revolutionary Organisers) was founded in 1975, has fought for the rights of Tamil people, has steadfastly remained pristine in its deeds and duty, held in high esteem by the Tamil people as a liberation movement, in the past, due to various historical circumstances, adopted strategic positions so as to maintain its status and self preservation in light of adversity, has now decided to reintegrate and re-emerge and unify in order to provide a more effective leadership to the Tamil people in the current circumstances.

Taking into consideration the lack of credibility of the entire leadership of the Tamil people, the new agenda of EROS reasserts its central role as a unifying force and after taking into account the revolutionary experiences, for the first time in human history, adopts the Constituted Democratic Principle, as worked out by its ideologue and founding member Arular, and will be re-launched as the first constituted democratic party where the principle of maintaining three independent ideological structures in one party, will be implemented.

Eelavar Democratic Front (EDF), which is the popular front and political party of EROS ,will be structured as consisting of three parties with ideological agenda of Right, Left and Centre and these ideological structures being part of one party, will come together to form a coalition government as a single party while they maintain their distinct ideological positions in the legislature.

The constituted democratic principle stipulates that there should be only one constituted democratic party within a nation rejecting single party dictatorship and strife ridden multipartyism. Though this idea is being launched within the multi party democratic system of Sri Lanka, EROS will promote the programme of transforming Sri Lanka into a Constituted Democratic Polity where every one shall remain part of the governing process and its opposition, eliminating the strife, discord and permanent alienation generated by the multi party democracy. The constituted democracy ends the opportunity for extremism and discrimination generated by the simple majoritarian democracy.,

The rejection of Plural Sri Lanka

The relentless pursuit of Sinhala race to turn Sri Lanka into a monolithic Sinhala Buddhist State based on cooked up and dubious historical claims undermined and destroyed the plural Sri Lanka that was hoped for, by the Tamil speaking people and rest of minorities during the time of Independence.

The present pronouncement of reviving the plural Sri Lanka cannot be considered by Tamil people as genuine until the Sinhala race explicitly abandons the agenda of Sinhala Buddhist state, which should be reflected in the constitution and should be accompanied by affirmative action to dismantle the Sinhala Buddhist state, as it has brought considerable suffering and loss of sovereign trust in the idea of a united Sri Lanka.

The abuse of majoritarian democracy, the constitution and sovereignty to legitimise and implement the idea of Sinhala only Buddhist state over all of Sri Lanka, led to the legitimate revolt of the Tamil people against the imposition of state and constitution that denied them the freedoms they yarned after independence. Sinhalese usurpation of the unitary state and its transformation as a Sinhala Buddhist state and turning the governance of Sri Lanka into an opportunity to grab the livelihood of Tamil speaking people and annex territories through the abuse of sovereignty and security of Sri Lanka and the sweep of state structures by Sinhala chauvinism alienated the Tamil people from the idea of united Sri Lanka, brought about the collapse of the Sri Lankan state in the North East Tamil homeland. Military occupation and military rule became the only form of governance of the North East accompanied by untold suffering and destitution of the Tamil speaking people.

The Core Issue

EROS will strive to persuade the Sinhala race to explicitly renounce the illegal territorial claim it is making to the North East Tamil homeland, expressed as its patriotism, which is the core issue and root cause of all problems in Sri Lanka and recognise the historical title the Tamil people hold over the North East territory and permit the re-emergence of Sri Lanka as union of two nations.

As consequence to the usurpation of Sri Lankan sovereignty by the Sinhala race and its articulation as continuation of mythical 2500 year old Sinhala Buddhist sovereignty, claimed to have existed in Sri Lanka, excluding the history of Tamil rule, the foundations of Tamil sovereign rule, that a existed during the last 5000 years at various times and that of Kingdom of Jaffna that wield sovereign power over all of Sri Lanka for four centuries till it was surrendered to the Portuguese in 1620, have reappeared to the extent of a desire of establishing a free independent sovereign state.

The re-establishment of Tamil Sovereign Power over the North East

Through a process of active embodiment of sovereignty, EROS will provide for the sovereign expression of Tamil people, pursue the reintegration of Tamil sovereign power taking into consideration the differing perception of rights and traditional authority structures that exist within each district of North East and would facilitate the reintegration of sovereignty of united Sri Lanka as union of two sovereign embodiments.

This will also end the current schemes to mutilate the Tamil sovereignty using quislings and renegades coerced out of Tamil militant leadership who have chosen the democratic path.

The unified Party Programme

While the resurgence of EROS will be based on constituted democracy, and will put forward three independent programmes at the elections, as a vanguard party struggling to establish a peaceful Sri Lanka, it will make a unified demand that a solution to be found to the fundamental conflict that exists between the Sinhalese people and the Tamil people of the North East regarding the historical claims for territory and rulership based on the following three demands,

1. Recognition and establishment of the statehood of Tamil people within the frame work of a united Sri Lanka established over the North East Territory which the Tamil people claim as their homeland

2. Assuring the due share of Tamil people in the Central government

3. The grant of full compensation to the Tamil people so that they can restart their life.

While EDF as the political party of the Tamil people will struggle to achieve the above, it will strive to work towards communal harmony, understanding and end apprehensions among communities. As the unitary state has become discredited in the eyes of the Tamil people and proved to be a shroud to establish Sinhalese hegemony over all of Sri Lanka, and has brought ruin to the relationship between the Tamil people and Sinhalese people, EROS will work to establish Sri Lanka as union of two statehoods in a united framework where the Centre and State share power in a mutually exclusive manner.

The Minority Rights

The two statehoods will assure the rights of minorities, address their legitimate concerns within their territory and provide them with protection and equal rights with rest of citizens, while assuring freedom of movement and settlement right for all citizens throughout Sri Lanka. However EROS will curtail settlement rights that violate rights perception of people and customary rights of people who already hold them.

EROS believes that best way forward for the people of Sri Lanka is not to forge an agenda for revival of a dead civilisation based dubious historical claim that has gone into ruin due to its own unsustainability but to establish a science based forward looking progressive society that will meet the demands of prosperity of her people in modern times.

The Emergence of New Sri Lanka

EROS will do everything in its power to project a new Sri Lanka that will emerge as a result of union of two nations, prevail over the Sinhalese people the importance of mutual accommodation and trust and respect for each others fundamental and historical rights, create an atmosphere where Tamil and Sinhalese people can work together to defend Sri Lanka and develop her economy which will be a source of amenity and self confidence arising out of freedom and independence of all her people which all can be cherished.

The restructuring of Sri Lankan polity based on mutual recognition of rights perception of people which will lead to governing effectiveness and just rule by provisioning the two nations to separately govern themselves through constitutional restructuring to coexist within one nation where the Sinhala race, if it wants, can pursue its agenda of revival of Sinhala Buddhist state without acrimony and discord.

EROS will promote the slogan, ‘Tamileelam belongs to Tamil people, Sinhala Ratta belongs to Sinhala people and Sri Lanka belongs to all Sri Lankans’ to the extent it is recited as mantra and made the basis of solution of nationality problem.

While every one shall have their right to their aspirations, no one will be allowed to turn their aspirations into their right or abuse the idea of Sri Lanka in the name of security or unity and integrity to undermine others to the extent of threatening and destroying their very existence. The Sinhala community needs help to enable it to be at ease with the rights of Tamil people as its aspirational obssessiveness of establishing a Sinhala Buddhist state has reached stage of mental possessiveness. A similar state of intransigence exists among sections of Tamil people.

EROS as Unifying Force of Tamil Nation

As EROS stands to unite all political forces and groups within the North East Tamil homeland as one constituted democratic party, it will engage in dialogue with all groups and political parties to integrate them into one constituted democratic party representing the Tamil people while urging diaspora community join the new party and come together as one people.

A Call to Past EROS Members and Other Groups

EROS calls on all its members who in the past broke away from the parent organisation to form various groups to reunite with EROS under the new resurgent banner. Past members and activists of EROS should renew their membership and submit their work programmes for approval and take up new role to advance the current course of EROS.

The idea of Constituted Democracy is the result of relentless search for a solution to unite various groups from the time of Committee for Eelam Liberation initiative in 1980. Constituted democracy provides the opportunity for integration of Tamil leadership at this crucial juncture. Taking into consideration the nature of Tamil reaction to collective will of people, as a society that extensively values its individual freedom, constituted democratic idea provides a formula where everyone can be a part of a power sharing arrangement.

The leadership of the former militant groups and Tamil political parties can be nominated to the leadership of the constituted democratic party while members be given the choice of joining the Right, Left or Central stream of the party.

Based on the new agenda, EROS will expand its membership among the Tamil people and people of Sri Lanka as a unifying force and transform Sri Lanka into a constituted democratic polity.

A Call to LTTE

EROS has maintained a peculiar relationship with LTTE having come together for a short period in September 1976. EROS was the first group to identify LTTE as a terrorist group. In light of aspirational arrogance of Sinhala Chauvinism, recognising the support and popularity such terrorist phenomena would have with the Tamil people in light of the intransigence of Sri Lankan state, EROS instead of working to destroy LTTE, gave way to LTTE and tried to transform LTTT as a democratic force from within, imbuing it with a political and economic content and orientation. However this could not be taken to conclusion as the militarism of the Sri Lankan state to realise the chauvinist ends has been relentless and not ended and LTTE’s armed opposition to the imposition of alien will in the name of united country stood to justify LTTE’s means and its militaristic strategy in the name of liberation.

EROS observes that LTTE has made too many mistakes in the Eelam struggle and it has gradually become a liability than an asset to the Tamil people and failed to bring victory against Sinhala chauvinist imposition. It has considerably eroded and ended the international support to the Tamil cause.

Its strategy, apart from the drain it brought on the Tamil resource and resolve, due to its fascist foundation, has become outdated and redundant.

The world has become tired of LTTE.

The single minded pursuance of war against other groups for factional supremacy has decimated the Eelam struggle and shredded the Tamil society. Its killing of Rajeev Ghandi buried Tamileelam as an independent state for ever and alienated India from the Tamil people.

Taking into consideration the disability of LTTE to transform itself into a democratic force and subject itself to the will of the Tamil people, EROS calls on LTTE that it disbands itself at the earliest opportunity, take advantage of the paradigm shift offered by the agenda of Resurgent EROS and transform itself into a democratic force. To effect this, EROS calls on LTTE to pave the way for the functioning of EDF in Vanni, so that those willing to join EDF can do so. The EDF as political party, committed fully to democratic path of struggle, will provide opportunity for past members of LTTE, if they so wish, to join the new agenda of EROS and work toward a peaceful settlement to the ethnic conflict.

Registration of EDF as EDF Left, EDF Right and EDF Centre

To further facilitate the implementation of the constituted democratic programme, within the current constitutional framework of Sri Lanka, EROS will explore the possibility of registering EDF as EDF Right, EDF Left, and EDF Centre so that the party can contest as three independent parties and come together to form a coalition after the election.

At the earliest EROS will put forward the programme for transforming Sri Lanka into a constituted democratic polity through the adoption of a constituted democratic constitution. In the near future EROS will introduce the constituted democratic idea to grass roots in Sri Lanka especially to the North East.

EROS and International Community

EROS will endeavour to prevail upon the international community the problem in Sri Lanka is neither a minority problem nor a human rights problem but a problem of recognition of rights of Tamil people for statehood over their homeland as against an attempt to establish a Sinhala Buddhist hegemonic state over their head and this can only be solved through the constitutional restructuring of Sri Lanka as union of two statehoods of her historical inhabitants and principal nationalities, the Sinhalese and Tamil people.

Solve the problem by first addressing the principle contradiction, which is a nationality conflict, based on historical title to self rule and territory and then address the secondary contradiction of rights of minorities within each statehood.

In the meantime EROS will prevail over the international community, that it shall not be fruitful to portray the problem as any other or prescribe solutions which do not address the fundamental conflict nor the international community should collectively or individually as nations seek opportunity to advance their interests at the expense of a just settlement to the conflict, thereby relegating the actual process of settlement, and assure their current actions do not undermine the future course of transformation of Sri Lankan polity.

EROS will seek the help of international community to assist the political, psychological and mindset restructuring process of transforming Sri Lanka into a Constituted Democratic Federal polity, help her people to come to terms with the foundation of a new Sri Lanka.

EROS will seek assistance from the international community for the implementation of its plans for the development of North East.

EROS and India

EROS will seek the support of India for its constitutional restructuring programme as the current 13th Amendment and its inadequacies cannot be undone and a workable political process established without the participation of India.

As it has been proved, a sustainable solution to the ethnic problem cannot emerge from talks between political parties within Sri Lanka, EROS will seek the assistance of India in effecting a constitutional transformation through her mandatory role as a regional power and her help in implementing the programme of interim transformation of Sri Lanka into a new nation. EROS will also endeavour to explain the real nature of conflict to the Indian people.

EROS will seek closer economic ties with India and the state of Tamil Nadu.

Economic Development of North East

At the earliest opportunity, EROS will discuss with people of the North East its short term, medium term and long term programmes for the economic development of the North East and request the speedier constitutional enablement of the regional government and relinquishment of power at the centre so that the regional government will be free to decide and implement these programmes for the prosperity of people in the North East.

What the Tamil people are demanding from the centre is not development of the North East nor deceptive exercises to mask its arrogant refusal to hand over power to the North East but honest and dignified engagement of the Sri Lankan government, Sinhala people and representative political parties to hand over the usurped sovereignty over Tamil homeland to the Tamil people.

EROS looks forward to the day when Sri Lanka will be a most admired peaceful and prosperous nation in the world.

( Arular Arudpragasam is the Sectary General of EROS & EDF ) - Sri Lanka Guardian