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By Thomas Johnpulle
(May 29,London, Sri Lanka Guardian) There are heaps of articles dragging attention to nation building. It is heartening to see many intellectuals are showing a keen interest in rebuilding their nation. This is undoubtedly one big victory achieved by security forces over the LTTE. During the time of the LTTE, it didn’t tolerate any Tamil working for Sri Lanka. Instead they were compelled to promote the struggle.
However, certain tricky issues seem to be unaddressed by most writers. While it may be best to leave them untouched for very good reasons, it is still important to bring them to the open and analyse in order to find a resolution. It is true that most Tamils are going through a period of intense sadness. Some smaller sections of the Tamil community have been engulfed in total hopelessness and depression. Part of the problem is the inability to have the struggle materialise when just a few years ago it was visibly achievable. While addressing national development and reconciliation methods, it is equally, or may be more important to discuss how to handle them. It is assured that a small number of them are not going to shed their Tamil Elam demand. They are not alone. The highly influential and ultra rich (comparative to Sri Lankans) Tamil Diaspora has very active members who openly promote the struggle.
However, it is absolutely impossible to positively help them since it goes against the very existence of Sri Lanka. Yet they must be handled, otherwise, it is just a matter of time until the next phase of the war emerges from the ashes. They cannot be bought over by development, equal rights or devolution. Although quite small in number, they are firm and committed in their conviction that there was a traditional Tamil homeland in this island and they want it back.
In the light of these elements and what happened over the past 80 odd years since the peaceful demand for separation emerged and demand for equal representation for unequal communities was made, it is important to keep a tab on separatism and resultant intolerance and violence. In addition, the North and the East has seen some of the vicious and lengthy battles of Asia. How to tackle these issues must form an integral part of the roadmap to reconciliation. There is no point in calling them extremists, terrorists or whatever and ignore them because it took less than 0.05% of the population to terrorise the entire nation.
Devolution along racial lines must not be entertained
Power sharing is a good thing; however, if power is shared along racial demarcations, it leads to racism – a stronger form than we have seen so far. Instead power should be shared among units with sizable representation of all races. Devolving power to Tamils, Muslims, upcountry Tamils and Sinhalas is a sure way to disintegrate the country along racial lines. It has worked to an extent in India because India was never was a country as such and its component kingdoms are along racial communities. In Sri Lanka a large number of Tamils, probably more than 50%, live in Sinhala majority areas. Power devolution is not going to do them any good.
Further, the North does not have a sizable Sinhala population. If power is devolved to the North without a sizable Sinhala population, it is wholly unfair by them.
If power is devolved along racial lines, irrespective they are the same as existing provincial boundaries, water disputes, land disputes, petty fights and the like will escalate into major racial battles. Even basic commodities like water will be forced to be shared between racial communities which will be such an unfortunate thing. The historical statement made by the President that there are no more a majority and a minority is a step in the right direction. Any political solution must be within that framework.
Instead power should be shared among racially mixed, nationally representative (as much as possible) units. This compels people of all races to cooperate, co-ordinate and team-up with each other for the common good of everyone. No one will be haggling about racial groups.
The recently concluded IPL cricket series was such a marvellous event. It brought some of the world’s best in perfect mix. It would have been better if restrictions on the number of “foreign players” were lifted. In the tournament teams comprising players from many nationalities competed against each other. It never mattered if an Australian or an Indian was batting against a fellow Australian or an India bowler. This is the type of a broad framework that is required, if power is to be devolved into provinces.
Dismantling race based politics should be another priority. Rather than enforcing it directly, multicultural electorates must be secured in every nook and corner. Political parties not restricted to consider the welfare of one race is a necessity today. This will give rise to national political parties competing against one another for the incremental betterment of the nation as a whole, everywhere in the country, not just in the ‘south’.
These are the methods that will develop the country, reconcile the reconcilable forces and invalidate those who don’t fall in line with Sri Lankan national interests. It is an all inclusive approach.
Armed forces, security and law & order
Armed forces will have to be deployed in every part of the country, especially in the North-East since the North-East has a history of violence, illegal immigration from South India, racial violence, even genocide and separatism. The present level of troops may be inadequate to attend to the population and the vast territory. Therefore chances are that the number of security forces personnel may have to be risen manyfold than now. To be prudent, the strength of armed forces must be designed expecting trouble, not expecting peace. Only then can they take on the enemy on a timely manner avoiding the spread of violence.
Recruiting from all the communities is a must for a progressive army. Equally important is the maintenance of discipline.
Large contingents of troops will be stationed in the North and it should not be construed as invasive by any group. Regional councils must cooperate with security forces as national security comes above power devolution. Never should it be forgotten how power devolution was made possible through military victories.
Swift repatriation of illegal immigrants from South India is an essential part of maintaining law and order. Authorities must be able to do so without any racially motivated or political interference. The Northern seafront was exploited by unscrupulous elements before the start of the war. This will definitely happen once again and security must be tightened. Some of these methods are going to hurt the freedoms of the people. A few decades ago it was common practice for Tamil youth from Jaffna to take a boat ride to Tamil Nadu to catch a glimpse of the latest Tamil movie. Sadly, this type of things must stop regardless of the emotional stress it may create to a segment of the population.
Equal rights and responsibilities
Equal, enforceable, legally recognised fundamental rights with no exceptions are a prerequisite for the wellbeing of the nation. Along with equal rights come equal responsibilities. However, this seems to be the subject of much confusion. To put it straight, each individual should have equal rights and hence, each unequal community will surely have unequal rights!
A connected issue is tertiary education. Every child must have equal rights for tertiary education. It is obvious that the government cannot fund the tertiary education of every student passing through Advanced Level. This can be overcome by allowing private universities. As an example, the IT industry professionals are mostly produced by private educational institutes, not by government universities. The same should be applied to medical colleges. Backward thinking political groups with proven bankrupt economic ideologies should not be allowed to hijack tertiary education. This will afford equal educational rights to everyone.
Taxpayer funded universities should be fair for the whole country. Since these are funded by taxpayers, benefits of these universities must be fair for all the taxpayers across the country. A fair method of selecting students, fair across all the regions should be adopted.
Healthcare, education and public administration expenses must also be distributed on a fair basis across the country since these are taxpayer funded. Peter should not be robbed to pay Paul! As tax is generally collected fairly across the country, its benefits must also go to them fairly. This enforces the equal responsibilities burden which was strangely absent in Sri Lanka for a long time.
It is interesting to note that while the Northern LTTE cadres were more driven by what is known as Tamil aspirations, Eastern cadres were more influenced by poverty. This is why the Eastern LTTE leader, Vinayagamoorti Muralitharan popularly known as Karuna demanded that Easterners be given what Colombo gets. This is a recurring theme even reflected by JVP subversives in 1971 and 1989.
Fruits of education must come to the country. There is little sense in investing or expending billions annually if the benefits are going to flow overseas. At the same time there should not be restrictions on leaving the country. A cost recovery method for tertiary education expenses must be in place for those who wish to leave the country without returning back what they gained. Else the colossal amount of money spent on tertiary education will end up wasted. It is high time this vital responsibility is assigned to those who enjoy the rights. While there are many groups to demand rights, talking about corresponding responsibilities is unpopular.
Vanni region was neglected for a very long time and it is fair that largest development work take place in Vanni to compensate for decades of neglect. These development projects should employ workers from all races. Rebuilding the rail track is an obvious development initiative.
The hearts and minds program is a much talked about affair. However, it should not stop there. It should be rather rephrased as the “rights and responsibilities” program. Otherwise it will be a bottomless pit with no returns for the nation. If the roadmap we discuss is for national development and reconciliation, it must benefit the nation directly and indirectly.
By Thomas Johnpulle
(May 29,London, Sri Lanka Guardian) There are heaps of articles dragging attention to nation building. It is heartening to see many intellectuals are showing a keen interest in rebuilding their nation. This is undoubtedly one big victory achieved by security forces over the LTTE. During the time of the LTTE, it didn’t tolerate any Tamil working for Sri Lanka. Instead they were compelled to promote the struggle.
However, certain tricky issues seem to be unaddressed by most writers. While it may be best to leave them untouched for very good reasons, it is still important to bring them to the open and analyse in order to find a resolution. It is true that most Tamils are going through a period of intense sadness. Some smaller sections of the Tamil community have been engulfed in total hopelessness and depression. Part of the problem is the inability to have the struggle materialise when just a few years ago it was visibly achievable. While addressing national development and reconciliation methods, it is equally, or may be more important to discuss how to handle them. It is assured that a small number of them are not going to shed their Tamil Elam demand. They are not alone. The highly influential and ultra rich (comparative to Sri Lankans) Tamil Diaspora has very active members who openly promote the struggle.
However, it is absolutely impossible to positively help them since it goes against the very existence of Sri Lanka. Yet they must be handled, otherwise, it is just a matter of time until the next phase of the war emerges from the ashes. They cannot be bought over by development, equal rights or devolution. Although quite small in number, they are firm and committed in their conviction that there was a traditional Tamil homeland in this island and they want it back.
In the light of these elements and what happened over the past 80 odd years since the peaceful demand for separation emerged and demand for equal representation for unequal communities was made, it is important to keep a tab on separatism and resultant intolerance and violence. In addition, the North and the East has seen some of the vicious and lengthy battles of Asia. How to tackle these issues must form an integral part of the roadmap to reconciliation. There is no point in calling them extremists, terrorists or whatever and ignore them because it took less than 0.05% of the population to terrorise the entire nation.
Devolution along racial lines must not be entertained
Power sharing is a good thing; however, if power is shared along racial demarcations, it leads to racism – a stronger form than we have seen so far. Instead power should be shared among units with sizable representation of all races. Devolving power to Tamils, Muslims, upcountry Tamils and Sinhalas is a sure way to disintegrate the country along racial lines. It has worked to an extent in India because India was never was a country as such and its component kingdoms are along racial communities. In Sri Lanka a large number of Tamils, probably more than 50%, live in Sinhala majority areas. Power devolution is not going to do them any good.
Further, the North does not have a sizable Sinhala population. If power is devolved to the North without a sizable Sinhala population, it is wholly unfair by them.
If power is devolved along racial lines, irrespective they are the same as existing provincial boundaries, water disputes, land disputes, petty fights and the like will escalate into major racial battles. Even basic commodities like water will be forced to be shared between racial communities which will be such an unfortunate thing. The historical statement made by the President that there are no more a majority and a minority is a step in the right direction. Any political solution must be within that framework.
Instead power should be shared among racially mixed, nationally representative (as much as possible) units. This compels people of all races to cooperate, co-ordinate and team-up with each other for the common good of everyone. No one will be haggling about racial groups.
The recently concluded IPL cricket series was such a marvellous event. It brought some of the world’s best in perfect mix. It would have been better if restrictions on the number of “foreign players” were lifted. In the tournament teams comprising players from many nationalities competed against each other. It never mattered if an Australian or an Indian was batting against a fellow Australian or an India bowler. This is the type of a broad framework that is required, if power is to be devolved into provinces.
Dismantling race based politics should be another priority. Rather than enforcing it directly, multicultural electorates must be secured in every nook and corner. Political parties not restricted to consider the welfare of one race is a necessity today. This will give rise to national political parties competing against one another for the incremental betterment of the nation as a whole, everywhere in the country, not just in the ‘south’.
These are the methods that will develop the country, reconcile the reconcilable forces and invalidate those who don’t fall in line with Sri Lankan national interests. It is an all inclusive approach.
Armed forces, security and law & order
Armed forces will have to be deployed in every part of the country, especially in the North-East since the North-East has a history of violence, illegal immigration from South India, racial violence, even genocide and separatism. The present level of troops may be inadequate to attend to the population and the vast territory. Therefore chances are that the number of security forces personnel may have to be risen manyfold than now. To be prudent, the strength of armed forces must be designed expecting trouble, not expecting peace. Only then can they take on the enemy on a timely manner avoiding the spread of violence.
Recruiting from all the communities is a must for a progressive army. Equally important is the maintenance of discipline.
Large contingents of troops will be stationed in the North and it should not be construed as invasive by any group. Regional councils must cooperate with security forces as national security comes above power devolution. Never should it be forgotten how power devolution was made possible through military victories.
Swift repatriation of illegal immigrants from South India is an essential part of maintaining law and order. Authorities must be able to do so without any racially motivated or political interference. The Northern seafront was exploited by unscrupulous elements before the start of the war. This will definitely happen once again and security must be tightened. Some of these methods are going to hurt the freedoms of the people. A few decades ago it was common practice for Tamil youth from Jaffna to take a boat ride to Tamil Nadu to catch a glimpse of the latest Tamil movie. Sadly, this type of things must stop regardless of the emotional stress it may create to a segment of the population.
Equal rights and responsibilities
Equal, enforceable, legally recognised fundamental rights with no exceptions are a prerequisite for the wellbeing of the nation. Along with equal rights come equal responsibilities. However, this seems to be the subject of much confusion. To put it straight, each individual should have equal rights and hence, each unequal community will surely have unequal rights!
A connected issue is tertiary education. Every child must have equal rights for tertiary education. It is obvious that the government cannot fund the tertiary education of every student passing through Advanced Level. This can be overcome by allowing private universities. As an example, the IT industry professionals are mostly produced by private educational institutes, not by government universities. The same should be applied to medical colleges. Backward thinking political groups with proven bankrupt economic ideologies should not be allowed to hijack tertiary education. This will afford equal educational rights to everyone.
Taxpayer funded universities should be fair for the whole country. Since these are funded by taxpayers, benefits of these universities must be fair for all the taxpayers across the country. A fair method of selecting students, fair across all the regions should be adopted.
Healthcare, education and public administration expenses must also be distributed on a fair basis across the country since these are taxpayer funded. Peter should not be robbed to pay Paul! As tax is generally collected fairly across the country, its benefits must also go to them fairly. This enforces the equal responsibilities burden which was strangely absent in Sri Lanka for a long time.
It is interesting to note that while the Northern LTTE cadres were more driven by what is known as Tamil aspirations, Eastern cadres were more influenced by poverty. This is why the Eastern LTTE leader, Vinayagamoorti Muralitharan popularly known as Karuna demanded that Easterners be given what Colombo gets. This is a recurring theme even reflected by JVP subversives in 1971 and 1989.
Fruits of education must come to the country. There is little sense in investing or expending billions annually if the benefits are going to flow overseas. At the same time there should not be restrictions on leaving the country. A cost recovery method for tertiary education expenses must be in place for those who wish to leave the country without returning back what they gained. Else the colossal amount of money spent on tertiary education will end up wasted. It is high time this vital responsibility is assigned to those who enjoy the rights. While there are many groups to demand rights, talking about corresponding responsibilities is unpopular.
Vanni region was neglected for a very long time and it is fair that largest development work take place in Vanni to compensate for decades of neglect. These development projects should employ workers from all races. Rebuilding the rail track is an obvious development initiative.
The hearts and minds program is a much talked about affair. However, it should not stop there. It should be rather rephrased as the “rights and responsibilities” program. Otherwise it will be a bottomless pit with no returns for the nation. If the roadmap we discuss is for national development and reconciliation, it must benefit the nation directly and indirectly.
what you suggest is not a solution, rather its a problem.
Remember, If something could go wrong, then it will!
It is easy to list out and elaborate on what everyone agrees but as the writer says we have to address the tricky ones.
Its a patient who needs a doctor BADLY, not a healthy person.
We should concentrate more on these hard issues, me thinks than on things everyone would agree.
Good write up.
I wish there was more thinking like this rather than on mono ethnic racial lines.
For the LTTE is it's always-
TAMIL grievances
TAMIL political aspirations
TAMIL problems
it's as if the other communities don't have any problem. The fact of the matter is that there are thousands of rich tamils who live in much better comfort than the average sinhala, tamil or muslim in the south. there are thousands of rich sinhala & muslims like that too.
it's a wordwide phoenomena. breaking up countries will make matters worse. if the LTTE managed to break up the north mono ethnically what's going to happen to the tamils in the south?
the chances are they will be at the receiving end of a justifiably furious sinhala majority. they might not be burnt like in 1983. but the sinhala will make life so tough for them that they would have had no option but to go to the north & live under thalaivar.
would they have gone? I am sure they would have chosen to live with the sinhala even as slaves rather than sacrifice their families to thalaivar's ruthless & lunatic rule.
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