A Left liberation campaign - the need

By Dr Vickramabahu Karunaratne

(January 11, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) On 16 April 2007 I asked the UNP MP Mano Ganesan whether he agreed with the statement made by UNP leader, Ranil Wickremesinge about Janaka Perera. Ranil proposed to the government to appoint Janaka Perera to the post of defence secretary in place of Gotabhaya. He was confident that Janaka will do a better job of crushing the Tamil armed resistance, of course with General Sarath Fonseka at the helm of the military. Mano answered “I checked your comment on Ranil regarding Janaka Perera, on which I fully agree with you.

But let me know what we could do at this juncture? Look, the JVP is supporting the smaller enemy, Mahinda to defeat their bigger enemy, Ranil.” To his question raised I answered “When their smaller enemy gets going JVP leaders will not know where to look. When the time comes, maybe in a few weeks, Mahinda may heed the advice of Ranil and appoint Janaka as an adviser, as he is competent in eliminating youth rebels both in the north as well as in the south. So there is not much choice between these smaller and bigger enemies. At least, if Ranil kept to what he said during the presidential elections and stood for peace and federalism there is room for common action. Instead he signed an MOU and went around the world supporting the new regime. He supported emergency regulations while his own supporters were abducted and killed. All these days he did not say a word against abductions. Now, after making a sound comment at your meeting, the next day he wants a better war with Janaka Perera at the helm. Thus he brought disgrace to your efforts as well. Ranil has nothing to complain. Mahinda is following his economic policy and also the policy of getting support from the west including signing defence agreements. As the foremost western oriented politician here, he has to go along with these steps of Mahinda.

Distance

I do not think we should look for the smaller enemy and follow the fools in the JVP leadership. We must keep a distance form both camps and build an independent Left liberation campaign. That is exactly what we did in our Hyde Park campaign. That is what we suggest we should do, on May Day. Unless you break away from the UNP camp you will be only fooling the masses and yourself.”

Much blood and tears have fallen on the Tamil homeland since this e- mail conversation. Not only Mano but now even the TNA leaders have joined Ranil and Sarath. Of course the JVP of Somawansa found that the so-called lesser evil of theirs had become the monstrous evil of Lanka! This wisdom of Somawansa is now accepted by TNL as well. I don’t need to change anything in my comment and I am happy that my appeal for a Left liberation campaign has not fallen on deaf ears. The leader of the TELO presidential candidate Sivajilingum, MP Sri Kantha and several other Tamil MPs joined our Left liberation campaign. The Ceylon Communist Party, Socialist Party, United Workers Party, Sama Samaja alternative group and the Christian Socialist Liberation group are supporting our Left liberation campaign. I came to Jaffna on January 01 with Ajith Rupasinghe, CCP-m, Yohan Devananda, V Thirunavukarasu, Dharmasiri Lankapeli, Jenagen and others. I felt as if I had gone back to the days in 1976 when I visited Jaffna and stayed at the place of Nadesan Mahendran. Then he was with us politically. The same paddy fields, the same bicycles, the same dresses and the same hospitality; of course it is a devastated and dilapidated city. But the Tamil identity has not changed.

Underneath you could see a heroic nation that has sacrificed enormously for national survival. I refuse to believe that they will accept the decision of the bourgeoisie leaders of the TNA and vote for the man responsible for the genocidal attack on them.
After all it was Fonseka himself who said that while Mahinda was relaxing in air conditioned rooms he went ahead with his programme of annihilating the Tamil insurrection.