by Rajasingham JayadevanDear Hon Mrs Nirupama Rao,
(September 05, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Let me take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks for undertaking a visit to Sri Lanka to assess the situation facing the war ravaged Tamils and making candid comments about your discussions with the government of Sri Lanka.
Your visit comes upon the rightful assertion of the Foreign Minister Hon S M Krishna in the Lok Sabha recently that any political resolution in Sri Lanka must be more than what has been offered under the 13th amendment to the constitution, which came about with the Indian intervention in Sri Lanka in 1987.
The matters that you have taken-up and opinions expressed give us confidence that India will positively engage to resolve the long standing problems faced by the communities in Sri Lanka.
I write this letter with my utmost feelings. I, like many other Tamils was pushed out of my motherland in a systematic manner by the state. It is the deep rooted historical animosities and inferiority complexes of the communities and progressively eroding good governance at the centre, are making the situation more difficult for the country to deal with the issues humanely.
The Tamil youngsters were pushed for an armed struggle when the state boisterously went ahead to extend its systematic marginalisation policy of minorities in a forceful way. The single most effort of the government in the early 1970’s to introduce the standardisation policy to manage and reduce the entry of Tamils to the universities led to the Tamil militancy. If I had decided to remain in the country, I too would have been a gun carrying militant succumbing to the destiny faced by my brothers and sisters in the war that followed.
Even with my survival in the pastures of England, with my heart and mind deeply embedded with the land I was born, I have gone through many painful and terrifying experiences. State backed anti-Tamil violence of 1983 whilst I was on holiday in Sri Lanka, deaths of my mother and a sibling in the hands of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in 1987 and my incommunicado detention by the LTTE in Vanni in 2005 are some of the major adversities I experienced as a Tamil.
Indian intervention in 1987 gave all the hope for us. I recall how gratuitous my mother was, when she confirmed to me in her letter that the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was wholeheartedly welcome with the anticipated delight and eagerness by the people of Jaffna. It was also my maternal uncle, who was always asserting that the conflict is like a bottomless pit and he saw some hope in the Indian intervention and stated: ‘At last we could see some light at the end of the tunnel’.
All hopes were dashed for both India and the innocent civilians like my mother and brother who paid the ultimate price of deaths to the disingenuous politics of the government of Sri Lanka and uncompromising hot-headed LTTE. Even Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi paid the price with his life to the ignoramus mindset of the LTTE. These deaths are painful memories and the lost lives only will rest if proper homage is given to them as they yearned, through honest and sincere process for all the people in Sri Lanka to live peacefully with honour and dignity backed by the much wanted political accommodation of the minorities which the nation is determinedly avoiding.
The present regime in office is no better than the regime of the late President J R Jayawardene. It is a cocktail of lethal vermin and is a much bigger specialist in pulverising any accommodative processes. Any Indian effort will be a painstaking exercise and I strongly believe India will make progress by observing patience with its undeterred moral authority to see through the process.
With the demise of the LTTE and with the socio-economic and region clout, India could bring about the much needed climate of peace in Sri Lanka. The LTTE that signed its own death warrant due to its uncompromising stand to achieve political concessions progressively at opportune moments placed the entire Tamil people as passive slaves to the state military machinery. Today, the Tamil people are at the mercy of the state forces and Tamil paramilitaries who have the blessings of the state. Still the light is not visible at a remote distance to give us hope that we are heading towards the end of the tunnel.
In the fast progressing global village, Sri Lanka as a nation is extending its medieval, un-accommodative stance and espousing tensions within the region to overcome its insecurity and inferiority complexes.
The situation emerging with the tight fist policy of the government of Sri Lanka is showing all the signs of the country embroiling in another stage of hit and run militancy. Before such situation start to plague the country, India must exercise its regional and moral authority to fast track an accommodative political resolution that is much needed at this very movement and being deliberately procrastinated by the GoSL. The GoSL has still not put aside its self glorifying process of defeating the LTTE and this is not allowing any effort to find a resolution to the conflict.
The demilitarisation of the army, proper resettlement of the Internally Displaced Persons including the Tamils from the plantation sector and winding up the Tamil paramilitaries are immediate priorities that should be followed by wide ranging political power sharing arrangement under a unitary Sri Lanka.
The Tamils in the plantation sector too are undergoing untold difficulties. It is the late parliamentarian Mr P Chandrasegaran who told us with profound feelings when he visited London before his death, that Tamils in the plantation sector are being Sinhalised as part of a hidden policy of the state of not providing adequate education facilities in some areas, resulting in the Tamil children attending Sinhala schools. The political leadership of the Tamils in the plantation sector are unable to go further than playing the trumpet with the government due to political expediency. Adequate measures must be introduced to listen to the unravelled grievances of the Tamils in the plantation sector and they too must enjoy the decentralisation of powers that is envisaged.
This open letter will be an irritant to the conditioned mindsets who masquerade under their sole themes of Sinhala patriotism, nationalism and supremacy- the very mission that has brought about a superimposed unquestionable majority rule in the country.
International community cannot be the silent spectator to allow states peddling with their minorities under the global theme of non interference in a so called ‘sovereign’ state. It is in India’s interest that good governance and accountability processes are brought in Sri Lanka. The lack of this is progressively vulgarising the guiding principles of the state- the constitution. Unfortunately, the devolution under the 13th amendment brought under the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement too is being heavily peddled by the centralised power base of the government.
Even the 18th Amendment to be passed in the parliament shortly to further centralise the power base of the President will have further weakening influence on the 13th Amendment brought under the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement when the 17th amendment that gives adequate safeguards are taken away. Any future amendments to devolve power to the minorities and the regions will be undermined with the retrospective 18th amendment to be introduced by the government.
In concluding, I once again appeal to you to do everything to ensure a change of direction of Indian foreign policy towards Sri Lanka. I earnestly feel it must be with the spirit of maintaining good neighbourly relationship and helping GoSL to redeem itself from its un-accommodative and bad governance practices to be part of the all inclusive global village.
Thanking you.
Yours sincerely
R Jayadevan
Post a Comment