| by V. Anandasangaree
Speech delivered by Mr. V. Anandasangaree at the Annual General Meeting of the TULF held at the party headquarters on 29-12-2012:
The mass scale killings of the LTTE injured cadre, recruitment of child soldiers even during the last lap of the war, were all concealed from the voters. When some of these matters were brought to the notice of a TNA Member of Parliament based in Mullaitivu, he seems to have commented that these things cannot be avoided in a war. He was last seen in Vanni distributing water pumps sewing machines etc to the voters.
Obvious ouster
It is now obvious that all forces joined together within Sri Lanka and outside to oust me from the political arena. Why should there be an organized campaign to oust me, soliciting the support of Tamils from all walks of life, is a thing I could not understand. What wrong have I done to my country and its people? I have not harmed anybody at anytime and served the country. It is not for me to say that but I consider my defeat at the poll as a national loss and those responsible for it will have their regrets. Very soon the country as a whole will feel it and the Tamil People will feel left in the lurch like orphans. If the Tamil People had listened to my advice a lot of problems could have been solved. Selfishness of certain leaders did not permit the people to listen to me. On the contrary, abuse had been showered on me in a demeaning manner, far beyond a man’s limit of tolerance. I was honoured with the honorary title of "Traitor" a term used in our country to insult a Political opponent.
Pioneer of Indian model
The idea of finding a solution to the ethnic problem based on the Indian Model was first mooted by me. It was during the Presidential Election of 2005 that I appealed to all Presidential Candidates, the two main Candidates in particular, to take the ethnic issue out of the campaign and treat it separately by arriving at a consensus among the candidates after the election. I suggested the Indian Model which I found acceptable to very many. I had discussed this matter with His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa when he was Prime Minister and later also after he was elected as President. This matter was discussed with many at various levels. Most of those whom I contacted, such as Prime Minister, Ministers, Party leaders, the Opposition Leader, Religious dignitaries, like Right Rev. Bishops, Very Venerable Mahanayakas, Leading citizens of all ethnic groups and many such others. I hardly found any opposition for my proposal. The main reasons for my proposing the Indian Model were, first of all it will satisfy those who are allergic to the terms Federal and Unitary. The second reason was to silence the eighty million Tamils across the Palk-Strait, and third apart from many others, was the Political setup prevailing in India at that time. The largest democracy in the world with the majority Hindu population had a much respected Muslim as the Head of the State, inspite of the fact that India had strained feelings with the neighboring Islamic States. Further more Sikhs form only 2% of the population. It is, the Sikhs who demanded Kalistan. It is a much respected Sikh who is now the Prime Minister of India. Apart from these the Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese, our religions Hinduism and Buddhism and our culture all came from India. Above all there is an overall and all time guarantee that India will never allow division of the country. Another important factor is that it was Tamil Nadu where the demand for separation started over fifty years back and now ceased. No one talks about separation in Tamil Nadu today.
Indian with minor adjustments
Six years back, there was a general undertaking among various ethnic groups, to accept the Indian model perhaps with minor adjustments to suit local conditions. We could have accepted it if only the ITAK took the initiative and negotiated with the LTTE or persuaded them to accept the Indian Model. The ITAK-TNA did nothing then, although they were the proxies of the LTTE. Having missed so many opportunities and after so many thousand innocent lives lost and billions worth of property destroyed Mr. Sampanthan is now talking about the Indian Model, that too half heartedly. If the TNA had accepted my proposal then much of the losses of our people could have been avoided. Having remained silent on this issue so long, he openly commented supporting it for the first time at a meeting of the ITAK –TNA at Kalmunai on the 20th January, in support of the Presidential Candidate General Sarath Fonseka. At that meeting he did not have the courtesy to say that the Indian Model idea was first mooted by me or at least had my support. Once again on the 20th of April a national Tamil daily carried a front page news item under the captions "We are prepared to support a solution based on the Indian Model" Even on this occasion neither that daily nor Mr. Sampanthan did mention it as my proposal or have my support. He only said that this matter had already been referred to by the President. It is this attitude of Mr. Sampanthan that had brought the Tamil Community to this state. The whole world knows that this idea was mine. I do not remember the President ever saying this. Even if the President had said so it is purely due to the request I made to him during the Presidential election. This is one very glaring example of Mr. Sampanthan’s very selfish attitude. As for me I want a solution acceptable to the minorities, whether it comes through Mr. Sampanthan or from anybody else. Let Mr. Sampanthan claim credit for anything and let any media project anyone they want as heroes. All what I want is a solution for our people and the honorable title of "traitor" bestowed on me removed, for me to die peacefully. Those who claimed the TUNA as the best bet for the Tamils should withdraw what they had said. Contrary to finding a satisfactory solution, such claims had only messed up the whole thing. Anyone having any personal grudge against me, should not mix it up with my political career which in over half a century old.
Six years back on the 25th of May 2006,’ Daly News’ carried an editorial and commented as "GULF leader is among the few democratic Tamil Politicians we have in this country today. Others have been killed bought or their voices stilled by the LTTE. Veerasingam Anandasangaree does not kill people. He does not harm or encourage others to kill or hate people. He does not abduct children and arm them to the teeth or tax his own people. The only thing he does today is to take pains to bring about a solution to the problem the country is faced with, in a democratic manner. He follows the civilized way. He dreams of walking freely in Killinochchi among school children and his village people".
I went through this editorial over and over again to see whether there is anything that could have hurt or provoked a University Student or an intellectual or a Political analyst or a free lance journalist or the print media to write or speak or campaign against me to the extent of canvassing, almost the entire Tamil Population of the North and the East, to vote against me. I am one who is in politics for over fifty six years and very actively for fifty three years having contested the Kilinichchi electorate for the first time in 1960 and every election that followed whether Parliamentary or local. I became chairman of the Killinochchi (Karaichchi) Village Council in 1965. Chairman Killinochchi Town Council in 1968 and got elected to Parliament both in 1970 and 1977 and voluntarily vacated my seat along with sixteen other members of TULF including Mr.Sampanthan protesting against the extension of the term of Parliament by a further period of six years, through a referendum. The Kilinochchi District was created due to my efforts.
The editor who titled the editorial as "Listen to democratic voices" states"Democratic Tamil United Liberation Front(TULF) leader Veerasingam Anandasangaree has written again. This time to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Dr. Kalaignar M.Karunanidhi urging a meeting between them to enlist the latter’s support for promoting the Indian Model of power devolution in Sri Lanka" The editor further says, "He is trying to help President Mahinda Rajapaksa another consensus builder to bring about an agreement among all parties to find a just solution".
I hope it will not be irrelevant if I quote a paragraph from a speech the President delivered at the 59th Independence Day ceremony, on the 4th of Feb.2007. He said "It is our duty to protect the lives and property of the Tamil and Muslim people and bring sanctity to the future world of their children. As I stated at the inauguration of the Moragahakanda maha Samudra. I wish to reemphasis that the most reliable weapons against terrorism is to do justice by the innocent Tamil People. I know that the Sinhala people in the South are ready for this. We are not ready to give into the blood thirsty demands of the LTTE. However at the minimum we should be reasonable and honest enough to agree with Mr. Anandasangaree or the Hon. Douglus Devananda" His Excellency’s speech was broadcast and telecast by Rubavahini and some other TV stations and while whole country was listening and watching.. It should be noted that my proposal is for the adoption of the Indian Model and totally different from that of Douglus Devananda. Extracts of the above editorial are self explanatory. At the time this editorial appeared, the ITAK-TNA was acting as proxies of the LTTE accepting them as the sole representatives of the Tamil People. Why did not Mr. Sampanthan and Mavai Senathirajah take any action then that would have saved the lives of several thousand innocent people and billions worth of property both public and private. It was the ITAK-TNA that had failed to save the Tamils and not me. So, on what basis the so called intellectuals, political analysts free lance journalists and a section of Tamil media come to the conclusion the "TNA(ITAK) is the best for the Tamils". A Tamil daily published a translation of an article by a renowned journalist based in Canada, on the 5t of April, just two days before the date of polling, with the caption, "For the Tamils of the North and the East the best choise at the election would be TNA"I do not say that the Tamil daily publish it, deliberately aiming at my defeat at the poll. But why did this happen? How did it happen? Who is behind this plot hatched in foreign countries to hound a loner, and for what consideration remains a mystery, that needs investigation. Lot of incidents of horrendous nature took place off and on during the last few years. Everyone was silent excepting a very few of whom I had been one. If only all these forces had got together and condemned atleast one incident, thousands of lives and valuable properties could have been saved.
All the forces got together and identified me, one who did not cause any harm neither to the Tamils nor for the Tamil cause, as a "Traitor". From the time the Tamil United Front was inaugurated by Thanthai Chelva, up to now I had been following his footsteps and committed to non-violence. A large number of youths who had been working for the party truly and honestly had fallen victims to the bullets of the government forces. Their sacrifices are forgotten and now insulted as unemployed youths who took up arms against the state. Unfortunately no one found fault with the person who said so. How can that statement be justified? How many such leaders we lost? Thanthai Chelva gave TULF the flag with the rising sun as the symbol. It is the same flag with which his remains were wrapped in on his last journey. The history of Thanthai Chelva’s achievements, sacrifices made by the youths and the leaders who worked with him devotedly and their heroic deeds were all completely forgotten and the important events not given publicity. The Federal Party is now telling a different tale to the new generation conceling from them the glorious past. The Federal Party given new life by a few is hiding the most important events of the old guards. The Federal Party that was founded by Thanthai Chelva was made inactive by him during his life time and reviving the Federal, Party without his consent and presence is considered as am act dishonoring or discrediting him.
When a University Student was burnt with his tractor and trailer for removing sand at Kudaththanai, it was I who had to protest. When Professor Ratnajeevan Hoole’s appointment as vice Chancellor of the University of Jaffna was objected to, it was I who had to protest. There were very many such incidents like this.
The editor in his editorial had also brought out the fact that in my letter to the Chief Minister Dr. Karunanithi I had said that my proposal to the government of Sri Lanka to adopt a constitution like the Indian Model has received very wide support. He concludes his comments by saying "We are of the view that the TULF leader has written to the Indian Politician with a great sense of responsibility, because the democratic TULF leader maintains cordial relations with all parties in the South including the JVP and the JHU and other parties such as the SSMC and other Tamil Parties".
I do not know whether the Editor had over- expressed his confidence in me. But as far as I am concerned, irrespective of any constrains I had done my duty to my country and its people with devotion and care. Another National daily in its editorial dated 3rd Nov 2009 though not very friendly towards me, complemented me for taking the same stand even today on the ethnic issues that I took several months before the defeat of the LTTE. The TNA has taken different stands at different times while I am sticking to the Indian Model throughout as the ideal solution for the ethnic problem.
At this juncture I am duty bound to brief you about my activities and some other matters. A lot of those who were responsible for straining the relationship between me and Prabaharan and made me a deadly enemy of his, are now friendly with the Government. Merely because the press under threat described me as a traitor I am not angry with anybody. Today the situation is different and the press can write freely and save the Tamil people from the path of destruction. The late Mr. Amirthalingam was not shot on the orders of Prabaharan. The people should be warned of those who use Mr. Amirthalingam’s name for personal gains.
The two foreign based journalist who without proper knowledge of the ground situation misled the Tamil People to vote for the TNA have not yet realised their mistake and rectified their blunder. A Member of Parliament who entered Parliament on their recommendation, without knowing the history of the Tamil struggle had said that those who took up arms were unemployed youths and that the Geneva resolutions were due to his efforts and that he spent three months abroad in this connection. He should have been pulled up by the leadership for his contradictory statements. Such people could enter Parliament because of these two journalist. It is this gentleman who said that most of the civilians were killed by the LTTE. He also claims to be the spokesman of the TNA. Within a few days more than 3oo youths were arrested in Trincomalee and other places after a Member of Parliament claimed in Madurai that Prabaharan is alive and will return soon. It is due to such thoughtless, statements the University students and some other innocent youths had been arrested. A large some of money collected abroad in the name of the TNA and brought to Sri Lanka for the refugees, have not been accounted for. How long can the TULF share the blame arising out of various activities of some members of the TNA. Although it is now more than two years since we started working with the TNA, up to now we have not been consulted in respect of even one out of several discussion that took places with the TNA. Those who urge the people to vote for the ITAK- TNA should tell us whether we should still carry them on the Palanquin. Whatever happens without working as Palanquin carriers, the TULF is prepared truthfully to give full support to the TNA. It is truth that Thanthai Chelva’s soul is restlessly roaming about, demanding that the Federal Party should work honestly without forgetting many facts that had not come to light.
The people cannot be cheated all the time. Very soon, one day those responsible for these irregularies will have to meet with great lost. I am not blaming any press individually. We have to take into account the concerns of those who had sacrificed the lives of many journalist.
The people of the majority community should be approached with few guarantee and if they have any doubts such doubts should be cleared. I advise Mr. Sampanthan that he should help to persuade the majority community to accept the Indian Model of the constitution, which may be acceptable to them.
My advice to Mr. Sampanthan would be to stick to the Indian Model as a solution to our problem that can be easily made acceptable to the majority community if approached carefully with proper guarantees to allay their fears, if they have any.
Thanking you,
V. Anandasangaree
Secretary General - TULF
