( September 27, 2013, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Tamils have spoken again loud and clear. Despite the impediments by the forces of the government with all the resources at their command much more than seventy percent of the Tamil speaking people in the north have given their verdict in no uncertain terms as how they should be governed, of course within the terms of a watered down version of the 13TH Amendment made out to the world by Rajapaksa as being 13 plus.
The Tamil speaking people in exercising their vote had to withstand the threats and the atrocities of the army of occupation, faking of a leading newspaper reporting that the TNA had withdrawn, making a mockery of the claims of rehabilitation the terror inflicted upon Ananthi Sasitharan the widow of an LTTE leader who was tortured and killed by the army accepting the electoral process. It must be remembered that from the chief justice to the Sinhala chauvinists there were designs to sabotage the election even through a judicial process if such a need arose.
Considering the terms of the manifesto of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) the verdict of the Tamil speaking peoples is almost that of a referendum for the framework of internal self-determination subject of course to negotiations with the Sri Lankan government.
The Tamils in providing a clear mandate, while rejecting the notion of a separate state have also sent an unmistakable message to the international community of their desire for self rule but within the parameters of a united and undivided country. The leader of the TNA, Sampanthan, however, conceded a long, hard road ahead.
The Tamils through their resounding victory have also thrown off the yoke of the illegitimate control of their affairs by the common criminal Douglas Devananda who was hitherto dominating their life, which we believe, would also be a welcome relief to the Rajapaksa regime.
Sampanthan was quite clear in spelling out the short term goals as being: the resettlement of the people; proper recommencement of their livelihood; restoration of normal civilian life, plus demilitarisation; settlement of pending land issues; finality with regard to missing persons and persons in custody and the restoration of civilian administration.
Sampanthan has made it clear that the long term aim is to realise the evolution of an acceptable political solution a united and undivided country which would obviously mean the opportunity to exercise a substantial measure of self-rule that will enable the Tamil people their "legitimate social, economic and cultural aspirations." We believe that it is important to settle upon an acceptable mode of self rule, from the various paradigms available. It is a mutually acceptable form of self rule that could keep the possibilities of the return of Tamil militancy.
It is important that the bonus seats are offered to the Muslims without being squandered on fossilised museum pieces as should key official positions in the administration.
It is heartening to note that the Tamil speaking peoples having seen through the facade of the Rajapaksa regime, namely the uthuru vasanthaya, or the Northern Spring did reject outright this fraudulent concept constituting the spectacle of new roads built on Chinese loans and aid, foundation stones and the like, a facade of the Rajapaksa regime of the Northern spring.
While congratulating the people of the north for this historic victory it is also important to recognise the quality of leadership provided by Sampanthan the leader of the TNA. While congratulating Mr Wigneswaran for the resounding victory both of his and those of his team we have to remind him of the implicit faith that the Tamils have placed on him and his leadership. He has undoubtedly an unenviable task ahead of him. We wish him and his team all that is best.
( The writer is the editor of the Eelam Nation, an online journal)
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