A Response To Item Entitled
"For A Tamil Eelam....."
© In Retrospect-
By Sarath Kumar For LankaWeb
Nov.30th 2007
This is a response to An unsigned document posted on Nov.30th 2007
under the auspices of InfoLanka by a source calling themselves 'The
Independent' and captioned " For A Tamil Eelam..... "- defencenet
research document whose contentious opinions sounding very Nation
Unfriendly albeit at best of times hypothetical are put into perspective
logically, rationally and patriotically on behalf of the Sinhala Nation.
If the 'defencenet research' whoever they represent wish to examine
the concept of Tamil Eelam within the hypothesis that it will eventually
exist in Sri Lanka for the purpose of testing the hypothesis of Eelam
in practical terms as they fancifully suggest they might as well be
disillusioned from the very inception that theirs is a wasted effort.They
are also advised to test their hypotheses elsewhere!
There are much more than three issues that can potentially delimit this
hypothesis as presented below and these types of hypotheses have existed
fot the last five decades at the least within the Tamil minority with
aspersion against the Sovereignity of Sri Lanka and even in hypotheses
is a wasted effort.The primary issue meriting delimitation is that Eelam
is a dirty word within the confines of the Sinhala Nation and there
needs no further explaining what the other related items towards delimitation
are!but the writwr can rest assured they are countless!
The proposed Tamil Ealam of the LTTE is a proposal within the fecund
imaginations of wannabe Eelamites and something to be analysed through
its non existing as well as aspired systems of "governance, economy
and the security dilemma" in the mindsets of those who have devised
it as a proposal only for the lack of better things to do perhaps. The
wish to have an informed conversation regarding these ideas with all
parties visiting this hitherto unknown source calling itself DefenceWire
rests on the freedoms of the individuals concerned but they are advised
not to broadcast these ludicrous hypotheses to the world lest they get
laughed out of their existences towards the ultimate oblivion they rightfully
deserve for having the nerve to publish tommyrot of this nature!
That there has never been or never will be such a thing as a Tamil
Eelam Government is totally beyond even speculation unless this is a
collaboration with Tamil Nadu in India which is another matter entirely
and does not concern Sri Lanka where the proposals under hypotheses
are probably best off taken up with the Indian Government.
It is misleading to even refer to "a current system of governance"
in areas refered to as "being under LTTE control" which may
be conceptually dictatorial but beyond a Tamil terrorist Shangri La
is non existent. It is however very correct to assume that Dictatorial
States have certain inherent problems. These include but are not limited
to a lack of international acceptance, rights abuses, corruption, suppression
of the public, disgruntled communities,rebellion etc. Considering the
stark reality given the circumstances in Sri Lanka that "A State
of Tamil Eelam "will never be established regardless of which leadership
as hypothesized least of all under Prabhakaran as he is probably not
too far off from meeting his maker, no imagined changes or removals
would be necessary as there would be nothing to remove! The freedom
loving moderate Tamil community with intelligence and sensibility towards
their true best interests and not those coerced by Prabhakaran's evil
schemes have already set in motion the wheels which necessitate his
removal and it would be wishful thinking that there would be any such
leader participating in a terrorist takeover of Sri Lanka! It just will
not happen and speculating about it a total waste of time!
From a terrorist standpoint their removal from the face of Sri lanka
is a matter which is already on the cards and one devised by the Sri
lankan Armed Forces with international backing and thereby removing
them should be of little concern beyond being a foregone conclusion.They
the LTTE terrorists will be removed and a matter of time before the
eventuality. High faluting rhetoric by terrorist supportives calling
themselves 'defence researchers' with loose references to " a parliamentary
democracy being out of the question in the post 9/11 world, which is
said here to be tantamount to state failure at the highest level and
justifies intervention (i.e. Iraq, North Korea, Cuba) seems to be alluding
to themselves as the liberators of an inconceivable state of their own
concoctions. Once again the reference to "a Tamil Eelam administration"
while it is totally beyond the realm of reality or accomplishment by
those who aspire to it would be better off desisting from the reference
towards further encouraging ridicule upon themselves. As far as the
minorities of the North and East, they are being well planned for and
provided for by the Government of Sri Lanka and the means to fortify
their posterity ia already set in place where the single impediment
to it remains the residual Eelamist who will be removed in due course.
The main issue as refered to which will be the total failure of an
aspired Tamil Eelam would be the confused bunglings by zealots of Tamil
Eelam motivated by their own personal greed and a necessity to survive
even the disdain of most of their own community. Velupillai Prabhakaran
being a prime example as much as Balasingham and Thamilselvam who have
already paved the way towards the destruction of the entire pro Eelam
organization which calls itself the LTTE! whose own personal interests
relative to their own survival in the long run is bound to override
even the interests of the proposed Tamil Eelam put forth by the Independents
of defencenet. These zealots rather than being the projected elites
who are imagined in this document to be capable political leaders, military
leaders of LTTE, old and new economic leaders (businessmen) etc.etc.
should really be behind bars jailed for crimes against humanity and
punished to the fullest extent of International and Sri Lankan law!
Once again the writer of this whimsical document is making light of
a so called Tamil Eelam Economy which is non existent and has no capacity
to exist in any conceivable future as it will be a terrorist motivated
concept which will be snuffed out long before its protractors even have
time to ponder over their own existences.
There is no such thing as a current economy of LTTE areas beyond conjecture
although said to have "two characteristics" perhaps bordering
from the sublime to the ridiculous if as purported "the first characteristic
is a remnant of the Sri Lankan Economy managed by the Government of
Sri Lanka.
Even in hypothesis for the aspired Eelamites to override through what
appears to be a hallucinatory frame of mind towards their overall successes
as applied to the economic activities of Sri Lanka Vis a Vis "the
import and export trade (As with the national economy regulated via
Colombo and Trincomalee harbours), payments (salaries) to public sector
service providers and state-appointed Administrators (i.e. GAs, AGAs
to school teachers), development projects and schemes to which the state
is a fiscal agent (i.e. renovation of A-9 Highway) and Subsidies (i.e.
food stamps, rations etc)" is total wishful thinking once again
as these services have no basis towards being in anyway related to the
Administrative functions of a hypothetical Eelam and are established
tenets of the Sovereign Democratic Administration of Sri Lanka universally
recognized.
Regardless of whether their imagined state will or will not receive
taxes from establishments in areas with an LTTE presence is of no consequence
as it is an effect which is not linked to a cause. Whatever existed
as LTTE controlled areas is already a thing of the past, coming to terms
with reality once again as the terrorists have been driven out of their
so called de facto areas of control and therefore any claims to this
effect have to be totally disregarded towards any credibilit. Whatever
pockets of terrorist resistance remain they are being systematically
mowed down by the advancing Armed Forces where the Eelamists will have
to say goodbye to their pipe dream ere long!
It is suggested to all readers and in particular the more discerning
and perceptive that this is a propaganda item circulated by the LTTE
which should be disregarded and trashed in the best interests of Sovereign
Sri Lanka and all those aspiring to be citizens of Sri Lanka distance
themselves from any concept of Eelam as something which will never transpire
as long as all patriotic Sri Lankans stand together whether they be
Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher or any other ethnicity where there
sould be no tolerance of any Eelam related activity which is a futile
pursuit being enacted by a terrorist organization whose mendacities
despite being aped by others of their terrorist ilk globally are doomed
to failure if global condemnations prevail over their criminally liable
insurgent presence both in Sri Lanka as well as other parts of the world.
For A Tamil Eelam.....
We wish to examine the concept of Tamil Eelam within the hypothesis
that it will eventually exist in Sri Lanka for the purpose of testing
the hypothesis of Eelam in practical terms. Three issues that can potentially
delimit this hypothesis are presented below. The proposed Tamil Ealam
of the LTTE will be analysed through its existing as well as future
system of governance, economy and the security dilemma. We wish to have
an informed conversation regarding these ideas with all parties visiting
DefenceWire.
The Tamil Eelam Government
The current system of governance in areas under LTTE is dictatorial.
Dictatorial states have certain inherent problems. These include but
are not limited to a lack of international acceptance, rights abuses,
corruption, suppression of the public, disgruntled communities, rebellion
etc. If a state of Tamil Eelam were to be established, the present Tamil
leadership under Pripaharan would have to change or they would have
to be removed. Exactly who in the Tamil community that can remove them
from power is a concern. If they cannot be removed, a parliamentary
democracy is out of the question. In the post 9/11 world, this is tantamount
to state failure at the highest level and justifies intervention (i.e.
Iraq, North Korea, Cuba). The Tamil Eelam administration would also
have to share power with minority Muslims living in Jaffna, Mannar,
Kilinochchi etc.
The other issue with Governing Tamil Eelam would be the new Tamil elites
motivated by their own personal interests, rather than the interests
of Tamil Eelam. These elites could be political leaders, former military
leaders of LTTE, old and new economic leaders (businessmen) etc.
The Tamil Eelam Economy
The current economy of LTTE areas has two characteristics. The first
characteristic is the remnants of the Sri Lankan Economy managed by
the Government of Sri Lanka. This accounts for much of the economic
activities in terms of import and export trade (As with the national
economy regulated via Colombo and Trincomalee harbours), payments (salaries)
to public sector service providers and state-appointed Administrators
(i.e. GAs, AGAs to school teachers), development projects and schemes
to which the state is a fiscal agent (i.e. renovation of A-9 Highway)
and Subsidies (i.e. food stamps, rations etc). The state does not receive
taxes from establishments in areas with an LTTE presence and therefore
is giving voluntarily at this point in time.
The second characteristic is the Gift Economy where some members of
Tamil Diaspora fund the LTTE. Some trickling-down of this money occurs
when LTTE attempts to operate a symbolic civil administration, police
unit etc. However, Diaspora funding has its limits. New generations
of Tamils born and bred outside of Sri Lanka may not have an interest
in sustaining the conflict.
The third aspect of the present Tamil Eelam economy is the indirect
economic benefits provided through activities of Non-Governmental Organizations
(i.e. UNICEF grant to rehabilitate child combatants). This economy might
disappear along with international funding in the event the problem
of the Tamils is solved, as proposed by the LTTE, through Tamil Eelam.
In the event Tamil Eelam is established and the Sri Lankan state withdraws,
the Diaspora funded Gift Economy would have to increase its role as
a military as well as a civil funding agency and replace the state economy.
Establishment of Eelam would also prevent fundraising from foreign public
entities based on sympathy for the Tamil cause. It would also prevent
the State of Eelam from raising money through illegal means such as
money-laundering, weapons, drugs and human smuggling etc due to increased
scrutiny and accountability.
The Security Dilemma
As long as there is a Sri Lankan Government, a military and an economy,
Eelam will not rest in peace. Any disgruntled groups living in Tamil
Eelam would have to be eliminated or else risk being manipulated by
the Sri Lanka government. Eelam would also have to guard itself against
neighboring India for obvious reasons. Eventually, hardline leaders
from the Sinhala community in the south will outbid and outflank moderates
based on a campaign for war against the state of Eelam, which they will
consider a threat to national security. Political leaders might even
lose to charismatic military leaders seeking a military takeover of
government for the purpose of destroying Eelam. This could result in
war, of the likes never before seen by any Sri Lankan.
All in all, the stakes of maintaining Eelam seem higher that winning
it. If the cost of achieving Eelam is higher than rejecting Eelam and
settling for a lesser goal, then it is the option that one can choose.
Good governance, managing a national economy and safeguarding national
security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of a state of Tamil
eelam can be much harder than waging guerilla warfare.
- defencenet research document
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