Solution to the Ethnic Problem
letter from Mr.V.Anandasangaree to
the President Mahinda Rajapaksa
His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa
President, Sri Lanka Freedom Party
Your Excellency,
Solution to the Ethnic Problem
I send my sincere greetings for the successful completion of the annual
convention of the Sri Lankan Freedom Party to be held on 4th inst.
As a keen student of politics, I remember taking part as an observer
in the inaugural meeting held at the Colombo Town Hall fifty-five
years back. Interestingly one of the resolutions passed at the convention
was the adoption of “Swabasha” meaning Sinhala and Tamil
as official languages of Sri Lanka. I understand that one of the important
issues to be taken up at the convention is the “solution to the
ethnic problem”. I hope the convention will give you a mandate
to solve the ethnic problem to the entire satisfaction of the minority
communities of Sri Lanka. Due to the ethnic problem the country as
a whole has suffered enough and can’t go on like this any more.
Several thousands of valuable Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim lives have
been lost and is being lost every day. We have thousands of widows
and orphans most of whom are not cared for by anybody. Billions and
billions worth of valuable private and public property destroyed.
Thousand of Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims are languishing in refugee
camps without any privacy, proper food and other basic needs for several
years. Here comes an opportunity for you to ask your party that moulded
you as a respected leader, as to whether they want an end to all types
of killings and atrocious activities or to allow the ruthless killings
and such other activities to continue. If you get a positive answer
then ask the party to give you a mandate to solve it in the typical
humanitarian way that you think is reasonable.
I am blamed by a few Tamil chauvinist elements that I am exposing
the LTTE. The Tamils who are left in the lurch by their elected representatives
speak only for the LTTE and keep mum relating to the peoples’
problems, mainly sufferings of the people. You are aware, the country
too, that I face grave risk to my life from the LTTE for exposing
them off and on. There was an air-raid in Mullaitheevu in which 62
students were killed. The casualties are no orphans. They are all
students almost of the same age, 18 years. I do not condone the killing
but I equally condemn the training programme organised by the LTTE
for these victims. The propaganda all over the world deliberately
done by the LTTE was that an orphanage was bombed and the casualties
were orphans. The LTTE thrives on false propaganda. The LTTE has lost
its credibility. The Tamils in the LTTE controlled areas of the North
and the East are very much fed up with the so-called freedom fighters
and want to be liberated from them. They are fed up with the claymore
mine attacks and the hand-grenade attacks that cause death not only
to the forces but to the innocent civilians as well, without being
condemned by the TNA Parliamentarians who were fraudulently elected
and have no right to be in Parliament. This is the democracy we have
in our country today.
I caution you to be careful in offering a solution. The rivers do
not flow backwards. The founder of your party the Sri Lankan Freedom
Party was the late Honurable S.W.R.D. Bandaranayake whose dream was
a federal constitution for Sri Lanka. He envisaged this long before
we had any such problems. Your predecessor in office and the daughter
of the late S.W.R.D Her Excellency Mrs. Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumarathunge
had in an interview to Dr. V.S. Sambanthan of “The Hindu”
on 15th November 2004 said, “Yes. Quite definitely yes.”
To a question “Do you think Sri Lanka is ready for federalism?”
His Excellency J. R. Jeyawardene on his retirement had in an interview
said “Federalism is the only solution to the county’s problems.”
The government is committed to finding a solution based on federalism,
as agreed at the Oslo agreement and the Tokyo declaration. Any deviation
from this position will cause discredit to the government. The United
National Party has offered to give you all support to solve the ethnic
problem based on the Oslo and Tokyo declarations. The UNP candidate
at the Presidential election, polled 49.7% of the votes cast, for
a federal solution. The leftist parties are committed to a federal
solution right throughout. What you need today is courage which I
do not think is lacking in you.
The International Community hopes that your solution will be based
on federal constitution. My suggestion to consider an Indian Model
is purely to save some, who are opposed to the terms “Federal”
and “Unitary” and to satisfy the People of Tamil Naad who
are being misled by some Tamil Naad Politicians who will be compelled
to agree to powers devolved on various regions in Sri Lanka like the
power enjoyed by the Indian States.
As for the Tamils, on whose behalf I have every right to talk, the
only solution acceptable to them, as an alternative for the demand
for separation, is a federal solution. I strongly believe that there
cannot be a compromise on this position and failure to find a solution
on the basis of the federal structure, will once again leave the problem
unsolved. I sincerely believe that the Sinhalese people will not expect
the Tamils and Muslims to be satisfied with a solution under a unitary
constitution, which did not grant them relief for the last fifty years
and after so much of sufferings and loss of life and property.
Wish you all success.
Yours Sincerely,
V. Anandasangaree,
President – T.U.L.F.
