NGOs Whose Very Survival Depends on The Terrorist Movement Never Give Up

By Darmitha-Kotte

"Money is a necessary evil" as the saying goes and NGOs certainly need money for their survival, to maintain the high profile they wish to maintain, if they hoped to get foreign funding for their offices. To obtain funding, another necessary qualification, is to be able to formulate a "wonderfully eye-catching" project proposal which includes all the acceptable terminology to win the donor. Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement is quite proficient in these skills. We have no objections to their obtaining funding provided they deliver the goods for which the funding is received! We feel embarrassed as Sri Lankans, when we know that they are playing games at the expense of foreign donors.

During the last 2-3 months, the LTTE terrorists have suffered some of their worst defeats and also their credibility with the USA,UK, Canada and The European Union and the organization has been blacklisted in those countries as a " terrorist organization." Their atrocities in Sri Lanka have been witnessed by local and foreign organizations working in the so called "conflict areas" and it has become more and more evident that the terrorists are not interested in "PEACE" but wish to continue the war. To this end, they have brought untold misery towards all civilians be they Tamil, Muslim or Sinhala living in the North and East. All the lies they have been telling for nearly 30 years have all been exposed especially the fact that they do not represent the majority Tamil community. The majority Tamil community is tired of the misery brought on them by the terrorists and are living in constant fear, unable to send their children to school for fear of these children being abducted by the terrorists for their "children's brigade" etc. while the children of terrorist leaders have been smuggled to lucrative foreign countries for them to obtain education. With leaders like Chandrika Kumaratunga and Ranil Wickramasinghe together with Norway who have conspired with every wish of the terrorists, they have survived so far.

Is "Sarvodaya Doctrine" the Solution to "Terrorism" in Sri Lanka?:

Just like the Sarvodaya "Anti-Malaria Campaign" where they have received funding to eradicate Malaria in this country where instead of actually eradicating the Malaria menace, they have been distributing one mosquito net per household (medical officers can tell us the wisdom of such a method to eradicate Malaria); just like the unsuccessful " Sama Bhavana Campaign" conducted 2-3 years ago at BMICH where busloads of people were transported to Colombo to show that it was a success; just like the other inter-religious meditation programmes they tried to carry out 4-5 years ago in Kandy and Polonnaruwa under the guise of their "inter-religious agenda" now, they have put out a report dated 14th August, 2006(targeting some more funding) called " Sarvodaya View on The Present Situation in Sri Lanka" in which they portray a highly philosophic portrayal of what and how to overcome the present predicament of the terrorists and the suffering inflicted by them.

Distortions of Facts:

Just like all NGOs and INGOs that have been pointing a finger at the Government of Sri Lanka, Sarvodaya also points a finger because that is how they can survive in this game. In their "Sarvodaya View on The Present Situation in Sri Lanka" they give a very craftily drafted statement in which the reader is made to believe that only Sarvoday has the solution! If this is the case, why didn't they solve it 25 years ago when it first began?

It is stated (quote):"In the Sri Lanka conflict, two violence-oriented parties- one governmental and one non-state, commit violent acts against the people and each other for political gain.(This is similar to Iraq/Palestine/Lebanon and other conflicts). After a quarter century of fighting, both sides have gotten to the point that, despite being able to inflict tremendous suffering on civilian populations, neither can achieve a military advantage over the other in the field.

However, through carefully controlled media sources on both sides, they each manage to portray themselves as heroic defenders of " the people" while stirring up hatred and enmity among the general population. Both the government and LTTE try to convince their constituents that "victory is right round the corner." In this way, they hope to get more support for more killing. However, the stalemate will continue, even while the civilian casualties go up.

It is sad to note that the Executive Director under whose name this statement is issued, does not understand the international situation at all. To equate the LTTE terrorist issue to situations in Iraq, Palestine or Lebanon where the origin of their problem is completely different from ours in Sri Lanka, just goes to show how Sarvodaya is willing to twist any fact for their advantage! Apart from the international situation, they have totally distorted the local scenario as well! At the beginning of their statement it is stated as "In the Sri Lanka conflict, two violence-oriented parties- one governmental and one non-state…………" In a country with a democratically elected government, it is the prime duty of the government at all times, to protect the state and the civilians against terrorist attacks or for that matter any attack that would harm the people. In this context, given the LTTE campaign to achieve their "mythical homeland" it is the terrorists who have been committing atrocities against all civilians in this country. Under such a situation whether The Government likes it or not, it is bound to protect the country and therefore the Armed Forces need to be mobilized. Under the circumstances, how can Sarvodaya say " In the Sri Lanka conflict, two violence-oriented parties- one governmental and one non-state…………" ?
If Sarvodaya is unaware, our Armed Forces were considered "Non-Combatant Forces" until the terrorists began attacking government institutions, government officials, religious places of worship and civilians (when they commenced their "ethnic cleansing" campaigns in the North & East). Given the brutality of the terrorists, our Armed Forces had to be mobilized by The Government-this does not in any way qualify the statement that our government is a "party to violence" as Sarvodaya states!

Further down in the Sarvodaya statement it is stated " Both the Government and LTTE claim to fight for "humanitarian" reasons. However, both disregard the people in their insane attempts to punish each other. In order to inflict suffering on the other, they use tactics of fear, suffering, intimidation, pain and death. Both sides practice indiscriminate shelling and bombing in civilian areas, as well as subjecting civilian populations to dangerous, degrading and humiliating circumstances (cutting off critical water supplies, denial of services). "
In a war with terrorists and when terrorists use "human shields' for their protection, there are bound to be casualties and if the Sarvodaya can show with examples any place on this earth where guerilla war has been fought without casualties, then we can accept their claim in the above passage. All atrocities committed by the LTTE terrorists, are being attributed "equally " to the Armed Forces as well by Sarvodaya, in their shrewd manipulation to show our Armed Forces as villains! If they cannot differentiate between terrorist acts and that of the Armed Forces to protect the nation, then there is something radically wrong in their analysis.

Still further down in their statement it is stated " The problem is simple: violence. Each side claims that their violence is legitimate and the other's violence is "terrorism". To the frightened mother (Sinhala, Tamil or Muslim) trying to shelter her small children with her own body, ALL VIOLENCE IS TERRORISM. After 25 years, it is time to realize: violence doesn't work." Excellent expression- given the fact, that mothers in the North and East have to protect their children from the LTTE terrorists who are out to kidnap these children to make them "human shields" in the terrorist Children's Brigade. Naturally, no mother will want their children to suffer at the hands of terrorists! If Sarvodaya is aware, a couple of months ago, terrorists pierced the heart of little 12 year old Shyam with a bayonet and murdered him, because he and his parents refused to give Shyam to join the Children's Brigade! There are many thousands of such atrocities committed by the terrorists which are on record. There are instances where the LTTE terrorists threw babies into cauldrons of boiling oil in Ampara district to instill fear in the villagers for them to surrender to the terrorists! Words like "terrorism" must not be used at random. The definition of "terrorism" is the dictionary is " the use of violence and intimidation for political purposes." The LTTE is certainly a terrorist group, whereas The Government or The Armed Forces cannot be put into the same category if the Sarvodaya is sincere in their agendas! The State under which the Armed Forces takes command from the Chief of Staff, is there to protect The State and her people. How can one say that defending the nation is " terrorism?"

The Sarvodaya Agenda for Lasting Peace:

The Sarvodaya Statement has 4 subtitles under which it has issued their vision for a lasting solution (as they think they can solve) to the LTTE problem. They are: Sarvodaya Works to Craft a Lasting Solution; A Declaration of a Common Vision; National Conversations on "Peace, Security and Identity"; A People's Constitutional Convention.

In the "Sarvodaya Works to Craft a Lasting Solution" section, they state very philosophically "Our 1999 "Peace Action Plan," aimed at ending the shooting war with a ceasefire and peace talks between the parties was a success. We helped to lay the groundwork for the historic 2002 Cease Fire Agreement(CFA) between the parties. The problem was that the parties squandered this historic opportunity with endless squabbling at the peace table.(After all, they are not the ones who suffer in war-it's the people, not the war-makers.)

Now in 2006, we will go further. We will not rely on the vested interests to make the peace. We, the people, will do so for them……………"

Sarvodaya's vision for the peace process as they envisage encompasses four specific goals which are:
(1)To move beyond the CFA to a permanent end to the war (2) To identify an acceptable political framework that devolves power to the people at the most local level (3)To accelerate its work towards the economic transformation in Sri Lanka, specifically to eliminate poverty and corruption (4) To forge a national identity that transcends ethnic or religious identity, and recognizes Sri Lanka's multi-ethnic, multi-religious character; to create a sense of " one nation, many cultures."

Sarvodaya also claims they have a four step process that will create the foundation for a lasting, permanent peace: (1) Generate a common vision of a positive future for all Sri Lankans ; (2) Initiate a national dialogue for "Peace, Security and Identity;(3) Catalyze a "People's Constitutional Convention" (4)Continue work to shift the filed of human consciousness toward peace, non-violence and community with large and small meditation programmes. This included the upcoming million person " Universal Peace Meditation " on 2nd October, 2006.

In their "Declaration of a Common Vision" they state " Right now with our "truth seekers", we are collecting the opinions of thousands of ordinary Sri Lankans from all ethnic groups and all walks of life. We will weave these statements into a statement of the future of our society: a "Vision Declaration". This will be the topic of numerous conversations around the island, as we move away from the consciousness of a " killing society" towards the consciousness of a society that works for the people."

In their "National Conversations on "Peace, Security and Identity" they state as follows:
"With the "Vision Declaration" as a basis, Sarvodaya will sponsor a nation-wide campaign of conversations. Engaging people from all walks of life, Sarvodaya will engage people in fundamental conversations about our future: How can we resolve our conflicts without resort to violence? What will it take to have all people safe and secure? What is our "Sri Lankan Identity?

In their " A "People's Constitutional Convention" section they state as follows:
" We believe the "Vision Declaration" and the national conversations will serve as the foundation for a new "People's Constitution". Rather than wait for the warring parties to make constitutional reforms, we will do so for them! Sarvodaya, in concert with other peace and civil society organizations, will help catalyze a "People's Constitutional Convention " in early 2007,"

The Truth About Sarvodaya:

Above are all the main components of the Sarvodaya statement " Sarvodaya View on The Present Situation in Sri Lanka" which spells out their underlying agenda very clearly. It is quite obvious that they are hoping to obtain a vast sum of money by putting these "highly philosophical" words on paper to destroy this country completely let alone finding a lasting solution to the ethnic conflict.

Sarvodaya boasts of a 40 odd year service to society in poverty alleviation and conflict resolution. Obviously they have not succeeded for four decades and there is absolutely no way that they will succeed now except for the Sarvodaya leader to target another "Peace Prize" for which all these documents are prepared! Have they been able to alleviate poverty in even 10% of the population after obtaining so much funding from funding organizations?

Who has given Sarvodaya the authority over a democratically elected government and Executive President to formulate what they consider " We believe the "Vision Declaration" and the national conversations will serve as the foundation for a new "People's Constitution". Rather than wait for the warring parties to make constitutional reforms, we will do so for them! Sarvodaya, in concert with other peace and civil society organizations, will help catalyze a "People's Constitutional Convention " in early 2007," What total hypocrisy this whole statement is, it should be obvious to all those who are patriotic.

Where has the Leader and Executive Director of Sarvodaya been living for so long if they do not know that Sri Lanka already has a " National Identity" that they think it is their responsibility to brainwash innocent people into accepting their Sarvodaya's vision for the peace process as they envisage encompasses four specific goals which are: (1)To move beyond the CFA to a permanent end to the war (2) To identify an acceptable political framework that devolves power to the people at the most local level (3)To accelerate its work towards the economic transformation in Sri Lanka, specifically to eliminate poverty and corruption (4) To forge a national identity that transcends ethnic or religious identity, and recognizes Sri Lanka's multi-ethnic, multi-religious character; to create a sense of " one nation, many cultures."

Whom are they trying to please by trying (4) To forge a national identity that transcends ethnic or religious identity, and recognizes Sri Lanka's multi-ethnic, multi-religious character; to create a sense of " one nation, many cultures" other than the Christian INGOs and Christian countries who are waiting to destroy the Sinhala Buddhist identity of this country! For funding and "Peace Prizes" can one sell one's Motherland? Sarvodaya talks about " vested interests" in their statement but the vested interests of Sarvodaya itself has been camouflaged to suit the foreign donors!

The Sarvodaya Leader uses names like Mahatma Gandhi and Vinobha Bhave personalities who have been used in high esteem around the world, only as tools for his personal agendas. If after 40 years of work in this country he has not been able to show proof of his success in poverty alleviation, social development, unemployment problems, corruption, and rural development- isn't it obvious that their whole movement is just a sham and it is only a tool being used to amass wealth for his family and movement. The sad thing is that international donor organizations have fallen prey to his unscrupulous plots and doled out money without any positive results!

Sarvodaya claims that it is their agenda for peace that brought about the CFA of 2002. If that is the case, it is very obvious that they are hand in glove with the LTTE terrorists because the CFA was formulated by the LTTE and signed by Ranil Wickramasinghe! If their claim stands, then as a local Non-Governmental Organisation(NGO) they have proved that they are traitors of this country. If they think that appeasing the terrorists is the uppermost duty, then their stand with all other INGOs like World Vision ( which is known to be involved with unethical conversions in this country) and foreign organizations waiting to discredit the very sovereignty of Sri Lanka, their crime is rather serious and government authorities must take heed of their hidden agendas and take appropriate action immediately.

If Sarvodaya is so sincere, honest, efficient and capable, in the first instance there would not be a 25 year and no terrorism in this country. Sri Lanka would be one of the most flourishing countries on this universe and an example for others to follow- isn't it so? Do they not realize that conducting "conversations around the island " using their so called "Truth Seekers" is not the solution for the terrorist problem. They must go direct to LTTE headquarters in Wanni and confront Prabhakaran, challenge and educate him into laying down weapons and the brutality that they so enjoy, by teaching him Metta, Karuna, Muditha and Upekka. If Mr. A.T.Ariyaratne's famous "Bhavana Methods" cannot obtain inner peace for himself, how can Prabhakaran? If Mr. Ariyaratne can teach Prabhakaran to meditate, then and only then will there be THE WAY TO ACHIEVING LASTING PEACE!

Try it Mr. Ariyaratne -if you succeed, then we can believe that you are truly great. Then you deserve all the Peace Prizes that you are after in this life! Without catching the tiger by the tail, everything else Sarvodaya states in the way they hope to gain peace for the country is an utter sham!