Why do Sri Lankans Overwhelmingly
Support the Present War Effort?
Dilrook Kannangara
This year’s budget debate was a memorable one with suspense and
intrigue than any other budget before; it will be talked about for a
very long time. However, amidst all these agreements to disagree, the
defence budget (according to many laymen opposed to the budget the high
defence allocation is the crux of this year’s budget) was passed
with ease which means that Sri Lankans overwhelmingly support the war.
Forget about crocked surveys that only reflect the views of no more
than a fraction of 1% of the total population; forget about the commitment
to a negotiated settlement parroted by politicians and also forget about
the whims and fancies of the international community. The bottom-line
is Sri Lankans strongly believe that war is the only solution as amply
proved when the defence budget was taken up. In favour of the jumbo
defence budget there were 141 votes while only 15 opposed it. Fifteen
seats out of a legislature comprising 225 seats equals to 7% and hence
93% are not against the massive war budget. Peoples’ representatives,
knowing the nexus between their voters’ aspirations and their long
term survival, support what their voters expect them to support and
oppose what their voters expect them to oppose. Consequently the spirit
of representational democracy still holds. Coincidentally the 7% equals
the population percentage of North-East Tamils as at today! Of course
a significant percentage of North-East Tamils support the government’s
war and a very few Sinhalese and Muslims are against it. So this 7%
comprises the vast majority of N-E Tamils and an insignificant number
of others.
UNP’s approval of the defence budget as good as the JVP’s
approval of the third reading
UNP is up in arms against the JVP for not voting against the budget;
UNP stalwarts blame the JVP for supporting the government. However what
they conveniently forget is that in the same vein the UNP has supported
the defence budget! No one can argue that the huge increase to the defence
budget will not be for more killings. Even before the defence budget
was taken up delegates from the Czech Republic were meeting Sri Lankan
defence authorities for the sale of many advanced military equipment
including surface-to-air missiles against tiger planes and RM-70/85
MBRLs. Knowing these very well the UNP didn’t vote against the
defence budget except for a prominent Tamil legislator in the UNP! Why?
Why can’t the UNP put its deeds where its mouth is? A few weeks
ago it screamed that any bull can fight (of course mules don’t
find as they have no need to fight for a generation unlike bulls) and
now they try to be seen as fighting bulls. This was because even the
majority of UNP voters, mostly Sinhalese and Muslims, heavily support
the government’s war effort. In fact they argue that the only good
thing about this government is that it executes the war strategy better
compared to all the previous governments. They are hopeful that the
war will be won over soon which will also take a heavy toll on the SLFP
leadership due to LTTE assassinations while the UNP leadership will
survive. This, they argue, will propel the UNP to victory soon the war
is over. Whatever the relevance of their arguments, they wholeheartedly
support the war and the UNP in no way want to get divorced from them
– its voters.
By not voting against the defence budget, the UNP prevented further
defections from its ranks to the government.
Internal rifts in the TNA
The twenty odd number of TNA parliamentarians come from two completely
different communities with differing aspirations. While most of TNA
MPs are pro-Northern, a few are pro-Eastern. Pro-Eastern MPs didn’t
vote against the defence budget much the same way as they don’t
vote against ‘the Emergency’ every month. This shows the clear
rift within the TNA. The abduction story was a mere fabrication to save
their petty lives from Parabakaran. As expected they don’t wish
the abductions investigated and pray that the government understands
their plight.
Many more rifts with the TNA are likely as more and more Tamils in the
North-East resist the LTTE. They know that there are more LTTE supporters
abroad than in the North-East today. The TNA senses this too well and
now it is in a very uncomfortable position struggling to decide whether
they should support the Tamil people or the LTTE.
Shockwaves through the LTTE and a few embassies
This humongous (93%) support for the war effort terrifies the LTTE to
its core. It shows that LTTE’s deliberate targeting of civilians
has backfired. In the past when the terrorists attacked civilians, they
quickly succumbed to an anti-war mentality. Not anymore; instead they
identify their assailants and vow to avenge them. This is what the pro-LTTE
sections of the international community also fear most. It is common
knowledge how foreign engineered anti-government campaigns collapsed
after the defence budget was passed. The US ambassador who was hyperactive
before that simply pulled his head into his shell after the defence
budget was passed. His legitimate fears about an increasing Russian
presence in Sri Lanka is amply justified when a large Russian delegation
arrived in Lanka to discuss what is tipped to be the biggest ever arms
purchase in Lankan history despite a very generous donation of US and
British weapons recently.
Readers’ attention is drawn to the close nexus between the conduct
of the US, British and EU ambassadors and Sri Lanka’s new major
weapons suppliers including Pakistan, Russia, China and India (US, UK,
EU have a love-hate relationship with these countries). A view empathetic
to the ambassadors would justify their conduct as they must act in the
best interest of their nations. However, they must also respect Sri
Lanka’s territorial rights.
LTTE has been seriously crippled according to its own admissions. Top
tiger leaders (Pottu amman on Tamilchelvan’s demise and Parabakaran
in his annual speech) blamed the international community for allowing
Sri Lanka to amass weapons while letting it destroy LTTE weapons supply
routes. Tigers are also concerned with Hon. Dayan Jayatileke who is
doing a great job in promoting Sri Lanka. Their fears are henceforth
compounded as the government’s multi-pronged assault on them is
turning even more aggro.
BBC which is notorious for its anti-Sri Lankan approach has taken the
budget outcome badly. It tries to show that the JVP by abstaining from
voting against the budget saved their paltry pensions! If so why didn’t
the JVPers accept the million dollar reward for each defecting MP? Lankans’
strong support of the war is unpalatable to the BBC. Ironically the
elements Nandana Gunatileke identified as extremists in the JVP in his
BBC interview are those who wanted the JVP to vote against the budget
in the last reading and not the strong pro-war elements.
Patriots, traitors and idiots
Those who voted for the budget at the second and third reading are by
no means patriots just because they did so and those who voted against
it are not all traitors. But those who voted against the defence budget
(15 MPs) are surely traitors. The UNP though had been led to its ruin,
still has a few salient patriotic elements. For instance in 2003 it
suffered a collapse in ‘peace talks’ when the LTTE declared
that any further ‘peace talks’ must be about the implementation
of their ISGA demands. Although this is the only silver lining in a
treacherous betrayal, it shows the UNP’s ability to retain a grain
of patriotism. It is more productive to help it improve than grossly
push them into the arms of the tigers.
However, political traitors were clearly identifies as a section of
the SLMC, Wijedasa and Anura were filtered off. It is for the betterment
of the government. It also gained a few new friends. However, the biggest
gainer was the cricketer turned politician who extorted his dream job
amidst all the hustle. With the exception of Wijedasa, all the other
losers can be best managed by a cut in their ministerial security. Unless
another shameless episode takes place, this is the end of Anura’s
long losing miserable political career.
Meanwhile there are a few politicians who go begging behind the government
who are not represented in parliament and hence the government couldn’t
assess their true allegiance. The only way to do so is by following
their comments about the war budget. For instance if the TULF leader
is against the huge war budget, he is simply a traitor and should be
handled accordingly.
The real reasons
People have been taken on many rides by both politicians and terrorists
stating that there are shortcuts to peace. After 35 years later they
have rejected such claims in no uncertain manner by covertly forcing
upon their elected representatives to support the war effort. Going
by what is heard in social interactions (and discounting the larger-than-proportionate
pro-Tamil Elam news media) people seem to be very content with the latest
war strategy of the security forces that is concentrates on killing
the maximum number of terrorists than land grabbing. This comes amidst
severe inflationary pressures that have made many lives nothing short
of miserable. However, if Lanka is to find a permanent settlement for
all its economic woes, hitherto untapped resources in the N-E must be
exploited, and, that can only be done after an annihilation of the tigers.
Increased FDI flows, sustained tourist arrivals, general business friendliness,
unhindered economic growth, absence of economic destruction, absence
of economic obstacles, absence of illegitimate taxes, an island-wide
one monetary and fiscal policy, national economic endeavours as opposed
to regional sub-optimal endeavours, containment of defence expenditure,
major emphasis on the economy and law and order are the stepping stones
for prosperity in which inflationary pressures cannot hurt the public.
Plaster solutions for inflation and plaster solutions for the conflict
are interwoven.
If Sri Lankans are willing to undergo what the British went through
in the early 1940s and if the defence authorities fully apprehend the
economic sacrifices made by the poor people in order to buy the security
forces fancy weapons and hence speed up the war effort, law and order
and prosperity are not far away.
Just like any country, we also want a resolution in our favour; not
just any resolution. And war is the only way for such a resolution.
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