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Chandrasekaran's
Tiger (cat) is out of the bag. Nip it in the bud before it escalates
to another monstrous Tiger
Dr Sudath Gunasekara (SLAS)
President, Kandy Senior Citizens Movement
15.11.208
As a patriotic citizen of this country I was deeply concerned and disturbed
to read the news item attributed to the Up-country People's Front that
appeared in the Island of 13 regarding the UPF's fresh proposals submitted
to the All Party Representatives Committee which now demands a separate
Tamil Provincial Council for he Central, UVA and Sabaragamuwa Provinces,
exclusively for the Upcountry Tamils and also development Councils for
all Tamil settlements in other parts of the country, thus leading to
the creation of exclusively Tamil enclaves dotted all over this little
Island that belonged to the Sinhala people for the past 2500 years or
more. It would be a virtual 'Kore pitata mare' situation in addition
to the already existing Tiger demand for an independent Eelam in the
north and the east. This new move reminded me of the following popular
saying often quoted by the American people."When
the pole cat is thrown out of the widow the skunk is trying to crawl
in through the front door".
Thanks to the Rajapaksa government and the Armed Forces, at a time
when the final throwing away of the Tiger (pole cat) is almost imminent,
it is disturbing and alarming too to see a new skunk that is, perhaps
more foul smelling than even the pole cat is trying to creep in to the
heart of the country to ruin this little Island.
I reproduce below the relevant news item reported in the Island of
13th Nov 2008 for the serious attention of every one who is concerned
about the future of this Island nation
"Now govt ally demands power sharing
pact on hill country The Up-country People's Front in its fresh
proposal submitted to the All Party Representative Committee (APRC)
on Tuesday, called for a power sharing unit for Up-country Tamils by
amalgamating the areas where they are in large numbers namely the Central,
Uva and Sabaragamuwa provinces.
It said that if necessary, the district boundaries could be re-demarcated
to carve out the proposed power sharing unit. As an example the UPF
cited the Belgium model of power sharing which has both characteristics,
the territorial and non-territorial based power sharing. It further
said the territorial based power sharing unit could be carved out non-contiguously
like Pondicheri Union territory in South India and also by any other
suitable non-contiguous territorial power sharing methods prevailing
in other parts of the world could also be considered.
For their security and development of Tamils scattered in other
parts of the country, the UPF suggested the establishments of development
councils similar to the community councils in Belgium.
It further suggested that the proposed power sharing unit should
be vested with legislative power, a Chief Minister and a Council of
Ministers, Governor, control over land and Police and right to have
assistance from foreign countries and other agencies for development
work.
The UPF also said that to ensure political representation at all
levels according to ethnic ratio, the electoral system should be reformed
and a Delimitation Committee with up-country Tamil representation should
be appointed."
This in short is a threatening demand for the creation of another separate
Tamil State right at the centre of the country for estate Tamils of
Sri Lanka. They want this to be governed by a Tamil Governor, a Tamil
Chief Minister and a Tamil Council of Ministers with wide police and
land powers. In other words this is the establishment of the Malayaanadu
that these communal extremists have been dreaming and hatching for the
past few decades. Going further the UPF also demands the creation of
separate development councils similar to the community Councils in Belgium
for Tamils settlement all over the country. This means they should have
hundreds of pure Tamil enclaves established all over the country, like
neo-Tiger cells all over. This is perhaps what they mean by power sharing,
power to each communal group all over the Island, independent of the
government of Sri Lanka, to govern by themselves. No body should be
surprised if this is followed by a similar demand by Hakeem and his
communal outfit as well tomorrow.
Now after giving 1/3 rd of the country and 2/3 of the Islands coastal
belt for 5% of Sri Lankan Tamils in the north and the east (who always
consider India as their Mother land) as Pirapaharan and his proxies
TNA MPP demand under Eelam and establish hundreds of Tamil and Muslim
enclaves all over the country as Chandrasekaran proposes, I don't think
there will be an inch of land left over for the Sinhalese who have lived
here for 25 centuries and who constitute 75% of the country's population
even at present. Obviously then they will have to generously donate
their mother land to these Tamils and jump in to the Indian ocean and
commit suicide as they will have no land left to live.
In my opinion Chadrasekaran's demand is million times explosive and
lethal than the Tigers demand. Because Tigers ask only for the north
and the east where as Chandrasekaran is demanding the whole Sinhala
land for his outfit of indentured estate labourers who have been here
permanently only for the past half a century. This is he same man who
wanted the government to stop the war against the Tigers few weeks ago
while remaining within it and enjoying all benefits as a Minister of
state. One cannot understand as to why the government is not taking
him for task. In fact he should be put behind bars and charged for treason.
If India could have arrested Viko and Nedumaran for supporting Tigers
operating on a foreign land (Sri Lankan) why can't we arrest this man
who is acting treacherously against the Sri Lankan state by openly supporting
this brutal and murderous terrorist outfit who have waged a war to overthrow
the democratically elected government of the country MR is trying to
wipe out as a curse that has brought so much misery and destruction
to both Sinhalese and Tamils and every body in this country?
By looking at his demands I don't think any sane man will take him
seriously. But it is extremely dangerous to allow this kind of germs
to get in to the body politics in this country any more as we have already
learnt enough bitter lessons from the past. Therefore the need to nip
such moves in the bud before growing in to unmanageable proportions
like the Eelam movement.
Even Chanrasekaran may know it for pretty sure that his demands are
insane and unrealistic. But he is trying a strategic move, I think,
to create problems for the government. He may be timing them with a
broader and long term purpose.
Firstly he must be timing this with the budget. Secondly he may also
be having an eye on the Tamilnadu support. But more importantly I think
he is trying to undercut Thondaman, who appears to be more reasonable
and more democratic and eat in to his vote base by fanning the communal
flame. At the next election, we reliably understand he has already decided
to contest with the UNP. So this is a major and strategic move carefully
deployed to ousted Thondaman from his commanding position as the leader
of the CWC. In other words this is Chandrasekarans strategy to rob the
throne from Thonda which he has miserably failed so far. So I think
even more than the government Thonadaman will have to be careful and
take serious notice of this UPF move, although the proposal itself looks
utterly foolish at first sight. Even the majority estate Tamils prefer,
the more pro-Sinhala and pro-Sri Lanka Thonda to Pro-LTTE and Pro South
Indian and anti-Sinhala Chandarasekaran. Because the common man knows
that it is a Leader who is prepared to work with the Sinhala Majority
and not a man who draws daggers with them, who can sustain and who can
deliver the goods. If Thonda fails to comprehend this situation and
make hay while the sun shines then definitely a third leader who is
closer to the Sinhala consensus will emerge as the future leader of
the estate Tamils who might call himself Sri Lankan rather than Tamil
just like in America..
The best thing what the government should do under the prevailing situation
is to ignore Chandarasekaran's moves for the time being. After the budget
sack him and nip this kind of disastrous moves in the bud. Thereafter
clearly tell him where he stands and his legitimate position within
Sri Lanka.
The tragedy with our political circles is no one wants to talk reality.
Reality being the deprivation of the Kandyans of their mother land and
pauperization there after, by transplanting an alien labour force on
their land. But today there is no one to talk on their behalf. Apart
from having national leaders they don't have even a single MP who is
bold enough to stand up and call for justice on behalf them. Because,
what we perceived as reality, historically or logically, is not politically
healthy or real. All politicians work with an eye on the next election.
Voters for them are like water for the fish. Therefore political survival
supersedes all other considerations such as national or patriotic. The
fact that the Sinhala electorate is divided in to aggressive and water
tight camps on party lines has jacked up the critical value of the minority
vote. Therefore all politicians keep wooing the minority to win the
elections. That is why they don't talk on national issues. Mean while
there is also another segment of the society, some people who pretend
to be intellectuals and others Marxists or so-called liberal democrats,
who label Sinhalese who talk of their language or religious rights as
chauvinists and extremists while they try to justify communal and divisive
agitations by the minorities. Some of them of cause act as the proxies
of INGOO and NGOO for their dollars.
As far as I see I don't think the estate Tamils have a legitimate right
to demand a separate state within this country as they have been here
permanently resident only for the past 50 odd years and some of them
due to persuasion and compulsion by politicians who have done so for
their own survival. These poor people were brought and used and exploited
like slaves to labour on their plantations by the British. It is the
British who made money and therefore it is their responsibility to look
after their interests. Like in America if they want to stay here then
they must get absorbed in to the main stream, intermarry with the locals
and become fully fledged Sri Lankans and transform in to the mould of
Obamas. Unless and until that happens and they give up their allegiance
to Tamilnadu there will be neither peace nor harmony on these hills.
If they are not prepared to do that then what people like Chandarasekaran
should do is to pack up and find permanent solace in Tamilnadu- their
mother land which they worship and where they can get the type of self
government and devolution of power they dream.
As for me I do not want all these people to go back and live in South
Indian refugee camps. I pray for the day for a hill country plantation
leader to stand up and declare 'like the black Africans in the United
State of America, from today we are one with the native Sinhalese of
this country and from today and here after we have nothing to do with
South India and "This is our mother land".
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