Sri Lanka and the American example

A few months ago journalist Anita Pratap predicted that LTTE chief Velupillai Pirapaharan would drag the war till international environment favoured him.  She said Pirapaharan expected the change to occur after the change of governments in America and India. One has taken place. The other may happen by the middle of next year.

Anita did not anticipate the two developments that took place last week. They were the emergence of Barrack Obama and the resurgence of Tamil nationalism in Tamil Nadu. At the time of her prediction, Hillary Clinton was the favourite Presidential candidate in America, and Anita based her calculation after Hillary Clinton declared that a distinction should be made between terrorists and freedom fighters. In India, her forecast was based on the possibility of Bharatiya Janata Party winning the next election.

The election of Barack Obama as President is expected to introduce a qualitative change in world affairs, by altering the emphasis from confrontation to dialogue and understanding. It is on the basis of this assessment, that minority communities worldwide are enthused. This is especially so of Sri Lankan Tamils who in general expect a significant change in the American policy emphasis in our country.

Tamils are aware, as US Ambassador Robert Blake said, that US foreign policy is largely bipartisan, and they are also conscious that its emphasis changes with change of Presidents. The overall US policy has been, as Blake summed up: “The United States is committed to a political solution to Sri Lanka’s ongoing conflict, and continues to support the people of Sri Lanka in their efforts to build a strong economy and civil society.” What the Tamils anticipate from Obama’s administration is a stronger push towards a political solution.

Obama miracle
The Tamils are not expecting the Obama miracle to happen in Sri Lanka.  Sinhala extremism has a stronger hold among the Sinhala people.  Tamils are not hoping for a member of their community to be elected the President of this country. As my colleague D.B.S. Jayaraj pointed out in his column in the Daily Mirror, the emergence of R. Premadasa was an aberration.

I will just record the incident the founder leader of the Federal Party S.J.V. Chelvanayakam told me in March 1960.  He met Governor General Sir Oliver Goonetilleke with a letter supporting the Sri Lanka Freedom Party leader C.P. de Silva, whose party won 46 seats against United National Party’s 50 seats in that Parliamentary election. Sir Oliver asked him: “Couldn’t you find a better man?” He called UNP leader Dudley Senanayake, a govigama, to form the Government.

Expecting an Obama miracle to occur in Sri Lanka is anticipating too much. What the Tamils expect is a political solution, which would ensure for them peace, safety, security and honour. Tamils expect the new American administration to push harder towards that direction.

Developments in Tamil Nadu gladden the Sri Lankan Tamils, because the trend there is to push their central government in Delhi to pressurise Colombo for a ceasefire and a worthwhile political solution. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi had adopted that position during the last few days. In two statements on Sunday and Monday he has announced that he is going to pressurise Delhi to call for a ceasefire in Sri Lanka.

He said on Sunday that ceasefire could only be effected, if the parties to the conflict agree to it.  The secretary of the Tamil Nadu branch of the Communist Party, D. Pandiyan, followed it up. He said in a statement, “Those who are fighting for the democratic rights of Sri Lankan Tamils, especially the LTTE, should declare that they are ready for a peaceful settlement through negotiations.” (Please note the words) The LTTE acted promptly. In a statement issued through its political chief B. Nadesan, it announced its readiness for ceasefire and talks. Nadesan’s statement said, “There is no hesitation on our side to reiterate our position that we have always wanted a ceasefire. It is the Government of Sri Lanka that unilaterally abrogated the ceasefire.” It added that it is still fighting a defensive war.

Ceasefire
It led to Karunanidhi’s Monday statement in which he said that since the LTTE has declared its willingness to accept a ceasefire, he is going to press the Indian government to impress on Sri Lanka the need for a ceasefire. He had also added that the talks should be with the LTTE. It looks that even the Congress Party has moved on to that position. The leader of its Tamil Nadu branch T.V. Thangabalu gave a donation of Rs. 500,000 to Tamil Nadu government’s Sri Lankan Tamil Relief Fund on behalf of the Congress Party.

In a statement, he announced the results of a meeting he had with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh the previous day. He said, “The Prime Minister will speak to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa about a ceasefire.”

The most important aspect of this development is that the LTTE is no longer a bad word.  It had swiftly moved to the centre.

LTTE lobbyists have capitalised on this situation. The talk of Tamil Eelam is becoming louder. The highly respected Madurai Adeenam, the equivalent of Malwatte Chapter among Tamil Hindus had issued a statement that if the Sri Lankan Government failed to provide for the autonomy for the north and east, the only alternative available for the Sri Lankan Tamils (he used the words Eelam Tamils) is Tamil Eelam.