Common factors that Karu J and Sivajilingam share

Karu Jayasuriya and Sivajilingam are in the news. They have several common factors. They are honest. They are corruption free. They love their race and religion. But they are in the news for different reasons.

I met Jayasuriya about 15 years ago when he was the President of the National Chamber of Commerce. He invited me to edit and upgrade the monthly magazine Ceylon Commerce, which the Chamber published. I did an interview with him in which he told me that Sri Lanka needed efficient economic management. Ranil Wickremesinghe too held similar views. He pulled Jayasuriya into politics when he became the leader of the UNP.

The greatness of Jayasuriya is that he had not permitted politics to corrupt his honesty and sense of fairness. But can the same be said of his politics? He said that he and the band of 16 which he led joined the Government to strengthen President Rajapaksa in his war against terrorism. Now he says he returned to the UNP to help it salvage the country’s economy. He left the UNP when he was sidelined. He returned after being insulted in front of local businessmen.

Pole vaulters always find excuses. What the Tamils are concerned is the impact of Jayasuriya’s return on the faction ridden UNP where the voice of Sinhala extremism had become louder in recent weeks. Doubts have grown in the minds of the Tamils about UNP’s stand on the ethnic question. The Tamil press had expressed this concern through editorials.

Strengthen
Will Jayasuriya’s return strengthen the Sinhala chauvinistic group in the UNP? A careful scanning of the speeches of UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and Deputy Leader Jayasuriya on Monday, adds to this sense of disquiet. While Wickremesinghe stressed on the need for resolving the longstanding national question Jayasuriya spoke about the need to support the Government’s war efforts. He did not utter a word about a solution to the ethnic problem.

Deportation threat
Sivajilingam’s case is different. The former militant and presently Tamil National Alliance member of parliament for the Jaffna district was threatened on Friday with deportation if he did not leave India within 72 hours. Delhi was annoyed with Sivajilingam because he was addressing the protest meetings and whipping up emotion among the Tamil youth. New Delhi is getting irritated with the agitation in Tamil Nadu turning against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. New Delhi’s ire naturally turned against Sivajilingam, who even skipped the Budget debate in Colombo to be present in the midst of the protesters.

Sivajilingam lived in Tamil Nadu during the 1980s when India provided armed training and residential facilities to Tamil militants. He has good contacts with the Tamil Nadu politicians including Karunanidhi and other DMK leaders.

Pro-LTTE lobby in Tamil Nadu rallied behind Sivajilingam. Tamil Nadu Government and the Tamil Nadu branch of the Congress did not want a repetition of the events of 1985 August, when the Rajiv Gandhi Government decided to, ‘teach the militant groups” a lesson for walking out of the Thimpu talks. Anton Balasingham who conveyed Pirapaharan’s decision to walk out to the representatives of the militant groups, Nadesan Satiyendra who led the TELO group at the talks, and Chandrahasan who had close connection with the militant groups were rounded up on August 23, put into the Air India aircrafts and sent to Britain and America.

Balasingham and Satiyendra who had British passports were sent to London. Chandrahasan who had a multiple visa to United States was sent to Washington. Chandrahasan refused to get out of the plane and had to be brought back to Bombay and later to Chennai.

Tamil Nadu, which erupted in protest against the deportation and Karunanidhi, who had resigned the Leader of the Opposition post, led a massive protest march. M.G. Ramachandran who was the chief minister held a satyagraha. The protests stopped only after the deportation orders were rescinded. Delhi was advised by the Tamil Nadu Government and  T..V. Thangabalu, leader of the Tamil Nadu branch of the Congress, against implementing the deportation order, and Sivajilingam was cautioned against making the deportation order an issue. Sivajilingam played down the matter by issuing a statement which said that he had not been informed of the order.

Refuge
But plans had been prepared to give refuge to Sivajilingam in a temple or a public building, and bring thousand of youths to surround it thus forcing a very difficult situation for the central Government.

The pro-LTTE agitators had during the last week adopted a more strident anti- Delhi and pro-Eelam rhetoric. Dr. S. Ramadoss, leader of the Pattali Makkal Kadchi, speaking at a demonstration on Sunday said, “Sinhalese and Tamils cannot live together any more. The only solution is Tamil Eelam.”

He urged New Delhi to revise its opposition to the creation of Tamil Eelam for two reasons. Firstly, Sri Lanka will be friendly with Pakistan and China and Pakistani militants will infiltrate into South India  through Sri Lanka’s northeastern coast. Secondly, Tamil Eelam being the country of the Tamils would be friendly to India.

Ramadoss said he was not the first to propose the creation of Tamil Eelam.  The resolution supporting the formation of Tamil Eelam was proposed in 1985 by Karunanidhi at the Madurai Conference of the Tamil Eelam Supporters Organization (TESO), an organisation founded by Karunanidhi himself. “I am only seconding Karunanidhi’s proposal,” he said.

Thirumavalavan, leader of Viduthalai Chiruthaikal and Vaiko, leader of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam have begun to give a communal twist to the agitation. Thirumavalavan asked, “The Indian Government forgave the Sikhs who murdered Indira Gandhi. Why are they harping on Rajiv Gandhi’s murder? Is Rajiv Gandhi’s life more valuable than Indira Gandhi?”

Vaiko charged, “If Sikhs or Bengalis are involved New Delhi would have invaded Sri Lanka by now.”

Tamils feel pleased with the two remarks that Wickremesinghe made at Monday’s function. He said that no solution to the ethnic problem can be worked out by treating India and Tamil Nadu as enemies. And he said, “The Government should pay attention to providing protection to Tamils.”