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Prof. Tissa Vitarana, Minister of Science and Technology and the leader of LSSP briefs about the situation in the North/East at present and the steps to be taken in the future.

by Manjari Peiris

Recently President Mahinda Rajapakse, discussed with us about the present situation with regard to North/East issue and the steps to be taken. He briefed us about the present situation and inquired about our views as well. We raised queries on certain issues. The President explained to us with true details.

What we did not know too was explained to us in detail. We got a clear overview of the things happening in the North and East. Based on that information we exchanged our views.

Apart from this he had held discussions with Tamil alliances. It is a good step. Now he has taken another step. I understand this as a very important step - arrangement to organise all-party discussions. There was a discussion with political party leaders. He inquired of the views of all the political parties. He inquired whether we are agreed to proceed this matter.

I consider his view that there should be accordance among all political parties who represent the Parliament, as very important and essential. A point, which the LTTE always emphasises, especially among the international community is that the government is for the South and not for North/East. If the members of the opposition do not agree to the ruling party's views the opposition when in power will ignore the agreement and will not implement the agreement.

When the UNP was in power in 2001, DEW Gunasekera, Batty Weerakoon and myself met Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prof. G. L. Peiris and Milinda Moragoda for discussions. As members of the opposition, we expressed our willingness to work together for the peace process.

For example, a peace committee was set up with the leadership of the former President Chandrika Kumaratunga. In fact, we assured that we would not obstruct any activity towards the peace process, but would give our fullest support. We were told that we would be contacted in two weeks. Two years passed! But nothing happened.

The former president too requested them to appoint her representatives to involve in discussions for peace talks. But what happened? In 2003 the LTTE itself detached from peace talks. They said that they did not have any confidence in the political parties of the South. They don't have confidence in leaders of the South. They wanted to tell the international community that the politicians in the South were narrow and did not want lasting peace.

We know the North Ireland issue, the two main political parties in Britain, Conservative and Labour party, although they clash with each other regarding other issues, on this particular issue, they could come to one particular conclusion. There the government briefs the opposition very clearly, while the dialogue was going on. On the other hand while the government was acting for a clear decision, the opposition did not criticize the government.

Q: Discussions only?

A: When the former President submitted the proposed new constitution in Parliament, we remember how the UNP behaved. If they wanted amendments to be made to the constitution, they should have proposed them at the Parliament. As never happened in the history, they tore and burnt the papers. I think we were facing a great challenge at the moment.

Prabhakaran and Balasingham stated in November last year that they were to commence their liberation struggle the year before, but had to delay because of the tsunami. Now a new person has become the President.

A positive evaluation was made about him - a person who is capable of acting in a practical and wise manner. Prabhakaran had expressed his hopes to let the new President to take action within a reasonable period of time. But it seems that they have started their liberation struggle.

During the ceasefire period there have been many conflicts developing within the LTTE. Also Tamil people too had detached themselves from the LTTE. As such, many threats for the sustenance of the LTTE have been developing. Therefore they had to work hard to re-build their groups.

This is the reason for their attempts to train under-age people for military work, influencing civil society etc., in this circumstance they are trying to bring everybody together, to strengthen them and to create a war situation in the country.

With the creation of a war situation, based on conflicts arisen automatically, all their people would get together to attack the common enemy. Also when the people in between become victims of war, it is easy to make the government unpopular. I think they are trying to build up their strength using all these strategies.

Q: LSSP's concepts

A: It is a regret to note that communalism has become prominent in this society. Whatever stand we hold with such concept, finally we have fallen between two stools.

Although we have a good leadership and the wise Tamil people have regard for our ideas, there is a difficulty working among common people. We are trying to change this situation. For example, in our Ministry, we are taking forward Vidatha Programme to take science and technology the village. We opened a Vidatha Centre in Tirukkovil; I did not attend it on the advice of the security.

There are such problems. Had I gone there I would have taken the initiatives to build up confidence among them.

We have to do that while establishing the confidence of ordinary people. This cannot be done in one or two days. It is not that easy, continuing this in the present circumstances. I totally agree with what the President had said in this regard. If we can implement it with complete success, we may do something to change at least, a little bit of this situation.

Since 1994, you have been doing something towards the peace process. During this period have you not attempted any?

In 2002 I went to Ariyalai in Jaffna with a group of doctors. This area was severely devastated due to the war. We held a clinic and distributed many items such as books, spectacles, etc. While I was there I met Vishvanathan at the MC, Jaffna. We had a political foundation and discussed with them. In a political perspective, they held our views. But due to the atmosphere that prevailed there they had difficulties in carrying out political activities.

We have to realise that Tamil people are faced with certain difficult situations. They have the influence of the LTTE, if they did not do what LTTE says and if they did, the LTTE or the Army would have attacked them. The Tamil people are amidst these two influences. It is not easy to do open politics.

Q: Why does the government keep on discussing?

A: We must try our best to solve this problem somehow. There were certain reasons for this problem to have arisen in the past. It is through discussions alone that we may find solutions for those reasons. With the expansion of this conflict the distrust too grows. Envy too has cultivated.

In such circumstance trust between each other has to be established through discussions, while finding solutions for these problems. So, without doing this, if we turn towards war, we may not be able to come to a solution, but the problems would aggravate. If so why not we understand it? LTTE is not a political party. We have to realise it.

There are many major disadvantages. As you look at the military groups who are battling in other countries who had worked in democratic political parties, they had the ability to think in a political perspective.

We have turned to a path of war and the LTTE who had no political vision turned out to be a military group. So if they enter politics, it will be with the same attitude and foundation. It is a disadvantage.

In India a large number of people live in Tamil Nadu. But from the total number of population in India, it is a small number. But Tamil Nadu, which is closer to us, about 60 million Tamil people live there.

Owing to this reason even Sinhala people have fear that they along with people in the North and the East would become a threat to the continuance of our country. That historical fear that this country would be split is there. So this in this atmosphere that we have to work.

It is not the way that LTTE behaves that we as a government should act. We should be prudent to take into consideration the atmosphere and act with responsibility to retain Sri Lanka as one whole country. We are trying to bring all the people belonging to different races and religions together.

Now it is a country in brawl. We all are Sri Lankans. So what we have to do is to unite all the sectors of the population and to proceed. If you look at the world map, it is the imperialists who try to confirm their own ruling through colonialism and to have created conflict among the races and to turn such situations to their own advantage by dominating us.

They had created an atmosphere to arouse conflicts among races, religions and castes to continue with looting. This is the history. We should act keeping this in mind.

Q: Is the proposal Fifty-fifty representation in Parliament fair?

A: It is not fair. We should understand that during the regime of British imperialism there was a tendency of recruiting Tamil personnel than the Sinhala for their ruling mechanism. They have done that not in Sri Lanka, but also in other countries.

They did so with the idea that Tamils being a minority would not become a threat to their ruling. Thus they kept more confidence in Tamil people. During the regime of British, about 50% of high positions in the government mechanism were held by Tamils.

Under this circumstance a demand for Tamils in such positions arose. But it is not a fair demand in whatsoever manner. What Tamil people want now is not that. The ideas that Tamil people have now was not what G. G. Ponnambalam who was with the British, had then in mind.

The two members in the State Council in 1937, Dr. N.M. Perera and Leslie Gunawardena made a proposal to approve in Parliament that English language should be gradually removed and that Sinhala and Tamil should be used as official languages in government institutions. We realised that there was a huge unrest among Sinhala and Tamil people who did not speak English. So we should act to dispel their unrest now.

The two key political parties in 1956, UNP and SLFP did their part to make Sinhala, the official language and to stop the unrest among the Sinhala people. What we should have done was to make Tamil too an official language. But it was not done.

What the Tamil wanted then was only that. Then people perceived Federal attitudes as extremist attitudes. Everybody desired to live in Sri Lanka. That is the desire of ordinary people. But certain political influences misused the unrest of people as a weapon to fulfil their power.

The LSSP has never told the Tamils/Sinhala/Muslim not to fight against other races to win their rights. But we have been telling them to fight against capitalistic system, which exploits the oppressed class to win their rights. Throughout our history this situation has been prevailing. The communalism in North and South, both are the two sides of same coin. One is nurturing the other.

The present President is doing the utmost to involve all political parties for discussions towards the peace process.

Q: The influence that may be made to LTTE through discussions?

A: Through discussions the main political parties may come to agreements, as well as other political parties too may involve in them.

What was the stand UNP/SLFP held at the question of official language? They were nationalists demanding Sinhala only as state language. What happened in 1983? The UNP regime should undertake their responsibility for paving the way for a war.

JVP and JHU are political parties formed in the recent past. They don't have that much experience. The leaders of JVP now are not those who were then. The leaders today have changed the stand that their leaders in the past had held. Even they would understand the truth of what we say later.

There was a Federal influence at that time. But it was an external influence. With the progress that the country was developing, the confidence that this problem may be solved without power devolution was shattered among the Tamil people.

We have to understand that as other countries have done, now we too have to go for power devolution not from provincial level, but also within the central government itself. Although it is said that there is a solitary government in Britain, now they too are compelled to vest Scotland with a separate parliament and to go for devolution of power. Thus, these things are subject to change.

There was an allegation that LSSP does not change its views but they are stagnating at the same place. We have changed, having had studied the circumstances carefully.

Today we have to understand as to we remain in this problem or should proceed?

As early as we proceed for peace talks it is much better. I do not agree with the President in regard to one issue. The President has expressed unwillingness to hold the first talk in Oslo. He says this is an internal problem. We should solve it in Sri Lanka. I agree completely.

Recently he said "ok if it may not be held in Sri Lanka, we will hold it in an Asian country. That too I accept. But it is we who need this dialogue. LTTE does not want to talk, they want war. So we should understand this, if LTTE says we want it in Oslo, I don't see any wrong in objecting to that. The European Union has banned the LTTE. But Norway has not agreed to that.

There is no reason to change the decision of the EU for holding this discussion in Oslo. So it will not be a big problem, if the first round is held in Oslo and the others in Sri Lanka or in any other Asian country.

There are shortcomings in the ceasefire agreement. In future an agreement should be made not giving allowance to violate them. Even the international community will approve and support us.

We should understand that LTTE and Tamil people are two different sectors with different ideas. We should try our best to understand the unrest of Tamil people and make friendship with them. I request the Armed Forces and the Police however much provoking situations that LTTE may arouse, to act patiently.

It is easy to say, but doing so is difficult. But we have a Buddhist civilization. Buddha has expounded on patience. The LTTE is trying to detach the Tamil community from us. We can defeat their attempt.

Tamil people have told me that they were afraid when our President took over. Their doubt was that the President would act in an extremist manner and attack them. But now their confidence in him is growing.

They say he is not bad as they thought, he sympathises with us too. So we should confirm the confidence that they have in him. If we do that only that we may isolate the LTTE. If the LTTE did not get the support of Tamil people, it would automatically become weak. This situation would undoubtedly make it easy for us to carry on the peace process.

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