President acquaints Tamil to world forum

by Ananth PALAKIDNAR

President Mahinda Rajapaksa who had addressed the United Nations General Assembly sessions in September this year proved himself a man of integrity when he delivered a part of his speech in Tamil.

Since the inception of the United Nations five decades ago, almost all the global languages had echoed in the four walls of the main assembly hall of the institution where the leaders gathered and delivered their speeches.

Several prominent leaders from India, the country which has even a Tamil State, had not even uttered a single word in Tamil at the United Nations so far. But, President Mahinda Rajapaksa by saying a few words in Tamil, not only showed his respect for the language, but also had made Tamils all over the world proud of their mother tongue.

A couple of years ago, when President Rajapaksa was the Leader of the Opposition, he made a bold visit to Jaffna, where he was taken in a procession along the streets to the venue where he declared open a school which trains Brahmin students to attain priesthood.

Even at that event,he spoke in Tamil very eloquently which was admired by a large gathering of veteran Hindu priests and the elitists of Jaffna who took part in the event.

Being well versed with library sciences, President Rajapaksa took the opportunity of familiarising himself with Tamil literature and cultivating his interest in the language.

Every year at the Independence Day celebrations on February 4, after his address to the nation in Sinhala, President Rajapaksa ensures that the Tamil version of his speech is read out.

It is in the backdrop of the island nation facing a crisis situation in the predominantly Tamil areas in the North and East that President Rajapaksa faces an arduous task in trying to crush terrorism and to establish peace and democracy, while initiating the reconstruction and rehabilitation activities in the areas which were devastated by the war for the past three decades.

Soon after he assumed office as the fifth executive President of Sri Lanka in November 2005,like his predecessors, he invited the hardcore LTTE leadership to engage in peace talks and enter into political mainstream.

He even went to the extent of inviting the LTTE leader Veluppilai Prabhakaran to have a one on one discussion with him, to bring about an end to the crisis that has been haunting the nation for the past three decades, inflicting untold misery on innocent civilians irrespective of caste creed or race in the country.

However, the arrogant `warlord 'was reluctant to accept the invitation extended by President Rajapaksa to make peace and continued with his dirty tricks as he did in the past, to achieve his ends through terrorism.

The well-planned strategies and the genuine desire in reaching a amicable political solution to the North and East crisis of the President had struck a massive blow to the terror manipulations of the LTTE in the Eastern Province, with the region being liberated from the clutches of the outfit.

The liberation of the East was a major turning point in the war against the LTTE. The move with the right political thinking from President Rajapaksa also unmasked the LTTE, proving that the outfit is nothing but a terrorist organization which continues to operate under the banner of a liberation struggle.

Former Parliamentarian and leader of the People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) Dharmalingam Sitharthan commenting on President Mahinda Rajapaksa says, "I have known President Rajapaksa for the past 15 years and he had always lent his voice for the freedom of the oppressed. President Rajapaksa is a major force in the island with regard to support to the Palestinian liberation struggle. He also held the post of Chairperson of the Palestine-Sri Lanka Friendship Society.

Therefore, no one could doubt his stance over upholding the equality and integrity of other ethnic groups."

Sitharthan who was a militant at one time, commenting further on the completion of President Rajapaksa's three years in office said the liberation of the East followed by the local government polls in the region and the establishment of Provincial Council administration in the East, speaks volumes of President Rajapaksa's tireless efforts in creating peace and recognising the political aspirations of Tamils in the country.

Sitharthan was full of confidence that the Northern region will also be cleared of terrorism soon and the people there could walk into a new era of peace and prosperity with dignity.

A few weeks ago, around one hundred schoolgirls and boys from the Jaffna peninsula were in Colombo to take part in a National sports festival. At the conclusion of the meet, they were received by President Rajapaksa at "Temple Trees" and mingled with them.

While addressing the Jaffna students, President Rajapaksa said that he was happy to have them at his official residence and he considered them as his own children.

Therefore, the presence of the Jaffna students at the country's most well-guarded premises had indicated that peace in the country is no more a distance dream.