No foothold for transnational Government:

President would resolve Tamil issues- TNA Leader

by Shanika SRIYANANDA

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is optimistic that President Mahinda Rajapaksa would resolve the issues of Tamil speaking people. The TNA, which met the President last week to discuss issues including power sharing and problems of displaced and resettled people said that the Tamils are hopeful that the government’s reconciliation efforts would resolve the national issue.

TNA Leader Rajavarothayam Sampanthan told the Sunday Observer that the TNA would work together with the government to resolve the grievances of Tamil speaking people and also to re-build the nation. “We will work with the government to address the issues of the people of the North and the East”, he said adding that President Rajapaksa has agreed to solve some of the issues soon.

He said that the President’s recent visit to India was useful to Sri Lanka as India had made several commitments to solve some issues of Sri Lanka.Sampanthan called upon the international community and the Tamil diaspora to contribute more to improve the lives of Tamils and also to re-build the country.

The TNA Leader said that there was no foothold for a transnational government in the Lankan soil and solutions needed to issues have to be found within a united Sri Lanka.

Following are excerpts :

Q: How successful is the TNA’s meeting with President Rajapaksa ?

A: We discussed several issues and the first was the situation in Wanni after resettlement. We handed over a detailed report on our observations on the resettlement process and what we thought need to be done to address various issues. Secondly, we discussed the question of a political settlement and the need to work together to arrive at a political settlement.

Thirdly, we discussed about high security zones in the North and the East and the need to enable people to go back and recommence their lives.

The TNA suggested that there must be a mechanism for us to direct the government in some issues. All the time we cannot meet the President but if there is a system or a person whom we can get in touch to discuss the issues, it will facilitate us to make it more progressive.

Q: Are you satisfied with the outcome of the discussion ?

A: The meeting was very cordial. The President said that action would be taken on the issues that we discussed as soon as possible. We told the President and his ministers who took part in the discussion that we would work with them to help solve such difficulties. With regard to political solution, we did not discuss any thing in detail. The President said that he must start the process and continue it. He said that he could finish it within six months. So, we hope after December these matters will be solved.

Q: Other than the post conflict issues, what are the main grievances of the Tamils from the TNA’s point of view ?

A: Their main grievance is a political solution to fulfil the aspirations of the Tamil speaking people to enable them to exercise powers of governance in areas in which they traditionally lived. That is the problem which has been persisting for a long period of time. That is fundamental to bring about national reconciliation.

Q: Do you believe that an Indian model will suit us to solve the national issue ?

A: There are so many models in the world. When the President addressed the inaugural meeting of the All Party Representative Committee, he asked the Experts Committee to study the various models world over and come up with some thing that suits Sri Lanka. This is a question of deliberating and coming up with conclusions. We made our proposals to President R. Premadasa, former President Chandrika Bandaranaike and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to resolve the issue. We don’t say that we want this and don’t want that. However, everything needs to be studied and it should be suitable for Sri Lanka.

Q: Don’t you think that Tamils have a good future after the annihilation of the LTTE ?

A: Tamils always wanted to have a good future. As the hostilities have come to an end, it certainly gave us an opportunity to resolve our issues. That opportunity must not be missed.

Q: It is said that the TNA’s discussions with President Rajapaksa were an outcome of continuous pressure from India. How true is this ?

A: I don’t want to comment on this. The President wanted to talk to the representatives of the Tamil people. We are democratically elected representatives of Tamil people in the North and the East. We also wanted to talk to the President, ever since the elections were over. We wanted to engage with the President to discuss the matters concerning a final political solution. But we didn’t talk in detail about the power sharing issues. The discussion centred mainly on issues relating to the North and the East and therefore, the outcome of the meeting is the desire of both sides.

Q: How positive are you that the Tamils can resolve their grievances under the Rajapaksa government ?

A: If there is a reasonable political solution, which addresses the Tamil political aspirations within a framework of a united country, then not only the Tamils but also all other communities will be happy.

Q: What is your view on the Reconciliation Commission appointed by President Rajapaksa ?

A: This is a demand made some time ago. The international community has urged the Sri Lankan State to conduct its own investigations and fulfil the responsibility of accountability.

This was a commitment by the UN Secretary General when he came here soon after the conflict came to an end in May last year. Therefore the Sri Lankan government is trying to fulfil that commitment through the Reconciliation Commission. Even though we have our reservations about that Commission, we will not engage in any public criticism because we hope that this Commission, may perhaps be different from the earlier commissions we had, all of which had been disappointing. I think this Commission will be watched very carefully by the whole world. And therefore they will have to act with circumspection and responsibility.

Q: Do you see any need for Tamils to have a so-called transnational government when the situation in Sri Lanka remains peaceful?

A: I have nothing to do with the transnational government.

I have no contact with them. Such an organization is not existing in Sri Lanka but only outside the country. I don’t wish to make further comment on it.

Q: Do you believe that Tamils need a separate homeland?

A: We are trying to find a solution within an undivided country. The identity of people’s can be preserved without doing any harm to the country.

Q: What is your view about the Tamil diaspora, their efforts to propagate separatism and pro-LTTE activities ?

A: I don’t think the entire Tamil diaspora is propagating separatism. In my view if there is a reasonable and acceptable political solution, the majority of the Tamil diaspora will be supportive of it.

Q: What do you expect the Tamil diaspora to do at this moment when the Tamils in Sri Lanka are trying to rise from the ashes?

A: I have pleaded with them several times to make their contribution to help the affected people in Sri Lanka, rebuild their lives for a better future. Their assistance will also contribute to the development of the entire country.

Q: The TNA delegation visited the resettled areas recently. What are your observations ? Do you see any shortcomings in those areas ?

A: We have handed over a detailed report to the President. Well, we, 12 MPs, saw the real situation in 28 villages in Vavuniya, Mannar, Mullaithivu and Killinochchi. We looked into the availability, of food housing, livelihood, education, health, water, electricity and also the problems of IDPs not resettled yet but living in transit camps in these districts.

Their places of worship had been destroyed and they are keen to build at least one place of worship in each village. Irrigation systems need to be restored to help them re-start their livelihood. Over 80 percent of their houses have been destroyed or damaged beyond repair.

Nearly 60 percent of permanent houses are damaged badly. People need housing and temporary houses are inadequate. People will not be able to live in those temporary houses when wet weather sets in.

People need to commence agriculture, vegetable and fishing. People have lost all their agricultural equipment, vehicles and fishing gear as well. It is an enormous task.

We want to work with the government to accomplish these things for the people and not for ourselves. If we work with the government we are convinced things would be much easier.

Q: While the government is trying its best to rebuild the country and giving priority to develop the North and the East, what do you expect the international community to do in this post conflict era ?

A: We expect the international community also to make their contribution in a very significant way in attending to the urgent needs of the affected people and also rebuilding those areas. We want them to contribute towards achieving that goal.

Q: Once you said that the TNA is not asking a solution for Tamil grievances which Prabhakaran wanted. What is your view now ?

A: That era is over and I think we should not talk about it. The problems of Tamils did not start with Prabhakaran and Tamil problems cannot cease with the end of Prabhakaran. Tamil problems started long before Prabhakaran was born.

Q: Once you said that the TNA is not asking a solution for Tamil grievances which Prabhakaran wanted. What is your view now ?

A: That era is over and I think we should not talk about it. The problems of Tamils did not start with Prabhakaran and Tamil problems cannot cease with the end of Prabhakaran. Tamil problems started long before Prabhakaran was born.

Q: The TNA did not say that its aspirations were different from those of the LTTE when Prabhakaran was alive.

A: You see, our aspirations are very well known. That is, we wanted genuine power-sharing within a united country. When both the UNP and UPFA governments were prepared to talk to Prabhakaran we expected it would work and didn’t see what could happen. The Rajapaksa government went to kilinochchi to talk to Prabhakaran.

Chandrika got down the Norwegians to talk to Prabhakaran. Ranil too used the Norwegians and had several round of talks all over the world. When the governments are talking to Prabhakaran can anyone blame us? The LTTE and Prabhakaran were a manifestation of a failure of the Sri Lankan state to find a reasonable resolution for the Tamil question with Tamil moderates such as Chelvanayagam.

If this happened, Prabhakaran would have never surfaced. In the 1970 election manifesto, we very clearly called upon the Tamils to vote against any candidate who contested on a separate ticket. And every candidate who contested on a separate ticket was defeated and they lost their deposits.

Q: Isn’t it because you were a LTTE ally or you were fear of LTTE’s threats?

A: I disagree with you that we were a LTTE’s ally. As I explained to you earlier when the government was negotiating with the LTTE to find a solution with them why should we talk to them?

Q: However much the TNA is trying to clear its name the masses still call the TNA a voice of the LTTE. Can you comment on this ?

A: The Parliamentary election 2010 has completely put aside this claim. We are the only Tamil political party which has been elected by the Tamil people. Out of 18 Tamil MPs from the North and the East, 14MPs come from my party. Can anybody claim that we got the support of the LTTE and Prabhakaran at that election? Look, we are our own voice and we are the voice of the Tamil people.

Q: Do you deny the claim that the TNA is a pro-LTTE political party?

A: No, we were never a pro-LTTE voice. We are pro-Tamil and also the voice of the Tamils.

Q: There were reports that the LTTE is trying to re-emerge. Do you see any possibility of it ?

A: If there is a good political solution the LTTE will not be able to re-emerge.

Q: How beneficial will President Rajapaksa’s Indian visit to the Tamils in Sri Lanka ?

A: India seems to have made several commitments to help Sri Lanka in various ways and means. The joint communique issued by the two governments seems that the visit has been quite useful.

Q: Do you have a plan to work with all the Tamil political parties in the future ?

A: Yes, we have a plan to bring all Tamil political parties under one umbrella but it is not to have confrontation. And it is not with the intention of harming anybody but to unite the minority political parties to work together. This is to maintain unity and work together in their issues. They can act collectively and be stronger when united.

Q: How true that you will be given a ministerial portfolio soon ?

A: I could get into the Cabinet in 1997 and several times thereafter. But I am not interested in getting a portfolio. I am more keen in Tamil speaking question being resolved. If that happens, everything else can be considered thereafter.

Q: As a veteran politician how do you see President Rajapaksa’s interest to serve the Tamils and to rebuild the nation ?

A: President Rajapaksa could become more popular and rise to the heights of a statesman by finding an acceptable resolution to the Tamil spaking question. If he does that he will rise to great heights.

Q: The government has released over 2500 ex-LTTEers including child soldiers after rehabilitation. The rest of the ex-cadres are undergoing rehabilitation which costs millions to the government. How do you assess this rehabilitation program?

A: Much more needs to be done in this area. I won’t say the government is not doing anything but more could have been done. Those who are in detention, some of them are kept on custody purely on suspicion, some of them are in for very peripheral involvements with the LTTE, some had been compelled to help the LTTE and some do not have evidence that they had been involved with LTTE activities. These people mush be released or given a general amnesty like which happened in the past where the JVPers were released.

Except for those the government has decided to charge in courts, others should be given amnesty. There should be some sort of arrangement with regard to the missing people. Their families are in great torment. There should be some acknowledgement on what really happened.

We have discussed these issues with the President and he said that the government has taken steps to look into these matters and will try to solve them as much as possible without a delay.