Promoting agricultural, fisheries sectors in EP, a top priority - Minister Basheer Segu Dawood

By P. Krishnaswamy

The recently appointed Minister of Productivity Promotion Basheer Segu Dawood, who is also chairman of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), told the Sunday Observer in an interview that he would work towards promoting the agricultural and fisheries sectors, which is the mainstay of people of the Eastern Province, while also contributing to improve the qualities of education and health.

Tamil nationalist leaders who always opposed the governments in power had failed in their duty to contribute towards the socio-economic welfare of their community, he said. As a Minister, he would work towards offsetting this. The UPFA Government has implemented several mega development projects for the welfare of the people of terrorism-ravaged Northern and Eastern provinces while many more projects are in the pipeline but the Tamil nationalist leaders are not portraying the true picture to their people for their own political gains, he said.

Excerpts of the interview:

Q: With your appointment as Minister of Productivity Promotion, the Batticaloa district has got a Cabinet status minister after more than two decades. What will be your plans for the economic and social uplift of the people of the district and also for the region as a whole?

A: Firstly I must express gratitude on behalf of my people, my party and myself to President Mahinda Rajapaksa for offering this important ministry portfolio to me. Batticaloa is a district that was ravaged by the cruel terrorist war for over three decades and very much lagging behind in development and economic aspects. After the end of the conflict, major development works have been undertaken in the district including development of the road network and provision of infrastructure.

But in areas like Paduwankarai extreme poverty is still prevailing. Fisheries and agriculture are the mainstay of the people of the province. My primary role will be to formulate and implement plans to develop these two sectors together with education and health, the two areas that are coming under my purview in relation to productivity promotion.

Q: You represent the Muslim community and so are Minister Athaullah and Chief Minister Najeeb A. Majeed. This is quite different from the situation that prevailed some 23 years ago when the district was represented by Tamil Ministers. Will the Sinhalese and Tamil communities of the district encompassed under your programs?

A: Everyone knows that I am one who has maintained friendly and affable relations with all three communities in my political career and personal life. When it comes to development and socio-economic uplift, we perceive it as district, as a region and as a country. There is no communal outlook whatsoever. There were Tamil Ministers representing the district and there are Tamil parliamentarians now.

The Tamil nationalist leaders followed an attitude of condemning and opposing the government in power. They refused to extend their cooperation even in development works of the government. They thought that their people will consider it as a betrayal if they they supported the government in power. They adopted an independent approach under their own political agenda. They thought that they would be rejected by their people if they worked with the government and contested polls as an ally.

Consequently, they lost good opportunities of working in coordination with the government and contributing constructively towards the socio-economic uplift of their people. But the Muslim community has been with the governments since the very inception. They maintained close and cordial relations and, as a result, they now hold many ministry portfolios. Under the present political situation, they have to work on a national outlook forgetting all regional, communal, racial and religious differences. I too will be functioning in that manner.

Q: What, in your view, should be a solution to the Tamils' grievances?

A: The fact that there is a Tamil problem has been accepted by everyone. President Mahinda Rajapaksa was proposing to resolve it through a constitutional amendment. He was even talking about a 13 + as a solution. It might be possible to resolve the issue through a constitutional amendment, with the consent of the majority community and without anything detrimental either to them or to the minority communities. This can be achieved only by a national leader of the calibre of President Rajapaksa who has the overwhelming mandate of the majority community. He has the strength and power to resolve the problem which, I believe, he will do with the consent of the majority community.

Q: The UPFA government has implemented many mega development projects in Tamil provinces, especially in the Northern province, since terrorism was rooted out and many more projects are in the pipeline. Do you think that the Tamils will unwaveringly support the Government and appreciate all that is being done for them?

A: The UPFA Government has implemented development projects on an unprecedented scale for the Northern Province, focusing on the welfare of people after the elimination of terrorism. But their tendency towards supporting the Tamil nationalist leaders will take time to change because the true picture is not being portrayed to them by those leaders. They keep telling the people and hoodwinking them that everything is being done through assistance from the World Bank, IMF, Japan, India or China and not by the Government.

The President recently declared open the Rs. 3,200 million electricity project at Chunnakam. The road network has been fully rehabilitated, renovated or reconstructed including all main highways. Mega projects have been implemented in the educational, health, agricultural, fisheries and livelihood sectors. The Tamil nationalist leaders who are eternally bent on hoodwinking them for their own political ends, on their own political agenda, do not have the courtesy to reciprocate or thank the government.

They do not seem to be interested in development work that is being done. They want to get the credit for everything which the government is doing. If the government encourages young leaders with nationalistic outlook to work among the people, explain matters to them and contest polls, this trend should change before long.

Q: Repeated accusations are being made that large extents of Tamils' lands in the Northern Province are being taken away from them for colonised settlements of the majority community in an effort to alter the Tamils' demographic pattern. Your comments on that please?

A: Land problems are there not only among the Tamils but also among the Muslims. There are land problems among the Muslims and the Tamils and among the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. In Ampara the Muslims have unsettled land problems for many years. I would recommend that a committee comprising representatives of all three communities be appointed to study and sort out the problem.

But the accusations that large extents of lands are taken away forcibly may be based on political propaganda. Acquisitions of lands for strategic purposes may be blown out of proportion.

Q: Saudi Arabia has severed diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka. Will the SLMC initiate measures towards reconciliation and re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries?

A: Always the Middle East countries, including Saudi Arabia, have had strong friendly relations with Sri Lanka. They even voted in favour of Sri Lanka when the US, last year, moved a resolution against Sri Lanka on HR issues. I do not believe that there is any major unresolvable issue between Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka. Honouring the sentiments of the Sri Lankan Muslims over the execution of housemaid Rizana, President Rajapaksa recalled the Ambassador and Saudi Arabia reciprocated. This is an issue that can be resolved through negotiations.

The founder leader of the SLMC Marhoom M.H.M. Ashraff named the party as “Sri Lanka Muslim Congress” to emphasise on the patriotic aspect of the Muslim community. The party was founded at a time when separatist parties and groups with names starting as “Eelam” or “Tamil Eelam” were mushrooming in the region. He avoided any names even slightly implying separatism. No doubt, the SLMC being a patriotic political party, will work towards promoting relations with the Middle East countries, including with Saudi Arabia.

Q: While the other major Muslim political parties have insisted on a separate Provincial Council for the Eastern province, the SLMC has insisted on a separate unit of devolution for the Muslims either within a unified North-East PC or separate PCs for the provinces. Your comments on that?

A: This was a stand taken by the party when separatism demands were put forward by Tamil political parties and militant groups. The SLMC is now adopting itself to the present political environment.

But a demand that was placed earlier cannot now be withdrawn because it was a policy decision. The war has ended and many development activities are taking place in the Tamil-speaking areas. Negotiations will take place in the future to resolve the Tamil question. When a solution is found the SLMC may redesign its demand in the light of that solution and may not rigidly cling on to demands that were put forward under a different political atmosphere.

Q: Political leaders across the Palk Strait are continuously agitating saying that injustices, including grave human rights violations, against Tamils are taking place in Sri Lanka and their lands are being grabbed away in a systematic manner. Your comments?

A: I believe you mean the political leaders of Tamil Nadu. There is a 'war' going on in Tamil Nadu as to which party can derive maximum benefit out of the so called Tamils' grievances in Sri Lanka for their own political ends. They pretend that they are giving leadership to the Tamils all over the world and, therefore, are concerned over the problems of the Tamils in Sri Lanka. They talk about genocide of Tamils and grabbing away of their lands. My party represents a Tamil-speaking community and we are living among the Tamils. As far as we are aware no happenings of such magnitude ever took place or taking place.

There were a loss of lives and devastation during LTTE terror and we are conscious of it. But we denounce anybody outside Sri Lanka trying to take advantage of our internal problems for their own political goals and benefits.