Opinion

TNA was never sincere

By K.M.H.C.B. Kulatunga

Civilians who fled from LTTE clutches during the last stages of the battle against terrorism, under army protection. File photo

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has never been sincere in its engagements in party politics ever since it was formed. It is an open secret that the TNA was formed by the LTTE leadership to bring all Tamil political parties under one umbrella.

LTTE leader Velupillai Pbhakaran had his own game plan in forming the TNA - to unite all Tamil political parties in the North and the East to show the unity and the power of Tamils and to use the Tamil party coalition to suit the whims and fancies of the terrorist outfit.

Leaders of Tamil political parties had no option but to agree to Prabhakaran’s order. Hence, they abandoned the policies and visions of their political parties to form ITAK, of which the TNA was the main constituent party.

The much respected TULF, which commanded the majority vote before the emergence of the LTTE, had little or no say in the ITAK. TULF leader V. Anandasangaree, who is known for his modest political views, had little or no say since then and became a target of the LTTE. Besides Minister Douglas Devananda, Anandasangaree was the only moderate Tamil leader who had courage to air views against the LTTE.

Misery

If not for the security provided by the Government, the LTTE would have killed both Devananda and Anandasangaree long time ago. The Tigers eliminated all Tamil poltical leaders who believed in democracy and had modest views. Those who aired views against terrorism were brutally assassinated. Former TULF leader and ex-Opposition leader A. Amirthalingam was one of the many reputed Tamil political leaders gunned down by the LTTE.

Prabhakaran silenced all moderate Tamil leaders as the LTTE wanted to project themselves as the sole representatives of the Tamils. But the Tigers have done nothing for their own community, except inflicting untold misery for nearly three decades and holding about half a million Tamil civilians in the North and the East as a human shield against the advancing Security Forces.

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa

When the Tamils in the North and the East were subjected to untold privations, the TNA leaders had been fast asleep. They feared even to utter a word of comfort as they knew it was writing an own death certificate. Hence, they blindly endorsed Prabhakaran’s terror policies, ignoring people-friendly party politics. In fact, the TNA leaders feared for their lives and had no option but to endorse every act of the LTTE.

The TNA leaders appeared mere puppets and were remote-controlled by the Tiger leader through the terror outfit’s so-called political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan, who ‘summoned’ the TNA parliamentarians to his Wanni office as and when Prabhakaran wanted. Hence, the TNA leaders became blind followers of the LTTE, ignoring the plight of the people who had voted for them.

Goodwill

But it was the Security Forces who liberated those hapless Tamil civilians from the clutches of the LTTE terror.

However, the dawn of peace after the vanquishing of the LTTE leadership saw the TNA leaders emerging from nowhere to make a strong voice for Tamils. The TNA made every effort to gain the control held by the LTTE and project themselves as the sole representatives of Tamils, though they had not been bothered to talk about the plight of the Northern civilians when the LTTE terror was at its highest.

Immediately after the liberation of the entire country from LTTE terror in May, 2009, the Government extended a goodwill message to the TNA and requested the Tiger-proxy party to work jointly for the betterment of the people in the North and the East. The TNA was invited to the negotiating table to find ways to strengthen national reconciliation but they defused to do so, giving various excuses. The TNA was even invited for the Parliamentary Select Committee but they did not make use of the opportunity they got to strengthen national reconciliation.

TULF leader V. Anandasangaree

Most TNA seniors teamed up with the LTTE rump and a section of the Tamil Diaspora and continued to project a gloomy picture to the international community. During the past Congress Party Government, the TNA used the bargaining power of the Tamil Nadu politicians to exert undue pressure on both the Indian and Sri Lanka governments.

But the tough stance of the new BJP-led Indian Government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has forced the TNA leaders to postpone their goals. Their last visit to meet the Indian leaders has not been fruitful as they had been in the past. Hence, they are now saying that the TNA is ready to begin a dialogue with the Government. But the million dollar question is how sincere are the TNA leaders in their willingness to talk genuine problems of the people living in the North and the East.

Linguistic problem

The TNA said last week that it was ready to resume talks with the Government in search of a lasting solution to the ethnic crisis based on power devolution within a united Sri Lanka. But first and foremost, the TNA should be told that there is no ethnic problem in Sri Lanka but a linguistic problem and geographical disadvantage.

The problems faced by the Tamils in the North and the East are not only confined to them but also to Muslins and Sinhalese living in the two provinces. As Dr. Subramanian Swamy of the BJP has pointed out, Tamils in the North has a linguistic problem, which is also common to Muslims in that area. Similarly, Tamils in the North and the east, have a problem due to geographical location which is also common to Muslims and Sinhalese living in the two provinces.

TNA parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran told a news conference last week that it did not have a hidden agenda and said it was strongly committed to finding a solution to the political question. There is no political question whatsoever and one wonders what the so-called political question Sumanthiran is talking about.

Of course, the TNA had a political problem when the LTTE terror existed in the North and the East, preventing TNA to indulge in political activities. But the Security Forces have now created a conducive atmosphere for all to indulge in politics withour fear or intimidation.

What has the TNA done to its people since May 2009, when they got a good chance to serve their own community? Though the TNA has several MPs in Parliament and control many Local Government bodies as well as the Northern Provincial Council, it has done precious little for the Tamils in the North and the East.

As Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa has pointed out, the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) should work with existing powers before demanding further devolution. The Government’s development work in the North had slowed down because of little cooperation from the NPC, pointing to the delay in completion of the railway line to Jaffna.

Despite little or no support from the NPC, the Government fulfilled its commitment by completing the Northern railway line destroyed by the LTTE. We appreciated the prominent role played by India in the Northern development and providing shelter to many families displaced due to LTTE terror.

Tactic

The TNA is making a big hue and cry over the devolution of power. But before asking for a larger cap which does not fit, the TNA should first and foremost prove their credentials by exercising existing powers in the Northern Provincial Council. The TNA continues to play the role of a cry baby without proving its ability to serve people or to win the hearts of the people.

Demanding further devolution which does not suit a small country such as Sri Lanka is a tactic used by the TNA to cover up its inability and political nudity.

If the TNA is sincerely worried about their own community and serving the people in the North and the East, they must first and foremost start serving the people from the Local Government level, instead of daydreaming of powers which goes beyond the boundaries of a unitary state.

The TNA must abandon LTTE’s communal politics and prove that they accept unitary state and respect undivided Sri Lanka. They should no longer foster the LTTE ideology and live in the separate state fantasy created Prabhakaran and his goons.

If the TNA is sincerely interested in ushering a better future for the Tamil civilians who had been rescued from the jaws of death, they should not waste time and grab the opportunity given by the Government to become stakeholders of the Northern spring.

At a time the Government has given preferential treatment to Northern and Eastern Provinces in allocating greater volume of funds over the other seven provinces, the TNA should not hesitate to make the best use of the opportunity with the power it enjoys in the Northern PC.

The TNA could easily do a greater volume of development in the grassroots level with the controlling powers they have in many Local Government bodies in the two Provinces. Unfortunately, the THA is yet to prove their ability serve people though they have amply demonstrated their ability to play the role of a cry baby.

The TNA, even at this late stage, should prove its ability before demanding more, something it can’t even dream of handling.

If the TNA has an iota of respect and care for the Tamils in the North and the East, they should grab the opportunity the party has got with the provincial powers. The TNA should not waste time anymore and join hands with the Government to strengthen development and reconciliation.