A new narrative for the Tamil people in Sri Lanka
by Dr. K. Mukunthan
Sri Lanka appears to be a country in transition. Some amongst us
question the sincerity of the government or the impact these purported
changes will have on the Tamil community. How far and deep these changes
are to address the long-standing Tamil national question? Considering
the historic trust deficit the Tamil community has on the governments or
even the State of Sri Lanka, such questions appear reasonable.
But an objective analysis of the present reality in Sri Lanka shows
that the nucleus of change, or even the mindset driving them, cannot
simply be ignored. Equally important, the perception of the
international community has markedly changed, and it has embarked upon
high-level initiatives to encourage and consolidate the nascent
transformation. A community that depends heavily on its international
leverage as a political tool needs to be cognizant of this reality.
Timing too is critical as some crucial decisions regarding
accountability and constitutional reforms are about to be made in 2016.
Present reality
The Tamil Diaspora - a significant proportion being directly affected
by the conflict and compelled to leave the country, and has continuing
intimate links to people of their areas of origin - is a legitimate
stakeholder in successfully resolving key aspects of the decades-long
national conflict.
So, what should the Tamil Diaspora do at this stage? What are our
future directions and responsibilities? Should we wait as observers,
without contributing, with the hope that the changes will succeed? Or
sit on the fence until new endeavours fail? Will there be realistic
options following failure to advance the interests of our community? Or,
knowing well that Sri Lanka and the Tamil community have a history of
missed opportunities, should we embark upon proactive initiatives to
consolidate this opportunity?
Will such involvement confer pre-mature recognition on Sri Lanka and
weaken the strength of the Diaspora factor for the Tamil cause? Should
the entire Tamil Diaspora take a unified position? Or, is it preferable
for sections that are actively involved in diplomatic engagement to
pursue that path, while others to wait cautiously, in case failure
eventuates, so they may remain relevant at that time?
While there are no simple answers, recognising that our community
does not have the luxury of time on its side to strengthen its presence
in Sri Lanka, the Tamil Diaspora has a historic opportunity and role to
play at this juncture. The three most important and immediate priorities
to the Tamil people in Sri Lanka are - a political resolution to the
Tamil problem, genuine accounting of wartime violations, and economic
advancement that will consolidate Tamil existence.
Lessons learnt
In every one of these areas, the Tamil Diaspora has been playing a
commendable role. For those involved in diplomatic engagement, the most
basic and crucial function has been and will continue to be, to do
everything possible to keep the international community actively
involved in the emerging judicial, political and economic empowerment
processes and also to directly contribute to these in collaboration with
the elected representatives of the Tamil people.
While not wavering on these fundamentals, can the Tamil Diaspora
create opportunities to expand its contributions even further? Can our
experiences in the Western liberal democracies and our economic strength
play a bigger and meaningful role, and even impart new thinking, in
achieving reconciliation and prosperity for all the peoples of Sri
Lanka?
The crucial factors that underpin the national conflict in Sri Lanka
- the inequality, lack of political empowerment and insecurity of the
Tamil people with respect to protecting and promoting their identity and
prosperity in the country, particularly in the regions where they have
been living as the predominant community for centuries; and the fear of
the Sinhala community that such regional dominance will ultimately harm
its national interests - could possibly be addressed through several
constitutional and governance models available in the contemporary
world.
The Tamil Diaspora can constructively contribute to the evolution of
a political consensus in Sri Lanka that could make such an outcome a
possibility. However, political empowerment alone will not be sufficient
to re-establish a thriving Tamil community.
The cultural, technical and economic advancement are equally
important to promote a confident and proud Tamil community, not just in
the North and East but also in the up-country area and in other parts of
Sri Lanka. The Tamil Diaspora with its experiences and wealth can bring
capacity and capability to promote such advancement, and in doing so,
immensely contribute to the development of a positive Tamil
nationalistic narrative that is lacking in Sri Lanka.
Positive narrative
Time is right for the Tamil Diaspora to take additional initiatives
in partnership with the governments of our adopted countries, the
elected parliamentary and other representatives of all Tamil-speaking
people in Sri Lanka, as well as the representatives of the Sri Lankan
Government, to play a more crucial and meaningful role.
The level and extent of engagement could be tied to achieving
tangible progress on issues such as prisoner and land release,
demilitarisation and setting up of 'trustworthy' accountability,
political and reconciliation mechanisms. Timing of such engagement is
critical and should reflect and contribute to the optimism among all the
peoples of Sri Lanka. Such staged progress and rising optimism will be
keys to cultivating a conducive environment where more difficult
decisions could be made in the future.
While being fully conscious of the possibility of failure, acting
with courage and conviction is a must, to not let go a unique window of
opportunity to promote peace and prosperity for our long-suffering
brethren in Sri Lanka. In all honesty, an alternative pathway is not
apparent.
About the author:
Dr. K. Mukunthan is one of the Executive Directors of the Australian
Tamil Congress (ATC). He is also a Director of Global Tamil Forum (GTF)
where he is a Senior Member of the Strategic Initiatives Team.
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