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Excerpts of an address by Comrade SK Senthivel, General Secretary of the New Democratic Party on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Party held in Jaffna.

Our Party has consistently endorsed the struggle of the Tamil people as a struggle for the right to self-determination, and insisted that it should be carried forward as one that is not open to bargain by imperialist and regional hegemonic forces. Our Party has held that autonomy should be granted to the merged North-East region, within a united Sri Lanka, based on the principle of self-determination and free from interference and intervention by the central government.

Our Party has also emphasised the need to provide autonomous structures based on the principle of self-determination for the Muslims and the Hill Country Tamils in accordance with their population concentration in the various regions. It has also insisted on measures to ensure that the identity of the Burgher, Malay and Attho (Vedda) communities.

The national question of Sri Lanka does not merely concern the contradiction between the Sinhala and Tamil nationalities. It concerns the other nationalities referred to above, and has several serious aspects to it. The past 19 years of war have demonstrated the reality that the contradiction between the nationalities and chauvinism cannot be resolved by war. And our Party has always demanded a political solution for the national question.

It was on this basis that, despite whatever ulterior motive that the UNP might have had, our Party welcomed the signing a memorandum of understanding with the LTTE, the cessation of hostilities and the initiation of peace talks, and pointed out that the government should take the correct approach towards solving the problem. They Party also drew attention to and cautioned about potential dangers.

Six sessions of talks have been held between the government and the LTTE during the past one and a half years, and there is justification for the LTTE to claim that the things that have been decided include no constructive steps or actions. The LTTE has thus temporarily withdrawn from the talks, and kept away from the Tokyo meeting of donor countries to aid Sri Lanka.

The LTTE as an organisation reflects the rights, the existence and aspirations of the oppressed Tamil nationality. Such an organisation can only put forward demands that reflect the basic aspirations of the people for whom it stands. It should neither fall into the traps of deception set up by the chauvinists, nor be dazed by the bundles of cash dangled before it by forces of foreign imperialism, nor submit to the open threats of the US and undermining by Indian regional hegemony.

The US and India concur with the Sri Lankan ruling class in its ultimate motive and approach of weakening the LTTE, subjugating or destroying it, and thus make the Tamils give up their demand for self-determination. This position can only lead to tragic circumstances and endings. We have yet to see how the LTTE will face up to this danger. It is nevertheless essential to unite the Tamils and the Muslims on the correct political basis and to seek anti-imperialist allies through friendly forces among the Sinhalese. In the meantime, it is important not to shun the peace talks altogether and fall victim to the tricks of the enemies.

If Ranil Wickremesinghe and his government have genuine faith and confidence in the peace process, it is their responsibility to persuade the LTTE to return to the talks.

For that, it is necessary to create and set in motion an administrative structure for the North-East on a democratic basis, and with the participation of the LTTE. To what extent this could be achieved in the face of chauvinistic attitudes is the biggest question confronting the Ranil Wickremesinghe government.

When we look closely at the past twenty-five years, we can clearly see that the very foreign and local forces that served their self-interests by pulling the levers of war are now operating behind the call for peace. All of them want the LTTE, which is the militant force among the Tamils, to climb down and make wholesale concessions. However, they do not seem willing to apply the same pressure to persuade the ruling chauvinists to find a just political solution for the problems of the Tamil people.

That is why our Party emphasises that peace and normal life could be restored only through a just political solution. It cannot be disputed that the war should be ended, that peace should last, and that the people of the North-East need rehabilitation, restoration and reconstruction. That does not mean, however, that the Tamil people should, for that purpose, give in altogether, submit to the ulterior motives of the chauvinists and the threats of the US, and reduce themselves to the plight of accepting whatever is offered. The people of the North-East expect a wholesome political solution in return for all the loss of life and the shedding of blood thus far.

It is the responsibility of Ranil Wickremesinghe to prepare the negotiating table for that purpose. The President should offer her fullest co-operation for it. Out Party appeals to the President, who claims to have been the first person to have thought of a political solution, peace and negotiations, that, if she wants to demonstrate the sincerity and credibility of her words, she should overcome chauvinist obstacles, give constructive support for the ongoing peace efforts, and come forward to find a political solution. If, on the other hand, she rejects this appeal and seeks to join hands with the JVP to quench her thirst for power, her name will be among those associated with major historical guilt.

Thus, our party emphasises on the occasion of its 25th anniversary that the only way to guarantee that the resumption of a cruel war is averted and that peace prevails is for the government and the President to be prepared to make concessions to enable the continuation of the negotiations. The Party, on this occasion, calls for a broad mass movement for a just political solution and lasting peace to be carried forward in the South, the Hill Country and the North-East.

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