LTTE’s collapse, a sigh of relief for Tamils - MP Chandrakumar

Bu Ananth PALAKIDNAR

Murugesu Chandrakumar, the Deputy Chairman of Committees of the seventh Parliament is an exemplary figure in Tamil politics.

He was one of the senior militant commanders of the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF). Later another EPRLF stalwart Douglas Devananda formed the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP). Subsequently, Chandrakumar and several others denounced militancy in the late eighties and decided to help restore peace and democracy in the North and the East.

He says that his party had to pay a heavy price in facing the challenges posed by the LTTE. The organisation had lost more than one hundred cadres. The Party leader Douglas Devananda narrowly escaped more than 10 assassination attempts on his life.

Chandrakumar first entered Parliament from electorate, Jaffna, in 1994.

He said that being elected Deputy Chairman of Committees is boost for him to serve his constituency and the country at large.

Here are excerpts from the interview with the Sunday Observer.

Q: What is your view after one year of the collapse of the LTTE?

A: Well, the LTTE was one of the most ruthless terrorist outfits in the world. It had put the entire island nation in mayhem for three decades. It remained the biggest threat in the areas where it originated. Democracy, human rights and the socio-economic structure of the people in the North and the East and the country at large had been thwarted. Therefore, the collapse of the LTTE brings a sigh of relief to the people in the country to look to the future with confidence.

However, the root cause of the three-decades old civil strife should be identified properly and measures should be taken to ensure a trouble free country with all citizens irrespective of race, religion or region living in peace and dignity.

Q: What is your comment on the rehabilitation and its activities carried out so far since the conflict came to an end in May last year?

A: Vavuniya, Mannar, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu, the four districts in the Vanni region were worst affected during the last lap of the operations carried out against the LTTE. Exodus of Internally Displaced People in a mega scale had taken place in the four districts.

Two-third of the resettlement of IDPs have been completed. As the Vanni remained a region of pitched battle, de-mining has to be done extensively. Therefore, the unearthing of mines is still in progress in various parts of Vanni.

The Vanni under the clutches of the LTTE remained a `ghost region’ for several years. Innocent civilians in the region suffered. The Government has worked out several rehabilitation plans for the IDPs. But what we expect is that the resettlement of IDPs should be expedited. They had suffered and even after the end of the conflict they had to come across difficulties in the IDP centres in Vavuniya.

The Government is spending heavily on rehabilitation, reconstruction and in the resettlement process. Therefore, the International community should also come forward to share the burden and expedite the resettlement programs.

Q: There is information on the pro-LTTE activists becoming more active overseas. What is your view?

A: They are active without realising the ground realities in the North and the East in Sri Lanka. Those LTTE sympathisers are talking of various things including Trans National Government for their own survival and nothing else. When the conflict was in progress the LTTE sympathizers abroad were up on the deal in collecting and even extorting funds from expatriate Tamils. Therefore, even after the end of the conflict they are doing everything for their survival. But they should realise that their kith and kin are now happy with the end of the three decade old conflict. So they are all out to attract the international attention for their ulterior motives. But I am certain that the Tamil expatriates or the people affected by war in the country will not dance to their tunes in future.

Q: You were in the United Kingdom for the past several years What are your observations on the pro-LTTE activities in the west ?

A: There was a time the people in the west and their governments were curious about the LTTE. But with the breakdown of the peace process in 2006 the foreigners understood the true intents of the LTTE. During the last lap of the conflict last year the LTTE supporters made desperate attempts to attract the world attention in support of the outfit with rallies and demonstrations. But the sympathy surfaced only for the innocent civilians affected by the conflict and not for the LTTE.

The foreign governments were aware that the LTTE did not have any political agenda or meaningful diplomacy to find solutions for the political aspirations of its own people.

The LTTE sympathizers planned events to mourn the first year death anniversary of Prabhakaran. But there was hardly anyone present at those events. Earlier if there was an event organised by the LTTE the people had gathered in large numbers. However, this time the majority of Tamil expatriates showed a very little interest in sympathising with the LTTE.

Q: Your party, Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) has been playing a supportive role to the governments in power since 1991 in facing the challenges posed by the LTTE and establishing peace in the North and the East. How do you see the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa?

A: The EPDP was established with the intention of creating peace and democracy in the North and the East. Our party had to pay a very heavy price for its role in creating peace in the North and the East. We lost more than hundreds of our comrades. Our leader Douglas Devananda escaped attempts on his life more than ten times. He narrowly escaped some of the attacks by the LTTE. Despite the challenges our party served our people in the North and the East at its best. If we had not established a good rapport with the Governments in power there would have been hardly any party to address the grievances of our people particularly in the North during the darker days.

Other political parties from the North and East were talking politics when the innocent people were starving sans food, medicine and fuel. The EPDP was in the forefront in ensuring the steady supply of essential items when the Jaffna peninsula was cut off from the rest of the country.

The EPDP supported President Rajapaksa during the Presidential poll and at the Parliamentary polls. We appreciate the manner he dealt with the LTTE without giving room for its dirty tricks. Unlike his predecessors he played his part cautiously in defeating the LTTE. Therefore, we believe that he would even take bold initiatives in finding a solution to the political aspirations of Tamils. If a constructive solution is prepared the EPDP will definitely support to see the peaceful conditions in the country become more meaningful.

Q: How do you compare the post-conflict and the pre-conflict Jaffna Peninsula?

A: There were fears and uncertainty prevailed in the peninsula for three decades. It was virtually like the wartime Vietnam: Killing fields, death traps,bombings, shelling and Kangaroo courts and economic hardships!

Several attempts to make peace had failed. Whenever there was a peace initiative the people in the North and the East viewed it with great expectations. But the LTTE did not live upto the expectations of the people in the North and the East and finally the outfit dug its own grave.

The post-conflict North is now peaceful. The people are happy with all essential items reaching the North without any obstacle. Even the Jaffna Tamils who found shelter in Colombo and other parts of the country when the conflict was in progress are now returning to their own places.

Fishing, agriculture, and various other forms of economic activities have returned to normal. Many people are showing an interest in investments.

With no curfew at all in the region, festivals in the temples are taking place for long hours in the night. So I could say the post-conflict North is progressing steadily with the expectation of more and more constructive things to happen.

Q: There are complaints of anti social activities such as abductions, extortions, killings and robberies that are on the rise in Jaffna. What are your comments?

A: There are some elements trying to bring discredit to the Government and the EPDP. The EPDP played a key role along with the Security Forces and the Police in establishing law and order in the peninsula. Our party had even sorted out several disputes in the North. But the elements which are unable to digest the goodwill we enjoy with the people are trying to mess around with the peaceful atmosphere in the peninsula.

Some of the recent abductions were found to be due to some family problems. But certain irresponsible media institutions in Jaffna have used those incidents to tarnish the image of the EPDP.

Q: As an ally of the UPFA what sort of a settlement do you expect for the Tamil question?

A: Our country had gone through a bad patch with regard to the ethnic conflict. The attempts which were made with constructive treaties to settle the ethnic question had failed miserably in the past. The EPDP is for a solution based on the Indo-Lanka Accord.

More ingredients could be added to the accord to make it a success. Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna even had talks with President Rajapaksa on a political solution based on the Indo-Lanka Accord.

What the EPDP wants is a constructive political solution which could address the political aspirations of the Tamils. We cannot afford to make the same mistakes committed in the past.

The countries around us are progressing steadily. So to be on par with those countries we have to shed our petty differences. We believe the UPFA Government will take bold initiatives to solve the national question.

Q: What is your message to the expatriate Tamils?

A: The Tamils from the North and East sought shelter abroad when the situation began to aggravate in the early eighties. Now the people who have migrated to the west and to various other countries have established themselves extensively in their chosen fields.

Therefore, now they have to pay their attention towards their own people in the motherland. They should give priority for humanitarian activities.

Q: How do you see yourself as the Deputy Chairman of Committees?

A: It is another feather in my cap. While serving my constituency, I will do my best to uphold the democratic values in the country.