Sequel to LTTE's defeat:

EP's development prospects high

By Manjula FERNANDO

Ali Zahir Moulana, Chairman of Eravur UC and former SLMC Member of Parliament played a quiet but pivotal role in dismantling the LTTE.

When LTTE's celebrated Eastern Commander Col. Karuna (Deputy Minister Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan) fell out with its leadership, disappointed at his unrealistic dreams in 2004, as a close friend Moulana was approached by Col.Karuna. Moulana made possible the renegade leader's escape bid to Colombo and later out of the country.

When the news became public Moulana with his wife and two children had to flee the country for the fear of retribution from the deadly LTTE. He returned to the country in late 2009, after LTTE was annihilated by the security forces liberating Sri Lanka from the grip of terrorism .

In an interview after his election to Eravur UC with the highest number of votes at the last mini poll and taking oaths as the Chairman of Urban Council before President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Moulana told the Sunday Observer , he was not disappointed about his non election to parliament but instead is grateful for the voters for giving him another opportunity to pursue his life-long dream, 'serving his native land and its people'.

He says the people are now rejecting communal politics. This was showcased by the meagre numbers of votes received by the SLMC and the UPFA's success in Muslim predominant areas in the Batticaloa district and rest of the country.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: You were a one-time Parliamentarian. Going back to being an Urban Council member is like 'back to square one'?

A: Well, in my opinion, I don't think it matters much - the level you will be in whether it is rural, district, provincial or national. As long as you can take part in helping people or development of the country, I don't mind it. The biggest achievement is that I am with the people again.

I started politics at the grass-roots level. Then I gradually rose to district and national levels. But when I returned to the country in 2009 I had to start from the beginning. I was out of the country for over six years. We had to start again from scratch. I contested the recent mini poll in my hometown-Eravur. That is the place I was born, brought up and went to school. And also that is the base which gave me the kind of beginning for my political career. Whenever I contested elections, people of Eravur were very generous towards me.

Even at the last Presidential Election, a good number of people voted for President Mahinda Rajapaksa's re-election. When I contested for the Urban Council, people gave me the highest number of preferential votes. I received over 9000 votes whereas the person who came second received only 1400 votes.

Q: You were not elected to Parliament this time. Are you disappointed?

A: It's not really disappointment. I did not have enough time to do my campaign. It was soon after my return to the country in late 2009. If I contested from Colombo, one newspaper article or a TV interview is enough for people to know that I have returned to politics but unfortunately in Batticaloa district, there are so many villages that do not have even electricity, not to mention TV or Radio. Every household hardly gets an opportunity to read the paper. Unless you visit each and every house, every village and every street and show your presence, there is little or no outcome.

But still with all these things, compared to other winners in the race, I got a good number of votes although my campaign was very brief. So yes and no for that answer, little disappointed but it taught me a good lesson. But this has given me a solid foundation to rise again. The important point is that I have been given a mandate again to serve my people.

I took oaths before President as the Chairman of the UC at the Temple Trees on March 29.

Q: Can you recall your initiation as a politician and the re-entry after a lapse of over six years?

A: I first became the Chairman of Eravur Pradeshiya Sabha in 1994. Then the same year there was a general election and I was elected as a Member of Parliament. From 1994 to 2004, I was in the Parliament.

In 2004 my contribution to peace building forced me to resign and leave the country. That was a decision taken with much hesitation, but inevitable for the sake of my family and children. Then I returned to the country in the latter part of 2009. After the elimination of LTTE I felt safe to return.

I was then invited by the UPFA to get involved in their election campaign. At the Presidential election I campaigned for President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the Batticaloa district. It was a highly successful poll campaign.

We managed to get our vote base expanded. At the last general election we conquered Kalkudah and Batticaloa electorates, out of the three electorates in the Batticaloa district; (Padiruppu, Batticaloa and Kalkudah).

After the general election, there were proposals and offers that I should take up an ambassador/diplomat posting. There was a proposal to send me to Toronto as the Consul General as well. But I had to decline and mention even to the President that my leaving the country earlier was due to threats on my life but now I preferred to stay here and serve my country and the people.

In 2004 there were threats posed by the LTTE and various other groups. In 2009, after the liberation I did not receive any fresh threats by the group. Nevertheless I must confess that I was not feeling safe either. Especially in the North and the East the threat was there. Even if you contest as a candidate upholding democracy, you have to face individual groups who entertain regional and communal politics. There are also certain groups who took up arms in the past and later joined in the mainstream. They were engaged in confrontational politics and trying to create some kind of fear psychosis among my supporters.

Q: Batticaloa and Eravur is a conflict battered region. What have you in mind to uplift the living standards of the people and develop this area?

A: Being the chairman of the Eravur UC I have to look after the people in Eravur as well as the surrounding areas as well. A lot of development activity is required in almost all the sectors to boost rural economy and improve facilities for education. Most of the people here are farmers, there are a lot of resources to be tapped. I will have to look into the grievances of those engaged in poultry and cattle farming and the fisheries sector as well.

We must make sure that programs such as Divi Neguma reach the peripherals and the most needy. I will be focusing on each and every household and ensure they are benefited by such State programs.

Q: The long list of things that you just mentioned is simply overwhelming but what will be your priority areas of attention? Where do you want to start first?

A: There were a lot of allegations of malpractices during the previous regime at the Urban Council. I want to rectify these. I have got in touch with the Central Environmental Authority Chairman as my first priority to put in place a proper mechanism for solid waste management. I want to clear the garbage issue. A team is coming shortly to assess the situation as to how they can help us overcome the situation. If you come to Eravur you will witness that it is a beautiful place. The ad-hoc dumping of garbage and waste has turned the place into an eyesore.

I will also be talking to the Disaster Management Ministry in getting their help to enhance disaster preparedness of the people in my constituency. Prevention is better than cure. This is a disaster prone area and our preparedness of any natural disaster will be a catalyst in the development of this area. Apart from the conflict most of the inhabitants here suffered during the 2004 tsunami. Then again the people here were the worst affected during the recent floods.

We will draw up a masterplan with the help of volunteer engineers and other technical experts and approach the ministry or NGOs to generate funding.

Q: What are the assurances you have got from the President and the Government?

A: I met the President after taking oaths at the Temple Trees. They know my capacity for making things happen. Whenever I approach them they have offered their assurances that they are all out to help me in fulfilling my responsibilities.

Q: Batticaloa is predominantly a Sri Lanka Muslim Congress constituency although they were not very successful in the recently concluded election. How do you propose to work with them in the future?

A: I am a person with a national interest. I don't like to isolate myself or engage in communal politics or indulge in regional ideologies. I don't like that kind of politics in the first place. Even at the recently concluded election the SLMC were very badly defeated in the three local bodies in the Batticaloa district - the Kattankudy Urban council, Eravur Urban council and Ottamavadi PS. At one time SLMC boasted that these were the strongholds of their party. But this time they were very unfortunate. May be people are realizing that communal politics are not doing them good. People there are now voting for UPFA.

Out of nine members in Eravur they got only two. The UPFA got six and an independent member secured one seat. In Kattankudy UPFA managed six, an independent group secured two seats and the SLMC could secure only one seat. In Koralepattu West the UPFA got seven, one went to UNP and the SLMC was pushed to third place with just one seat.

The election results very clearly say that SLMC is losing ground. But anyway now they have joined the Government. It is a welcome decision. I told my supporters that I have to work for all the people. We could work together under the UPFA banner to develop the Eastern province and serve its people.

Q: It was you who smuggled Col. Karuna to Colombo from Batticaloa when he defected from the LTTE. A highly dangerous prospect at the time is now an important milestone in the history of Sri Lanka's liberation from the grip of terrorism. Looking back how do you feel? Any regrets?

A: I don't have any regrets although I suffered as a result. My family had to suffer a lot. Even now my wife and children are not here with me in the country because of the mental trauma and the agony that they had to undergo in the face of serious LTTE death threats.

My daughter is 18 now and at the time she was just 11 years old, my son who is 20 years now was just 13. They are both in US now studying, my wife is also with them. I returned to the country one and a half years ago. The separation of the family is killing me.

We had to leave the country in a hurry in 2004, when my role in Karuna's escape was made public. I suffered economically as well when we had to shut down the shop I owned here and leave behind my position as a Member of Parliament. We felt like aliens in another country. I have sacrificed and my family has sacrificed but I don't think I have feelings of regret over what I did. Especially when I think what the country has achieved afterwards. People can now live without fear or uncertainty of terrorist attacks and death. This feeling gives me an enormous satisfaction.

Q: But haven't you been disappointed at any point, about the people's non-recognition of your selfless act?

A: Whenever you get a chance to do a good thing for the country you must not think twice. In return it's only a moral satisfaction. We cannot predict or judge people. They may not see things from the same point of view. It will take time.

I did not think of dismantling the LTTE at the time. We even tried to go for a political settlement through peace talks with the LTTE. When this rift between the Eastern Commander and the LTTE leadership occurred I thought there will be a bloodbath and the people in Batticaloa will get affected. Karuna was a close friend of mine and my intention was to help him on humanitarian grounds.

That paved the way for him to contribute to eliminate terrorism, embrace the democratic process, enter mainstream politics and rise to being a powerful Deputy Minister in the present Government. Thus, my efforts were not in vain.

Q: Do you still maintain close contacts with Deputy Minister Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan (Karuna)?

A: Yes we still do. After my election to Eravur UC he called and congratulated me. The passage of time has not changed much, we are still good friends and I have no regrets.