An open letter to Douglas Devananda

You talk about democracy, whilst maintaining your paramilitary outfit. No that the LTTE threat is largely reduced, Isn’t it time for you to dismantle your gun carrying outfit and use the state security services to guard you against any security threats?
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By Rajasingham Jayadevan

(February 31, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) I am writing this open letter following the razzmatazz of your intended resignation from politics and then your melodrama to reincarnate yourself before resignation to continue with your degrading ping pong game to extend your paramilitary rule over the Tamil people.

Having known you from school days and engaging with you even afterwards and also been a vociferous critic of your clandestine mission, I am expressing my feelings without fear because I am free from the culture of terror that is being imposed on our people in Sri Lanka. I hope this will reach you and help you understand my concerns and frustration.

I have asserted my position regarding your violent stand leaving aside your dubious political role that undermines the real feelings of the Tamil people. It is not a hidden fact that the LTTE did not allow a political space for the Tamil speaking people and likewise, your agenda too is an extension of the very same mission of the LTTE. Unfortunately Tamil people are plagued with this unending culture and hope some good sense will prevail on you to find an exit from your violent mission.

At the time when you are in the crossroads to decide whether to leave politics or stay in, I thought of raising couple of questions that can help you decide your future to redeem yourself from your hysterical game if considered honestly.

1. You talk about democracy, whilst maintaining your paramilitary outfit. No that the LTTE threat is largely reduced, Isn’t it time for you to dismantle your gun carrying outfit and use the state security services to guard you against any security threats?

2. You have tainted yourself by indulging in criminal acts including murders of fellow Tamils until recently. You are enjoying the state bestowed impunity and the weak judiciary too is helping to sideline the crimes you have committed. If you have any scruples, now that the LTTE has been defeated, why don’t you seriously find an honourable exit from your violent politics to create a condusive climate for the Tamil speaking people to decide for themselves, how they want to build their future without any intimidation, threats or violence.

3. I have been critical of your money laundering activities and those businesses you manage that do not come under the scope of the Inland Revenue of Sri Lanka, due to your standing with the government. It is time that you disengage these and allow to create a competitive economic climate for the people to build their economic future without any fear and recrimination.

4. I am directly confronting your underhand work to destabilize the Tamil organizations in the Diaspora. Those who have fallen foul to your offers of paradise in Jaffna have lost their senses and are promoting your paramilitary outfit, whilst forgetting their stance when they found the LTTE's arms struggle was very detestable act. I appeal to you to stop interfering in the affairs of the Diaspora using underhand methods and take a much broader political approach to win the hearts and minds of the Tamil people.

These are a just few in a nutshell. I hope you will consider them with a much broader sense without reducing them to indulge in any form of threats or intimidations that you are specialist in.

Hope to see you soon to have a meaningful engagement with a broader perspective.

Kind regards.
R Jayadevan