Sinhalese need Devolution to Prevent Indian Invasion

by Gaja Lakshmi Paramasivam

(July 28, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) This week, I received an email from an active reader of Sri Lanka Guardian, asking me about the Sri Lankan Local Government Election outcomes in Northern Sri Lanka? I wrote:

‘The election results in North are showing that the people are bringing themselves out of the fear of intimidation by either side. Credit goes to both side supporters for keeping the other on fairly acceptable behaviour’

The reader who often expresses special appreciation for my work in this regard, wrote:

‘Dear Gaja, Here is a good example by Dr Dayan Jayatileke.’ and appended the article entitled ‘Local polls show TNA is the pre-eminent entity among the Tamil people’ (published in Sri Lanka Guardian)

I obliged out of respect for myself in the reader and we had the following email conversation:

Gaja: Below is my response in essence. Dayan lives in his own world which is a mix of romantic art and theoretical politics /diplomacy

Dayan says :'The Sinhalese will keep the country as a united territory and the single state, however long it takes, whatever the odds, and whoever the foe, internal or external or any combination thereof. Those located or having regrouped overseas who, having lost the war for Tamil Eelam are trying to regain what they lost by enlisting the support of erstwhile colonial patrons, will learn that what Sri Lanka state has liberated and reunified, it shall hold, under whichever leader, flag or generation and “by whatever means necessary” (Malcolm X).'

Gaja:

Sinhalese and not Sri Lankans? - When Sinhalese talk of separation that is ok? But not TAMILS? Cultural separation is as bad as physical separation.

Dayan says : 'The Tamils for their part will not relinquish their collective identity and search for dignity.'

Is that an order/expectation? Tamils will speak for themselves.

Reader:

Gaja, He (Dayan) is using Sinhalese instead of Sri Lankans because it is the Sinhalese who mainly want to keep this country as one. It is the Sinhalese who in the history has defended this country and also because the average Sinhalese still refer to Sri Lanka as Sinhale.

What Dayan says is that the Sinhalese people will never endorse a Separate state or a federal state at a referendum.

Though Tamil Nadu is the place that gave birth to the Tamil culture Tamil people too have lived in this country for along time.

What he is saying is to try and get may be the 13th amendment implemented (With modifications to land and police powers). Latest joke is Suresh Premachandran is asking the government to merge the North and East.

Gaja to reader and therefore to Dayan:

You say 'He is using Sinhalese instead of Sri Lankans because it is the Sinhalese who mainly want to keep this country as one. It is the Sinhalese who in the history has defended this country and also because the average Sinhalese still refer to Sri Lanka as Sinhale.'

I take it that you are saying that it is Sinhalese who mainly want to keep this country as one. If you truly believe that - then are endorsing the LTTE saying that it is truly Tamils who want to protect the work values of Tamils. Given that the average Sinhalese refers to Sri Lanka as Sinhale and you accept that - you have the moral obligation to respect and accept all other communities calling the land area where they are in the majority - by their own community names - such as Tamil Eelam. I am Sri Lankan to Sri Lankan. I am Tamil to a Sinhalese including yourself. As a true practitioner of Democracy I would act with you as if you are my opposition and not that we are One. This is what the Tamil Diaspora is saying

You say 'What Dayan says it that the Sinhalese people will never endorse a separate state or a federal state at a referendum.'

Dayan must mean that he would not endorse a separate state for another community. Then he is claiming to be not practicing Democracy. This is why Dayan was not able to raise the standard of his Government to the UN level. A Sinhalese cannot - nor can a Tamil. A Sri Lankan certainly can and would have if s/he had represented Sri Lanka at the UN level.

The moment Dayan accepts he is Sinhalese & projects on the basis of Sinhalese, he has already endorsed a separate state for other communities and therefore federalism. Common principles must say what we are entitled to. Not individual communities - especially if they are in the majority.

You say 'Though Tamil Nadu is the place that gave birth to the Tamil culture Tamil people too have lived in this country for along time.

What he is saying is to try and get may be the 13th amendment implemented (With modifications to land and police powers). Latest joke is Suresh Premachandran is asking the government to merge the North and East'

To you merging North and East may seem to be a joke. But to every true Tamil - that would be important to live as a Community and protect ourselves against unjust Sinhalese who seek to 'impose' instead of facilitating 'integration' by respecting those who are able to function independently - as a Community and some as individuals. The more cultural commonness we have the more we are entitled to 'show' this through our common land space and common laws. The Government has the duty to facilitate this.

If as you say / recognize - we are of common culture with Tamil Nadu - then the risk of Indian invasion of Sri Lanka through this common culture is higher. As Gandhi himself stated about Indian leaders - that they wanted to take the place of the British - people who are not independent would go with the group that shows immediate benefits. Unless therefore Tamil Community leaders are seen to be more powerful than the Indians who come to Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka would eventually become another state of India - at least unofficially.

The best way to protect Sri Lanka from such invasion is to devolve powers and facilitate for Tamils to be governed by Sri Lankan leaders who are taken as Tamils by voters in majority Tamil areas. Self Governance of Tamils is far more important to the Sinhalese who are yet to develop governmental level investments outside Sri Lanka. That is how karma works. Whether custodians of benefits recognize it or not - Truth keeps happening and manifests Itself at the highest level available at that place at that time.

Through my own experiences, I identify with the claim to merge North and East . I am happy to note that this has been confirmed by the TNA.

Dr. Dayan Jayatilleke says ‘Of course, today we are in another place. Any illusions of a separate state as inspired by the Vadukkodai resolution have been burnt or buried at Nandikadal. Any illusions of imposing silence on the Tamils and eliminating their cultural and political resolve have been dispelled by the electoral map that has unrolled with the parliamentary and local government elections. Both communities have thrown their best or worst at each other and both are still standing. What resilience and resolve! Both the Sinhalese and Tamils should not only be proud of themselves but of each other, because we are inhabitants of one island, and share the same DNA: we are brothers and sisters. What we could achieve together! I am glad we won the war, but sorry we ever had to fight one. Now, we have attained some kind of balance. If the TNA pushes too hard or overshoots the mark, opinion will harden in the bulk of the island, and vice versa. There can be no solution to Tamil grievances which are unacceptable to the majority of Sinhalese, just as there can be no deep-rooted, peace without Tamil consent. Now is the time to reach out to each other in mutual respect and realism, and establish a durable peace.’

Any conclusion that the Vaddukoddai resolution died and vanished into Nandikadal, confirms delusion. Vaddukoddai Resolution which is essentially about Tamil Nationalism never died. It was born long before 1976 – when G.G. Ponnambalam, through his 50:50 proposal declared that it was time for Sri Lanka to move towards Democracy. Current Tamil leaders are saying the same by proposing Federalism. The body keeps evolving as per the environment in which we live. The Spirit has never died and it never will. Every Tamil who believes in self governance gives it exponential growth/many bodies from one.

So long as the likes of Dr. Dayan Jayatilleke and his successor at the UN keep separating the LTTE by calling them Terrorists – they would invoke their ‘Sinhala Only’ karma – as Dr. Dayan has proven yet again. I believe I am Sri Lankan. At the national level – I do not know of even one Sinhalese who is Sri Lankan to a Sri Lankan of Tamil origin. Those who are attached to ‘votes’ and positions that flow from majority votes, would not mature into becoming Sri Lankans. They would stagnate as Sinhalese.