P.V.Shanthan
The environment of self expression most of the time, chooses silence but continuing to be silent for a long period of time is not a possibility. Even in Sri Lanka many lives are dead. THEY are making them dead. In the end, the TRUST placed on the Tigers who for 30 years sought to emancipate the Tamils by refusing to accept certain realistic historical opportunities, and who continued to believe in fighting only with weapons, has ultimately defeated them.
Through whatever means, the government has pushed the tigers on ground into a tight circle. In doing so, the tactics used by the armed forces, has broken not only the tactics of withdrawal but also the faith of the tigers in finding emancipation through the use of weapons and violence. Likewise, be it the self-immolation of the black tigers who were sent by the tigers in the past years to countries inhabited by the diaspora in order to safe guard their twisted self-dignity, or be it the so called ‘awareness creation’ gimmicks, they are all attempts at safeguarding the entirety of funds raised and the ethics of the fundraising techniques they have used. The trust, the Tamil diaspora has placed on the Tigers who have constantly evaded the opportunities of a political solution for the Tamil people and who are today using civilians in the brink of destruction as human shields, and the trust they have on its leader, has become pallid. These migrant Tigers and this waning chasm, will be held fully responsible for the totality of the post-war situation. That is to say that even if there is an opportunity to save the civilians trapped by the Tigers, the plan of these migrant Tigers is undoubtedly, destruction of these lives, and to ensure that this destruction really happens which would then be the basis of their next modus operandi.
We cannot let the question of whether, the democratic Tamil leadership is ready to carry the weight of Tamil politics subsequent to this phase, a question which has so far remained vacuous, be left to remain so. In general, most of those who were brought back from the Vanni were half alive and limbless; the women having to bear the burden of what was left of their families; the children deprived of their parents and guardians; those forcibly conscripted; those made aggressive by the Tigers; the ex-cadres. So, has a base been created for a political leadership that can deal with such a society? Is the democratic Tamil national alliance or other alternative democratic groups ready for this? If they are prepared for this they must have now demonstrated this by working on the ground. Furthermore, in order to face future challenges it is essential that the political leadership does not take the form of the pseudo democratic environment that is currently prevalent in Eastern Sri Lanka.
That is, it should not become an obstacle in the realisation of the highest level of political rights possible, for the Tamil people. Negotiating with the government and the creation of a political future denouncing weapons must be done with tact. Most essentially, accepting a ‘political shift of pawns’ which gives the North to Douglas and the East continuously to Pillayan should not be allowed. A political exchange and engagement with the alternative-minded is the only way towards creating a healthy and progressive environment.
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