"Horrendous consequences if peace process collapses"- TNA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 May 2005, 10:39 GMT]
"The forces who opposed negotiations with the LTTE are forces committed tocontinuing the present structure of governance in this country, who want a unitary structure of government to continue, who want majority hegemony to continue. If these forces succeed, the peace process must inevitably collapse with all its horrendous consequences," said Mr.R.Sampanthan, parliamentary group leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), in a recent one-day debate on the current state of the peace process, parliamentary sources said.

Excerpts from Mr Sampanthan's speech follow:

"The peace process pertains to the national conflict and the national conflict pertains to the Tamil question. Inextricably linked to the resolution of the Tamil question is the question of the rights of Muslim people, who along with the Tamil people historically inhabited the North-Eastern region in this country. Any solution must ensure justice to all the people who inhabit the North-Eastern region; the tamil speaking tamil and Muslim people and the Sinhala people who the majority in the whole country are a minority in the North-Eastern region.

"The non-resolution of the Tamil question has resulted in Sri Lanka being embroiled in a vicious war for over two decades. The ceasefire agreement that was signed to bring about an end to the war enabled the peace process to be taken forward in an environment conductive to peace. No one, no political party was critical of the war being brought to an end. Every one in the welcomed the war being brought to an end. No saner person in the country would want the war to recommence.

"The ceasefire agreement was signed between the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE. The Peoples' Alliance government commenced the negotiations with the LTTE under international facilitation. This was continued by the UNF government and now being continued by the UPFA government. Successive government have carried on negotiations for the resolution of the Tamil question with the LTTE as representing Tamil people.

"There can be no question that uppermost in the minds of the government and the LTTE is the imperative need to consult the Muslim community, the Muslim political leadership and ensure that any solution is acceptable to the Muslim people in a just and honourable way. A solution to the national question in the North-East must be acceptable to both the Tamil and Muslim people and must ensure justice to every one who inhabit the North-East.

"It would be extremely dangerous and harmful to the country for any one to treat the peace process in a flippant way.

"There is a deliberate strategy on the part of certain segments in this country to inflict irreparable damage to the peace process by carrying on a relentless and deliberately vicious propaganda against the LTTE. Various organizations the world over have taken arms to liberate their people from oppression and to win for them their legitimate rights. Frequently, these armed struggles have been against State terrorism. That terrorism was unleashed in this country against the Tamil people from the 1950s, the 1960s, 1970s,the 1980s, and that in July 1983; the Tamil people were subjected to a genocidal attack known to the world. In the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, the Tamil people were subjected to terrorism, either sponsored or condoned by the State when they attempted to win their rights in a democratic, peaceful and non-violent way. Tamil people wanted to win their democratic rights, their legitimate rights through a peaceful non-violent struggle. There was no violence whatever on the Tamil side for over three decades, almost four decades. They were the only victims of violence in this country. Though many people in this country have realized that such violence against the tamil people could not have continued indefinitely, there are some elements who which that this situation should have continued indefinitely and that the Tamils should have been suppressed. The violence of the LTTE was retaliatory some times even in self-defence. There could have been mistakes but the whole objective was to demonstrate that the Tamil people would not be and could not be suppressed through either terrorism of the majority Sinhala people or the terrorism of the Sri Lankan State.

"The Sri Lankans State did not utmost to crush the armed struggle of the LTTE. The decision to commence negotiations with the LTTE under international facilitation and to enter into a ceasefire agreement with the LTTE were consequent to the realization by the Sri Lankan State that it had failed to militarily vanquish the LTTE and that negotiations had to be conducted with the LTTE to resolve the Tamil question. This is the stark truth, this is the reality, and the Tamil people are fully conscious of this truth and this reality. The LTTE in turn was conscious of the fact that it attained that recognition entirely on the basis of its military strength. The LTTE is also conscious that its military strength needs to be sustained if the Tamil people are not to be taken for a ride once against as has happened several times in the past. Moderate Tamil political leaders and the Tamil people were deceived over several decades since independence and the LTTE is convinced that it history is not to be repeated its military strength must be sustained.

"Every action of the LTTE, irrespective of the views of others is attributable this objective to the realization, to the conviction: that if the Tamil problem is to be resolved in a just and honourable way, its military strength has to be sustained, because it is the military strength of the LTTE that can bring about such a just and honourable solution. Persons who think that Tamils can once again be deceived may find this attitude of the LTTE objectionable. The answer lies in delivering the on the Tamil question and realizing that the Tamil cannot and will not forever be deceived. These forces that take these irrational views attack the peace process on the basis that the negotiations are being conducted with the LTTE, a violent organization. This is ludicrous position to take after the Sri Lankan State has taken a conscious decision that negotiations will have be with the LTTE. These forces did not oppose the war being stopped. When the war was stopped, they were quite happy with the war being stopped. Now the war has been stopped, they do not want the Sri Lankan State to negotiate with the LTTE. This is a ludicrous and ridiculous position devoid of any reason.

"The forces who opposed negotiations with the LTTE are forces committed to continuing the present structure of governance in this country, who want a unitary structure of government to continue, who want majority hegemony to continue. If these forces succeed, the peace process must inevitably collapse with all its horrendous consequences. There is a duty cast up on every one who wants the peace process to succeed whether it be the majority in the Government, the main opposition party, United National Party and other parties in the parliament to work together, to defeat the evil forces of extremism, racism and chauvinism. These forces think that by attacking the LTTE, they can mask their own extremism, racism and chauvinism and thereby deny the minority peoples in this country, the right to self-determination, within the frame of a united country.

"Attacking the LTTE has become a devious way to avoid dealing with the Tamil question and to avoid arriving at a just and honourable solution to the Tamil question. It is said that the LTTE cannot be trusted, that the LTTE is attempting to achieve its goal through negotiation. This was the same argument advanced several years ago against the late Tamil leader Mr.S.J.V.Chelvanayakam when he put forward the deferral demand in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Mr.Chelvanayakam was not the first person who put forward the federal demand in this country. Mr.S.W.R.D Bandaranaike on his return from Oxford in 1920 said, if the country is to survive, this country must have a d federal constitution. The Kandyan leaders, when they went before the Donoughmoore Commission in the 1930s wanted a federal arrangement. They stated that distinct people with distinct identities inhabited this country. The Kandyan Sinhalese who live in Kandyan areas, the low country Sinhalese who live in the low country areas and the tamil speaking people who live in the North East should have a federal arrangement, there will have to be three federating units, one for the Kandyan Sinhalese, one for the low country Sinhalese and one for the Tamil speaking people in the North-East.

"When Mr.Chelvanayakam put forward the federal demand it was then argued not merely by these racist and chauvinistic elements of today but even by others who have become converts, that federalism was the first step to a separate state. This is very ingenious way of retaining the status quo. Surely negotiations should take place if the parties are to understand each other's position. If negotiation to succeed, it must inevitably result in a solution acceptable to both parties. If the parties cannot agree on a common position, the negotiations will surely fail. This position taken up by these racist, chauvinistic and extremist forces is an untenable position. It is indeed a ridiculous position.

"The spoilers who incidentally include some discredited, discarded, disgruntled, worthless and irrelevant politicians on the Tamil side, by raining all manner of suspicions and prejudices, are hell-bent on disruption the peace process. Sections of the media are also hell-bent on preventing any settlement and such sections of the media are very clearly, virulently opposed to any settlement with the LTTE.

"If there is no settlement with the LTTE, it would mean there will be no settlement acceptable to the vast majority of the Tamil people and the status quo-that is the unitary state-will continue and majoritarian Sinhala hegemony will prevail. In the context of our past historical experiences, it is abundantly and manifestly clear to the tamil people that any political settlement without the LTTE involvement will be qualitatively poor and consequently totally unacceptable. These forces that grabbed the land of the Muslim people in the Amparai district and in the eastern province, are shedding crocodile tears today for the Muslim people. Until the commencement of the armed struggle, the Muslims and Tamils throughout the ages lived in perfect peace and amity. Dissension was spread between the Tamil and Muslim people when the Sri Lankan State tried to get the Muslim people militarily on its side.

"Tamil and Muslim people who have lived together for generations and centuries know very well that they have to co-exist together in the North-East and other wise neither of them has a future. Evolution of the solution acceptable to the Tamil and Muslim people should be left to them without the intrusion of a third party with elements that have a vested interest in the disruption of the peace process. Next to Tamils, the Muslims have suffered the most. We are the aggrieved parties. We are the historical inhabitants of the North-East.

"The LTTE could have easily reneged on the ceasefire agreement if it was so inclined. It had much justifiable opportunity to do so. It could have done so when crucial portfolios were taken over in August 2003. The LTTE did not do so On the contrary the LTTE stated that it would wait until the southern polity resolved its problems and wait it did. When the UPFA came into power it showed no reluctance to resume talks. In fact since the ceasefire agreement the LTTE has not been encouraged or enthuse in anyway to remain within the peace process by the Sri Lankan State. The Sri Lankan State, apart from signing the ceasefire agreement and enjoying the benefits of the ceasefire, has made no contribution to help transform the LTTE from an armed military group into a political organization. This historical reality is that the armed struggle had to commence as a result of the failure on the part of Sri Lankan State resolve the Tamil question. There was a bounden duty cast upon the Sri Lankan State to help make a contribution to help transform the LTTE from an armed military group into a political organization. But the Sri Lankan State failed to do so. They were given no opportunity, no encouragement to so transform them, by being given some measure of power in the North East to act in the interest of the Tamil people. The LTTE had every reason, every justifiable reason to be frustrated but they have not reneged on the ceasefire agreement. This extremist, chauvinistic and racist forces want the LTTE to continue to be frustrated. They want the position to get worse and they want the peace process to collapse. That is the surest way of maintaining the state quo, the Unitary State that has ensured majority Sinhala hegemony. No room should any longer be given to these extremists and chauvinists. The time has come for courage and commitment to be demonstrated in action: Sufficient courage has been demonstrated in speech, but not in action

"Peace process would have had to be continued even if tsunami did not take place. Tsunami only gave us an opportunity to make a start. It is coming on five months since tsunami disaster. We have not even made a start. More than seventy percent of the deaths and damage caused by tsunami has been in the northeast. Tamil speaking Tamil and Muslim people have borne and bearing the brunt of the deprivation and suffering. There is no room for the further delay.

"World must be translated into action and there needs to be a proper implementation of any agreement arrived at. The Tamil people were insistent on an ISGA- call it what you may- because they wanted to see powers transferred in the interim being properly implement. Implementation is the only key to success

"Tamil speaking people cannot be denied their right to self-determination within a united country any longer.

"Please do not think that you can win by shifting goal posts. If you do so, you can only end up shooting into your own goal," said Mr.Sampanthan.