A Nation’s Trust Betrayed

Betrayal of Trust assumes International Dimension

By Eelatthamilzhan 

It is Time for the Tamil Diaspora to take stock of their Self-Respect, their National Pride and their Historical Legacy.

Shameless Geo-politicians of the world blatantly unite with the greatest failed State of the 21st Century to destroy a whole segment of humanity belonging to the very ancient and most cultured Tamil Nation within the boundaries of a brutal and inhuman island state.

A Conundrum of Betrayals
The long period of the state brutality, sufferings and struggles the Tamil people underwent, began in earnest from the year 1953, when the Sinhala political elite began to raise their ugly head of whipping up anti-Tamil sentiments among their breed of Buddhist Chauvinists.  This was not by any means an outcome of chance, but by the very nature of the Sinhala Buddhist Ethos that is an inherent part of their ethnic origins and upbringing.  This phenomenon is inherent in the psyche of their dominant holy Buddhist literature and among members of their clergy that oozes an arrogant and rampant supremacist assumption of their own self.

The First Betrayal – British Colonial Government – 1830-1833
With the appearance in the island, through the transfer of power by the Dutch East India Company, of Anglo-Saxon Colonials, also came the introduction of commercially orientated administrators whose sole interests lay in harnessing the wealth of the island, without ever wanting to understand or recognise the interests of the two-nation structure that existed.  For well over thousands of years and through the early period of different Colonial rulers, the Tamil and Sinhala nations had survived through thick and thin and through short gaps of acrimonious relationships between them, as independent and peaceful neighbours on the whole.  At the tail end of their rule, the British administrators conveniently oversaw the transfer of power solely into the hands of the Sinhala nation and against the wishes and expressed demands of the people of the Tamil nation.  Thus was created and imposed upon the Tamil people, the previously non-existent minority phenomenon in the island.

The Tamil National Issue remains fundamentally rooted and unchanged from its beginnings, way back in the 1830s when the British Government under its colonial rule over Ceylon, and through its executive and administrative powers, encompassed the Tamil Nation and the Sinhala Nation within a central administration, which later was to be politically designated as the Government of Ceylon under a Unitary Constitution

The Second betrayal – DS Senanayake - 1948
With the advent of the new era of independence, the first Sinhala Prime minister, with the particular purpose of enticing the Tamil community into the new Ceylonese Unitary constitution, expressed in terms that the Tamils needs not fear the ascent of the Sinhala polity and that they the Sinhala people will go out of their way to ‘look after’ the Tamil people.  In the minds of the Tamil people these sentiments in hindsight, truly reflected the subtle exposition of guilt without remorse of the bitter and acrimonious period between Sinhala and Tamil political leaders during the last days of the British colonial period.  On reflection this, also forebode an ironic omen of what was to befall the Tamil nation in the years to come.

The Third betrayal – SWRD Bandaranaike – 1956-1957
Swung by the oratory of the Oxford-educated Sinhala Nationalist who prophesied the Buddhist Sinhala supremacist ethos, the Sinhala masses returned him to the reins of power, on his promise of an overnight switch to making Sinhalese, the Official State Language and Buddhism, the Official State Religion.  The strength in numbers and the strength of the Tamil people’s mandate to Tamil political representation in parliament compelled him to enter into what was to be the Bandaranaike-Chelvanayagam Pact on wide ranging issues on Language and Regional Councils.  This was later abrogated at the behest of the powerful Buddhist Lobby – with the demise of Bandaranaike himself.

The Fourth Betrayal – Dudley Senanayake - 1965
The son of DS Senanayake, emulating his predecessor, entered into the Dudley-Chelvanayagam Pact envisaged devolving powers to Tamil regions through District Councils in place of Regional Councils, later to be quickly abandoned on facing stiff opposition from Sinhala Buddhist quarters.

The Fifth Betrayal – Sirimavo Bandaranaike - 1970
Wife of SWRD Bandaranaike formed Leftist coalition government, and set out to legislate repressive policies on Tamil interests, marginalizing Tamil University Entrance opportunities in favour of Sinhala entrees, introducing a new Republican Constitution devoid of all minority rights guaranteed under previous constitution, imprisoning many hundreds of Tamil student opponents under new emergency legislation, still lingering in Southern prisons illegally Ignored addressing any devolution to Tamils

The Sixth Betrayal – JR Jayawardene – 1977-1988
With the Tamil representatives to parliament returning with a massive mandate from the Tamil people, for a separate Tamil State, there emerged one of the most Sinhala supremacist leaders who almost immediately whipped up anti-Tamil propaganda sentiments.  Introduces Executive Presidential system of governance, enabling himself to enjoy a long reign as President.  Adopts a Second Republican Constitution.  Worst anti-Tamil Pogrom erupts in 1983, triggering a violent and vicious racial onslaught on Tamil civilians across the island, and resulting in a mass exodus of Tamils to their North East homeland for safety.  Proposes District Development Councils in 1984, linking any devolution outcome to a second chamber with members appointed solely by him.  Totally rejected by the Tamils as non-functional.  Sidelines and rejects the 1985 Thimpu proposals on self-determination for Tamils.  Signs Indo-Sri Lanka Pact in 1987, enabling Indian Peace-Keeping force to take control of North East.

The Seventh Betrayal – R Premadasa – 1989-1995
Even though this presidency brought a semblance of rational politics that ended with the withdrawal of the Indian Peace Keeping forces, from the island, it culminated in essence an exercise to placate the Sinhala youths’ anger at their presence.  The general notion prevailed that this policy had a genuine attempt of his government coming to a serious dialogue with the Tamil Liberation Movement.  In the months and years to follow this was proved to be a hefty and monstrous deception that ended in the most gruesome acts that reflected ‘organised state terrorism’ on the Tamil people.  Starting from the Kannapuram massacre of July 1993 to the killing of more than 1500 Tamil civilians by aerial bombing up until 1994 was the hallmark of this reign.

The Eighth Betrayal – Chandrika Kumaratunga Bandaranaike – 1995-2001
First as Prime Minister and later as President, this president adopted a new phrase that postulated the term ‘War for Peace’ agenda.  What started as a profound and promised period of reconciliation and peace with the Tamil people through dialogue with their Liberation movement, by a determined and calculated deceptive government agenda, it was to end as a period of subtle, prolonged and debilitating campaign of economic, medical and humanitarian embargoes imposed upon the Tamil civilian population.  It was as if the reins of power on the ground had been relinquished by the president and handed over to the armed forces.  The Tamils were subjected to the rules and regulations of the military agenda, and every aspect of Tamil civilian life had come under the full and unaccountable control of the government armed forces.  Such was the intensity of the military machine, that there arose a period of arrests, detentions, disappearances, appearance of mass graves and the systematic abuse of human rights of the Tamil people and violation of international humanitarian Laws.

The Ninth Betrayal – Ranil Wickremasinghe – 2002-2005
Though remaining Prime Minister throughout the reign of Chandrika Kumaratunga, this government was responsible for the non-implementation of the agreements of the CFA.  At every step of the ongoing dialogue, it adopted again an agenda of slippery and unreliable commitment in meeting with all the requirements of the CFA.  It encouraged or abandoned participation at various levels of negotiation and agreements with the Tamil Liberation movement.  This government also encouraged the armed forces to partake in vital decision-making policies as required under the CFA agreement.  Thus the success or failure of the CFA was already defined by the deceptive approaches of the government of the day.  It has to be said, these manoeuvres by this government triggered the outcome of the next presidency

The Final Betrayal – Mahinda Rajapakse -
With the assumption of this presidency, there came the most subtle and prolific intervention by the international community with their own agenda of destabilising and decimating the Liberation Movement of the Tamil people.  Even though a lot of vociferous statements were made in the international arena on the Tamil issue, in reality this presidency had received the greatest encouragement by the powers that be, to continue with the president’s agenda of nullifying the fundamental aspirations of the Tamil people in the island republic.  It was as if by default of the Tamil Diaspora and their campaign organisations and of their political representatives within in the island of Sri Lanka, together with the tacit support of the international community, of which India played a dominant role, that the Rajapakse regime was able to quickly surmount the greatest overkill of the Tamil Liberation Movement.

Deception of international magnitude
All throughout the above presidencies, the international community was kept blind and aloof to the ground-realities of the repressive and ever-enduring sufferance by the Tamil people, at the hands of government armed forces, through deceptive diplomacy and massive disinformation campaign by the government of the day.  The international protocols between states and inter-governmental diplomatic relationship between friendly nations also helped to stave off any intensive scrutiny or criticism of statements made by government spokesmen.  Thus the international community was ever willing to believe successive governments of Sri Lanka and succumbed to its wishes and helped its progress to the present situation.

Aftermath
The magnitude and the importance of this defeat by the over-lording Sinhala regime in Colombo supported by the overarching influence of the major powers of the international community may not have sunk into the minds of certain elements within the Tamil Diaspora.  This, especially in the context of Great Britain that lay behind the real agenda, since the latter part of the first decade of the twenty-first century, 2006 to be precise, of the British government that had already set in motion its renunciation of the homeland of Tamil Eelam and in its place the reconciliation strategy in the island.

The Tamil Diaspora
Throughout these years of turmoil, a large proportion of Tamils were driven to safer havens away from their North East homeland, at various stages of the conflict, and to find refuge in various parts of the world.  These Tamils, now form a large percentage of the Diaspora population around the world.  Thus, the presence of large numbers of Tamils amongst the midst of western governments, these governments should not assume that they have adopted their abode of residence not by choice, but having to do so under terrible circumstances back in their homeland.  Sadly, due to the prolonged conflict in the island, the Tamil Diaspora has, under undue pressure by these host governments, come to be either entrapped in the domestic politics of their host nation and, or their next generation descendants have come to be dependent on the policies of their country of birth or residence.  There remains to be argued, that the Tamil National Question in the island of Sri Lanka should not become part of the domestic agenda of the host country, but should assume a separate and authentic international frame at the highest level of international diplomacy, that seeks to reflect and defend the aspirations of the Tamil people as espoused in the 1976 democratic elections held in the Tamil homeland.  Diaspora Tamils should be studiously aware of this important difference, when indulging in any Tamil political campaign in these countries.

Lest we forget
Today, the Tamil Nation stands at the threshold of an uncertain cultural, regional and political future within the boundaries of the island of Sri Lanka.  It also remains a fact, that the Tamil people within the confines of their North East regions together with the large Tamil Diaspora spread across the continents have been shod of their Honour and Self-Respect by the actions of both the Sri Lankan State and the international community’s major powers.  This scenario is a direct result of an aggressive and punitive agenda of pure deception and political duplicity by the major powers of the international community, thrust upon an unsuspecting and trusting people of Tamil Eelam.  It has to be noted that it was the manoeuvres adopted and actions taken by these same powers, in wooing and standing by, at whatever cost, with the Sri Lankan State over and above the aspirations of the Tamil people and of their patience to successfully attain their perception of a genuine and viable political settlement, that culminated in the entrapment of the Tamil people into their framework of deceptive diplomacy.

Contd.
These intervening powers, having clearly observed, studied and understood the immense importance of the success of the national liberation movement by the Tamil people, and had begun to build and implement a string of strategic policies for the final decimation of the ‘anchor’ that represented the security and safety of the entire Tamil Nation within the island of Sri Lanka.

Entrapment and Deception
Just as it was that the Tamil people had been marginalized through sixty years political betrayal, by the Sri Lankan State, the international powers now repeatedly sidelined and marginalized the Tamil National Struggle in all its aspects.  During the post-CFA period, they began to speak of getting in touch with those ‘moderate elements’ among the Tamil community within the island of Sri Lanka and those within the Tamil Diaspora.  It is ironical that about the same time the British government decided to set-up under its domestic political agenda, a new Task Force in order to engage with it’s ethnic minority communities.  This was to be effected through a policy of ethnic diversity and equality agenda.  And Hey presto! On top of the priorities of ethnic minorities there stood the Tamil Diaspora in all its glory of political emancipation.  Now would it be nice to champion their cause, in whatever form, even though their cause is essentially to do with their freedom and nationhood?  At about the same time of course, there emerged an element of the Tamil Diaspora in Britain, who decided to campaign on the Tamil National Question among the British parliamentarians.

Emergence of APPG (Tamils)
Thus began the formation of the All Party Parliamentary Group (Tamils) led by a Labour Member of Parliament, who was the chief appointee by the minister for community relations.  Now throughout the military campaign by the Rajapakse regime against the Liberation movement of the Tamil people, members of the APPG gathered in greater numbers and at every Tamil event that had been organised by the Tamil Diaspora to espouse their cause.  Little did the participants realise that the outspoken Labour politicians though their rhetoric was totally in favour of their cause, not one of their members had adhered to the fundamental requirements of what the Tamils have been campaigning for over the past years.  That is:
1.  Recognition of their North East homeland as their national geographical entity. 2. Recognition of the Tamils as a separate national identity from the Sinhalese.  3. The Tamils’ Right to self-determination

Decision Time
It is now time for the Tamil Diaspora to decide where they stand in relation to their National cause, and genuinely search within their hearts what the true and fundamental aspects of the agenda of their parliamentary political participants mean to their future Tamil cause in the island of Sri Lanka.  It is no point floating from one promise to another by any parliamentarian, keeping up a false momentum on the expectations of an anxious and beleaguered Tamil Diaspora.  It is also time for the Tamil Diaspora to seriously study the mind of the Parliamentarians’ whose constant dislike of serious commitment to any suggestions by them that may go against their county’s foreign policy.

Exercising the Right to Decide
It has been proven in the recent past that the Labour government does not support the idea of a Tamil homeland, the Tamils’ Right to Self-determination and to separate Tamil identity.  Instead they propagate the idea of reconciliation before a political settlement, and to find a solution that satisfies all communities of the island republic.  When, may the Tamils ask, did the rest of the ethnic group being the Sinhalese majority have any problems a political nature?  The Tamils are purely ethnic with differences in their religion i.e.: Muslims, Catholics, and Christians.  The international community, especially the British government, should end their manufacturing agenda of community classification and confront realities of political deception by all its forms.

The British Tamil Diaspora needs to formulate a policy statement on what they really stand for on the issue of the Tamil National Question.  It is also the most opportune moment for the Tamil Diaspora to exercise their Right to decide, in the forthcoming elections in voting this deceptive Labour government out of office, for having taken the Tamil Diaspora and with it the people of Tamil Eelam, for a long ride into oblivion on the fundamental causes of the Tamil National Question.

The whole Tamil Diaspora spread across the continents is of Eelam Tamil Origin.  It is time that the Tamil Diaspora does not get fobbed off by politicians of all sorts, to classify them according to their bode of residence and thus letting them draw a blanket of deception on their National identity and homeland.