The roots of the current tragedy of the island lie in the unscrupulous competition between India and USA over the control of the island as a whole. None of the adamantly competing powers wanted to address the national question in the island with justice. In a way, over the death and captivation of Tamils, powers are now wooing and competing for the ‘democratic’ votes of the Sinhalese. The war has metamorphosed the main personalities in the election fray to full-fledged dummies, as they are not as brave or honest as Pirapaharan in resisting the diktats of powers. When viewed against this backdrop, the universal as well as civilisation-perspectives of the struggle under the LTTE of Pirapaharan and the sacrifices made by thousands and thousands of fighters and people could be understood in an altogether different light, sidelining all the accusations on the modus operandi of the struggle.
TamilNet Editorial Board
Many believe the crisis in the island of Sri Lanka is due to a conflict between the two nations of the Sinhalese and Eezham Tamils. But what is taken at the face value is not the whole truth.
Had the crisis been merely due to a conflict between the two nations and had it been left to the parties to sort it out under historically established international norms, it would have found its logical solutions by now.
The roots of the current tragedy of the island, especially of the tragedy befallen on the Tamils, lie in the unscrupulous competition between India and USA over the control of the island.
China is only a convenient golliwog shown to the gullible by both of them. China might have made use of the situation for its own benefits and to settle scores with India, but China knows the weaknesses of its leverages in the island and it is not the core culprit.
In any real deciding moment China is likely to be on the side of USA.
Even though the India-US competition has a long history ever since the independence of Ceylon, the current manifestations owe their lineage to Jeyawardane regime commenced in 1977.
In the adamant competition to bring the whole island under their control, none of the powers wanted to address the national question in the island with justice. Successive governments in Colombo exploited this weakness of powers, ultimately to carryout unchecked genocide on Tamils.
The net result on one hand is an international crisis for the involved powers themselves that is not going to be easily sorted out and on the other hand loss of independence and sovereignty to Sri Lanka.
The latter is clearly evident today, as people in the island for the first time are forced to choose between a US sponsored regime and an Indian sponsored regime, both not going to be capable of addressing either the ethnic crisis or the human rights situation.
In a way, over the death and captivation of Tamils, powers are now wooing and competing for the ‘democratic’ votes of the Sinhalese. The war has metamorphosed the main personalities in the election fray to full-fledged dummies, as they are not as brave or honest as Pirapaharan in resisting the diktats of powers.
When viewed against this backdrop, the universal as well as civilisation-perspectives of the struggle under the LTTE of Pirapaharan and the sacrifices made by thousands and thousands of fighters and people could be understood in an altogether different light, sidelining all the accusations on the modus operandi of the struggle.
It was fought without surrendering the cause considered righteous by them and without surrendering the struggle to any power of the world. It has thus made an indelible mark in contemporary human history, shaming the inadequate institutions of world polity and demanding changes in them.
However hard the powers may try to twist history, they and the intellectuals as well as the media played stooges cannot escape evaluation by human civilisation in due course.
What the British imperialism deliberately downplayed to the world in 1857 as a mere ‘Sepoy Mutiny’ in India was rightly judged by Marx and Engels as the first war of Indian independence, even while it was taking place.
In the 80s and 90s the fad of the intellectuals in the ivory towers of India was ‘Subaltern Studies,’ a reappraisal and a justification of violent uprisings of colonial India, projected as the ‘true liberation struggle’ of the grassroot. However, when contemporary struggles of historic dimensions are now taking place in their very region they are unable to comprehend with them but are playing only second fiddle to the Establishments.
Who said history is always on the side of winners? History may be twisted to the fancy of powers, but folklore – record of what is in the heart of common people, is always on the side of those who stood for the righteous cause, even if they have perished. And, folklore is more powerful than history in directing the hearts of the masses in future struggle and progress.
In its long heritage, the Tamil culture has designed enough mechanism and symbols to handle such catastrophes of history.
A deified Ka’n’naki (Paththini) will always challenge injustice in politics (Arasiyal pizhaiththoarkku a’ram koottaakum). Even the Sinhalese culture later accepted this Tamil symbol. A Mathurai Veeran in Tamil culture was able to become a demigod for ages, inspiring the downtrodden masses in their struggle against oppressors, but not Thirumalai Nayakkar, the ruler who executed him.
Eezham Tamil heroes have forged a contemporary symbol for the ancient culture of Tamils as well as for innumerable other cultures in this world struggling against geopolitical power-monopoly, state fundamentalism and state terrorism of the contemporary times.
Time is not far away for the Sinhala Nation to realise the importance of conceding political co-existence of Tamil Nation just in order to get rid of the said evils from the island.
In the core of their hearts Eezham Tamils know well that their struggle has to be continued, but may be in some other way – a democratic way perhaps. But there is the basic lesson that their political organisation needs to come from them, without playing stooges to any.
What has to be borne in mind while remembering the heroes laid down their lives is that political organisations divided as proxies to powers will only lead to further misery and will never address the cause, whatever excuses such as ‘practical minded politics,’ one may come out with.
Whether the task ahead is politically proving the inevitability of the emergence of Tamil Eelam for peaceful co-existence to dawn in the island, or whether the task is going to be preparation for shared sovereignty in the region to nullify geopolitical wars, political organisation of their own genius is the answer as far as Eezham Tamils are concerned, to face the situation and to exist as a nation in South Asia.
Considering its importance to the present context, TamilNet reproduces below an interview on Geopolitics affecting Eezham Tamils by its former Senior Editor D. Sivaram (Taraki), who was also a reputed military analyst and a popular columnist. The interview was conducted by Mr. Nicolai Jung of German based International Human Rights Association Bremen in May 2004, an year before Mr. Sivaram was slain. He was one of the first media victims in the island during the latest phase of the conflict.
TamilNet: 25.11.09 Heroes and rulers, eternal struggle of humanity
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