“To those who knew that the ceasefire was built on a glaringly faulty premise — that the LTTE wanted a negotiated settlement within a united Sri Lanka — its eventual breakdown was foretold on the day it was signed,” writes, Nirupama Subramanian in reviewing a book in The Hindu Tuesday. The review was favourably highlighting a point that Tamil polity should drop ‘liberation’ to focus on securing economic rights for the people. “They are absolutely right since the development they mean is not even economic liberation of people,” responded Tamil circles, adding that the previous generation of Indians shouldn’t have asked for independence but should have focused on development the British colonialism was undertaking.
Nirupama Subramanian was reviewing the book ‘From Winning the War to Winning Peace’, edited by V. R. Raghavan and published by Centre for Security Analysis, Chennai.
It was a collection of papers from a 2009 seminar conducted by the Centre for Security Analysis, Chennai, Hans Seidel Foundation of Germany and Regional Centre for Strategic Studies, Colombo.
Reviewing the book, Nirupama wrote, “President Rajapaksa appears more focussed, at the moment, on economic development, including that of the Tamil‐dominated North and East regions, prompting the view that he is chasing Sri Lanka’s long‐cherished “Singapore‐model” dream — one in which the country’s development and prosperity, rather than sweeping constitutional reform, will be the key to co‐existence and reconciliation between ethnic communities”.
In her review, Nirupama was favourably highlighting a paper by a development economist, Muttukrishnan Sarvananthan:
“Unlike other Tamil academics, he places the responsibility for the economic rebirth of the North and the East squarely on Tamil politicians, whose leadership he blames for having been obsessed with language, land, and political rights, to the exclusion of economic rights,” Nirupama reviewed.
“Sarvananthan urges the Tamil United Liberation Front, the only party that is committed to the rule of law — which he thinks is a precondition for economic development — to recast itself, dropping the word “liberation” from its name, and focus on securing economic rights for the people of the North and the East,” she further said.
Nirupama Subramanian is a journalist of The Hindu group and served in Colombo.
Colombo’s abetters, including The Hindu, know well that Colombo is incapable of political solutions to the national question in the island.
Is it because of that the abetters put the blame on the LTTE for the failure of peace and advocate for ‘development’ without political solution? Then whose ‘development’ are they interested in, ask Tamil circles.
The peace process failed because it was on a wrong premise of not seeing a national question as a national question. The people behind the process were more interested in the ‘development conquest’ than bringing in peace to the concerned people.
India was not happy about the Norwegian initiated peace, says Prof. N, Shanmugaratnam, a development specialist.
The Indians were against the success of the Norwegian initiated peace process because it was not helpful to their ‘development conquest’. Now all of them try to put the blame on the LTTE, Tamil circles said.
Not necessarily the national rights or political rights, but when not even civil rights are there for Tamils, why do the pundits thrust ‘development’ and try to save the regime of Rajapaksa? Do they think it is easier to drive the people into corporate slavery by retaining the present conditions, Tamils wonder.
Just on Monday The Hindu came out with an editorial condemning Indian intelligence operatives in Nepal trying to weaken Maoist polity in Nepal. Why the venom in The Hindu when it comes to the Eezham Tamils, ask Tamil circles.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow TNN on Facebook and Twitter )