Civic elections question solutions within ‘united’ Sri Lanka

The way civic elections take place in the country of Eezham Tamils occupied by Sri Lanka and its genocidal Army is an open challenge invalidating the stand taken by some powers that political models within a united Sri Lanka could resolve the national question in the island, writes TamilNet political commentator in Colombo. In recent times political pundits in the US are busy in thinking how to inspire the people of China to become ‘Liberal Democratic’ in order to avoid an impending East-West conflict. But in its desire to woo ‘pivotal’ Sri Lanka into its fold, to what extent the West is going to uphold its credibility by structuring a military and genocidal Sri Lanka that makes a mockery of democracy, he asks.

“Sri Lanka is a democratically elected government” was the observation of Britain and France at the height of the genocidal war Rajapaksa regime was waging against Eezham Tamils.

Encouraged by such position taken by the West during the war and encouraged by the deceptive paradigm ‘reconciliation’ the West came out with in the aftermath of the war, the Rajapaksa regime is now boldly engaged in the mockery of democracy even at the grassroot level civic elections to legitimise its genocide against the nation of Eezham Tamils in the island.

While Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the main political party of the Eezham Tamils is not allowed to make political campaign, attacked and intimidated by the occupying Army, the regime that was responsible for the genocide openly deploys all its outfits in the campaign for the civic elections.

Contrary to any norm of democracy, the military governors of the north and east, commanders of the occupying military, intimidated public servants and state facilities are deployed in Colombo’s campaign that is supervised by a team of 13 SL ministers led by presidential sibling Basil Rajapaksa.

In Vanni, the occupying Army is engaged in door-to-door intimidation, which is called the election campaign of Sri Lanka in the country of Eezham Tamils.

Anyone could guess how the ballot is going to take place. The TNA circles have already said what would be the outcome.

The US Asst. Secretary of State, Robert Blake has said that his government awaits new democratic leadership to emerge from Tamils in the island to ‘devolve’ political power. As he was telling this without facilitating any free platform for Tamils to exercise their democracy, whether his government is a party to the on going mockery of democracy in the island in simulating a subservient polity for Tamils is a question anyone could ask.

Academics surviving on ‘research funds’ in the universities write bulky articles on ‘electoral reforms’ and educating the public in rectifying democracy in the non-West. They don’t see, or the ‘funds’ don’t permit them to write that in many of the instances the problem is fundamentally more external than internal. As long as there are powers to recognize mockery of democracy and legitimise it for their own purposes, no erring state will correct itself. In fact, people are very well educated about democracy, but edification is needed only for the governments and especially for the powers.

Peoples in the island of Sri Lanka are long familiar with the norms of electoral politics. In fact Tamils were practicing it in civic administration since ancient times. Peoples in the island of Sri Lanka were one of the first to see universal adult enfranchisement in 1931, following Britain in 1928.

If the introduction of universal suffrage was marred in the island at the outset itself by the boycott of Tamils, and later in 1936 by an ‘all-Sinhalese cabinet,’ it was due to the same national question, which the British ignored. The curse continues to this day, but now in genocidal dimensions.

Leaving the nation part of the crisis, but in other respects, there were many among the peoples in the island who remembered with thanks the practice of democracy that was introduced to them by the British. The appreciation was there even after the British had gone. But today’s generation and the posterity are going to record a different memory on how the Western civilization irredeemably destroyed democracy in the island.

If Liberal Democracy is what the West wants in the island that will never come in a united Sri Lanka is what again and again demonstrated in the island by the state in Colombo. Rather than prolonging the agony and continue militarising the state, why shouldn’t the world give the other option to both the Tamils and the Sinhalese to get the bliss of trouble-free Liberal Democracy by having their nations separated?

The demonstration by the Sinhala diaspora in London on Sunday against the Channel 4 documentary is a clear indication how genocide and war crimes against Eezham Tamils are viewed by the mainstream of Sinhala nation. What the Channel 4 has brought out is only a tip of the iceberg of what had actually happened. But the unpreparedness of the Sinhala nation to accept even a token revelation only shows that it is high time the world has to think of solutions alternative to united Sri Lanka.

Eezham Tamils, allowed by the world to get victimised in the war as a nation, and now left to face structural genocide, widely feel that their placement under the electoral processes of the genocidal state is going to be a further torture – a ‘democratic’ torture for years to come.

It is a known secret that the docility of the TNA in going through the current ‘democratic torture’ is due to the advices it is getting from New Delhi. On the other hand, there were sections in the diaspora that were prepared to fake democracy in diaspora polity, to get counted by Washington.

Some Tamil circles in the island in support of the TNA have now started saying that the war crimes investigation is primarily aimed at indicting New Delhi and it is not going to benefit Tamils. According to them what is more important is Eezham Tamils showing their electoral solidarity with the TNA in the civic elections, so that New Delhi will be encouraged to act on behalf of Eezham Tamils.

While there can be no second word that Eezham Tamils at this juncture, for the sake of the self respect of their nation should support the TNA, the questions that are being asked are: why should India place the TNA and along with it the Eezham Tamils under such ‘democratic torture’; why shouldn’t the TNA resist to this treatment and will it opt for a different course of politics by its lessons in the civic elections?

Knowing very well that who all have led Eezham Tamils to Mu’l’livaaykkaal, by meekly getting ‘guided’ by them, are we again going to be in the receiving end of political Mu’l’livaaykkal Rajapaksa is now being allowed to wage by the same forces, is the big question in the minds of Eezham Tamils.

Of the three powers that are playing their games in the island, there is no point in talking about China, because it only exploits opportunities provided by the other two. Other than money China is not in the wavelength of discussing genocide, human rights or lose of democracy. At least one of the remaining two has to be shaken to get anything moving, and in this respect the Eezham Tamils place their hopes in the people of Tamil Nadu who at the moment have the potential leverage.

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