A reader’s view:Northern commemoration mired in confusion | Sunday Observer

A reader’s view:Northern commemoration mired in confusion

27 May, 2018

The Northern event was mired in controversy even before its start. It was organized by sections of the Jaffna University students, who in turn were bankrolled by LTTE sympathisers in the diaspora. These LTTE elements wanted a ‘show’ devoid of all politicians of the North. They also wanted it to evoke the memories of the LTTE and its various commemoration shows of the past. This irked the members of Northern Provincial Council, some of who are victims of the final war. Anandhi Sasitharan lost her husband after he surrendered to the Army. There was also M.K. Sivajilingam who is a relative of Prabhakaran. So, the Northern Provincial Council announced it will organise the show. This led to a tug-o-war between the students and the Northern Provincial Council with back and forth news conferences and finger pointing. Surprisingly, a majority of the Northern Provincial Council members were silent. It was the Chief Minister who hogged the limelight. Finally, a compromise was reached with the event being held under the patronage of the Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister C.V. Vigneswaran is a controversial person. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has publicly announced that he won’t be its Chief Ministerial candidate for the upcoming Provincial elections. It is in this backdrop that CVK used the platform at the commemoration to tell certain home truths. It is true the commemoration was held in an open ground with red and yellow streamers flying everywhere. Besides, there was the controversial lighting of the ‘Sudar’ (Eternal lamp). There were also hundreds of youth wearing black T-shirts.

These were all highly provocative acts. But here, the Government is also to blame. After 2015, Tamil hardcore elements and LTTE fellow travellers have been misusing the ‘newfound’ freedom. CVK, the bankrupt politician that he is has been continually tapping into the sentiments of these fringe groups. The irony is, these LTTE elements have used the freedom of expression and newfound space to blast the very government that made it possible.

So what’s the Government’s response to all these? The President or Prime Minister never take on CVK on a personal level unlike Mahinda or Gota who were both strident critics of the Northern CM even when they held high office. This gives the wrong message as it is assumed that CVK is allowed to run roughshod under Yahapalanaya, and LTTE elements have had a second birth is projected. Mahinda, Gota and Basil together with their racist goons and murder squads wait in the wings to take over power as Yahapalanaya is projected as a ‘weak’ and ineffective government. One of the steps that the Government can take is, ban all sorts of public commemorations in the North and South. There should be no celebrations, commemorations or empty speeches by bankrupt, racist politicians. Instead, family members of the deceased can remember their loved ones in temples, kovils and churches. There can be lighting of ‘Pahan’, poojas and services in church. But all victory celebrations and public commemorations should be banned uniformly across the country.

The terrorist conflict of the LTTE has its roots in the anti-Tamil pogrom of July 83. Even though some Southern racists might argue that it was the LTTE which provoked the Sinhalese with the infamous Thinnaveli assault there is no justification for it that the LTTE took on a military target and in response hundreds of thousands of innocent Tamil civilians were victimised. This event turned the Tamil community towards military which later metamorphosed into terrorism.

It is 35 years since those dark events. The Yahapalanaya Government can take measures to declare the last week of July as ‘Ethnic Amity’ week and July 29, 30 or 31 as Ethnic Reconciliation Day. This will be all the more significant as many pathbreaking events of our country’s long conflict took place in the month of July.

Sinhala racists also will be lukewarm in their opposition as many of them try to project the events of July ‘83 as a ‘UNP Project’. Their incredulous argument is that the JRJ Government was so unpopular after the July ‘80 strike and Dec. ‘82 Referendum, so they organised it as a distraction. This is one of the most hilarious stories a person can come across, but that is another story.

As the last week of July is commemorated, January 31 should be designated as a day to remember all the civilians killed in the long conflict. It was on this fatal day in 1996 that the LTTE exploded a massive truck bomb in front of the Central Bank in Colombo, killing nearly 100 innocent people and injuring more than a thousand. Some of the injured were maimed for life as most of them were blinded or disabled. The killed include Vasumathy Somasunderam, a young beautiful pregnant Tamil employee at the Bank. There were so many other Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim and Burgher innocents who perished or were injured that day.

May 18 and 19 are highly divisive dates. In a Tamil mind, even to an enlightened mind opposed to LTTE and its terrorism these dates signify the excesses of the Rajapaksa project. It brings up the ‘Super racist’ ideology of Gota and his death squads to the painful memory of many people.

The Yahapalanaya, to its credit discontinued the grandiose military parades and victory marches. But that is not enough.

The Government must set itself to fight an ‘all out’ war with the racists of both divides – among whom the racists of the South are knocking feverishly on the doors of power. If not Sri Lanka will be doomed forever, come 2020.

- Moli Arasan.

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