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Tamils wanted a political solution within an undivided Sri Lanka – Mano Ganeshan
Thu, 2012-06-28 18:52 — maadya
 By K.T.Rajasingham

Colombo, 28 June, (Asiantribune.com):

Tamils only wanted reasonable and acceptable political solutions within an undivided country.
India a regional power is against the concept of a divided country. Therefore what is the fear
and why the government is foot-dragging in coming up with an acceptable political solution,
asked Mano Ganeshan.

The Leader of the Democratic Front Mano Ganeshan said the solution to the Tamil issue is long
overdue and the Government must come forward with an acceptable solution, without any delay.
He insisted that the Government should come forward to hold the Northern Provincial Council
election without further delay. He said while talking with the there was a Government
announcement that the Subragamuwa, North Central and Eastern Provincial Councils would be
dissolved this midnight and date for the elections would be announced soon.

Mano Ganeshan insisted that the Government should come forward to hold the Northern Provincial
Council election without further delay. He said that Government should stop giving flimsy
excuses for not holding the Northern Provincial Council election.

He pointed out that the very election department which has to conduct the provincial Council
elections in the North, has already held three elections very successfully. They are the
President Election, General Elections for the Parliament and the local government elections and
they were held without any incidents. When speaking about Muslims he said they wanted to be a
part of the solutions but they are not coming forward for any political struggle to win the
political solutions. He said that the resolution that was adopted in Geneva was not against the
country.

The resolution insisted on the good governance, rule of law, protection of human rights,
reasonable political solutions to the ethnic issue with reasonable political power within an
undivided Sri Lanka. These go not only to help the Tamils but also the Sinhalese and the
Muslims. This is the true position. And this position was not properly understood by the Muslims
and the Sinhalese leaders. He condemned the Government with regard to the incident at Thiru
Murukandy, where the displaced people were not allowed to settle down in their own villages.
He criticized the act of forcefully loading the displaced families in the waiting busses and put
them back in the Menik Farm located in Vavuniya. He said this single act has exposed the
government’s rehabilitation program of the internally displaced people.

Given below the full text of the interview  Asian Tribune  had with Mano Ganesan, the leader of the Democratic Peoples Front:

Mano Ganeshan: The Government should realize that it is high time for a reasonable political
solution and now we are living in this post-war era and the Tamil population suspect the
activities and the opinions made by the senior partners of the Government, such as Minister
Champika Ranawaka of the JHU, the NSF led by Minister Wimal Weerawansa and also by its
supportive organization National Patriotic Movement led by Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera.
Deafeat of the Tamils On the other hand the LTTE has been defeated militarily. So this defeat,
even during the war and after the war, the Government’s official position was that this is a war
against LTTE and not against the Tamils and subsequently the defeat is of the LTTE and not of
the Tamil people and that is what President told in the Parliament and I was seated there.

 But in reality, it is not so and we regretfully and sadly wish to state that the Governments
actions are on the other side. The defeat of the LTTE has been systematically been given
different meaning and it has been considered as the defeat of the Tamils and not only the defeat
of the Tamils, also of the Muslims and not only Muslims, it was also the defeat of Christians
too. On the other hand it has been considered as the victory of the Sinhalese Buddhist
population of this country.

Political Solution to the ethnic issues within an undivided Sri Lanka
Tamil leaders have repeatedly said inside and outside the parliament and inside Sri Lanka and
outside Sri Lanka, that the Tamils are prepared for a settlement within an undivided Sri Lanka
and the world forces - the United States of America, India and EU Countries and many other
Governments are playing the role of underwriters . The Tamil political parties have pledged to
find a solution within the undivided Sri Lanka and it is guaranteed by the so called
international forces. On the other hand any sane person in Sri Lanka - Sinhalese or Tamils or
Muslims must understand that India will never agree to the creation of a separate state within
Sri Lanka. Even if in the future sometimes, let us assume, that the Sinhala population here
agrees to the creation of a separate state or another country in the island of Sri Lanka, India
would not agree to that, because that goes against the Indian interests. Then why do you worry?
What is the problem with you? I am asking the Sinhala extremists. Muslims wants to be a part of
the solution but not coming forward for any political struggle It is hurting very much the
Tamils and it has started hurting the Muslims community also. Muslims community today is not a
happy community.

I am not a Muslim, but I am a friend of the Muslims. Only on the other day, I made a comment
which has gone very deep in the midst of the Muslims. At the Poet Kanndasan’s memorial event
held in Colombo, I made certain comments about the Muslims community. I said Muslims are today
seeking placements in the political solutions and also they are seeking a separate party status
in the respective discussion about the national questions. Though they are seeking placements
and though they wanted to be part of the solution, but they are not prepared to be part of the
political struggle. It is unfortunate. In fact Muslim people are my brothers and sisters and
they are misled by the Muslim leaders in Sri Lanka.

Geneva Resolution on Sri Lanka

 Recently we saw the Geneva Resolution and we belief that the resolution was not against Sri
Lanka as a country. It was only a resolution which was trying to put things into order in Sri
Lanka in respects of Human Rights, political solution, good governance, rule of law etc.,. These
goals were picked up from the LLRC recommendations and observations.

But the Muslim population and large number of Sinhalese populations are misled by their leaders
for political reasons. They were brought to Colombo and they were forced to take part in massive
protest rallies against the so called international conspiracy. They said even the leaders of
this country are going to be taken to The Hague and are going to be put on the electric chair.
Nothing of that sort happened.

In fact there is the international pressure machinery. This machinery is not only there to help
the Tamils but also the Muslims and the Sinhalese too. The good Governance, rule of law,
protection of human rights, reasonable political solutions to the ethnic issue with reasonable
political power within an undivided Sri Lanka. These go not only to help the Tamils, but also
the Sinhalese and the Muslims. This is the true position and this position was not properly
understood by the Muslims leaders and by the Sinhalese leaders. So the Geneva resolution was not
against Sri Lanka as a country, but it was only concerned about the miss-journey of the
Government of Sri Lanka.

Thiru Murukandy and the Internally Displaced Tamils

 I also wish to state that only two days ago, not two days it was yesterday (Tuesday) our party
was there along with Tamil National Alliance, Tamil National People’s Front, Nava Sama Samja
Party led by Wickremabahu Karunaratne, United Socialist Party led by Sritunga Jayasuriya in
Thiru Murukandy, located in the A 9 road, in the border of Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi district.
The displaced persons who are living in the Menik Farm camp were assured of resettlement in a
very gala event held in Vavuniya, which was with the participation of Namal Rajapaksa MP,
Minister Rishad Bathiyutheen and the Governor Chandrasri and many other Government politicians
and officials.

When these Thiru Murukandy people came to Thiru Murukandy village with the desire of going to
their own lands, they had a rude shock. The Army people at the entry point refused entry and
told the people to go and settle elsewhere, far away from their original village. This was
because Army was building cantonments in Thiru Murukandy village. Now we can see army buildings are coming up there. Since the Army has occupied that place and army is telling the people to go and settle elsewhere. But the people refused and adamantly stayed back temporarily in the Thiru
Murukandy Hindu Tamil vidyalayam. When this issue came up, the Tamil parties and the southern
leftist parties decided to protest yesterday (Tuesday).

But, day before yesterday night, Army personnel came in large numbers and forcefully loaded
these people into the waiting buses and took them again to the Menik Farm. According to our
information army has taken away back to the Menik farm camp in Vavuniya, about 25 families who
were to be resettled in their lands in the Thiru Murukandy village.
In fact, this high handed act of the Army, very much exposed Sri Lanka Government’s resettlement
policy. I am very sad over this development. Under these circumstances we are unable to convince
the extremist forces in the Tamil side to agree for settlements within an undivided Sri Lanka.

Fears of the Sinhala Politicians and Media The Government Ministers and politicians and most of
the Sinhalese media always wonder and worry about the Sinhala extremist forces and the Sinhala
fears and they think any amount of devolution of powers given to the Tamils would end up and
lead to separation.

One good example is that recently the President of the National Patriotic Movement Dr. Gunadasa
Amarasekera opposed conducting the Northern Provincial Council Elections. This provincial
council election is long overdue and pending. Even today (Wednesday) while I am speaking with
you, the Government announced that by midnight today Subragamuwa, North Central and Eastern
Provincial councils are to be dissolved and soon the elections date will be announced. But the
Government should have come forward to conduct the Northern Provincial Council election, because
the period of those three Councils which are to be dissolved expires only by next March / April
and they are being dissolved prematurely.

But elections to the Northern Provincial Council are long overdue and the Government is coming
up with flimsy and unacceptable excuses for not holding the elections. Whereas this very
election department conducted three elections in the Northern Province – President Elections,
General Elections for Parliament and the recent local Government elections. But when the issue
of elections for the Northern Provincial Councils arises, the government comes up with all kind
of unacceptable excuses. Dr, Gunadasa Amarasekera harps that having the Provincial Council
Elections in North is more dangerous. He says Provincial Council election in the Northern
Province should not be conducted and in case if it is conducted and captured by the TNA, it
would lead to Eelam. This is only their imaginary fear. The Tamil population is an underdog in
this country for a very long period.

 - Asian Tribune –