By
Nadira Gunatilleke
The Executive Presidency is a must for Sri Lanka and it is essential for the country’s security and stability. If we have a Prime Ministerial system, the Ministers will be horse traded. This will make the country unstable and open to attack from anti Sri Lanka elements. Whether we like it or not, the Executive Presidency provides stability, efficiency and helps protect the country’s sovereignty. The Executive Presidency and the Legislature should remain separate just as it exists now. Mixing up these two will create instability. The 21 million Sri Lankans will have a secure and stable future only if we continue with the Executive Presidency. If we go back to the past, the country will be plunged back to war and destruction as was experienced before 2009. Unfortunately, Sri Lankans have very short memories. We cannot allow the country to return to the dark era, Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Batticaloa Organizer Arun Tambimuttu told the Daily News during a recent interview.
Excerpts:
Q: The decision of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to annul the EU regulations proscribing the LTTE is one of the latest significant developments in connection with the security of people living all over the world, especially in the EU and in Sri Lanka. Please comment.
A: The decision of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to annul the EU regulations proscribing the LTTE raises a number of questions. The first question is the timing of it. It was done prior to the Presidential Election in Sri Lanka and the General Election in U.K. The motive of this act is also questionable. Today there is permanent peace in Sri Lanka after more than 30 years of bloodshed. Sri Lankans suffered at the hands of the barbaric LTTE which bombed buses, trains etc., and hacked to death infants, pregnant mothers, elders and sick people. The people are now rebuilding their lives and the country is developing very fast.
But still the pro LTTE elements and anti Sri Lankan elements all over the world are very much active. A large number of European citizens of Sri Lankan origin are living in peace without fear and intimidation on the part of LTTE fund raisers, who go around collecting funds from innocent people by force. Both Sri Lankans and the people of Sri Lankan origin living in Europe will be at risk now.
I also believe that the defenders in this case, the UK Government, the Dutch Government as well as the EU had not put through a vigorous case in order to retain the ban. Therefore, the lifting of the ban is a threat to people living all over the world.
Q: The boycott of the functions attended by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the North by Northern Province Chief Minister C. V. Wigneshwaran is a push for separatism. How do you interpret this?
A: One of the most remarkable matters is that in the 1970s, 1980s and in 1990s, the Tamil community lived in the North always complained that the leaders of Sri Lanka did not visit Jaffna. When the President visits and stays in Jaffna holding several meetings with the representatives of the Jaffna people, while inaugurating new development projects and offering solutions to the issues brought before him by local representatives, such as, Pradeshiya Sabha Chairmen etc., politicians resort to this kind of action. Politicians who boycotted those meetings squandered a good opportunity to provide relief to their own people through the President. Lack of street lamps is one such issue solved by the President. Pradeshiya Sabhas do not pay light bills because they do not have money. The politicians who boycotted those meetings ill treated their own people who brought them to power.
The Northern Provincial Council ignores the development that can be done for the benefit of their own people who voted for them. Over Rs. 100 million is available to the Northern PC to carry out development work. But the Provincial Councillors have missed a golden opportunity. Even after having been defeated at the Northern Provincial Council, the UPFA Government is doing its best to develop the province and assist the Tamil people. The TNA is playing to the gallery. They are playing politics. They are financed by London, Paris, Toronto and Vancouver and they have forgotten the Northern people who voted them in to power.
Q: It was revealed that a conspiracy has been hatched to pump foreign sourced LTTE funds to Sri Lanka in order to use undemocratic tactics for regime change during the upcoming Presidential Election. Please comment.
A: This is not only about President Mahinda Rajapaksa. This is something that goes beyond that. Unfortunately, there is a group of people in the Tamil diaspora who want to remove President Mahinda Rajapaksa and drag this country into a period of misery again. They need to do this according to their agenda. They have seen what happened during the past elections. President Rajapaksa got a massive number of votes and was elected. It is same with the UPFA. These elements know very well that they cannot meet their sinister motives in a democratic manner.
What these groups of persons want is to destabilize Sri Lanka and create havoc here just like in the past. They want to destroy Sri Lanka and establish a separate state in the North. If we have this same stability for another five years, no country in the world will be able to defeat or create troubles for Sri Lanka. But a weaker Sri Lanka is easy to dominate. This is behind all talks about war crimes etc. No anti Sri Lankan element has given up the pipe dream of destroying Sri Lanka. This is the main objective of extremists groups and elements with vested interests which support them.
I am a Tamil. I left Sri Lanka with a lot of sorrow and returned with a lot of hope. I saw the situation that existed before 2009 and the changes that had taken place after 2009. I am worried about the future safety and stability of this country if there is a regime change. In 2001, they tried to destabilize the country and failed and now the same elements are talking about war crimes, human rights etc.
Q: Why is the Executive Presidency important when it comes to preventing the rise of terrorism and separatism?
A: The Executive Presidency is a must for Sri Lanka. It is essential for the country’s future well-being. In a Prime Ministerial system, the ministers will be horse traded. This will further make the country unstable and vulnerable to enemy attacks. It is a fact that the Executive Presidency provides efficiency and stability. The Executive Presidency and the Legislature should remain separate as it exists at present. Mixing up these two features will be a recipe for disaster.
The 21 million Sri Lankans will have a secure and stable future only if we continue with the Executive Presidency. If we return to the dark era, the country will be plunged into another terrorist war and face a similar situation that existed before 2009. Unfortunately, Sri Lankans have a very short memory when it comes to remembering those dark days.
Q: What do you have to say about the progress made in the implementation of the LLRC recommendations?
A: Many recommendations in the LLRC report have already been implemented. Recently, Secretary to the President Lalith Weerathunga announced that a special committee will be appointed to review the progress. If you go through the government’s programs during the last few years, you can see that many of the LLRC recommendations are being implemented. But you cannot implement everything within two or three years. There is no time frame mentioned in the LLRC report. These things cannot be implemented instantly because there are certain outstanding issues. The 13th Amendment is one such example.
The Iranamadu tank had not been renovated for many years. It is vital to provide water for the people living in the North. The TNA Parliamentarians try their best to prevent this development project from being implemented. The TNA is denying water to the people living in the North. We have to remember that the humanitarian operation had to be launched because the LTTE denied water to the people living in the East. The TNA is doing today what the LTTE did to the people in the past. The UPFA Government has implemented very important projects that were not even mentioned in the LLRC report.
Q: Destroying all links between the Sinhala and Tamil communities was one of the most successful tactics used by the LTTE in order to cultivate suspicion and misunderstandings. Now that these links have been re-established, what is your opinion about this?
A: When you look at the history of militancy from the inception, the main objective of the LTTE was alienating the Tamil people from the Sri Lankan government and the Sinhala and Tamil people. The LTTE used land mines to alienate the people from the Police and Armed Forces and also hung people on lamp posts if they spoke with policemen. They destroyed telephone towers and exploded bombs on buses, trains etc. The main symbol of their strategy was destroying the Yal Devi train and the railway track which connected the two communities in the North and South. A child born and living in Jaffna during last 25 years has never seen a train in reality. They have seen trains only on television and in newspapers. These children did not have a normal life with normal facilities such as train travel etc. The LTTE ensured that the suspicion, hatred etc., had taken deep root in the Tamil community during the last 30 years. The LTTE was very successful in brainwashing people. They built a picture portraying the Sinhala people as brutal and anti Tamil, in the minds of the Tamil community. These types of ideas had been engraved in their hearts and minds. They made sure that all contacts between the Tamil and Sinhala communities were estranged.
Q: The Yal Devi train service to Jaffna re-commenced after 24 years. How will strengthen the close Sinhala-Tamil ties that existed for decades before the birth of the LTTE?
A: I have been travelling to the North and East since the end of the humanitarian operation. I can see an excellent road network. An amazing change has been taking place during the past five years. Now, anybody can travel to the North and East in a few hours. It took 14 to 15 hours to travel to these provinces in the past using undeveloped roads. Some modern facilities available to the people of the North are not even available in some developed countries. The Yal Devi is the pride of Jaffna. The Tamil community always look at the Yal Devi with pride. The train helps them transport agricultural and other products to the Colombo market. The produce of the Sinhala people can be transported to the North for sale with the relaunching of the Yal Devi service.
Earlier, the Tamil community did not like the National flag. They considered it as something outside their reality and holding or hoisting it portrayed them as traitors. This is because the LTTE emotionally blackmailed them. But, it is amazing to see Tamil people holding the National flag with pride. This is really heart warming. Today, we can see what is actually in the hearts of the Tamil people. Even though the LTTE separated them from the Sinhalese, their friendship towards the Sinhala people has not changed even after 30 years of terrorist conflict. This was amply evident in the faces of old Tamil women and men who held and waved National flags during the opening of the Jaffna railway station. The feeling was genuine.
In the past, the Tamil community living in Jaffna yearned for a visit of the Head of State which never materialised. President Mahinda Rajapaksa travelled to Jaffna by train and stayed there for three days enjoying the culture, life style and everything that belongs to the Tamil people. Jaffna has now become an integral part of Sri Lanka.
Q: What do you think about the ‘Jayalalithaa Jayaram’ story reported in almost all local and international media recently?
A: Jayalalithaa Jayaram used Sri Lanka as a political tool. She used the natural affinity of her voters towards the Northern Tamil community in Sri Lanka. She used the misery of Sri Lankan people to boost her political career. She had misused millions of rupees belonging to the innocent poor people of Tamil Nadu who have many problems. But, the Indian political leaders have today realized that they have to solve the problems of their own people while allowing Sri Lanka solve its internal problems our own way.
Courtesy:Daily News