{"id":113,"date":"2013-09-23T11:15:53","date_gmt":"2013-09-23T10:15:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/senan.org.uk\/?p=113"},"modified":"2021-01-27T11:16:59","modified_gmt":"2021-01-27T11:16:59","slug":"there-is-something-in-the-air-in-the-north-of-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/senan.org.uk\/?p=113","title":{"rendered":"There Is Something In The Air In The North Of Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"
COLOMBO TELEGRAPH<\/a><\/div>\n
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\u2018It\u2019s a ghost of the past,\u2019 shouted the media in the south. The northern media, however, was relentless in creating the ghost of a new future.<\/p>\n

The North had not seen an election of this kind for decades. In the first and only Northern Province Council (NPC<\/a>) election, held in 1988, a dismal number of people turned out to vote \u2013 so embarrassing that the number of votes were not even widely published!<\/p>\n

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Then the Eelam People\u2019s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) in control of the north, with the Indian army, won all seats. Contrast that to the second NPC election 25 years later. On a 68% turnout 78.48% of the votes went to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) under the party name of Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK). The TNA won 30 out of the 38 contested seats.<\/p>\n

Voting did not take place under normal conditions. The government will most likely use this result to boost their false propaganda that democracy is blossoming in the country. Basil Rajapaksa declared that the very holding of an election in the north is itself a \u2018victory\u2019. But the level of election-related violence and the numerous breaches of electoral rules give the lie to any such claim.<\/p>\n

The reaction of Tamils in the north to the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and their puppet, the Eelam People\u2019s Democratic Party (EPDP), had an element of being a \u2018political revolt\u2019. The ruling party, their candidate, and the authorities tried many tricks \u2013 not to win the election but at least to prevent an outright majority for the TNA.<\/p>\n

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In the run-up to the election President\u00a0Mahinda Rajapaksa<\/a>\u00a0and others in the government even admitted that they will not win. However they hoped to kill two birds with one stone: firstly, in response to critics who oppose his hosting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, he hoped to brag that \u2018free and fair\u2019 elections had been held under his watch in the North for the first time since the 1980s; and secondly, to prove that the government enjoys significant support among Tamil masses. But both \u2018birds\u2019 flew off unharmed.<\/p>\n

During the election campaign the TNA was able to hold meetings and the leading northern daily paper, Uthayan, acted almost as a \u2018party paper\u2019 for the party. However, a number of TNA candidates came under attack and intimidation, in particular\u00a0Ananthi Sasitharan<\/a>, the wife of disappeared political leader of the Tamil Tigers (LTTE). Just a day before the vote, pro-government groups released a bogus Uthayan paper with a headline claiming Ananthi had defected to the government. This was swiftly reported by Dan television \u2013 the only Tamil channel in the country and very pro-EPDP.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of incidents of election violence were recorded, including a number of shootings. These were mainly between the EPDP and the SLFP \u2013 although both stood under the same symbol of betle leaves! Angajan Ramanathan, the SLFP\u2019s Jaffna district organiser, was challenging for the same territory as Douglas Devananda of the EPDP. Douglas even said that not all betle leaves are good \u2013 some are rotten!<\/p>\n

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People are sick and tired of the EPDP who expect to be consulted before anyone carries out even minor tasks in Jaffna. But they now feel able to breathe a bit after Douglas was challenged By Angajan as apparently being a \u2018close friend\u2019 of the president\u2019s son. A number of EPDP thugs were reportedly won over to Angajan\u2019s side, reflecting the jostling for power and position with little regard for principles.<\/p>\n

Both groups fought a number of street battles during the election. It wasn\u2019t \u2018safe\u2019 to be at the pro-government election rallies. One of the main slogans of the ruling party, that they ended the culture of violence, severely backfired.<\/p>\n

\u2018Development\u2019 rhetoric was another key feature that dominated the pro-government propaganda.<\/p>\n

There has been some development since the end of war. However, pro-TNA Uthayan repeatedly reported that this was only possible because of \u2018Indian\u2019 aid.\u00a0 Such vigorous propaganda limited the ruling alliance\u2019s ability to gain from the so-called \u2018development\u2019. Feeling the heat, the SLFP\u2019s leading candidate Angajan Ramanathan attempted to put a pathetic twist on this. He wasn\u2019t only interested in building bridges and roads, he claimed. He also sought the \u2018development of the people\u2019! In the same election speech Angajan went on to claim that his \u201caim is to create a young generation that can think about self-determination\u201d! Having been side-lined by the TNA election campaign offensive, many \u2013 even the ruling party candidates \u2013 resorted to \u2018Tamil nationalism<\/a>\u2019 in the campaign\u2019s last days.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough us you can even achieve Tamil Eelam and the right to self-determination,\u201d declared one ruling party candidate. This reflects the SLFP\u2019s absolute desperation to get votes once the writing was on the wall for the result. Just days before Election Day Suresh Premachandran, a key TNA leader declared: \u201cif you call us Tigers for defending Tamils, we shall be Tigers\u201d. This was carried in a banner headline on the Uthayan\u2019s front page. At the same time the Sinhala media carried news of a court challenge by the racist Buddhist monks\u2019 party to stop the northern election. Despite the enormous resources allocated by the pro-government groups to determine a favourable outcome, the result was sealed for them.<\/p>\n

The masses are no longer prepared to buy the \u2018development\u2019 rhetoric. Unemployment is rising fast in the north. Huge numbers of families are slowly drowning in debt. Small businesses are beginning to suffer as the banks stop lending and deny overdraft facilities. Poverty is widespread. Desperation means people would be ready to vote for the devil if he offered a clear way out of the misery they suffer. But the government and its puppet Douglas Devananda are seen as an obstacle to any relief of the day-to-day suffering.<\/p>\n

EPDP has a reputation as a boneless creature that does not fight for anything that the Tamil masses want and need. Unless you are on the EPDP\u2019s side, you will lose out on everything \u2013 that has been the unwritten law of the north so far. Add to this the pain of the increasing role of the\u00a0Sri Lankan military<\/a>. The military is imposing itself on every aspect of life, including the prize giving day in the schools.<\/p>\n

And of course the election process itself was not immune to galloping militarisation. People reported seeing military personnel putting up posters and bringing people to the ruling party\u2019s meetings in their trucks. SLFP posters are displayed at a number of military camps \u2013 and remained there even after the 19th when electoral rule demands their removal.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Navi Pillay<\/a>\u00a0factor cannot be under-estimated. The visit by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights prior to the election had a significant impact. The Omanthai check-point, a remnant of the war and a major irritant, was removed during the visit. All army personal were withdrawn to their barracks. Further special \u2018decorations\u2019 were made by the government \u2013 in the hope that Navi will at least give them some praise. But her statement that the Rajapaksa government is increasingly dictatorial went down like a bomb-shell.<\/p>\n

Mirroring this was the TNA propaganda that they are engaged in \u2018diplomacy\u2019 with \u2018international community\u2019. The Tamil word \u2018Rajathanthiram\u2019 means bit more than diplomacy \u2013 a kind of Napoleonic manoeuvre. Sumanthiran spoke of this in every meeting. This illusion, created by TNA, will have consequences in the long-run, but for now it has lifted the confidence of the masses. \u201cNavi Pillay came, Omanthai gone,\u201d was how one student acknowledged the reasons for the government defeat.<\/p>\n

People are undoubtedly happy that they no longer live in a war zone. But the government has nothing to heal their wounds. The granting of democratic rights and investment made to create decent jobs and services could have won some votes for the government. If they managed a genuine attempt to reach out to the national aspirations of Tamils, they could have given the TNA a run for its money. But the government\u2019s continued chauvinism and increasing dictatorial measures destroyed all support.<\/p>\n

The vote for the TNA is not a vote for a return to war, as some of the pro-government media reported in the south. It is not a declaration of a \u2018third Eelam war\u2019 as the TNA wanted the Tamils to believe. It is a vote against the government and their corrupt mafia puppets.<\/p>\n

There was no failure on the part of the government to communicate its only partly veiled threats.\u00a0Basil Rajapaksa<\/a>\u00a0said that if the government is not successful the so-called \u2018Uthuru Vasanthaya<\/a>\u2019, the name given by the government to the developments in the north, meaning Northern renaissance, will be stopped. This statement was widely reported in the North and it contributed to the anti-government mood. He also warned that the Sinhala settlements \u2018had not begun\u2019.<\/p>\n

The message of the voters in the north is this \u2013 the regime can be changed. But the TNA has no plans whatsoever to deliver what the people want. Of course the TNA could face repression soon after CHOGM is held in November. The monks\u2019 Jathika Hela Urumaya party has said it will not let the TNA rule. The JHU could stage stunts against the TNA but this could backfire and instead further strengthen TNA support among the Tamil masses.<\/p>\n

Comments made by TNA candidates during the election could be used to nail them \u2018legally\u2019. The justice department has been brought into the wide selection of Rajapaksa family puppets. The ex-Chief Justice was recently\u00a0banned from leaving<\/a>\u00a0the country. Through this the current regime will make sure that the TNA will retain its support among the Tamil masses. It will reinstate the fear and hatred that is already rising. But if certain rights are allowed \u2013 even if only that a certain level of normality returns, peoples expectation would be higher. And of course the TNA will soon be discredited.<\/p>\n

In speech after speech TNA representatives boasted that they have the \u2018international community\u2019 (IC), and India on their side. Among other lies they claimed that if they win the IC\u2019s investments will be directly channelled to the North. This dishonest propaganda successfully hid the rotten role of the Indian state that defends the current regime. At the same time this helped forces in the south to fan the flames of chauvinism using anti-Indian and anti-imperialist rhetoric. A television channel flew the Indian flag just before they announced the NPC results.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0TNA manifesto<\/a>\u00a0was much debated for the reason that it mentioned the \u2018right to self-determination\u2019. But there is nothing in the manifesto on economic policies or a plan to achieve any improvement in people\u2019s living standards. In fact the viciously neoliberal UNP and its leader\u00a0Ranil Wikremesinghe<\/a>\u00a0are basically promoted by the TNA as it fully complies with their economic policies.<\/p>\n

Instead, many TNA leaflets read like typical Tamil funeral notices in the sense that they detailed the candidate\u2019s educational and family background, the names of kith and kin who are known, etc. Sarawanan\u2019s leaflet was one such tragedy \u2013( \u2018Presidency College and Nehru university educated, Colombo university lecturer and brother of TNA leader Suresh Premachandran, Dr Kanthaiya Sarawanan B.A hons (pol.sc), MA, PH.d (senior lecturer), etc.)<\/p>\n

Ironically, the answer came in the speech published in Veerakesari, another leading Tamil daily, on the day of election results in an attempt to glorify ITAK\u2019s history. The speech was made by Rasamanikam in 1972.<\/p>\n

In the speech Rasamanikkam argued for the \u2018complete equal economic policies\u2019.\u00a0 He attacked the 1972 constitution to establish a \u2018socialist republic of Sri Lanka\u2019. We demand \u2018economic equality\u2019 \u2013 we are the real \u2018Sama tharma vathikal\u2019, he declared. We may not expect such a change in the TNA for now, but we must demand they test the limits of any power given to them. They must engage in a vigorous campaign to not just defend the land but also to seek out opportunities to improve the living conditions.<\/p>\n

Only one proper hospital exists in the north for a population of about 1.5 million. The TNA should fight to improve Jaffna hospital conditions and build a new hospital. This and provision of other much-needed services, including support for victims of violence against women, would create jobs and fulfil gaping needs in the community. The TNA should stand strongly against all planned privatisation of services and must oppose the government\u2019s horrendous free trade zones.<\/p>\n

Resettlement and getting the land back to the people and other economic demands are all linked to the national aspiration of the people. \u2018We desire freedom at any cost\u2019 declared Rasamanikkam. But the Tamils have been paying the high cost for decades. Through the NPC election once again they show their willingness to fight on. The TNA\u2019s reputation and support will shatter if they fail to give expression to this desire.<\/p>\n

This regime can be challenged \u2013 this is the message which many in the south want to ignore. \u2018The rumble of discontent can grow into an explosive roar\u2019 writes Mark Amarasinghe in the Times which must be noted. Workers and progressive forces should take this opportunity of a weak moment to strike against the Rajapaksa regime and fight in the best traditions of the Sri Lankan working class.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

COLOMBO TELEGRAPH   \u2018It\u2019s a ghost of the past,\u2019 shouted the media in the south. The northern media, however, was relentless in creating the ghost of a new future. The North had not seen...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/senan.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/senan.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/senan.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/senan.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/senan.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=113"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/senan.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114,"href":"https:\/\/senan.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113\/revisions\/114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/senan.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/senan.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/senan.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}