{"id":194,"date":"2013-09-06T14:04:07","date_gmt":"2013-09-06T13:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/senan.org.uk\/?p=194"},"modified":"2021-01-27T14:05:10","modified_gmt":"2021-01-27T14:05:10","slug":"the-past-is-obdurate-response-to-dayans-response-to-tnas-manifesto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/senan.org.uk\/?p=194","title":{"rendered":"The Past Is Obdurate: Response To Dayan\u2019s Response To TNA\u2019s Manifesto"},"content":{"rendered":"
COLOMBO TELEGRAPH<\/a><\/div>\n
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Leave aside the problem of countering the \u2018bad publicity\u2019 created by\u00a0Navi Pillay<\/a>, the main problem now for the so-called \u2018thinkers\u2019 attached to the Sri Lankan government is about how to handle the northern election. Electoral violence needs to be justified. Most importantly the government needs to prepare for a\u00a0TNA<\/a>-led province and to tackle the possibility of protest and discontent among the youth that is emerging under the shadow of this change.<\/p>\n

For this\u00a0Dayan Jayatilleka<\/a>\u00a0has a solution. To combat the future, travel in a time machine to battle the past as though it\u2019s the presence\u2026 It may sound like science fiction but Dayan is not new to political fictions. Look at the way he takes on the\u00a0TNA\u2019s election Manifesto<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The manifesto will have serious \u2018consequences\u2019, he warns, then goes on to describe parts of it as \u2018morally repugnant\u2019 and a \u2018lie\u2019. This may sound like a typical Dayanist attack, but there is more. We are amused to know none of these attacks were made about new points in the TNA manifesto for the northern provincial elections 2013. All the points in this manifesto he is going on about were also made in the TNA\u2019s 2010 manifesto \u2013 in fact almost the entire manifesto is modelled on the 2001 version!<\/p>\n

While the memories of those slaughtered by his government in 2009 are still burning in our minds as though it happened yesterday, and the four years that have passed make no difference to those who suffer, that\u2019s not the kind of time lapse that the ex-minister for youth affairs in the north east is suffering from. His suffering is to do with the spectre of the\u00a0LTTE<\/a>. After claiming in 2009 that the LTTE was dead and buried, it has been a custom since then for the government and their cronies to summons its ghost to attack and possibly bury the living who dare to oppose them.<\/p>\n

If any electoral disorder takes place in the coming days, the TNA will simply be accused of provoking it. Through this and through the spectre of the LTTE, the government will try to continue its military control in the northern region. Look at the stark warning Dayan delivers. He argues that a \u2018confrontation with Colombo\u2019 is more certain and will \u2018perhaps prove more consequential\u2019 and lead to a \u2018strategic politico-military lockdown\u2019.<\/p>\n

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This should not be taken lightly. This \u2018future vision\u2019 is also shared by Rohan Gunarathna, close ally of the regime and so-called \u2018world expert\u2019 in terrorism. He called the manifesto an \u2018avatar of the LTTE\u2019 at the defence seminar which was organised by the Sri Lanka army.<\/p>\n

Dayan claims that the TNA is susceptible to the \u2018pro-Tiger\u2019 sentiments of sections of the Tamil Diaspora and Tamil Nadu population or to such sentiments within its own ranks or support base\u2019. However, despite the repeated efforts made by almost all the organisations in the Tamil Diaspora to distance themselves from the old methods of the LTTE, and calling for war crimes investigation of both the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government, the Diaspora continues to face vilification as supporters of a \u2018banned\u2019 organisation.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not new, but look at the way the TNA\u2019s support base is also targeted now. The moment TNA gather the storm under their feet, the spectre of LTTE will be used to crack down on them. That\u2019s the summary of Dayan\u2019s message.<\/p>\n

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There is no political criticism in Dayan\u2019s article except a little lecture on \u2018sovereignty\u2019. It is \u2018not shared\u2019 he tells us, but vested in all citizens as a \u2018whole\u2019 \u2013 with further insistence on the \u2018whole\u2019. But he fail to explain how it\u2019s \u2018vested\u2019. From the time of the French revolution to the recent Arab Spring, people have shown how they differentiate the \u2018sovereignty\u2019 of the state with that of their own. We could further debate this with learned Dr Dayan Jayatilleka if he wishes to debate. But one thing is crystal clear \u2013 the Sri Lankan state\u2019s aspirations are not shared by the people as a \u2018whole\u2019. All those oppressed by the current regime do not share Dayan\u2019s cosy living standards and, therefore, motivation. This is why his attempted time travel fails to threaten us.<\/p>\n

But we must also note here the one key aspect of the TNA\u2019s manifesto which Dayan conveniently ignores. This manifesto makes a special effort to appeal to the Muslim population, unlike the passing references in the past. This is significant \u2013 at the time Defence Secretary\u00a0Gotabaya Rajapaksa<\/a>\u00a0is picking out the Muslim population for attack. While welcoming the TNA\u2019s effort, we would also argue that it\u2019s not enough. The TNA should also demand that adequate compensation be given to all Muslims displaced and victimised.<\/p>\n

Furthermore the TNA should come out against the rising caste discrimination in the north and east \u2013 another division that the government wishes to exploit. And of course it should support the Sinhala working class\u2019s struggles against this regime. A number of emerging campaigns in the south have been brutally put down by the regime \u2013 this must be opposed by the TNA.<\/p>\n

Their manifesto could have even gone further in appealing to the poor Sinhala soldiers based in the north and east to quit this government. Enough funds should be made available for those solders to return home, with jobs provided and to lead a decent life without intimidation, restriction and threat of further conscription to the army.<\/p>\n

But of course we cannot expect such revolutionary tactics from the TNA for the foreseeable future. In fact Dayan\u2019s and the likes of him needn\u2019t fear a serious threat from that particular quarter. Sadly, when it comes to providing an economic alternative or perspective, there is not much difference between the SLFP, the UNP or the TNA.<\/p>\n

*TU Senan, Writer and activist based in UK. Author of the book \u2018history of resistance\u2019 and regular contributor to various Tamil magazines. Also an international coordinator of Tamil Solidarity campaign.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

COLOMBO TELEGRAPH Leave aside the problem of countering the \u2018bad publicity\u2019 created by\u00a0Navi Pillay, the main problem now for the so-called \u2018thinkers\u2019 attached to the Sri Lankan government is about how to handle the...<\/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\/194"}],"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=194"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/senan.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":195,"href":"https:\/\/senan.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194\/revisions\/195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/senan.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/senan.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/senan.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}