SriLankais manufacturingdiscontent
among the Muslim minority on an
industrialscale.TheSinhalamajoritarian
polityof Sri Lanka,whichdemonisedthe
Tamilsevenaftertheendof thewar,is
doingexactlythe samewiththe Muslims.
THEETHNICDIVIDE
Theresultof all thisis likelyto be felt by all
Sri Lankans:the Aprilbombingshavethe
potential to wipeout all the gainsmadeby
the nationsince2009,whenthe LTTEwas
annihilated. Muslims are well-entrenched
in theeconomy andthepolitical and
administrative structure of Sri Lanka
(most state intelligence field officers
during theheyday of the LTTE were
Muslims).
The Tamils, the other prominent
minority group, feelthattheyarenot
obligedto takeup the caseof the Muslims
because of distrust fromthe waryears. The
Tamilsregardthe Muslims (who also
speakTamil)withsuspicionbecausethe
Muslims “collaborated” withthe Sinhalese
governmentduringthewaryears.The
LTTEeven carriedouta massacre of
Tamil-speaking Muslims in 1990 in
Kattankudy. TheTigers alsoorderedall
Muslims out of the Jaffna peninsula.
(Theylatersettledin thenorth-western
townof Puthalam.)No prominentTamil
groupof thattimeopposedthis.
Thecommunal divideis a relatively
newbutfast-developingfaultlineandit
sits on top of the massiveethnicdivide. Sri
Lankahasnotbeenableto arriveat a
negotiatedsettlement of the “national
question”—the demandof the Tamilsfor a
federalset-upin Sri Lanka in whichtheir
hopesandaspirationscanbe realised.One
of themajor promisesof the national
governmentthatassumedofficein 2015wasthatit
would implement the 13th Amendment to the
Constitution.
The13thAmendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution
devolves powersto the Tamil-dominatedNorthern and
EasternProvinces andwaspartof an accordsignedby Sri
Lankan PresidentJ.R. JayawardeneandPrimeMinister
RajivGandhi in 1987.It remainsthe onlyhopefor some
autonomyfor theTamilsof Sri Lanka. RajivGandhi’s
defeatin the 1989 general electionandthesubsequent
instabilityin the Indian politygaveSri Lankathe escape
routeit waslookingfor.RajivGandhi’s assassinationin
1991 andIndia’slackof interestin the issueduring P.V.
Narasimha Rao’stenureas PrimeMinisterbetween 1991
and 1996 ensured thatIndiadidnot pushforward
implementationof the accord.
Also,as majoritarianpassions rosein SriLanka
following the accord, it wasveryclearthat
therewasno possibilityof the Amendment
beingimplemented.Withthe defeatof the
LTTEin 2009,thegovernmentis under
no serious pressure to concede any
demandof the Tamils.
ModerateTamilpoliticalleaders are
ready to cooperate and are deeply
committed to a fair politicalsolution,TNA
leaderR. SampanthantoldParliament in
Marchthisyear.
“Youmadecommitmentsthatyouwill
evolve an acceptable political solution
oncethe warcameto an end,butthathas
not yet happened, despite Tamil
moderates once again giving you the
fullest support to achieve that. Tamil
peopleare committedto a just,reasonable
politicalsolutionandwe willdo all thatwe
can to achievethat objective. We are
committed to ensuring thatif the process
of findinga politicalsolutionends in
failure,thefailureis notattributedto us.
Wewillremain committed to a political
solution within the framework of an
undivided,indivisiblecountry,”he said.
Sampanthanandhis colleaguesin the
TNA have been trying to push for a
solutionthroughParliament.Eachnew
government makespromisesbut has never
risento fulfil them. This time too, despitea
lot of progress in parliament,
implementationis notin sight.
Time is tickingfor the fracturedTamil
politytoo.Sampanthan, whois 86,has
spenthis timein Parliament tryingto push
for a settlementof the Tamilproblem.He
holdsthe Tamilalliancetogetherwithhis
tact,understanding,patienceandsheer
forceof personality.ButSampanthanis
disappointed with the current set of
leaders, especiallyafter the attempted
parliamentarycoupof October 26, 2018.At the endof the
whole exercise, theonlygroup thatlostoutwasthe
Tamils: Sampanthan was ousted as Leader of the
Oppositionwithoutnoticeandtheseatwasgivento
MahindaRajapaksa.
On June 9 thisyear,the TNA’s topleadership called
on PrimeMinisterNarendra Modiat IndiaHousein
Colombo. The four leaders who accompanied
Sampanthan were Mavai Senathirajah, Selvam
Adaikalanathan, D. SiddarthanandSumanthiran.While
theyare all leadersin theirownright,theydo not havethe
acceptabilitythatSampanthanenjoys to holdthe alliance
together.Thisis the definingcrisisin the country’sTamil
leadership.
Thereis alsotheoutlier,formerNorthernProvince
Chief MinisterC.V.Vigneswaran, wholefttheTNAto
formhis ownparty.In a countrywitha proportionalR.V.MOORTHYFORMEREastern
ProvinceGovernor
M.L.A.M.Hizbullah.THEHINDUTNALEADER
R.Sampanthan.HANDOUTFOREIGNAffairsMinister
MangalaSamaraweera.