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Feb. 17, 2005 Sri Lanka has been a failed state for the past 25 odd years mainly because it has been unable to provide a normal life for most of the Tamils and Muslims citizens of the North and Eastern provinces of the island. It has failed to free them from the murderous clutches of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) terrorists, which is an internationally proscribed outfit. Sri Lanka has also been unable to stop the LTTE from extorting money from Tamil expatriates. ‘A failed state results when the leadership and institutions of the state are weakened and discredited to the point where the state can no longer fulfill its responsibilities or exercise sovereign power over the territory within its borders’*. In a functioning state the ruling regime has a monopoly over the administration as well as use of force or organized violence. Not only does Sri Lanka not have administrative control over these areas but the present government has also become an active accomplice in the creation of a racist and Marxist state for this internationally banned terrorist organization the LTTE. The government is the midwife in the birth of this treacherous child. The government and the people of Sri Lanka should not lose sight of that fact the proposed Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) for the Northern and Eastern provinces which will be administered solely by the LTTE will lead to the creation of a separate state in the same way the Palestinian Authority is leading to the creation of an independent and internationally recognized Palestinian state in 2008. The late exPresident of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat who was once a terrorist was till 2003 hailed by the international community as statesman and even shared the Nobel Peace Prize, a prize coveted by the Sri Lankan exPrime Minster, Ranil Wickremesinghe as well as the LTTE leader, V. Prabakaran. Incidentally the Noble Peace prize is awarded by Norway not Sweden! A similar secessionist dynamic is unfolding in Africa’s largest country, The Sudan, where the accord that ended its civil war allows for the Christian and animist south to hold a referendum within six years to determine whether to remain part of the Arab and Islamic dominated Sudan or become independent. How many more impoverished small states can the world afford? None. We have to appreciate that the LTTE leader V. Prabakaran is the most unfortunate man in Sri Lanka. Unlike the rest of us he can never walk the streets of the county without armies of bodyguards. Can the man who cannot enjoy his own physical freedom fight for the freedom of others? Can he exist within a democratic political system? No, he has to wage war for his personal survival. Prabakaran has ordered the killing of so many of his political rivals mostly former Tamil militant leaders who subsequently renounced violence and tried to fulfill the legitimate aspirations of the Tamils through the democratic process. Their supporters want revenge. Prabakaran will sacrifice anyone or anything to achieve his selfish dream of becoming the head of state of Eelam at any cost. Perpetual peace within the unitary state of Sri Lanka will be a suicide for Prabakaran as he will be taken apart piece by piece by his enemies both in Sri Lanka and in the region. His death like that of the Angolan rebel, Jonas Savimbi is the only way to end this needless conflict without dividing Sri Lanka. Is this a peace or piece process? It may be an appeasement process. India The second sin that the Sri Lankan government is committing with the tacit support of the opposition is selling the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country to India, which created this unnecessary conflict in Sri Lanka in the first place. India created the problem so it should be part of the solution. Is there any other county in South Asia including the two landlocked states of Bhutan and Nepal where the leaders run to India at the first sign domestic trouble? Sri Lanka where is your self-respect? Sri Lanka has granted visa free travel to Indians while India has not reciprocated. If India is concerned about the LTTE traveling to India if such a concession was offered then she is fully aware that India is closer from the North and East rather than from Sri Lanka’s only international airport, which is much to the South-West of the country. Terrorism and tourism are two sides of the same coin as both also bring decay and decadence. This visa-free travel has also led to Sri Lanka becoming the hub of South Asian human smuggling to the West. Human smuggling one of the best money-makers for the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government is once again assisting it in this regard. This means that is it now almost impossible for a Sri Lankan to legally obtain a visa for the West. All Western states may soon make is compulsory for Sri Lankans to be finger printed before we enter their borders. How much more humiliation will the government put us through? India and the LTTE are currently running Sri Lanka. Indian and Indians have bought the Sri Lankan economy in the same way Germany and Germans have purchased the economy of neighbouring Austria. Indian intelligence agents are now present in Sri Lanka in massive numbers. One way to check the influence of India may be to involve China as well as the United States in the peace process. More and more Indians are now holding top jobs in Sri Lanka. Is Sri Lanka facing a shortage of skilled labour that we have decided to employ Indians who now come to our country and humiliate us? Does Lanka IOC stand for Lanka, Indian Occupied Country (IOC). However, Sri Lanka should maintain good relations with India but this should be based on mutual respect and not on master slave terms, as is currently the case. In this regard the relationship between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom can serve as a model. Let us not forget that there is a conflict in Northern Ireland as well. Nature decided to keep India and Sri Lanka physically separate, building a bridge would be a historical error? India is not the United States and Sri Lanka is not Mexico. The main achievement of the previous government was to sell the North and East of Sri Lanka to the LTTE and the rest of the country to India. Sri Lankans still naively vote not realizing the main job of the government is to defend the rights of corporations. International Community By involving the international community in a short- sighted manner in the peace process or the piece process, as it is popularly known, the Sri Lankan government has only delayed the necessity of resolving the conflict. We have to appreciate why it cannot be resolved by peaceful means. The international community has so far suggested a band-aid solution and the pledge of aid will only aggravate the situation as it is dealing with the effect and not with the cause. Millions of Dollars to fund the nascent LTTE state that will be repaid with interest by the neighbouring state, Sri Lanka! The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The Sri Lankan government has helped to introduce and legitimise the LTTE terrorists in the eyes of the international community and it is ironic that the representative of states such as Japan are meeting with the LTTE on Sri Lankan territory without a Sri Lankan government representative being present at such meetings. The current and previous peace processes can be compared to the passing of countless resolutions by the United Nations Security Council which ultimately became a paper factory till the United States and its allied took decisive military action against Iraq. The Security Council proved its impotence and relegated itself to a talking shop. Will the Sri Lankan government do the same? Is the Sri Lanka state rewarding terrorism? The LTTE is aware that the Sri Lankan government is negotiating for a position of great weakness and with no self-esteem and that LTTE will always exploit this to its best advantage. Societal Impact One of the many ill effects of the conflict is the creeping spread of fundamentalist Christianity and radical Islam in this traditionally tolerant, Buddhist-Hindu nation. This is because most of those killed in combat are you poor Buddhist and Hindu men who mainly join the army or terrorist force for economic. This has resulted in the proliferation of many households headed by women, who are then vulnerable to inducement for conversions by these evangelical groups. When people are desperate they need a God. Men make gods and women worship them. These two movements have also led to the indigenisation of consumerism and materialism. These two religions are based on anthropocentrism while Buddhism and Hinduism are based on biocentrism. This unnecessary and fratricidal conflict between the latter two groups has created a fertile ground for the former two groups. The Sri Lankan government is currently engaged in the most dangerous from of self-deception. There are two ways to resolve this problem (i) Guarantee Prabakaran’s personal safety and safe passage to a third country. (ii) Gather an international coalition of the willing and wage a war of liberation for the Tamil people. Can the Sri Lanka president restore full sovereignty over the country? Can the government stop the suffering of the minority Tamils and Muslims in the North and East? Can Sri Lankan politicians and diplomats persuade states not just to talk about peace in Sri Lanka but also wage war for peace? No In fact is it alarming to read media reports that representatives of the Sri Lankan government are proactively working to get states such as Australia and others to lift their ban of the LTTE. Who do they represent Sri Lanka or a terrorist organization? This also comes as a time when Sri Lanka has consistently failed get top US officials to visit the Island. They visit the rest of South Asia but never Sri Lanka. Only Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage comes to Sri Lanka. A war for peace will be a good opportunity of the United States to also show the world that its war against terrorism is not is war against Islam, which has been the case so far. Unlike states, which mainly pursue their narrow national interests, terrorists groups work together. Let us not forget that the LTTE shot down to military aircrafts in April 1995 using American Stinger missiles bought from Afghanistan. The LTTE has also carried out the most number of suicide bombings in the world, 241 so far. It cannot also be stressed enough that the LTTE is not the sole representative of the Tamils of the North and East of the Island in anyway. A free and fair election in the North and Eastern provinces should help to set the record straight once and for all. In fact the LTTE has over the past 25 years showed itself to be their worst enemy. Child abduction and extortion are not characteristics of a liberation movement. Those who talk about a Cyprus-like solution to this conflict must not forget that Cyprus in it current state is not a solution but a problem. The time to jaw jaw is over and now it is once again time to war war-Armageddon. The Sinhala-Buddhist and Tamil-Hindu nations have lived together in harmony for thousands of years, however, our decline began with the arrival of the first Europeans in 1505. This year 2005 marks the 500th year since their arrival and now nearly 60 years after independence we are still ruled by an anglicized feudal elite – a Walaocaracy! The rise of Buddhist nationalism is a direct reaction to that and that is why monks are entering the parliament in record numbers. This can be compared to the rise of the BJP and Hindutva in India, however, this could be prevented it the politicians put the national interests before their personal interests. Politics in the most profitable business in Sri Lanka and the monks are also getting a taste of it – a taste of paradise. The recent tsunami has once again shown us how Sri Lankans in position of power are enriching themselves from this tragedy. The aid that is sent to help the needy is lining the pockets of the greedy. Why are we hoarding? Why are we so insecure about tomorrow? In Sri Lanka there is enough for every ones need but not enough for any ones greed. Is it the case that to be Sri Lankan is to be insecure? Bibliography Mahathir bin, M. (1970) The Malay Dilemma, Asia Pacific Press, Singapore Singer, H.W & Ansari, J.A. (1982) Rich and Poor countries, Boston, Allen & Unwin, London Sharansky, N. et al (2004) The Case For Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror, Pubic Affairs, New York *Stoddard, A. (2000) Ethnonationalism and the Failed State: Sources of Civil State Fragmentation in the International Political Economy, e-merge: A Graduate Journal of International Affairs, Volume 4, Carleton University, Canada http://www.carleton.ca/e-merge/docs_vol3/articles/Ethnonationalism%20and%20the%20FailedState.rtf ------------ About the author: Mr. Ravindra Wickremasinghe is the Foreign News Editor of The Business Standard newspaper of Sri Lanka. Email: ravindrabdw@hotmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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