Comments on: Understanding the National Question as a Pre-Democratic Problem: A Skeptical Note on the Southern Reform agenda

By: Jayalath

Jayalath — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 09:37:00 +0000

Dear . Gurupan .
I can understand that how you have felt to speak out in this level , and as you have accepted that military defeat is done but still the Tamil self determination movement is alive . Which reminds me when the Jvp struck 71 and since then it took another 20 years until the next strike was happened which was 20 years between them , but the struggle was never met an end and it is still alive and we all are still vulnerable . Why it is still there ?
When it was struck on 71 that many people not knew what it was for , although it was against the capitalists and for so called project that many people had no idea what it is and whom it is for . So , it gave an easy go to the regime at that time to suppress at the dawn
.Then, , it was struck again after 20 years . Which struck this time like a tsunami and it cost more than 100 thousand lives and uncountable damage to the socialist political movement in Sri Lanka , literarily the socialism was refuged in own political aspiration in the country and the regime at that time became like killer whales in the ocean ,there wasn’t the pardon or compassion , human valuation ran through the drains and the devils were become to worship by people first time which was a common prescription at that horror time . And people began to hate socialism and communism because the majority people had no knowledge of what was it for and whom and they thought the way that Jvp politically did during this time was the way to socialism therefor it was hate by ordinary people . as they only experienced the death and atrocities instead the socialism which was fair and reasonable to think on people’s perspective , finally , As a result of lack of deep engagement with people the movement targeted by killer whales .lately mid 90s the movement’s self criticism released with collection of survivals and in there they confessed to justify what they done which was denied by mass of people which the election was evidence lately .
However , I hope you will not misunderstand the objectives of these two movements which led to two different purports ,
but I clearly see one thing from your write up which is the still alive the Tamil self determination movement although it was militarily defeated by regime .
Therefore , I understand your theoretical challenge to the all regimes in the past and present in term of Tamil Minority issue . And ALSO ,
i see the logical reasons to your quest as well . which has been reasoning to unimaginable loss of lives and properties around the country for decades .
However , there are few questions arise after read out your piece of write . Which I would mind to ask you not in the offensive manner . In fact ,I also expect to hear from you as clear as possible to understand .
As you have described in the article that you directly refer the blame to singhala Buddhist project for all these messes . And once again you blame for the majoritarian where I see that 2/3 of Sri Lankan population is singhalese , hence , isn’t it normal to be elected majority from the majority and in the minorities and their religion,s perspective what would you see all over the cities in the country , don’t you sight mosques , Kovils and Churches more than Buddhist temples ?
In such a scenario , what made you to say that Buddhists are intolerance and dominative . ( except few nut cases) from there your dissatisfaction toward CBK , Ranil, Sajth Premadasa and LLRC solution can be seen , even if abolished the executive presidency by a common candidate that you sceptical about any goods for the Tamil people .
So , my query is what will satisfy you and your expectations . Thank you .

By: Real_Peace

Real_Peace — Fri, 30 May 2014 17:09:00 +0000

In reply to Anpu. Thank you for this useful reference/link.

By: Agnos

Agnos — Wed, 28 May 2014 00:59:00 +0000

In reply to Kalana Senaratne. Interesting comments. Sorry for just intervening out of nowhere. I am in agreement with the view that the TNA should move away from the language of self-determination, and explicitly state that they stand for a Federal Solution, in keeping with the ITAK's original stand.

By: Anpu

Anpu — Tue, 27 May 2014 16:02:00 +0000

In reply to Real_Peace.

Dear Guru,
My regards to you and your dad Prof Kumaravadivel. I am proud of you.
Dear Real_peace,

Good reference materials on SD is available here http://tamilnation.co/selfdetermination/

“.. Self determination is not a de stabilising concept. Self determination and democracy go hand in hand. If democracy means the rule of the people, by the people, for the people, then the principle of self determination secures that no one people may rule another – and herein lies its enduring appeal… And we may need to attend more carefully to the words of of Yelena Bonner (widow of Andrei Sakharov) that ‘the inviolability of a country’s borders against invasion from the outside must be clearly separated from the right to statehood of any people within a state’s borders.’ ” Nadesan Satyendra in the Fourth World – Nations without a State

By: Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick — Tue, 27 May 2014 15:53:00 +0000

I am still waiting for a reply to my earlier question regarding how Tamils in the north are preventing the resettlement of the displaced Muslims. You claimed so, now produce the proof without hiding (unless you made up that statement which it seems like you did).

By: Radhika Coomaraswamy

Radhika Coomaraswamy — Tue, 27 May 2014 09:21:00 +0000

In reply to Niran Anketell. With the approach you have outlined above I think we can come to an eventual consensus. In addition to " liberal and cosmopolitan" if you add non violent, I think we are moving in the right direction. Also please note Asanga's article in this website.

By: Niran Anketell

Niran Anketell — Tue, 27 May 2014 05:21:00 +0000

In reply to Radhika Coomaraswamy.

Dr Coomaraswamy – I appreciate your honest engagement and the manner in which you have done so. It is refreshing that you haven’t invoked status or superior experience, even though that is the order of the day in these forums. I must confess that I am now a more committed believer in self-determination than when I first responded to your comment a few days ago. It seems to me that jettisoning self-determination will severely undermine the claim made by the Tamil community to autonomy, and that it is not just a word, but a living, breathing legal and political right that has given meaning to the Tamil struggle for decades. However, I am even more convinced of the need to guard against a narrow parochialism in our struggle. The struggle must remain, for want of better words, liberal and cosmpolitan in outlook. It must speak the language of rights, equality, emancipation and anti-racism. It must also seek to actively undermine the misogny, casteism and homophobia that are so prevalent in our community. I don’t think the language of self-determination stands in the way of progress in those areas. At least I hope it will not.

By: Radhika Coomaraswamy

Radhika Coomaraswamy — Mon, 26 May 2014 23:37:00 +0000

In reply to Niran Anketell. Niran- in the end these are only words, it is the people that matter. A Tamil state with internal or external whatever, without any people or a very destroyed group of people is not what I would opt for. In this globalised, international world it seems even more ridiculous. Hanging onto words without actually looking for new ways in which the Sri Lankan Tamil people can get back their self respect without forcing them to sacrifice even more than they have is I think counterproductive. Haven't they suffered enough? But then as Guruparan's has said I am "out of my depth".

By: Niran Anketell

Niran Anketell — Mon, 26 May 2014 12:25:00 +0000

In reply to Radhika Coomaraswamy. I would share your suspicion of collective identities for the same reasons, but I see no way out of it unless we do away with the idea of states and territorial intergrity and so on. Why is a 'Sri Lankan people with the right to self-determination' a less terrifying idea that a 'Tamil people with the right to self-determination'?

By: Real_Peace

Real_Peace — Sun, 25 May 2014 16:08:00 +0000

Dear Guruparan/Dr.Coomaraswamy:

A thought provoking article and comments…

Since the Sri Lanka ethnic problem is complex, I was looking for some balanced books on the ‘root causes’ and the civil war. There seemed to be biased books all over.

I started reading the book you mentioned on Sivaram which gives another perspective.

http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Politics-From-Sivaram-Revolutionary/product-reviews/0745323537/ref=dpx_acr_rat_t2_txt?showViewpoints=1

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Can you suggest other balanced books please?
Also please suggest any independent video documentaries ?
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(One I found was ‘Silenced Voices’ by Norwegian dir, Beate Arnestead.)

Thank you