Raj Rajaratnam Sets Example for Diaspora Members to Follow
By Kalyananda Godage
The news last week that Raj Rajaratnam had pledged a million US dollars to help with the rehabilitation of former LTTE combatants would be welcomed in certain circles but would have raised the hackles among the hardliners in the Diaspora and he may be under sever pressure to change his mind. There would also be many in this country who would ask the question as to why we should accept money from any member of the Tamil Diaspora who has given money to the TRO. That was of course during the Ranil Wickremasinghe administration when we had the CFA and the TRO was considered respectable. It was long before the organization was proscribed.
The reaction of the locals would be an understandable reaction considering the harm done to this country by the Tamil Diaspora, to many of whom the war was revenge for Black July in 1983 which resulted in them leaving the country in droves. As for Rajaratnam who, according to the Forbes List is one of the richest men in the world, he has been investing heavily in this country over a long period of time; he is said to hold shares in John Keells Holdings, Hemas and in a number of other institutions in this country. His investments here, according to informed sources, amount to over Rs. 300 million.
Who is this Rajanathan Rajaratnam? he was born in 1957 in Colombo and was educated at S. Thomas’ Mt. Lavinia; he obtained a Bsc Engineering degree from the University of Sussex and followed it up with obtaining an MBA in Finance from the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania. His personal income today is estimated at between 300 and 400 million US dollars. He began life at the American Investment Bank, Needham and Company, where he worked for 11 years ending as President of the Bank in 1991. In Jan. 1997 he left Needham and established the Galleon Fund. The assets of that Fund is said to be worth five (05) billion US dollars. He is recently reported to have said "At some point you stop working for money, you work for pride and to help others".
There are a few issues here but we cannot forget the invitation extended by the President himself to the Tamil expatriates to return and help the country. Most of the Tamil expatriates who settled in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia were middle class professionals and they have done well, some like Rajaratnam brilliantly; those who went to Germany, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands and some other countries of Europe were of a different class but they all found employment and it could be stated without surprise that they all thought in terms of helping establish a separate state in Sri Lanka and contributed in whatever way they could towards the cause. These groups of Tamil expatriates were organized to support the cause by persons such as Lawrence Thilagar who worked out of Paris where they first established their international headquarters and Anton Ponraj who was in Geneva.
Over a period of time the professional Tamils particularly in the US, Canada, Britain and Australia organized themselves to form the ‘Brains Trust’ of the movement. On the operational side they had the likes of KP and a few others. As we all know now, they collected millions of US dollars with which they bought arms and funded their other activities. The lobbyist they retained in the US was paid USD 30,000 a month!
The reason for setting this out is to draw attention to the funding potential of the Tamil expatriates; The LTTE’s income from its businesses, extortion from Tamils living abroad and from illegal activities was said to amount to around 250 million USD a year! We need to look at this issue without prejudice and in the country’s interest. Whilst many among them would wish to continue to seek their Eelam, the majority have come to terms with the fact that establishing Eelam by military means cannot be realized and are interested in achieving the goal of political empowerment, equality, dignity and prosperity by peaceful means.
In any case every Tamil whilst supporting their campaign for equal rights did not support the use of violence and terrorism to achieve those ends This is why the Tamil expatriate communities must be brought in to assist in the recovery programme of the country. There is certainly no question that they could take a load out of the government’s burden in this regard; the government would have more money to spend on the development of other areas particularly the districts which were directly affected as a consequence of the war.
We are today fortunate that Raj Rajaratnam has set an example which we hope would be followed by other members of the Diaspora to whom, whether they accept it or not, this is also their land; we the people in this country and the government in particular have a duty, as I have stated earlier, to make a reality of the President’s invitation, to make it meaningful by creating conditions that would make the minorities feel they also belong here and could live in dignity, in security and also be a party to deciding on their own destiny and the destiny of the country.
Let us think in the long term and use this opportunity to rebuild our nation. The President himself stated that there are no minorities in this country; let us seek to give substance and meaning to his words Let us reach out to the Tamil expatriates and the countries hostile towards us for various reasons; for instance the Tamil Expatriates have been able, because of the fact that they have become a ‘vote bank’, to get the House of Commons to discuss the situation in Sri Lanka no less than six times. Britain is also leading the pack in the effort to see that we are deprived of the GSP plus concession.
Now if these Tamils of Britain become shareholders in the project to develop the north and east and the livelihoods of the Tamil people living in other parts of the country, it would as stated before be a huge burden lifted off the shoulders of the government. They, becoming stakeholders, would also end their hostilities towards our country. There is indeed much to be gained by making them partners and bringing them in.
On the matter of rehabilitating the former LTTE cadres, I was happy to learn that the IOM is actively engaged as is our private sector; so also the governments of the India, US, Britain and some other countries and of course the Diaspora with the coming in of Raj Rajaratnam. The beneficiaries will be those unfortunate young people who were brainwashed and thought that they were giving up their lives for a worthy cause. Let us now rehabilitate them and the child soldiers who were plucked away from their families and conscripted; let us all be a party to a great punya karma and give them back a new life so that they may become useful citizens for the good of our country.
18 Comments
Will Tamil diaspora contribute for the betterment of their brethren in Vanni and follow the example set by Mr. Rajaratnam?
I don't think so , they only contribute for the destruction of Sinhalese, recruitment of child soldiers, training suicide bombers, ect. They don't have money for the peaceful activities.
I dare Tamil diaspora to prove me wrong!
Raj Rajaratnam has upset Tamil diasporic tiger supporters campaigning for boycott of Sri Lanka products like chilli sauce, lemon puff and karuvaadu
The richest Tamil in USA has gone ahead in the right spirit. If ordinary Tamils did this the New York sangam will have attacked them real nasty. But Raj has moneybags. So no Satham from our yankee tamil patriots
Whom is the author trying to fool? The government will get the money from the Tamils and send the "white van" after them and you will not see the unfortunate Tamil after that!!!!The money will go to the "previledged families" and they will live in luxury there after!!!!
First let the president release all the people in the "concentration camps", all the people who were evicted from their homes earlier in the pretext of High security zone, let the government come out with the real figures of Tamils killed, by various means. compensate the families for their loss of livelihood, prperty, loss of bread winners. Release all the Tamil detainees who are languishing in prisons for year and years. Close all the army camps in the north and east and call back the murderous army, navy and the air force. All the "suspected" LTTE members are killed. The government is trying to make money by claiming to "rehabilitate" them. If any body needs rehabilitation it is the members of the government and the murderous, rapist security forces!!!! How come Karuna, Pillaiyan, Douglas and other paramilitary members are given impressive positions without any rehabilitation!!!!!
As long as the Tamil children in SL are less educated and unskilled,the selfish LTTE diaspora will be able to drag them back to a 'worthy cause'. Diaspora children enjoy western culture and make use of higher education in the respective countries to be professionals.If diaspora is really concerned about betterment of their relatives in SL, they should come forward and help upgrade lives of Tamils.
This may sound very magnanimous of Mr Rajaratnam...
his family was deeply involved in promoting LTTE in USA.
Is not Mr. Rajaratnam capable of inaugrating a
TAMIL BANK in USA with Branches in UK,EU, Canada
Australia etc. which the diaspora will back-up
and not hold back funds as now with NRFC A/cs.
of the GOSL?
.
It's matter of time before he is labelled as a LTTE supporter!!!!
If Sinhala Government wants diaspora Tamils support, it must settle the political issue first. If they have done that long time ago, most Tamils would have supported the war too.
The unfortunate thing is Sinhalese wanted to settle the issue in their own terms. Therfore the chances are that the Sinhala - Tamil issue will flare up again.
:-)
Once again the sinhala people have the begging bowl out again
Us Disapora Tamils are caught in a catch 22 situation - we want to maintain the well being of our people back home and see them free. But let me give you some examples of why we dont like giving our money to the Sri Lankan Government.
1) 280,000+ Tamil people are still locked up in the IDP camps - those released have been rehoused in local IPD camps and are still locked up. So you expect us to invest in empty land? Exploit our own people for commerical gain? Why doesnt the Sri Lankan government accept that it is in a dire situation and actively address the situation rather than jus deny every thing - if they appeared truthful maybe this would change our view as the past is the past.
2) The Tsunami - Did a rupee that we donated to the Sri lankan government and charities other than the TRO ever go to the north and east? Are the people still waiting to be rehoused from it? Was the money distributed fairly? Didnt the Sri Lankan government "TAX" the donations, how much of the money actually went into the Sinhala politicans/government officals own pockets!
3) MV Mercy to Vanni Capitain Ali yes the ship that many members of the Disapora donated goods - the contents have still not reached the IDPs! The Sri Lankan government sent the ship to India (SLAPPPP IN THE FACE TO THE DISAPORA) How long does it take? - does the government of sri lanka actually care about our people locked up - or are they using it gain more funding from the UN to maintain the IDP camps.
So you think that if we send money it will actually make a difference? I think it will just end up in Rajapakse PVT pockets! or who knows may be you guys will TAX it - what kind of country, let alone people taxes donations for the poor and needy!
You guys keep borrowing money, borrow borrow beg beg beg - where the hell is it goin? expanding your army to 300,000 - the war is over! The IMF giving you 2.6 USD Billion - where is this money? So you screw the Tamil people over and expect the Tamil Disapora to cover the cost and pick up the pieces! This is a very sly punishment!
SL Fireball
First persuade dutugemunu, to show the tamils that they have equal rights in deed, not in words. Let the people return to where they lived,and keep all the promises he has made to all and sundry.Then perhaps the "tamil diaspora" may help. In the meantime we have better ways to spend our money.https://www.tamilsagainstgenocide.org/Donate.aspx
Who said.... dude. Tamil diaspora can do any thing it can destroy lanka as well as build lanka.. if Sinhalese government ready to talk with Diaspora and give us a hope we ready to shed our differences to build Sri Lanka as another Singapore or Malaysia or more than tat ....We want to assurance first 1. Protection of Tamil people and Tamil lands. 2. Self government in Tamil provinces through democratic movements. We will build Sri Lanka into a mighty power. We are ready are you ready my fellow lankans..... Its a voice from Diaspora....
This is a fair assessment. Looking back, if the politicians of the 1950's - 1990's were farsighted enough, all this destruction wouldn't have happened. If majority can strive to prove that there are no more minorities in Sri Lanka, there will be more people from Tamil Diaspora like Rajaratnam, will come forward and join hands.
Let's hope for that.
When money devolopment are considered in Srilanka , there are ofcourse no minorities.Whereas,war.arrest .abductions,law,devolution are taken into account, minority issue get first place.
The Sinhalese still do not get it do they? It is not the defeat of the LTTE but the nature of the Rajapaksa regime that prevents the Tamil diaspora from engaging in post-LTTE Sri Lanka. The regime's plans for Tamils in Sri Lanka is to keep them as a silent, oppressed and terrorised minority. Nothing more. All evidence points to that, from the continuing detention of 280 thousand innocent Tamils to the recent shooting in the detention camp.
The Rajapaksa regime has to prove to the Tamil diaspora with actions and not words that they can trust him to treat Tamils in the island as equal citizens. Nothing he or his brothers have done during and after the war points to winning that trust.
Only a regime change in the country can start that process. But that is not going to happen because of the entrenched anti-Tamil racism within Sri Lanka. The more a government oppresses the Tamils, the more votes they win from the Sinhalese. So, no point talking about the "vote bank" in western countries ( and this is often exaggerated). It is the Sinhala "vote bank" that determines how Tamils will be treated in Sri Lanka. That was the case before the LTTE came into existence and that is the case even now. Change the Sinhala mindset and the Tamil diaspora will willingly engage.
can any one single commentor on the is page learn form your mistakes.
Can you people stop pointing fingers at each other adn this progressively and help to uplift the destroyed life of the oyuth and children of war?
Learn form the mistakes don't fight with sinhala people or the govt. but be part of the rebuilding and try to change the obstinate mindset of the defence establishments to release the IDPs. Continue to press on the issue in a ligitimate ways and the justice will come but it will be slow but will be definite. Don't try to be a threat to the land you all were born.
Learn from your mistakes and look forward with hope overcome your bitterness.
If Sri Lanka is to miscalculate again and force the creation of a new State for Lankan Tamils not just Raj Rajaratnam but at least 4 other billionaires (2 in Malaysia, 2 in the UK) and over a dozen successful millionaires of Lankan Tamil origin in the diaspora may be encouraged to invest in the nascent country.
Under consideration are two airlines, a large Sea-port and several fishing ports-jetties, an ultra-modern TV/Radio Station, Cement, Fishery, Salt, Chemical industries, A de-salination plant, Irrigation schemes, tourist projects, garment factories, a modern University with Medical, Engineering, Law, Arts and other faculties and other promising economic activity assuring employment to over 500,000 with earnings equivalent to those in the more successful Asian economies.
These investors will be guaranteed excellent returns while helping the coming of age of the first Tamil country in the world – a prospect that will also encourage investment from South and other parts of India.
With an English-educated, high-quality administration where bribery, thievery of public property and other social evils are absent such a modern State – larger than Singapore, is more than possible in the circumstances Tamils here have been forced to live in recent times.
The large number of Tamils languishing in detention camps, those who live in insecurity in the rest of the South and the hill country, are likely to welcome living in a peaceful, prosperous, secular new State rather than living in fear of their persons and property – that has been their lot for over 60 years. Many are convinced enough is enough.
Judging by the usual response, I shall not be surprised if I am accused of threats, being an LTTer and in the pay of the CIA, encouraging the break-up of the country etc., but the stark reality is there for all to see.
ISS
Where did the writer go when the Rajapakse government killed many innocent tamil people in the last periods of the war against LTTE? If the Rajapakses were willing to sympathy to Tamils, why did they kill and wounded many innocent? There is no trust for diaspora in Rajapakese's government. Rajapakse did so much damage mentally or physically to each Tamil whether he/she is in Lanka or abroad. The writer should understand that the Diaspora funded to LTTE because they wanted a peaceful solution for Tamils. They thought LTTE would achieve that by armed struggle. The diaspora is willing to provide money to the Tamil people who suffered in the war (not to the government who killed our brothers and sisters) if the government allow the diaspora freely to do that. Perhaps, Raj Rajaratnam former St.Thomian could donate the money to establish relationship with Srilankan government for his own benefit but this is not true of each real tamil who suffered a lot in the past government atrocities.
Ilaya Seran Senguttuvan who are the two British Tamil billionaires? A simple google search yielded no results. In addition Malaysia only has one Tamil billionaire, Ananda Krishnan. Who is the other?
If Sihalese want to blame they have to blame their own leadership from 1950. It was sinhalese politicians shamelessly wanted to benefit from ethnic strife promoted racism and sinhala dominance. Remember, if you push someone as second class citizen, he or she will revolt, if not today, if not tomorrow, may be later. It was sinhalese leadership used thugs to loot tamil properties in colombo. Someone here said uneducated tamil youth - hello sir!! one point in time tamils were the most educated among srilankan population. It was sinhalese leadership which made compulsary sinhalization put a lot of tamils out of mainstream. Are there educated sinhalese who can think wise?