TULF President's 15 point proposals for urgent consideration of all Presidential candidates
Given below the full text of the statement released by V. Anandasangaree, President of the Tamil United Liberation front relating to the Presidential election:
The Tamil United Liberation Front having very carefully considered all the aspects of the present political situation, decided to place before his Excellency the President and all the other Presidential Candidates, a set of proposals for implementation in the event of any one of them getting elected as the President of Sri Lanka.
The proposals of the TULF are nothing new and are not necessarily related to the rights of the Minorities but concerns every section of the people of Sri Lanka and for the promotion of good Governance under which all the ethnic groups can enjoy all rights equally with the others. It is the candid view of the TULF to create a contented society wherein no one will feel superior or inferior to one another.
People have short memories and we Sri Lankans are no exception. The problems we face in our country today have directly or indirectly affected every one. The loss of several thousand lives, several billions worth of both public and private property and the un-imaginable amount of money spent on the recently concluded war, several millions spent every day in the maintenance of camps and service personnel etc. should have taught all of us a very good lesson that we will never again want this situation to be repeated.
This can be prevented only by sensible means and not by setting up army camps here and there, amidst a frustrated lot of people giving them a feeling that their 30 years of subjugation has not come to an end, but only replaced by another group. The TULF sincerely and strongly believes that implementation of the following proposals will put an end to the mess the country is now forced into.
The TULF therefore pleads with every voter to pressurize the candidate of his or her choice at the forthcoming Presidential Election, to accept the following proposals which if accepted and implemented will lead to a lasting solution to the ethnic problem and bring back peace and tranquility for our people, and pave the way for the much needed unity and prosperity in the country.
1. The Tamil United Liberation Front being aware of the fate of section 29 of the Soulbury Constitution, the only safeguard the minorities had in it, strongly feel that any solution for the ethnic problem, if found under the Unitary System, may be subjected to review by a future Parliament and all efforts taken so far at heavy loss of life and property will go waste. The TULF during the past five years had been advocating for a solution under a Federal Constitution and have also offered to accept the Indian Model as the only alternative to a federal solution. This proposal should satisfy those who are opposed to both the Federal and Unitary Systems. The TULF is fully convinced that no acceptable solution can ever be found under the Unitary System.
2. The TULF does not believe that the merger of the North and the East will prove detrimental either to the country or to any ethnic group. Instead it will help to promote good-will and communal harmony among various communities living there. The TULF is of the view that if it is left in the hands of the people of those two provinces, as promised by the Hon. Prime Minister in Parliament, a lot of misunderstandings could be cleared.
3. The TULF genuinely feels that the delay in re-settling the Internally Displaced Persons in their respective residences is very unfair. Whether they are Sinhalese, Muslims, Tamils, Tamils of Indian origin or of any other ethnic group, they should go back to their original places of residence before they were displaced. If the re-settlement is left in the hands of the respective Government Agents, re-settlement would have been completed by this time. The arrest and detention of the Kilinochchi G.A and some Grama Sevakas is delaying the re-settlement process.
4. Full compensation should be paid immediately for the loss of lives and properties of the IDPs be they Tamils, Muslims, Sinhalese or Tamils of Indian Origin.
5. Quick action should be taken to compile a list of missing and dead persons and other relevant details of those people who lived in Vanni during the war.
6. Action should be taken to hand over the 10,000 odd children detained in rehabilitation camps, wrongfully branded as Tiger Cadre. There may be a few of them who had joined the tigers voluntarily but all the others were forcibly recruited. What these children now need urgently are care and affection from the parents. Take steps to hand over these innocent children to their respective parents with any conditions, if necessary, so that the parents can decide as to what type of education their children really need. Most of these children, due to the war or for some other reasons like fear of conscription, had lost their schooling for a few years. The Government should create opportunities for them to continue their studies. The Indian Government can be requested to accommodate a few hundred students for various courses in Tamil Naad. One of the Foreign Secretaries from India during an official visit agreed to consider the TULF’s request for some Scholarships.
7. "Vadakkin Vasantham" – Spring of the North has become a mockery. There is a silent but strong cyclone constantly disturbing the calmness of the North and the East, here and there, depriving the innocent people, who lived in fear and tension for several years, of their fundamental rights like freedom of movements and freedom of speech. The presence of armed groups and their conduct disturb the peaceful life of the civilians. Action should be taken to relieve them of the weapons they are in possession.
8. The activities of the Human Rights commission should be extended to the North to go in-to the abductions and killings of innocent people. Many are willing to give evidence to trace the culprits.
9. Now that the war is over and without even the slightest chance of the LTTE reviving, the high security zones should be disbanded and the houses within the high security zone handed over to the owners. Immediate action should be taken to compel the armed groups, now occupying houses forcibly, to return them to the owners or their heirs.
10. When hard-core LTTE cadre had escaped from the grip of the Government and from the IDP Camps, it is unfair to keep in detention, youths who are arrested and detained for very trivial offences that cannot be classified as offences in the proper sense. All of them should be released under a general amnesty and the PTA also should be repealed.
11. Most people in The North and The East were compelled by the LTTE years back to contribute a fixed quantity of gold with a promise to return same on a future date. A few got their gold back but many did not. Apart from this, people had been pawning their articles and also depositing their money with the Elam Bank illegally run by the LTTE. All the gold and the cash recovered in Vanni belong to the people of The North and the East. Hence whatever Jewellery and cash recovered should be kept in custody until all claims are met.
12. A University for Vanni should be set up forthwith to accommodate children who missed their admission for various universities during the past few years. Hence at-least courses like Agriculture and Arts degrees should be started for the benefit of the Vanni Students.
13. The business community in Vanni has lost everything and is now paupers. The Government should ensure that all sub-agencies authorized dealership Petrol Stations etc should be given to those dealers who had them before they were displaced.
14. Two special units should be set up, one to take charge of the re-settlement of the unfortunate Muslims of the North who were displaced in 1992 and the other to re-settle the most unfortunate Tamils of Indian Origin who had migrated to Vavuniya, Kilinochchi and Mulaithivu, more particularly between 1958 and 1983 from the Up Country region and from many other areas in the Country.
15. Introduction in the statute book a strong chapter on fundamental rights with very severe penalties for violations.
6 Comments
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Remember, TULF was able to get only District Councils.
LTTE (and India) were able to get only Provincial Council.
Now with no threats to the island from Tamil exremists or India, Sinhalese have no reason to go beyond whatever they have agreed. They may even tore down all they agreed.
You'll be lucky even if you letter get opened.
:-)
I am surprised that no one talks about 13th amendment anymore????
I am really interested to know who else is in TULF at present. Mr. Sangaree and ....?
The demands make sense. But, after LTTE the Tamils lost their barganing power.
Sangaree's TULF never got any reply from anyone. I am sure Sangaree is not holding his breath.
Anandasangaree was all this time sleeping after supporting Rajapakse. Now he has suddenly woken up and gone of on a tangent. When everyone else has placed their cards on the table he is coming up with a set of demands which is nothing original and some even of secondary nature. Opening dealerships and universities is secondary while issues facing the country are those of good governance, human rights, democracy etc. Without achieving these getting dealerships are like getting crumbs from the table. Tamils need to get their rights as partners not be patronised by people like Rajapakse.
It is altogether better to focus on the message and not on the messenger. When Ranil and the UNP signed the Cease Fire Agreement and handed over a third of the Country to the LTTE, Sinhalese were humiliated. Yet a large number voted for the UNP and endorsed the CFA. In other words, a large number of Sri Lankans are in favour of a reasonble political solution. Basic need is that all Communities must be able to live with equal dignity. As an indication of good faith on the part of Sinhalese, a Constitutional Guarantee of equal treatment enforcable through courts should be provided.
In the currently disunited Lankan Tamil scene no one has a monopoly to speak for all Tamils. Mr . Anandasangaree puts forward the general thinking of the Tamils to go forward. It is true he received government security facilities and sometimes sounded pro-Govt. But I cannot recall him ever having harmed the Tamil cause. On the other hand, of late he has spoken for the Tamils loud andClear. Yes, he has been anti-LTTE yes. And that is no surprise - with the lunatic spate of killings of Tamil leaders that was set in motion. Other than a casual relationship, I am no close acquaintance of this simple, affable man who is for reconciliation among the major communities. He has the decency to admit both sides made terrible mistakes and all this, he believes, simply the consequence of the war-like culture we got ourselives into. He was not accepted as leader by the other TULF men – and notably the aloof Sampanthan. But there seems to have been some form of coming together recently in Zurich. The sooner the Tamil leadership closes ranks and speaks in a single voice will help the Tamil cause. Mr. A’s list should ideally include definitive employment-oriented investments in the NEP, evidence of tangible steps for publicly announced Infra-structural development beyond empty rhetoric etc., So far it has only been nothing more than empty promises.
I welcome Mr. C.S.Soysa's thoughts and outlook here. A substitue to Jennings'
29C in context to today's realities will make a tremendous difference.
ISS
protagonists of Eelam are back in the drawing board for new strategies. This time, they have two different game plans: Diaspora Tamils want to get to Eelam on a straight run. And, those who based in Sri Lanka want it by stages. They want to hunt the hare with the hare. Perhaps, the Latter is more dangerous than the former. Make no mistake; Eelam is the endgame of both.
INGOs, NGOs, Evangelists of the West, Federalists, Separatists, and all kinds of LTTE backers bray; Tamils in Sri Lanka have problems. But none tell us the problems of Tamils for being Tamils. How could you remedy a problem if that is not specified?
Some say; Tamils are being discriminated by the Sinhalese. What about the Muslims and the Burgers and the Malays? They do not complain of being discriminated. Rather, they seemed to be content They have taken up positions in the police, army and all other government institutions. What are the special problems of Tamils that other minorities do not have?
Of late, Subramanian Sami and few other Indian politicians started the game that separatist Tamil leaders had been playing for a long time. They decries the Sinhalese discrimination against Tamils must be stopped and ‘self rule’ is the answer. Here Tamil means, Tamils that live in the north and east only. Or, are they suggesting ‘self rule’ for Tamils that live in the south as well.
Sinhalese could not have been discriminating Tamils during the British rule. Yet, Tamils had been demanding ‘self rule’ or Eelam since long before the independence.
The official language of Sri Lanka was English, when S.J.V.Chelvenayagam had set up the political party ‘the Thamil Arasu Kachchi’ meaning ‘the separatist party’ in 1949. There was no language problem then. His aim was ‘self rule’ for North and East Tamils.
Sixty percent of all Tamils in Sri Lanka live outside the north and east and amongst the Sinhalese. How are they going to get their language problem solved from the ‘self rule’ for north and east Tamils? Indian politicians must talk about not just the problems of north and east Tamils but other Tamils and other minorities that live outside north and east.
I feel there is only one community in Sri Lanka that has specific problems. They are the plantation Tamils that live amongst the Sinhalese. We ought to be ashamed of their sordid living conditions. Lack of opportunity and education are bona fide problems of these unfortunate people, though the present president is doing his best to put right. Is it fair to put them aside and talk about a solution to nonexistent problems of north and east Tamils?
Those forces that back LTTE when it was thought to be unbeatable are back in action once again. As before, they moan about language and a host of other problems. They insist that devolution of power to a combine North and East Province alone would solve these problems. More the devolution, betters the solution to their problems, they say.
However much power being devolved to a new N&E Provincial Council; it would not solve problems of Tamils that live outside the north and east. Granting police and land powers to the Chief Minister of a new N&E Provincial Council would not affect their status.
Claims like North and East of Sri Lanka are traditional homeland of Tamils are nothing but a myth. If such bogus claims are a part of Tamil strategy of inching towards Eelam, then devolving of power would be a leap towards it.
Reserving a part of the country for one community is nothing but racism. More so if sixty percent live outside it. But that is what separatists and racist LTTE wants. Did not LTTE chased Muslims and the Sinhalese away from the north?
Segregation should not be promoted because it breeds racism. Whether it is for Tamils, Muslims or Sinhalese, we should promote integration because it promotes tolerance.
Prof Witharana is too engrossed in his views to see these simple things. He wants to fulfill Tamil aspirations. He wants to discount Mahinda Chinthana and shove in maximum devolution for a starter. Witharana is a gullible he cannot see Eelam is their end game.
Everything LTTE did illegally would be done legally and tactically by a full powered chief minister of the joint N&E. Raciest Tesawalame law is always there to support the endeavors of such a man. No wonder, the very same lot that backed LTTE is now rallying around Witharana.
Witharana may be a professor of medical sciences but he is a total failure as a politician as much as all his kiths and kin of the old left. Witharana has no chance in hell to get elected to a local council let alone to the Parliament. He has to be appointed all the time. He is not in touch with the accepted wisdom of the populace but his own aged vision. Such a man should not have been appointed to be the Chairman of APRC in the first place.
Two Provincial councils for north and east are separated for good. Yet, neo racists don’t give up. They come up with all kind of fib to get them amalgamated. They want Provincial councils to be vested with more power than an Indian state. If you hear how and why Tamil Nadu and Karnataka had a big brawl for water, you will never ever support devolution to Provincial Councils.
In 1991, there had been a bitter dispute among Dravidians for rights of the water of Cauvery River. The Supreme Court of India ordered Karnataka State to issue a specific amount of water to Tamils of Tamil Nadu. Mr. Bangarappa, the Chief Minister of Karnataka not only refused to abide by that order, but organized a state wide strike against that order on December 13, 1991.
You may recall how LTTE had arrogantly shut down water gates at Mawil Aru annicut in June 1996 illegally. Had LTTE accepted ChandrikaB’s ten-year offer to rule without elections, they could have shut it down legally. And we would be compelled to plead the so-called International community to save us.
Tamils face the same problems as Sinhalese, Muslims or any other for that matter. Each has no more or no less problems. As a Sinhalese, I too face problems. I feel; I pay too much tax we are over governed but get less and less in return. How could I get a better return when we have too many chiefs and no bottle washers amongst politicians? MPs are no more, all are Ministers and they have no time for their constituents.
Take for instant; we have over one hundred or so ministers. If it cost two million rupees to maintain a minister over and above that of an MP, it would have cost two and a half billion rupees per year to maintain all of them. That is a hell of a lot of money for a poor country like ours. Each one of these Ministers agrees in public that they are far too many. Yet, only JHU and Weerawansa fraction of the JVP act upon it.
We have an under working and ineffectual bureaucracy as well. Government departments are overstaffed, and are lethargic to say the least. Bureaucracy of the law Courts is perhaps the least efficient and most corrupt in this country. Often, one cannot get things done without giving them something or hanging around the whole day.
Have we managed to resolve at least some of those issues after power being devolved to the provincial councils? No. Forty five more ministers and nine governors would have been added if all nine councils were functioning. Billions more have to be pumped to maintain them. They say hefty eighty percent of the budget for maintenance and just twenty percent for development.
That is not to say there aren’t any hard working bureaucrats in our country. GS in my area is only a one of them that I know of as hard working. It is well known that he does not postpone anything for another day no matter what. Is it devolution we need or more such officers like him?
We would not have won the war if the Defense ministry is not efficiently managed. Yet, we do not see a minister for each force. Why couldn’t the other ministries be like that?