Political Column

Political Column

Long range vision on the LTTE
By Our Political Editor
The LTTE seems to have been caught between its suffering credibility problem over human rights issues and issues regarding ceasefire violations, while having at the same time to convince all parties concerned that it is interested in the peace process in the first place.

It is now known that civil society groups are not happy that a human rights unit to oversee human rights violations in the North East was not set up on the recommendations of foreign human rights experts such as Ian Martin. In the meantime, the LTTE got another negative vote.

The Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM) let it be known that it is hard to doubt the survivors of the Chinese fishing boat who were maintaining that they were shot down by the LTTE. The LTTE has refused to take any responsibility, and therefore the SLMM assertion that it is hard to doubt the Chinese fishermen has cast some doubt over the LTTE's ever questioned credibility gap.

But last week, the LTTE took some efforts towards showing that the Sri Lankan army is not credible either - - or not credible in being faithful to the sprit of the ceasefire agreement or what's called the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding.)

Apparently a hit squad of the Army's deadly Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) was making use of Anton Balasingham's visit to the Wanni to confer with the LTTE chief to infiltrate LTTE areas, according to the LTTE, and timely action by the LTTE has prevented any long lasting damage due to this 'infiltration.'' Apparently, after the infiltration reports were brought to the notice of the LTTE's leadership, the border of the Wanni was being intensely patrolled, and the movements of leaders who are susceptible to LRRP attacks have been restricted, according to the LTTE claim. The LTTE also claims that the LRRP operatives have gone back to their original areas, after the infiltration attempt failed.

All this came amid statements by US Assistant Secretary of State that the US is helping Sri Lanka's peace effort in several fronts, such as economic assistance, de-mining assistance, and reforming of military institutions.

It has also been seen as significant that the Tamil voters, with what seems to be the encouragement of the LTTE, have been showing more interest in matters relating to franchise.

The LTTE has announced that it has 'no interest in reviving its political party' and transforming itself from a military outfit t o a political outfit that is going into electoral politics. Instead the LTTE says that it will 'allow other parties to contest' and it is in this light that the Prime Minister said that it is significant that the LTTE is 'ready and willing' to allow political parties to contest the local government elections. All this also comes in the wake of the Supreme Court judgment to the effect that the Army commander and the Commissioner of Elections violated the fundamental rights of the Tamil voters who were prevented from casting their votes at the last general elections because they were stopped from leaving LTTE controlled areas and crossing over to army controlled territory.

However, the news that the LTTE has declared that it is willing to allow democratic parties to contest elections has also given rise to the familiar question whether the LTTE will allow only quisling parties controlled by it to contest future polls.
To this veteran TULF Parliamentarian Anandasangaree made a quick comeback, saying that the "TULF is not going to do the bidding of the LTTE. We will not sit when the LTTE says sit - - and we sill not stand when the LTTE says stand,'' he said.

Night duty and Ministerial stand-off
While there is a tug o' war within the Cabinet over certain matters, UNF insiders point out that it is not always a case of tension and infighting, and that there is a good sense of camaraderie between Ministers also.

Last weeks disagreement in Cabinet was over the appointment of a Commissioner General of Prisons, and while Tilak Marapana, Minister of Defence said that retired Supreme Court judge K. M. B. Kulatunge be appointed as Commissioner General of Prisons, Amaratunge has proposed that Wattalla Magistrate Rumy Marzook be appointed. The disagreement over the appointment arose for the second week running despite the fact that the Prime Minister had earlier instructed the two Ministers to trash out the issue among themselves, arrive at a common position and report back to Cabinet.

While some sources close to the UNF describe the proposal to appoint Marzook as blatant political favouritism from one Wattala man to another, others however have also said that there is no merit whatever in the proposed appointment of K. M. B. Kulatunge. It is a well known tenet of justice and matters relating to the independence of the judiciary that Supreme Court judges should not be appointed to key posts after their tenures are over.

This is why the constitution makes it clear that in pursuance of the independence of the judiciary 'judges should have security of tenure' i.e: that judges salaries cannot be reduced and that pensions that judges are entitled to cannot be reduced, and that Judges of the Supreme Court retire at the age of 65 years.

All these provisions are stipulated in articles that come under sections that deal with the independence of the judiciary, and therefore, it is being alleged that the appointment of a Supreme Court Judge to a post as substantial as the post of Commissioner General of Prisons, is clearly in violation of the spirit if not the letter of the law that deals with the independence of the judiciary.

Anyway, despite that ongoing Ministerial standoff over the appointment of a Commissioner of Prisons, there seems to be Ministerial cooperation on other matters. Though Minister Ravi Karunanayake has not been directly identified by the Labour Department as the culprit, the Labour Department has said action will be taken over the fact that women are being employed in a night shift in CWE outlets. These 24 hour CWE outlets are of course the brainchild of Minister of Consumer Affairs Karunanayake.

But Karunanayake will not have much to worry if Mahinda Samarasinghe comes to his rescue. Mahinda Samarasinghe has said that the Shop and Offices Act can be amended to effect changes to the stipulations regarding females in a night shift, and therefore the Labour Department will not have much to do in the matter if that happens. John Amaratunge must be wishing that Tilak Marapana will be to him what Mahinda Samarasinghe is to Ravi Karunanayake, but then -- only if wishes were horses….

Don't cry for me, Amirthalingam
Not more than a hundred people had gathered to listen to TULF President Anandasangaree at his office situated at Stanley Road, Jaffna last Sunday where he was addressing his party supporters.

The remarks made at the meeting were picked up by a Tamil journalist covering the event and carried out in newspapers published in Jaffna and some of other newspapers picked up his comments, where he was quoted as saying 'the LTTE are not the sole representatives of the Tamils'.

The slogan so far probably had been used only by the LTTE's arch rivals, the EPDP, but the comments by Mr. Anandasangaree, the President of the TULF, a party which is the strongest member within the four party coalition Tamil National Alliance (TNA) took not only the politicians by surprise, but also the Colombo based diplomatic community.

It was the Japanese Ambassador Otsuka among those who telephoned Mr. Anandasangaree to clarify his position. With Japan playing a key role in the peace process the envoy seemed keen to make sure that any rift within the coalition would not have an impact on the current peace process.

The TULF's Vice President, R. Sampanthan, who himself had just returned from India, was among those who called the party President to clarify his comments and wanted to tone down his criticism of the LTTE. Mr. Sampanthan, on the same day of his return, went on to issue a statement to the Jaffna newspapers saying that politicians should not antagonise the LTTE.

The TULF President is known to be maintaining a different view about the LTTE and over the months the differences have been widening. In Jaffna alone the TULF maintains two offices - one of them operated by Mr. Anandasangaree and the other by the party's Senior Vice President Mavai Senathirajah, at Martin Road.

Mr. Anandasangaree at his Sunday's meeting also expressed his dissatisfaction that the party had not been able to hold a meeting to commemorate their late leader, Appapillai Amirthalingam, assassinated by the LTTE in 1987.

'We even do not have the freedom to cry on behalf of Amirthalingam', Mr. Anandasangaree had said. He was drawing reference to how the LTTE objected to the holding of an Amirthalingam commemorative ceremony in Jaffna, in October last year and the release of a book to mark the occasion. The book containing articles of late Mr. Amirthalingam is reported to have been already published in Canada.

Mr. Anandasangaree, since making the statement has been clarifying his stand to politicians and diplomats who have called him. He says that he is maintaining that the TULF does not have the right to call the LTTE the sole representatives of the Tamils as there are dissenting views from other Tamil parties and Tamils themselves.

The controversy over the opening of the Jaffna library which was postponed has drawn in the issue of caste. The former Mayor of Jaffna, Sellan Kandaiyan is on record saying that though the LTTE was supposed to be carrying its struggle for the oppressed low caste, now they have deprived him of opening the library and going down in history as a member of the low caste who had the privilege of opening the building. In a moving speech at the ceremony of the Indian High Commission handing over a donation of books to the Jaffna Library last Monday at the Indian Cultural Centre, Mr. Kandaiyan broke down in tears and recounted the story of the attempts he made to get the library opened.

One of the realities that the LTTE would have to face sooner or later is the fact that there will be opposing views and they would have to cope with them, after they enter the democratic mainstream, with the LTTE signalling that they were willing to allow the government to go ahead with the local elections in the North and Eastern provinces. With divisions within the TULF emerging the LTTE would likely have to reassess their support from the parties if they genuinely move ahead to go for elections.

Back to Columns