Deforestation of Sri Lanka is going on at a pace and rainfall is decreasing. I read with shock the news item titled "Dons concerned over proposed release of 5,000 acres in Wasgamuwa National Park". University Professors have expressed concern over the proposed allocation of over 5,000 acres of reserved forest, in the Wasgamuwa National Park for agricultural development. They state that the, periodic destruction of forest cover over the past few decades has reduced rainfall by 30 per cent. Also there has been an increase in the temperature in coastal areas by two to three per cent.
All hill country tea estates had a small forest which British Planters did not touch. Sri Lankan planters carried on this tradition even under the State Plantation Corporations. But, when these estates were privatised the forests were cut down and sold for timber. What are Minister Thondaman and his Unions doing ?
Illicit felling of timber is going on but now even Government agencies seem to be worse. The question we should ask ourselves is "can we become a newly industrialised country without water to drink ?"
Nationalism is a handy tool for politicians. It is a social reality and a strong force as evident from Hitler's concentration camps and BJP's victory in India. Even in Sri Lanka, our political leaders have exploited this resource quite effectively. Sri Lankan nationalism was developed through religion and ethnicity. Our political leaders were not matured enough (unlike Singapore's former PM) to give the correct dimensions to our nationalism. True, we have 2500 years of history, but Egypt has even a longer heritage and has maintained its civil status for many years.
What the true nationalist politicians should do is to ask what they can give to the country and not what they can take from it. If one does not have such dispositions, then one has no right to enter politics.
¥ Singaporean nationalism is not linked to religion or ethnicity but to social trends. Hard work, punctuality, creativity, productivity, quality control, discipline (e.g. No MP is permitted to take liquor), severe laws, business honesty, confidence in the government and lack of corruption are some national trends. Unfortunately our nationalism is characterised by the opposite trends.
¥ Our nationalism is dominated by fragmented vested interests. Thondaman thinks of upcountry Tamils, northern politicians of their interests, Sinhala Bala Mandalaya on Sinhalese interests, Muslim Congress of Muslim interests and Buddhist priests of their hidden power. How many of them think of the needs of other groups and a unified Sri Lanka? The principle has been, grab as much as one can.
¥ Our politicians took over the powers of civil service, judiciary, universities and diluted the scientific, research and development institutions. In doing so, they destroyed the growth of national identity in professional life. (It is interesting to note that after the introduction of Swabasha to University education, the international recognition of our degree has declined). It is time that we have a series of high quality national scientific journals. (Like British Journal of Surgery, British Medical Journal, Israel Journal of Botany, Japanese Journal of Physiology). Publications in journals should be a requirement for increments or/and promotions. Training in quality assurance and quality control is required from bus conductors to clerks and doctors and lawyers. There are numerous aspects like this in our society where the national image can be improved.
¥ While politicians fight at elections, on matters of national interests they should rise above petty party politics. One cannot be opportunistic on matters of national interest. One has to think in terms of unity and prosperity of Sri Lanka, not who is the greatest or who is greater than the other.
The new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Muthuvel Karunanithi, is back babbling again on his familiar trail of interfering in the internal affairs of his neighbour, Sri Lanka. He is another one of those self-appointed spokesmen for the "innocent Tamils". He has not any crumbs of comfort for the "innocent Sinhalese and Muslims" mercilessly slaughtered almost daily by the LTTE, the onetime protégés of Tamil Nadu. He evinces no solicitude either, for the lakhs of Jaffna Tamils, now living in hovels in the wilds of Wanni, under the iron rule of the LTTE. Beneath this crocodile tears for the "innocent Tamils" is the deadly agenda of the vivisection of Sri Lanka itself. The many clashes between the centrifugal and the irredentist forces in India today, could reduce that country to political turmoil. There are many Tamil Nadu politicians who would exploit such a situation to fish in the troubled waters of Sri Lanka. Therefore it is insufficient that we only watch and wait. We should now take all necessary counter measures on an international scale to vitiate any vile schemes on Sri Lanka by Tamil Nadu demigods.
In the days ahead we can see increasing activity in Tamil Nadu by the Tamizhar Pasarai (Tamil Barracks) and the Tamil Nadu Viduthalai Padai ( Tamil Nadu Liberation Army) and the many other militant LTTE-linked outfits. They would agitate for the unconditional cessation of hostilities in our North and the East, negotiation with LTTE on an equal footing, the legitimisation of the LTTE, and the transfer of power to the LTTE. Behind the overt facade of peace would lurk the covert plan for separatism and armed rebellion at the first opportunity, and that, with Tamil Nadu's material and financial help.
In this context the indecent haste with which the Sri Lankan Tamil political parties and the other worldwide Tamil organisations beat a path to Mr. Karunanithi's door is a faithful reflection of their loyalties to Tamil Nadu. By itself this votive pilgrimage to Madras, to obtain favours from their petty godlings, reveals that they are not committed to Sri Lanka. Their secret agenda is anything but one, undivided Sri Lanka; and it makes it clear, that they are prepared to seek foreign help to achieve their long nourished objectives as enunciated at Vaddukoddai in 1976, namely, "a free, sovereign, secular, socialist State of Tamil Eelam". Like the many conspirators in history, they would not reveal to us the contents of their pow wow. We can fairly speculate that it would have included pleadings with DMK to interfere in the ongoing war situation in Sri Lanka, and the initiation of negotiations for peace.
To the Sri Lankan observer this pilgrimage is also the display and demonstration of their allegiance to the fountain of their origin, culture and nationhood. Thus their Eelam is in Tamil Nadu and they certainly are entitled to seek their inspiration and satisfy their ethnic urges in the ambiance of Tamil Nadu. What is most unacceptable is the intrigues to create another Eelam in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka, however, is the home of all those, who despite ethnic and or religious differences, consider themselves Sri Lankans first and foremost. They share a common destiny in both good and bad times. They seek no foreign help or assistance to have their people and their country divided into ethnic enclaves. Therefore it is time that all Sri Lankans demand from the ethnic Tamil political parties that they remove Eelam from their names, and delete from their party constitutions all references to self determination and the creation of Eelam. They have a good role model here in Yasser Arafat, who recently amended the