We should pursue our activities through the International Community

Addressing the last sitting of the Northern Provincial Council on 23 October 2018 Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran blamed the Government and the TNA leadership, for the failure of the Northern Provincial Council to deliver on its promises to the Tamil People. The CM is  to give a public talk on the future of Tamil politics on 24 October 2018 at a meeting organised by the Tamil Peoples Council which he is a Co- chair and he is likely to spell out his own future political plans.

In his address he said a time has come to decide whether our unity is for the destruction or protection for the Tamil people?, he asked and heaped several accusations on the leadership of the TNA.

We give below some salient points of his address.

*  The Experience acquired by me in these 5 years me, who was without much political experience, will not go waste.

* The Military poked their nose into the election activities of people who had encountered genocide and in a weak situation.

* On the basis of an autonomy where we could rule ourselves, people voted me to CM post by unprecedented votes.

* Tamils are a unique National Race. The North and East which are linked geographically and which has Tamil people living in majority is the traditional home land of Tamil people. The Tamil people are eligible for Self Determination. The power devolution provisions should be established in the merged North and East as a single unit on the basis of Federal system. Such Power Devolution should have Development Resources and Financial Authorities including Social, Economic and include Land, Law and order, Health and Education. I have my satisfaction in that, I have not acted betraying these promises.  The mandate people had given for these principles  has  guided me through all the challenges, blockades, and under cuttings.

* I took my oath before the then President as a goodwill gesture, but, blockades were thrown across our Administrative activities and Economic activities through the Military Governor. We have achieved whatever possible with the limited resources at our disposal.

*  The government took cover behind the “Good Governance” name board and showed changes in approaches but never showed any change in purposes and activities. They are just continuing the activities of the previous Government.

* They have released a few acres to pull the wool over the eyes of the International community and on the other side have grabbed more lands.

* Sinhala Colonization is undertaken with Army support, construction of Vihares in areas of Tamils are being expedited. Government Officers including Governor are supporting these moves.

* While, they are bent on bringing Southern investment here, they do not like the Diaspora investments coming here.

* After the genocidal war of 2009 people were in a frustrated and forsaken state without nobody to comfort them. Motivating them seemed to be an important task and I was anguished of the people who had to do it keeping mum. I spent considerable time in clarifying what are our rights and we cannot forgo them. As a consequence people have braved to stage struggles in front of Army Camps, for their lands, for finding their kins and for the release of TPPs and come forward to act bravely saying that it is their right to remember their relatives killed in war. The University students are spearheading several important democratic struggles all these are factors that motivate us.

* I have raised my voice to make the International Community aware of the Genocide and to obtain a just solution for our people. We proved that what happened in the final war is genocide, and forwarded it as a resolution to the UN. I should mention the corporation provided in this  matter by M.K.Sivajilingam and C.V.K Sivagnanam, the leader of the house.

* I gratefully remember the people, especially the youth, who rose up to defeat the no-confidence motion against me.

* When the govern tried to implement projects inimical to our politics and Environment, under the guise of development we have intervened with the help of professional and prevented them. Several other projects were stopped by the people by their protest rallies against them. An example is the 38 storey luxury Hotel in Delft. After the Governor gets the power, there is a danger of this kind of project being expedited.

* We should query from the Tamil people themselves as whether they prepared to sacrifice their rights for getting heavy investments from the south.

* Despite a need to allocate more money to war affected North, only meager amounts were allocated and even those sums are not released in time. Nevertheless we have implemented the projects so that not a single cent is returned to the centre. But false propaganda has been made, that major portion the money had been returned to the centre, purely because of the pungency on us.

* Knowing our term of office is coming to an end, the government has allocated more than 4,000 million. Such an amount was not allocated to us during the last 5 years.

* Even when war was waged in 2009, only 175 Billion were allocated to Defence. The allocation for 2019 has been increased  to 306 Billion from the 2018’s 290 Billion. At the same time the Ministry of rehabilitation was allocated, a mere 11 Billion, and I hope you remember the tragedy of most of that amount being given to the Army for moving out of People’s lands. Usually in countries ravaged by war, allocations for defence will be reduced and allocation for development increased. In Sri Lanka it is upside down.

* Although, they said they would approve the Chief Ministers Fund, to date the approval has not been given. They are bent on keeping our development under their control.

* We could expect that continuous activities will be undertaken with minute planning to keep Tamil people under domination of the Army, to keep the Army permanently here and  to undertake Sinhalization. We are seeing that permanent construction is undertaken for establishing Military Colonies.

* The Army is asking for lands not for the benefit of the Tamil people. It is for ensuring the domination of the majority here. In time to come we could expect the Governor granting  approvals, more than necessary.

* Our MPs, who entered the Parliament on the votes of our people, without evaluating these matters, are voting in favour of the budget every year, and paint a colour of “ Good Governance”  to all the activities of government against us and acting in  away to get the approval of  International Community for them. This is a cause for concern.

* The President Task Force was constituted including the Army, against whom I raising my voice, against whom our people are demonstrating on the streets, and other military wings, excluding the NPC but including me only. This is an attempt to justify the continuous stay of the Army in the north.

This Task Force has been created at the tail end of the Term of NPC in order to implement the project hitherto deliberately back dragged, and create a favourable situation at the UN.

* I wish to bring to your notice that propaganda against us has been undertaken by the agents of the Government and some Tamil MPs collaborating with them.

* During the past periods, the governors acting with excessive powers had been blocking the activities of Northern Provincial council. The current Governor is also no better. He is waiting for the term of NPC to end and powers to come into his hand.

* The Northern Provincial Councils Election may be postponed indefinitely.

* I cannot cheat my people by ‘nothing more than will be given’. The split between me and the Tamil Leadership increased on this basis. My people know this well. Nobody could play with the destiny of the Tamil  people, for taking revenge on me for these splits.

* We brought this government to power and we hold important portfolios like the Leader of the Opposition and other posts, but, we were unable to insist the approval for CM’s Fund within and outside parliament.

* The Northern Provincial Council, which had been approved by the people, had proposed a solution proposal. But, nobody ever took any pains to add it at least to the proposal by political parties.

* Only after I boycotted the Task Force having Military Men in its Ranks, invitations were sent to our MPs. But they never protested participating in the Task Force at par with Military officers.

* Even though only 1 ½ years of the life of the Parliament is remaining, the New Constitution drafting is moving at a snail’s pace. This task is undertaken without the participation of the constituent parties and the MP of the TNA except two individuals’ whims and fancies being  presented as reflections of the whole Tamil people.

*  By accepting the New Constitution as the solution to the problems of the Tamil people, the bargaining power of Tamil people had been lost.

* By forgoing North East merger and has accepted unitary system without the approval of the Tamil People. By accepting the priority to Buddhism, our Leaders have opened the way for continuous structural and cultural genocide. The attitudes and opinions of the people have been totally excluded.

* They are calling for unity now. But unless our basic policies are identified and the unity is created on the basis of them, any unity created on wrong bases will be dangerous.

* All the people who have attachment towards the uniqueness of Tamil people, shed all the discriminations, instill the Human Rights Doctrines in mind, rally in one team on the basis of policies. I hereby call you to rally together to win a Federal solution in the undivided North and East based policies we have insisted over the period. Please don’t pay any attention to the groans of the VIPs who murmur that it is not possible.

* In future we should pursue our activities, through institutionalized political and economical activities with the assistance of the International Community and Tamil people living all over the world. We should work to create the mechanisms for War Crimes investigation and finding the truth, and through them to make the Sinhalese people continuously kept in darkness aware of truths and through that to win the solution for us. There is nothing impossible.

* I will continue to reside in Jaffna soil. You can meet me at any time. I take my leave from you with love. (Courtesy Tamil Diplomat)