ISLAND EDITOR:We believe it would be wise to deal with people of Sampanthan’s vintage, experience and wisdom than younger Turks who might succeed him. Positive affirmative action is required before time runs out.!!!

Editorial--The Island, Sunday Reference to TNA-LEADER:R.Sampanthan's speech Act now before time runs out April 7, 2012, 5:00 pm We do not apologize for beginning to publish in this issue of our newspaper substantial excerpts of the speech made in Parliament last week by TNA leader R. Sampanthan on the recent events in Geneva. Like most other mainstream media in this country, we too on occasions have branded the TNA as LTTE proxies because that is how we saw the party during many stages of the long drawn war. But we have not forgotten that the TNA too suffered from the Tigers, notably so when Neelan Tiruchelvam, one of the best and the brightest of the contemporary Tamil polity, was brutally assassinated by the LTTE. Nor have we forgotten that it was Mr. Sampanthan who, surrounded no doubt by a cordon of state security, bravely attended Tiruchelvam’s funeral and spoke on that occasion. We believe that if this country is to achieve the reconciliation and harmony that is so desperately needed, its entire people must listen with open minds and hearts to the Tamil point of view which Sampanthan has eloquently expressed. It is now widely admitted that Sinhala Only of 1956 was a big mistake. Mr. Bandaranaike, having used that potent slogan to good effect to ride into power on the crest of a surge of Sinhala nationalism, had sufficient liberalism ingrained in his bones to begin righting what he knew was a wrong. What he attempted was famously described by Tarzie Vittachi as ``Sinhala Only but Tamil also.’’ The Bandaranaike – Chelvanayakam Pact that he tried to implement was also another such effort which the UNP, also engaging in self-serving politics, did not allow to enter the statute. The green party and the Sri Lankan nation had to pay the price when the SLFP and its then allies returned the compliment when Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake reached an agreement with Mr. Chelvanayakam. It has been said that those who refuse to learn the lessons of history will be condemned to relive them. That is what this country must understand at this time when we must not allow what happened to Myanmar or Burma as it was then known when the process began, to happen to us. It is true that the TNA did not stand up to the LTTE in the way that many believe it should have and even tamely went along with the Tiger claim that they were the sole representatives of the Tamil people. Even leaders like the late Lakshman Kadirgamar, so closely guarded by specially trained commandos and other forces, could not survive fanatical Tiger death squads. President Kumaratunga escaped with her life by the skin of her teeth despite the resources thrown to protect her. President Premadasa was not so lucky. So when the accusation of ``Tiger proxy’’ is thrown at the TNA, let us also be mindful of the risks they faced if they did not dance to the LTTE tune. Examples of those who were felled are many. There is no escaping the reality that the Tamil people of this country have suffered for acts of commission and omission of what some of them call the ``Sinhala State.’’ July 1983 when anti-Tamil riots wracked this country is perhaps the best example. Those events, some believe triggered by an element within the then government, blackened the image of this country internationally. For reasons that President Jayewardene never publicly explained, he did not nip those events in the bud perhaps because he feared that the armed forces and police, angered by what was happening to their mates in the North, would not obey his orders. What happened then is too well known to be repeated here. While the acts of kindness of many Sinhalese to their Tamil brethren, proving if proof is needed that the Sinhalese do not hate the Tamils, are legion, Black July of 1983 led to an exodus of Tamils out of the country. It is true that many who left were more economic than political refugees. The fact is that the non-English speaking Tamil youth from the North or East is no less disadvantaged in this country than his Sinhala counterpart in the South. Opportunities of immigration to Western Europe and North America that opened then were eagerly seized and the so-called diaspora which Sampanthan estimates is about a million strong was established. The diaspora was a major funder of the Tigers who used both extortion and persuasion to get their money. The TNA leader is right when he says that India and many other countries who voted against us in Geneva helped Sri Lanka defeat the Tigers. He of course neglected to say that India, at a point of time, armed and trained the Tigers and gave them free rein to stage and base from Indian territory. But we cannot live for ever harking back to the past. It is necessary now to listen to other voices. We told the world to wait for the LLRC report for us to get our reconciliation act together. But the interim recommendations made over a year ago were allowed to gather dust while the final report was awaited. This is not a time to make debating points or split hairs. Whether we like it or not, the TNA is probably more representative of the Tamil people than Douglas Devananda or his EPDP which in any case is a member of the ruling coalition. Karuna and Pillayan are very much a part of the government. KP who was the LTTE’s chief arms procurer and aspirant for Prabhakaran’s mantle is today a friend of the establishment though ostensibly in protective custody. Sampanthan belongs to the old guard of the Federal Party and is today in his winter years. He is firmly on record saying that he and his party are willing to work with the government. They, after all, have started talks with the government. Sampanthan said in his speech that they did their best to take those talks forward making positive contributions towards that end. ``If the talks have today got into difficulty it is not on account of us, it is on account of you,’’ he alleged. We are not competent to comment on the accuracy or otherwise of his claim. But we believe it would be wise to deal with people of Sampanthan’s vintage, experience and wisdom than younger Turks who might succeed him. Positive affirmative action is required before time runs out. ISLAND.LK