Kilinochchi fall: Not end of political war

Real stumbling block to political solution is the lack of statesmanship
at national level, says DPF Leader Mano Ganesan

Democratic People’s Front (DPF) Leader and Colombo District Member of Parliament Mano Ganesan observes that the fall of Kilinochchi is not the end of the political war that successive governments have been waging since independence. Admitting that the fall was a military success, the MP said one cannot get carried away by military victories. He said that the entire nation could celebrate only when a concrete solution was found to the national question. “The stumbling block to a political solution is the lack of statesmanship at the national level,” he told The Nation in an interview.

Following are excerpts
Q: How do you view the fall of Kilinochchi?
A: Fall of Kilinochchi does not surprise me. It was coming, and has happened at last. Politically, it is not the end of the political war and the national question. We cannot get carried away by war victories and celebrations. We are also willing to celebrate holding national flags when the national question is addressed with a concrete political solution.

Q: How significant do you think is the fall of Kilinochchi to the Security Forces fighting the LTTE on the one hand, and the government that is determined to eradicate terrorism?
A: It is the government that is fighting. It is fighting to end the LTTE. The war has produced results in the government’s favour. It is a fact. But there is no effort to eradicate the root causes that have pushed a generation of Tamils to take up arms: The generation of not only LTTE Leader Prabakaran, but also of Minister Douglas Devananda and Parliamentarian Muralidaran.

Q: Can any government, in your view eradicate terrorism by defeating the LTTE?
A: The logical answer is a big NO. The danger today is that our country is being pushed into more danger. It is the mind set of some influential people. Earlier the slogan was ‘defeat the Tamil separatist terrorism’. The government believes that it has defeated the LTTE. So instead of taking a turn towards a political solution it is deviating today. The new slogan is ‘defeat the concept of political solution and division of political power to Tamils and Muslims’. So where are we heading?

Q: Do you concede at least part of the problems faced by the Tamils can be solved by crushing the LTTE?
A: It depends on who is or what is going to replace the LTTE.

Q: The majority of the north-east based Tamil political parties, except the TNA, are of the view that it is the LTTE that remains a stumbling block to achieve a peaceful solution to the Tamil’s problems. Do you justify this?
A: The stumbling block to a political solution is the lack of statesmanship at the national level. LTTE is only the by product of the history.

Q: The LTTE has been accused of holding civilians as human shields during the ongoing battle, and this has also resulted in the government bringing about a ban on the group. Do you welcome the ban?
A: The ban is the political condition put to the government by the NFF led by Wimal Weerawansa for joining the government. It has no more significance. LTTE is virtually a banned organisation even before this ban came in officially. This ban announcement has pushed the very government to come up hurriedly and reassure that the ban will not close the doors for talks. That means the government is still willing to talk to the banned organisation.

Q: The LTTE has time and again ignored the repeated calls of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to come for talks after laying down arms. Do you think this has only reflected the LTTE’s intransigence, or do you think the LTTE did not react to the President’s calling due to the condition that was laid down to drop arms prior to coming for talks?
A: If you can read the past history and nature of LTTE, I don’t think LTTE will talk now. They may get back to guerrilla warfare again.

Q: What is your observation of the condition that was laid down in the President’s invitation? Do you justify it?
A: I have some confusion on this condition. This ‘laying down arms’ business is not clear. Is it laying down or surrendering the arms? JVP cadres never surrendered arms to the state after their failed terror revolts. Is this what the President is meaning in the case of LTTE? I do not know.
Q: As the war goes on in one corner of the nation, abductions and extra judicial killings have also taken place in other parts of the country. You being a convener of the Civil Monitoring Committee have been agitating against this trend in the past. But now it appears abductions are on a decline. What is your view on this?

A: The abductions and extra judicial killings are not on the decline as it appears to be so. Over thousand people have gone missing along with extra legal killings in Jaffna peninsula last year alone. The state run Human Rights Commission has the statistics. And what about the people who are already missing? How are we going to account for them?

Q: Besides, independent journalists and media organizations have also come under severe attack – the latest being the attack on Sirasa/MTV and the killing of The Sunday Leader Editor. How do you view this development?
A: Both MTV/MBC and Lasantha have been the fearless symbols of free media in this country. On the other hand these attacks symbolise the extent of the breakage of law and order in this country.

Q: As a person representing the interests of Tamils living outside north and east, you have also raised concern about the plight of the plantation workers. Understandably there are 11 MPs representing the interests of the plantation workers, including over 50 PC members and another hundred odd local government members. Who do you hold responsible for this situation?
A: I am the only Parliamentarian and party leader of Indian origin who is not holding any portfolios today. It is true that there is blamable majority communalism practiced against poor plantation worker community. It is because of the Tamil ethnicity of the plantation workers. But the major blame for the under development of the plantation community should go to Minister Arumugam Thondaman’s Ceylon Workers Congress and Minister P. Chandrasekaran’s Up-Country People front.

Actually the Sinhala Heads of State and Prime Ministers were somewhat generous towards the plantation community in the recent past. President Chandrika created a Ministry for Estate infrastructure. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe offered the National Housing Ministry what was previously held by President Premadasa, to a member representing this community. Today President Rajapaksa has given two cabinet portfolios and seven deputy ministries to these plantation based politicians. Therefore we cannot blame the Sinhala political leadership.

The major fault lies with plantation politicians. These men have failed miserably in their respective duties. These self centred plantation politicians have become part of the problem ailing the plantation community.

Q: You are also part of the ‘grand alliance’ that is to be formed aimed at defeating the present government. How confident are you that the UPFA government could be defeated, given the party’s popularity especially after pushing the Tigers to the backyard?
A: The government is living only by the war. It has failed in all other avenues. There is going to be a time sooner than expected, when people would realise the hard fact that this war is not bringing solace.

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