Daily News Editorial

Sampanthan’s thumbs up for reconciliation

Thursday 05th November 2015

 

Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan may not have won many admirers among his more radical TNA colleagues for taking up cudgels on behalf of the HNDA students who were at the receiving end of a violent police baton charge the other day. But he certainly would have scored heavily with the radical student elements this side of the ethnic divide, for he was taking a risk by advocating causes to do with the South - a risk that could even cost him politically.

Hitherto the TNA, or for that matter all Tamil political parties originating from the North and East, when they were not talking about subjects such as Federalism or self determination, strictly confined themselves to advocating causes that affected their own brethren in the North. During the time of the LTTE even this was circumscribed, with Tamil MPs only speaking what they were ordered to speak by Prabhakaran. No issue affecting the people of the South were ever brought up. They dared not. Hence the problems of students, farmers, workers etc. in general was never on the agenda of these Tamil political parties. Their speeches were always about harassment of the Tamils by the security forces, the destruction Tamil monuments or the plight of the Northern farmers, fishermen etc.

Hence the gesture on the part of Sampanthan could be viewed as a significant departure from the hitherto hands off attitude or indifference displayed towards issues affecting the Southern polity, a development which was even positively viewed and commented on by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament on Tuesday. This is doubly so since Sampanthan should be the last person to take up cudgels on behalf the student community in the South, penalised as the student population in the North was by the standardization introduced by a majoritarian Government, that discriminated the Tamil youth from the North and alienated them from the national mainstream leading to the demand for separation and eventually the armed uprising.

Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday when the students’ issue was taken up Sampanthan queried as to why retreating student demonstrators were attacked at Ward Place by the Police. He said: “the students were unarmed. They had a perfectly legitimate demand ......the students retreated and they moved backwards not forward, but they were attacked with batons. He went on to state;” the people in a democratic country have the right to protest to meet their grievances. OUR youth cannot be treated in this callous manner.

By mentioning ‘our youth’ it is plain that Sampanthan was speaking in a national context, had clearly embraced national politics as a true Opposition Leader and will in future too espouse the causes of the majority community too, a far cry from the sectarian path that was once followed by the former TULF Parliamentarians and later the TNA, which no doubt augurs well for communal harmony and national reconciliation.

Those in the pro Mahinda camp such as Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila who was vehemently opposed to Sampanthan being made the Opposition Leader, their opposition taking on a racist tinge, it is hoped would at least now view things differently and mend their ways. Or, is it too much to expect from a political cabal to whom racism had been their bread and butter for long and their only passport to Parliament?

Of course, as mentioned, Sampanthan may not be a favourite among some of his Parliamentary colleagues and even the Northern Provincial Council membership for his ‘sacrilege’. That is all the more reason that his gesture should be appreciated by one and all. The veteran Tamil politician can take heart from the fact that he is in distinguished company. It is appropriate to recall that it was the likes of Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan, Ponnambalam Arunachalam et al. fiercely espoused the cause of the Sinhalese during the State Counsel days and even obtained several concessions for the majority community from the Colonial government of the day. Nay, there were a galaxy of Tamil politicians who actively participated in the country’s freedom struggle. Will Sampanthan’s speech open the doors to yet another era of Sinhala - Tamil camaraderie, conviviality and peaceful coexistence.

Of course it is too early to tell. As mentioned there are disruptive elements on both sides of the ethnic divide who will resent and resist the coming together of the two main communities. But a beginning has been made. This is the second occasion that we have had a Leader of the Opposition from a political party representing the North. On the first occasion it was one way traffic where only the Eelam cause was espoused. With the LTTE now decimated and Tamil political parties given an opportunity to freely articulate themselves there is hope for a thawing of hitherto hardened positions. The overwhelming support of the Northern voters towards the election of President Sirisena should not be treated in isolation. It is a reflection of the desire of the Tamils of the North to live as equal citizens with the majority community in a united Sri Lanka - the very sentiments expressed by Sampanthan in his speech in Parliament after assuming the office of Leader of the Opposition.