In Webby’s original post two issues were raised. One (discussed here) was the issue of eviction, which the whole world including most of our own political parties condemned. Sri Lanka’s legislature rejected the right of the Police or other Security Forces to evict citizens for security reasons. The SriLankan Courts have made a clear statement that Human Rights of the Individual are more important than the security concerns’ of the defense establishment.
A State is a collective of individuals and their rights surpasses that of state agencies or officials that are appointed to safe guard the individual. Whether a wrong is committed by the state against the citizens in Hitler’s Germany, American West (American’s of Japanese decent during WW II), or in Gaza strip against Palestinians by the Jewish Zionists, or the Northern Tamils by the Sri Lankan Police (IGP), the free thinking citizens the world over will condemn such barbaric action. And we will pay dearly for the shortsighted decisions of few high officials of the defense establishment.
We are fighting a war. It is obvious to all except for few Government Ministers who say that the CFA is still in force. When we fight, we have to fight and win. The war in fought not only in Vanni battle fields, but at all levels, with intelligence gathering taking a prominent role. Now our commanders whose task is to collect and analyze the intelligence have failed miserably. The reason is, they spend more resources watching the political rivals of the President than the next moves of the LTTE. It reminds me of the Hoover era of the FBI. The FBI knew what Castro had for dinner the previous night but didn’t know the real name of Mafia in New York or its family bosses.
The real battle is fought inside minds of the ordinary Tamils. Most don’t like the LTTE or its Authoritarian way of doing things. They are pulled in two directions. Love for their country Sri Lanka vs. the love for their Tamil race. We managed to win the East because we were able to get the ordinary Tamils aligned to us and use their power against the LTTE.
If our short sighted leaders make all Tamils pro LTTE and Elam, then we will surely loose this war. To win the war, we have to fight inside the mind of each Tamil civilian and lead him/her to the Sri Lankan side and away from Terrorism. This is the direction our political leaders should concentrate. Not alienating the ordinary Tamils.
When Terrorists commits terrorism there is nothing to condemn. It is the reason why we call these groups terrorists. But when Sovereign States commits terrorism good citizens condemn because we don’t want the States to end up as terrorists. World history is full of such rough states. Whether at My Lai in Vietnam, Central Prison in Bagdad or the Lodgings of 4th Cross Street, No Government has the right to terrorize its citizens.
Beggars are no choosers !!!. Got to obey all the dictums passed by the donors. This is the sad truth our leaders failed to appreciate and have lost the control of the economy.
Will take up the second issue at a later discussion.
