Mr. Sampanthan’s Disturbing Discourse

The keynote speech by Mr. R Sampanthan, the leader of the main Tamil parliamentary party at the recent congress of that organization is in many respects a landmark event. It sheds light on a number of key strategic issues and should make clear to the international community that the matter of political dialogue leading to ethnic reconciliation is, has become or is becoming rather more complex and fraught than is customarily thought.

“The symbol of our party chosen for us by our founder – the House – also symbolizes this. This House is the Home of our community; our community’s historical habitat; our community’s sovereignty. Our fundamental objective is to regain our community’s Home, its historical habitat and its sovereignty. The symbol of the House symbolizes this unshakeable aim…”

THIS INTERPRETATION IS CONFIRMED BY A PASSAGE IN WHICH IT IS STATED THAT THE SOFTENING OF THE POLITICAL STAND OF THE MAIN TAMIL PARTY IS MERELY TACTICAL, DOES NOT INDICATE A SHIFT OF POLITICAL GOAL AND IS INTENDED TO DOVETAIL WITH ONGOING AND EMERGING INTERNATIONAL TRENDS AND LEVERAGING THOSE INTERNATIONAL TRENDS AND FACTORS IN FAVOUR OF THE STATED POLITICAL GOAL

The senior political leader of the Tamil community in the island’s strategically sensitive Northern Province reconfirms the political aim and goal of his party. Perhaps more importantly he clarifies the international strategy that is being, and is to be, adopted in furtherance of that political project, as well as the interconnection between the international strategy and domestic tactics in support of the project.

“My respected friends. The current practices of the international community may give us an opportunity to achieve, without the loss of life, the soaring aspirations we were unable to achieve by armed force. Because of this, we must be patient.”

Mr. Sampanthan’s speech not only states clearly that the political project lies outside the parameters of both the 13th Amendment as well as the structural form of a unitary state, it also provides considerable evidence that the goal of a sovereign state of and for the Tamils, one in which they enjoy absolute authority rather than shared or devolved authority, remains the goal. The terms ‘devolution’ and ‘power-sharing’ do not appear in the speech.

“Our expectation for a solution to the ethnic problem of the sovereignty of the Tamil people is based on a political structure outside that of a unitary government, in a united Sri Lanka in which Tamil people have all the powers of government needed to live with self-respect and self-sufficiency. … Powers must be allocated under this structure based on the understanding that meaningful devolution should go beyond the 13th Amendment to the Constitution passed in 1987. This position has been accepted by our party. Our acceptance of this position does not mean that we consider the 13th Amendment to be an acceptable solution, nor that, in the event our right to inter nal selfdetermination is continuously denied, we will not claim our right under international law to external self- determination. It only means that this is the only realistic solution today.”

Perhaps the key segment of Mr. Sampanthan’s speech is that the strategic perspective is to prove to the international community, most especially India and the USA, that a solution for the Tamil people is not possible within a united Sri Lanka. The repeated use of the term ‘united’ rather than ‘unitary’ reveals that the strategy is not merely to convince the international community that a solution cannot be found within the unitary form and framework, but rather within a united Sri Lanka itself, i.e. Sri Lanka as a single, united country. Despite several references to a ‘united Sri Lanka’ elsewhere in the text, this strategic perspective reveals a latent commitment to a secessionist goal by other means.

“In other words – we must prove to the international community that we will never be able to realize our rights within a united Sri Lanka. We must be patient until the international community realizes for itself that the effort we are involved in is doomed to fail. To put it more strongly, the international community must realize through its own experience, without us having to tell them, that the

racist Sri Lankan government will never come forward and give political power to the Tamil people in a united Sri Lanka.”

This interpretation is confirmed by a passage in which it is stated that the softening of the political stand of the main Tamil party is merely tactical, does not indicate a shift of political goal and is intended to dovetail with ongoing and emerging international trends and leveraging those international trends and factors in favour of the stated political goal.

This speech provides a glimpse of future tactics inasmuch as it speaks of a non-violent campaign which it fears will be met with violence, at which point the international community should act decisively.

“…Our patience however, will not be everlasting. Our patience too, has its limits. Once we have reached that limit, we will move onto the stage of our effort. We will not hesitate to gather our people together and with the support of progressive forces in our country, and the international community, even engage in a non-violent struggle. We will decide on specific deadlines and when the time comes for such action, we will act…” The stances of the party until then can be understood as setting the stage and positioning itself for such an endgame.