Mullivaikal Remembrance Day message - 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
1. Commemorating Mullivaikaal
Each commemoration event, by whatever name we may call them, has an important role in remembering with gratitude and respect all those who were victims and heroes of the Mullivaikaal massacre, their sacrifices and dedication as well as mobilizing ourselves, as survivors, to take stock of ourselves in the present context and situation, equip ourselves to struggle future in the quest for Tamil liberation.
Mullivaikal Remembrance message - 2012
When we pay our grateful respects to our heroes and the innocent victims, we take into us inhale into ourselves the courageous spirit of sacrifice and dedication that characterized them.
In taking stock of the past phases of the struggle, in a spirit of continuity, we learn lessons for the future, consolidate the success and remind ourselves of the continuing weaknesses and slaveries within our community - which hinder our struggling forward.
2. Situation on the ground
Even 3 years after the massive massacre, what is going on in the Northeast of Sri Lanka is a phenomena less understood by the categories of international politics and its conventions. Hence our duty to inform the world of the truth of the horrific events still happening on our soil.
The Sri Lankan government has escalated their anti-Tamil Mahinda Chinthanaya – through militarization, state-aided sinhalisation and Buddhisticiation, Human rights violations such as disappearances, grabbing of lands and of livelihood are on the increase in high militarized zones. The development which the government boasts of in the Northeast is largely an enslaving development to profit the government and the south and not an empowering development to benefit the people of the Northeast as partners and beneficiaries. This is a mockery of true development for selfish motives.
The international community cannot easily grasp the events going on in the Northeast with respect to the eradication of the existential roots of the Tamils, their religion and their culture. State-aided Sinhala settlements, building of Buddhist Dagobas in areas which are 100% Hindus, changing of Tamil names of villages and roads into Sinhala names. The diaspora have the obligation, being the only voice to expose the continuing atrocities of the government to the world.
3. Let us become more conscious not only of our strengths/strategies but also of our weaknesses/slaveries
It is true that we are a unique people with God-given character, strengths and talents but also we by our sinfulness we possess some weak character and some form of slaveries in certain things. Let us be honest to ourselves. Let us acknowledge our success in humility and our weaknesses in all sincerity.
In our case, the tendency has been only to glorify our past, extol ourselves as the best or as possessing the best or oldest language, culture, history etc and lose sight or overlook the deep slaveries we have got used to and allowed ourselves to ruin!
Conscious efforts are needed to get over our self-glorification and to become more realistic especially in the diaspora background of meeting more people of the world and their civilizations. We have been centripetal in self-adoring or self-extolling. This weakness in us must be identified as early as possible for our betterment.
If you want freedom, become free. While fighting for liberation from external forces of oppression, we must realize the need to liberate ourselves from our own slaveries and oppressions within the community.
4. Having a just cause is only a first step; much has to be done to achieve it.
It is not enough that we have a just demand, a deep conviction is a sine qua non, but it is not enough. It is only the beginning. Most of the time, most of us think that just because we are suffering injustices or victims, others of the world MUST stand with us understand us and fight for us. It is a wrong expectation. Are we the only people suffering or oppressed or discriminated or massacred? There are many cases worse than our case!
Let us not forget that we have to engage with the international community who aided Sri Lanka towards the Mullivaikaal Massacre. Till the end of the war in Mullivaikaal, when the Sri Lankan government raised the banner of fighting a terrorist, they banned the LTTE, closed down even Tamil diaspora humanitarians and gave enough finance and weapons to Sri Lanka. But after its victory Sri Lanka turned more to China, Pakistan and Iran and distanced itself from the western countries. Soon after May 2009, when the western powers brought a resolution before the UNHRC, Sri Lanka using an anti-westerm slogan defeated it. But recently the US-led resolution and its victory has given a new chance for the international community to pressurize the Sri Lankan government to move towards some justice and peace. This beginning has to be made well use of by the diaspora Tamils in struggling further.
In this context let me conclude by asking ourselves two simple questions.
1. Do we acknowledge as necessary a unity of goal/intention and a diversity of approaches/methods?
2. What are the difficulties we have in mobilizing the diaspora for a unity of goal but diversity of approach
Let us close ranks as much as possible, to forge a strong unity of goals and division only of the work to be done.
Rev. Dr S.J.Emmanuel
President
Global Tamil Forum