Is This How Our Motherland Should Treat Us?
*M.
A. Sumanthiran – speech in Parliament on 21st March 2013
(Resettlement Authority Bill)
By M.A. Sumanthiran -
M.
A. Sumanthiran MP
Thank
you Mr. Deputy Chairman.
The Hon. Minister for
External Affairs concluded with a question: ‘Is this right? Can we be
happy with the way our Motherland is being treated by the United Nations
system?’ I’d like to suggest that the question – more relevant question and the
more serious question is not that. Is this how our Motherland should treat us,
who are also citizens of this country? Merely because we are inferior in number
that the greater in number should treat us as second class, or worse, third
class citizens of this country. If you can answer that question in good
conscience as you claimed then most of these issues can be resolved.
The
Hon. Minister for External Affairs chose to speak in the Queen’s English, a
language that he is familiar with. He is also equally or more familiar with his
own Mother tongue but he chose to speak in English today, a Western language. He
is one who has benefited from Western education, even Western scholarship and he
chose to cast aspersions on Western civilization. Counting the number of
countries that he said have co-sponsored this Resolution, even in that I’m
saddened that he was not up to date. Perhaps his colleague in Geneva does not
keep him apprised of what’s happening there. He should have been there, not his
colleague. He has probably read the newspapers that said 32 countries have
co-sponsored the resolution when in fact 43 countries, Hon. Minister, let me set
the record straight, 43 countries have co-sponsored the Resolution and your
colleague in Geneva is obviously not keeping you updated on what’s happening
there. You’re 2 days late. Obviously you’re not getting information. You’re
reading newspapers and gathering information.
Your
complaint about who
is sponsoring the Resolution – who sponsored the 2009 resolution in
which government of Sri Lanka gave all of these assurances? It is on the 2009
resolution that the Resolution today is worded. It is on the 2009 resolution
that the resolution passed on the 23rd of March last year was also
worded. Who sponsored those resolutions? When the Resolution is carried today,
you’ll be surprised to know that countries from all continents have supported
this Resolution.
(interruption) The
Hon. Minister made an appeal to us not to disturb him when he spoke. After he
made that appeal we did not disturb him. He does not have the grace to tell his
backbenchers to do the same to us. This is how you treat the minorities in your
country. You claim a privilege; you get all upset when you are corrected. We
respected you when you spoke and didn’t say a word after you appealed to us to
remain quiet when you spoke. But you sit there dumbfounded when your
backbenchers treat us like this. This is your problem. This is precisely the
issue in this country. You think that because we are a numerical minority we
don’t have a voice? That we cannot speak? Absolute
arrogance…(interruption)
Speaker:
Hon. Azwer, please sit down
M.A.
Sumanthiran: You do not know what is happening to your own community. You are a
purchased commodity.
Speaker:
Hon. Sumanthiran, don’t attack him, continue with your subject.
M.A.
Sumanthiran: No, he is a purchased commodity.
The
amendment that is being moved today is only to extend the validity period of the
Resettlement Authority from 6 years to 9 years. The Hon. Minister for External
Affairs chose to speak on the Resolution in Geneva rather than on this Bill. I
will speak on this Bill first and then deal with some of those matters that he
raised as to what is happening in Geneva. Perhaps he has been given the forum
there to give vent to his feelings and he has chosen this Parliament, the only
forum that has been made available to him, so although not directly relevant he
dealt with those matters.
The
Minister for Resettlement very correctly answered questions that were posed
while he was on his feet, by the Hon. Member for Hambantota from the UNP and
revealed many truths. We’ve had the greatest respect for the Minister for
Resettlement. From the time he was appointed to that post, he has chosen, and
has always been careful to include us, to consult with us. I remember the very
next day he sent a note from there saying that he wanted to have discussions
with us, and he has acted in that good spirit. In that spirit he answered
truthfully the questions that were posed to him by the Hon. Member for
Hambantota. He said that 470 houses have been built by the government in 4
years. Utterly shameful. If that is your resettlement, surely 3 more years is
not enough for you. Aren’t you ashamed to admit to this House that that is all
you can do when there were over 250, 000 houses that were razed to the ground?
We have raised this from 2010 – from the mini budget in 2010. What is the
government doing about this? We had to appeal to India. India promised 50,000
houses. Only 1000 are in the process of being made.
(interruption)
Minister
for Commerce is interfering. Because of his interference and (that of) another
cabinet colleague of his from the North even the implementation of the
(construction of) houses in the North have been so delayed that the beneficiary
list could not be settled for so long, after four years.
(interruption)
The
vote has been carried in Geneva. I’d like to inform the Hon. Minister for
External Affairs of the happy news that the resolution has been carried with an
overwhelming majority, with only 13 voting against.
(interruption)
The
Hon. Minister for Resettlement during his speech conceded that there were some
houses that were built down Madu Road in the Mannar district. That is true, 52
houses were built. Now we asked that question – in 2011 October
23rd in this House I placed a report in which we even gave pictures
of those houses. I’d like to ask the Minister one question about that. How many
Tamil people have been given houses out of those 52 houses? Not one. Now I don’t
mind other communities being given houses. I’m not against that. I think other
communities – Sinhalese – who lived in the North must come and live. We welcome
them to come back and live. Muslims who were very wrongly chased away from the
North must come back and live, and we support that process. In fact my Party
Leader has even given it in writing to India, saying that Muslim persons must be
given houses in the houses that they allocate. But I am asking this question,
out of those 470 houses, I know that in one lot of 52 houses, not even one Tamil
family has benefited out of those. Now why is this? Why do you treat the Tamil
people like this? You do that and then you bitterly complain that the United
Nations is passing a resolution to promote reconciliation and accountability in
Sri Lanka.
The
Hon. Minister asked the question…he criticized the High Commissioner for Human
Rights. This happened even in Geneva by his colleague who was rude to the High
Commissioner and at least one country protested in the Council itself that the
Hon. Minister for Plantation Industries was rude. The Minister for Plantation
Industries goes to Geneva while the External affairs Minister sits here. The
Minister for External Affairs also should be careful. He constantly referred to
the High Commissioner for Human Rights as ‘Navanathan Pillay’. She is not
‘Navanathan Pillay’. You must know that it is a basic tenet that you pronounce
the name of the person (correctly) – that is how you respect that person. She
is Navanetham
Pillay, not ‘Navanathan Pillay’. He said that she’s shifting the goal
post. Having said that she’s shifting the goal post he later in his speech
conceded that 7 days after the war ended she called for international
investigations. How is she shifting the goal post then? On the
26th of May 2009 she called for international investigations. In
March 2013 also she is calling for international investigations. Where is she
shifting the goal post? And if international investigations were called for in
2009, 26th of May, what is the complaint that the Minister makes? His
Excellency the
President himself signed a Joint Communiqué with the Secretary
General of the United Nations in Colombo assuring that the
allegations of violations of international law will be inquired into. So, even
your own President conceded that there were allegations that needed to be
inquired into.
Now
I want to say something about international investigations since such umbrage is
being taken at the word ‘international’.
There
are credible allegations against both sides that fought the war. One is
the LTTE,
the other is the government of Sri Lanka. Can you have an inquiry conducted by
one of those accused persons? Can that ever be acceptable? Any inquiry must be
independent, nobody can dispute that. Any inquiry must be independent. And in
this instance, if the inquiry is to be independent it must necessarily be
international. How can you have a local inquiry when one of the accused persons
is the government of Sri Lanka, and that has been conceded to by no less a
person than His Excellency the President in the Joint Communiqué that he signed
on the 26thof May 2009?
He’s
talking about bullying, countries being bullied. Who is being bullied within the
country? Who is being bullied within the country? The Hon. Leader of the
Opposition, just one day in Jaffna recounted his own experience. When the people
there are being bullied by your military intelligence personnel? You can’t have
one meeting there. Muslim women can’t walk on the streets of this country today
in their traditional dress. In Manampitiya, Hon. Minister, a young girl in an
abaya, was walking and she was attacked. She has made a complaint to the
Polannaruwa police. On the day the Mattala airport was opened, the same night a
church in Weerakettiya was attacked by a mob, unfortunately led by religious
leaders – by Buddhist monks. And they go and demonstrate before the Indian High
Commission saying two venerable monks have been attacked in Tamil Nadu. We
condemn those attacks. We don’t support that. No monk should be attacked in
Tamil Nadu. But why aren’t they complaining about the church being attacked in
Weerakettiya, in your own country, before you look at other countries? Why
aren’t they going in processions protesting that Muslim women are being attacked
on the road? You don’t go on processions for that, you only have to complain
about other countries. Look at yourself, inside, first. You put your house
right. If you put your house right no one else will ever be able to point
fingers at you. You have this happening in your own country. You treat people
who are numerically in the minority like dirt, and then you have the brass to
stand up and pontificate about international interference and call that
bullying. When you get a little bit of the taste of your own medicine you are
smarting but you can’t understand how much we feel being treated like dirt in
this country. You talk about changing the goal post. What did your government
do? They started talks with us. You were in that delegation that talked with us.
10th of January 2011, 3rd of February 2011,
18th of March 2011. All 3 times we gave proposals to you. You are the
government. You had nothing to say. You had no proposals to give. You could not
even respond to our own proposals. For 5 months and 7 meetings you came and sat
there.
(interruption)
In
resettlement, what is the progress that you have made? The LLRC at
paragraph 9.134 very specifically says ‘the government must disengage security
forces from all civil administration related activity as rapidly as possible’.
That has not been done. It is because the security forces have not been
disengaged and it is because they occupy land that people have not been
resettled. The Hon. Minister for Resettlement was very forthright. Talking about
Keppapilavu he said ‘I have no authority. When they’re able to be resettled
there I can do that. But now they are in temporary places.’ Why are they in
temporary places? Because there’s a large military cantonment that has been
built in Keppapilavu and people are being kept out. What has happened in
Mullikulam. Hon. Minister for Mannar district will know what has happened in
Mullikulam. What has happened in Valikamam North? What has happened in Sampoor?
Why aren’t people being resettled? His Excellency the President on the
26th of May 2009, when he signed the Joint Communiqué, a second
assurance that he gave was that all displaced persons will be resettled in their
own places before the end of that year. That year. 2009. And in 2013 you come to
this House and you want to extend the period of the Resettlement Authority for
another 3 years. 4 years after His Excellency’s deadline ended you come and ask
for another 3 years for the Resettlement Authority. What is the Resettlement
Authority doing? Nothing. It is the Presidential Task Force that controls
everything. There is no Resettlement Authority. I don’t know why the Minister
for Resettlement wants this Authority, to extend this period. Resettlement is
not complete. He concedes – 200,000 people are still not resettled. Even others
who are said to be resettled only have to look at the carpet roads and the
bridges and know that the government has money to do all of that but will not
spend on priorities such as their own shelter and their livelihood.
Thank
you.
