Challenging enforced self-deceit

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 May 2013, 11:38 GMT]
A former UN official and a key witness to the Vanni War admitted to a diaspora gathering last Sunday that it was genocide that had taken place. But he didn’t want to be quoted, for it would not help his current mission. He advised the Tamils to be ‘pragmatic’. Why is the advice? Is it because Tamils have to learn to live with genocide, as it has been pre-determined by the ‘all-powerful’ and cannot be changed, or is it because the elements that are ultimately responsible for the crime occupy and will continue to occupy the Establishments of the world, asks a diaspora Tamil activist, adding that the deceit of the ICE is bold now, telling: Yes, it is a deceit, it will continue to be a deceit and if you don’t want to be deceived by us then you should deceive yourself by ‘auto-suggestion’ that there was no genocide, there is no genocide and there doesn’t exist a territory of Eezham Tamils. 

Further comments by the diaspora activist follow: 

Does ‘pragmatism’ means Eezham Tamils have to say that nothing happened to them, nothing is happening to them, if anything has happened that is all because of their own fault and they have to silently sulk to become a mentally ill nation forever or a nation not existing in future history?

This kind of ‘pragmatism’ is not in the making of Tamil culture, in which even God Siva was challenged that even if he shows his ‘third eye,’ capable of destroying the entire universe, a mistake committed by him is a mistake (Nettik ka’n’naik kaaddinaalum kuttam kuttamea).

But a more pertinent question is why the kind of ‘pragmatism’ advised by the former UN official, when there are no signs of any hopeful or positive results in the last four years, but all the signs that come only portent more and more deception.

In their nature and political making, the Eezham Tamils as a nation never operated against any power or country. Their struggle was only with the Sinhala State. In fact, they were always particularly looking upon India and the USA, first in finding political justice against the perpetual deceit of the Sinhala State and then in facing its State terrorism and genocide.

But it turns out that the ultimate deceit now comes from Washington and New Delhi.

It comes with a difference. Now it is boldly told: Yes it is a deceit, it will continue to be a deceit, if you don’t want to be deceived by us then you should deceive yourself by auto-suggestion that there was no genocide, there is no genocide and there doesn’t exist a territory of Eezham Tamils.

Added to the attitude is the claim openly coming from the militaristic sections of the adversaries that the Vanni War, not shunning even genocide, was the first decisive counterinsurgency victory of this century. 

If that is so, the first people’s struggle of this century nullifying such a ‘victory’ of the ‘counterinsurgency’ of the international oppressors and would go into history is the sacrifices of the people in Vanni, who refused to betray the cause, refused to get deceived, refused to listen to the villains of humanity, but chose to face the consequences.

Again it is the people’s mobilisation in Tamil Nadu that has now challenged the ‘counterinsurgency’ pundits of imperial terrorism.

The diaspora is yet to prove the credentials.

There are views that the strategy should begin from Tamil Nadu pressurising New Delhi and if New Delhi demands, the USA would have no objection but would yield in. 

It may prove wrong. The ultimate adversary would be left free to sabotage at lower levels, even at the level of Tamil Nadu. Only when the ultimate adversary is exposed to the public and people start addressing at it directly, sabotage at lower levels could be averted or contained. Begin from the top, if you want to face the junior partners, agents and sub-agents. 

Pragmatism for Tamils is realising the realities, realising the ultimate adversaries, addressing at them directly and steadfastly, letting them know without pretensions that we know what they are doing and are not prepared to be deceived, and if they are not listening, the people’s power and the Gandhian method of non-cooperation are always there.

Ostrich-ism, imagining ‘virtues’ in the name of diplomacy even in explicit ‘counterinsurgency’ conspiracies of the adversaries such as the case of Geneva Resolution, is not ‘pragmatism’ in people’s politics.

@TamilGuardian Twitter account suspended

Message from the Tamil Guardian team:-10 May 2013

At 17:00 GMT today, our Twitter account - @TamilGuardian - was suspended. We have reason to believe false allegations were made against us. We will of course be appealing this suspension and will update @TamilGuardian readers in due course.
We are deeply concerned by this suspension, and feel it represents an extension of the repression of Tamil media that takes place within the island of Sri Lanka. In particular it echoes recent attempts to undermine the presence of other Tamil social media accounts such as @JaffnaPressClub.

Follow TG writers on Twitter: @sivakami_r @thusi_kumar @marioarul @abi_nathanx