Our Pirapaharan
By Tisaranee Gunasekara -
“…..he who erected
His own gallows was the one who least expected
To end up dead.”
La Fontaine (Selected Fables)
Vellupillai Pirapaharancould have been the saviour of his people. He could have won for the Tamils a federal 
solution, perhaps even a con-federacy. He could have, but didn’t, because that was not his goal. His goal wasHis own state; the Eelam he worked towards was not Tamil-speaking Eelam, Tamil Eelam or even Tiger Eelam; his goal was a Pirapaharan Eelam, a country where he was the state, the law and the religion.
Post-victory, the Rajapaksas could have chartered a different path for Sri Lanka, towards democratic peace and humane development. They could have resolved the Tamil issue, strengthened religious-amity and created the political and socio-economic foundations of truly Lankan nation. They could have, but didn’t, because that is not what they want. They used the enormous political capital they gained by defeating the LTTE to transform Sri Lanka in to a familial oligarchy, because that was what they wanted.
Democracy is a shell, the judiciary and the bureaucracy subjugated, minorities disempowered and majority addicted to ethno-religious extremism because these are essential steps in the road towards Familial Rule and Dynastic Succession. Read More
