What Is Wrong With The Tamil Leadership In Sri Lanka ?
By Noel Nadesan –August 4, 2016
Dr Noel Nadesan
Present political climate in Sri Lanka, especially the Tamil politics, reminds me an ancient Greek mythology. King Sisyphus was condemned by the Olympian God Zeus to spend all the eternity in fruitless labour, rolling a rock up a mountain until it rolled back down of its own weight, again and again. Nothing could be more absurd than a life of such futility. King Sisyphus was punished for his trickery and killing. The Myth of Sisyphus was used by Albert Camus to explain the absurdity and thereafter Danish Philosopher Søren Kierkegaard used this to compare man’s greed to earn money. Franz Kafka compared it to man seeking political power and aspiration.
It was a philosophical metaphor that a person seeking power and money could not achieve them. Likewise, the Tamil politicians are asking power from the Colombo government but the ordinary Tamil citizens are not going to enjoy the fruits.
During the two weeks I spent in Sri Lanka including in the North, I heard many Tamils praising Douglas Devanantha MP and Chandrakumar EX-MP. The main reason for this is that they have been a bridge between the ordinary people and the government and people found it easier to handle their issues. This is what we call representative democracy. The Provincial government was elected to look after regional development in the North but they are also screaming for Tamils rights. They are not fulfilling people’s aspirations. Irregularities seem to be abundant in some of the more important sectors of the provincial government such as health and education.
The most essential elements lacking in the North are moral, social and political leadership. The Jaffna university incident has been the clearest example of failed leadership. I am not blaming the politicians alone for everything and even other sections of the society are not providing any guidance to the ordinary people. Temples are renovated from overseas money like whitewashing the tombstones. They do not provide any spiritual guidance to anyone. And the nature of Hindu religious establishment is that it lacked any authority. Everyone knows that Jaffna is a leading district in consumption of liquor while wall posters are seen in every nook and corner warning about narcotics.
Tamil politicians are only available through their media statements in daily newspapers and their rhetoric is very old and rusty. They are so used to life in the opposition like a wallowing buffalo in muddy lake. I could not see anyone speaking with vision about the future or providing leadership. They only ensure keeping their seats warm so that they can occupy it until their demise.
This has been our history. Crematoriums and cemeteries have seen numerous politicians with empty rhetoric.
This has been our history. Crematoriums and cemeteries have seen numerous politicians with empty rhetoric.
Futile and absurd politicking by Tamils started in 1927 with the arrival of the Donoughmore Commission in Sri Lanka. Eminent Leader Ponnampalam Ramanathan argued against the universal franchise because he did not approve voting rights for members of the Tamil non Vellala lower caste and the women. He further argued that giving voting rights to these groups would be a grave mistake and suggested that it would be anathema to the Hindu way of life.
Just before independence, another Tamil leader G.G. Ponnambalam demanded from Soulbury Commission ‘50:50’ representation (50% for the Sinhalese, and 50% for other minorities) when Sinhalese were more than 65 % of the population at the time. His racist rhetoric in Nawalapitiya attacking Sinhala Buddhists and Mahawamsa provoked the first racial riots in Sri Lanka . His speech was a pretext for S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike to establish branches of the Sinhala Maha Sabha in every part of the south of Sri Lanka. As a politician I will not blame S. W. R. D Bandaranaike to have made political capital out of G.G. Ponnambalam’s rhetoric.
