Reality Principle

Futility of expecting salvation by an external entity

An accepted belief: International Community (IC) will come down from its moral mount to rescue the Tamil people from the ongoing genocide in their historic homeland. Unfortunately, our world is not so ideal. In our world, victor has his ways.

When the Sinhala state surrounds more than 300, 000 Tamils in the Vanni and when it indiscriminately pounds known civilian centres, including hospitals, the message from the IC comes: surrender to save yourselves.

The February 3^rd statement from the co-chairs, a quartet of Sri Lanka’s financial bakers, therefore, should be seen for what it is: an anticipatory acknowledgement of the Sinhala state’s “victory” over the Tamils.

Yes, the Sinhala state is deliberately targeting Tamil civilians; and yes, it is indefinitely detaining families for the simple reason that they are Tamil. But, none of this is of any relevance because, as the IC’s media keep pointing out, Sri Lankan is on the “verge of defeating” the Tamil insurgency.

Even after the Iraq venture, it is unfortunate the the IC fails to note that a nation of people can not be subjugated by military might alone. Certainly, the co-chairs appear to be absent-minded in their approach to resolve the Sinhala-Tamil conflict.

Sonia Congress dreams of Rajiv era

A recently popularised argument from several quarters is that the co-chairs are simply signing away statements drafted by the official “bystander”; their “strategic partner” in the region.

Disarming the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and installing New Delhi’s quislings as “representatives” of the Tamil people was the favoured policy of the Rajiv administration. How that imprudent quest costed thousands of lives and extended the agony of nations of people by more than two decades is now recorded history.

While one expects an “emerging state” to be dynamic in its policy formations, one has to admit that India is disturbingly trapped in the dynastic politics of the House of Nehru. In the corridors of Sabhas individual egos still take precedence over national interest.

New Delhi’s continued military assistant to Sri Lanka and the excessive use of wording from the Indo-Lanka Accord in the co-chairs latest press-release are perturbing at the least.

Attempts by certain individuals to justify New Delhi’s actions on ideological grounds only serve to bring shame to the intellectual advancement in India’s civil service. Russia, for example, did not cite its own “separatist” issue in Chechnya when it went to war with Georgia on behalf of the separatist rebels of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Likewise, the US does not consider democracy, women’s rights and religious freedom in its dealings with Saudi Arabia.

We need not point out that under the Sonia Congress administration India has lost whatever little influence it had left in the north of the country. In the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, for example, India huffed and puffed but Pakistan has flatly refused to handover any suspects. Contrarily, till date, the country has enjoyed influence in its south, over both the Sinhalese and the Tamils.

That, however, looks set to change. The Tamils, although not taking direct orders from New Delhi, have been careful not to form any alliances that would not be in the long-term interest of India. Pushed against the wall and with nothing but genocide as only choice, Tamils will have to seek alliances, with whomever, in order to safeguard themselves.

An awfully short period of time is left for the Sonia Congress to reconsider its continued military assistance to Sri Lanka. Clinging on to the errors of a bygone era would not be in the long term interests of India. Allowing the Tamils to move into another great power’s sphere of influence would be New Delhi’s biggest blunder of recent times.

Waiting for GODIC

In the meantime, Tamils ought to engage in some self introspection vis-à-vis foreign relations instead of seeking pleasure in the belief that an external entity, in the form of God IC, would come to save us all.

For will alone succeeds.