INTERVIEWS

"Be cautious in dealing with the LTTE"

"We have been telling successive governments about the Tigers' intentions and their aims. But our views do not seem to get the attention of these governments. We have even cautioned the present goverment and I hope our views will be taken seriously for the talks to end successfully," he told The Sunday Leader in an interview.

Following are excerpts;

By Wilson Gnanadass

Q: Having supported the People's  Alliance in the past, how do you view the governance of Prime Minister Ranil Wickr emesinghe and the peace process initiated by him?

A: We welcome the initiatives taken by the Premier to find a solution to the dragging north-east problem. But there are two issues. One is the Tamil speaking peoples' political issue and the second is the LTTE issue. In order to solve the Tamil peoples' problem we have to work with whoever is in power.

After the Indo-Sri Lanka agreement I was in India. Only in '90 May I came to Sri Lanka while President Premadasa's government was in power.We had a good understanding and worked together to achieve the goals. Being mindful of the intentions of our Premier, we are rather skeptical of the LTTE's intentions. We have our reservations where the LTTE is concerned. If not for our reservations about the LTTE, we welcome the PM's move to establish peace in this country. We appreciate the initiatives taken by the Prime Minister, at the same time we insist that he should approach the Tigers with a certain degree of caution.

Take for instance the Delft incidents. That is a message from Prabhakaran and his cadres to the outside world that they could flex their muscles at any time. The message is that they have not deviated from their goal and the means of achieving it.

Q: How do you view the MoU signed between the government and the LTTE?

A: We are neither happy nor convinced by the signing of the MoU. But we are looking at it from the point of giving support to the efforts of Prime Minister Wickremesinghe. This is our stand. We have already informed the UNF government and the Norwegian Embassy regarding our areas of disagreement with regard to the MoU, but in order to support the efforts taken by the Prime Minister and the government in finding a lasting solution, we do not want to become a major stumbling block.

Q: Since the signing of the ceasefire agreement with the LTTE, we have seen many  violations. In this connection how do you view the bona fides of the LTTE ?

A: We have been telling right from the beginning that the LTTE cannot be trusted. We have told successive governments about this. This is our past experience with the LTTE.  So I believe all efforts taken by the government and the Prime Minister are designed in such a manner as to bring the LTTE into the peace process. Even after signing the MoU there have been reports of numerous violations. The LTTE has its own intentions and what we would like to say is that these violations are not mere mistakes.The violations that have been reported - it must be understood  - have been carried out with ulterior motives.

Q: But did not the EPDP govern the north in a similar manner with guns in hand?

A: Your statement is wrong. The EPDP never governed the north. We only carried out our political activities and helped the people to meet their day to day needs. Arms were provided by the governments in power for the protection of our members from the LTTE.

These governments could not provide us with security because of the war that was going on, and the security forces were actively engaged in the war. Therefore we had to protect ourselves with the arms that were provided by the government. And most of the allegations leveled against us were either fabricated or 'cooked- up' with political motives.

Also I must say that after the MoU was signed there is no need to carry weapons. Now we are talking about two different periods. Period prior to the signing of the MoU and the period after that. Before the MoU was signed we were asked to look after our own defence. But now that the MoU has been signed the scenario has changed. Also it must be mentioned that the weapons in our hands are similar to the 'knife in the hands of the surgeon' and not as in the 'hands of a butcher.'

Prior to the MoU being signed we needed the weapons. But after the signing we did not need them so we handed over our weapons and requested for government protection.

Q: Some Tamil parliamentarians have said that they are not satisfied with the functions of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). How do you view their activities and  commitment?

A: In my personal view TNA means Tiger Nominated Agents. The TNA was arranged and organised by the LTTE to serve its own vested political interests. After I received my portfolio as rehabilitation and reconstruction minister in the previous administration, I worked hard for the people in a big way. And therefore the people started to follow us and we became a prime threat to the LTTE. The LTTE thought that they would be marginalised by the activities that were carried out by us. That is why they had to form the TNA.

Even now we are attacked because we are the political alternative in the north and east. The Tigers could not misguide the people and turn them against us because of our genuine intentions. This is why they tried to chase us from the north. They in fact went on to sling mud at us. The TNA is spurious in our view. There are four parties involved in the formation of the TNA. We find contradictions even within the TNA.

Q: Do you think the peace process initiated by the Premier would see positive results at the end of the day?

A: It is our wish that the process should see an ultimate end. Our wish is that the government  begins political negotiations immediately and also involve all political parties concerned in the discussions. A solution should be sought without any procrastination. Such a delay may leave room for the birth of various other social and economic problems in the south. If this happens, the north east problem may get automatically submerged. This is why we say that political negotiations should take precedence.

Q: What is your assessment of the talks initiated by the previous regime - the People's Alliance led by President Kumaratunga-and the present government led by Premier Wickremesinghe?

A: Both parties have entered into talks according to their political needs and their stand. Each approach has features that suit the different periods that we are living in. But ultimately it is the end result that is important to us.

We have been repeatedly telling those who have been discussing with the Tigers about the Tigers' actual intentions. But nobody seems to have taken our views seriously. We have said this because we know the true intentions of the Tigers. This is something similar to the proverb, 'A Greek knows a Greek.' Therefore I believe if our views are taken seriously, this process would end up successfully.

Q: Do you think federalism is the answer to the problem?

A: A package that could be accepted by all is the one that could bring a lasting solution in Sri Lanka. After EPDP entered in to  mainstream politics our slogan has been "power sharing in the center, autonomy to the region." So this is our view.

Q: The PA also discussed a federal system, but it failed. Do you think the same fate may befall this one as well?

A: Any move by any government to approach the Tigers without any clear  understanding of them would end up unsuccessfully. This in addition would also lead to mass destruction and further chaos. Take for instance what happened to the lives of late Indian Premier Rajiv Gandhi, late President Ranasinghe Premadasa and even President Kumaratunga. We hope this will not happen to the present Premier who in our view is taking a keen interest to solve the crisis.

Q: President Kumaratunga has hinted that she may dissolve parliament and hold fresh elections. In the event an election is held, would you support the PA?

A: So far this has been only a rumour. If a lasting solution is to be found to the ethnic problem, there should be some sort of co-habitation between the two main parties - the UNF and the PA. It is common knowledge that if a village is divided into two, it would be advantageous to the comedians. So if these two parties fail to co-habit on national issues, it would be advantageous to the LTTE. The LTTE's intention is also to ensure that the south is divided. Therefore cohabitation would be the ideal situation and our party supports it. Our party gives priority to such a meaningful co-habitation.

Q: We have seen a sudden change of policy in the EPDP with your party now supporting the UNF government. On what basis do you extend your support to the UNF?

A: Our support is purely based on a meaningful solution being found to the ethnic problem. And whoever that is making such an effort while being in power, would receive our support. Now that the UNF government is taking a keen interest to find a solution, we have decided to extend our support.