PROTO CONFEDERATION ALREADY FORMED
The legislative assembly that was established in the nineteenth century by the British had one Sinhala representative, one Tamil representative and one Burgher representative. Ever since then one of the objectives of Tamil racism was to reduce the Sinhala representation in the legislature, whether it was the legislative assembly, the state council or the parliament, to very much less than the Sinhalas were entitled to due to historical, cultural and demographic reasons. For the first time since then, though not a legislature, but that could exercise more powers than a legislature, the PTOMS or the JM have no Sinhala representation in any of the three level committees. The government does not represent the Sinhalas and there is nothing to state that the government representatives in the various committees would be Sinhalas. The President has apparently given a promise to the Muslim community that one of the Governmental representatives in the regional committee that would be set up in Killinochchi would be a Muslim in addition to the three Muslim representatives in that committee.
We do not ask for Sinhala representatives in any one of these committees as we reject the concept of PTOMS altogether as there is no need for such mechanism to engage in tsunami related work. However, we cannot remain silent on representations by various communities in PTOMS, as composition of committees at high level has been a problem in this country ever since the creation of the first legislative assembly. It has to be emphasised that the "authority" of the high level committee is not confined to six districts in the northern and the eastern provinces. The high level committee exercises power over the entire Tsunami Disaster Zone (TDZ), and by clause 2(d) of the so called MoU on PTOMS, the TDZ shall include all the tsunami -affected land area of Sri Lanka which is adjacent to the sea, lying within a limit of 2 kilometers landwards from the mean low water line. The high level committee can decide to bring additional land areas, provided however that all such areas have been directly impacted by the Tsunami, or directly affected by the displacement or replacement of persons as a result of Tsunami. The high level committee could bring proposals to include measures to recover material loss to the sea during the tsunami, the cleaning up of shores and beaches affected, even when covered by sea water, and the repairing and reconstruction of jetties or commercial fisheries harbours affected by tsunami.
Thus effectively the so called high level committee has power to look into Tsunami related work not only in the northern and the eastern provinces but in the entire country. Even if a single tsunami affected person has been resettled in a remote village the high level committee will have power over that village. As repairing of jetties come under the functions of the high level committee it is clear that Trincomalee and other harbours affected by Tsunami would come under the control of that committee. One has to remember that even the Galle harbour comes under this category and its reconstruction work could be overseen by the high level committee. Further the high level committee can extend its life time beyond one year and for all purposes it is going to be a feature in the administration, until the proper confederation is formed.
Thus the high level committee can exercise power over all the maritime districts in the country initially, not necessarily confined to the northern and the eastern provinces as demarcated by the British finally in 1889. The most alarming fact is that with respect to the various committees in respect of PTOMS, the Sinhalas have been made a non entity in the country. The so called Sri Lankan government, which is at the mercy of the western Christian powers cannot be considered as a government of Sinhalas. The Norwegians who represent the western Christian countries have been worse than the British who recognised some representation by the Sinhalas in the legislature.
When one analyses the three tier committees of the PTOMS, one could easily see a pattern as laid down for the future. Firstly the high level committee is not responsible for anybody. It is not a body established by a legal body. The first legislature in Sri Lanka was established by the governor who represented the British king. The first parliament in Sri Lanka was formed as a result of an act in the British parliament. The republican parliament of Sri Lanka was established by a constituent assembly that had obtained a mandate from the people. Who established the PTOMS? Certainly it is not the parliament of Sri Lanka, and not even the so called European Union, an artificial body created against the spirit of western Christian modernity, which is in the process of dissolution. The high level committee for all purposes is at least theoretically (and theatrically) a creation of two parties, namely the so called Sri Lankan government that can only do what the western Christian states want it to do, and the terrorists gang called the LTTE. The LTTE that enjoys equal status as the "Sri Lankan government" through the Ranil - Prabhakaran MoU (RPMoU), has entered into another MoU (PTOMSMoU), that could easily be called the RIPMoU, with that body called the GOSL. The high level committee that exercises authority initially over all the maritime districts in the country is nothing but the proto confederation to be formed by the "GOSL" and the LTTE as equal partners.
Further the high level committee is not responsible to any other body or institution, except to the Godfather of the body, namely the western Christian countries as represented by Norway, and is independent of the Sri Lankan parliament and treasury. It is the treachery that is written all over the RIPMoU, and the Sinhalas have nowhere to turn to. The "international agency" would fund the PTOMS, and the proto confederation would function only at the direction of the western Christian countries. This would be the end of not only the Sinhala Buddhist culture in the country but that of the Tamil Hindu and Muslim cultures as well. Perhaps people such as Mr. Anandasangaree understand this but unfortunately the Tamil Christian element that has the supremacy in the Tamil racist movement has silenced all the other voices in the Tamil community. Even myself at the beginning thought that the PTOMS would evolve into an ISGA in no time, but further reading of the RIPMoU has convinced me that this is it at last. It is the proto confederation that various people had thought previously under different names such as the Apex body, asymmetrical devolution.
The chair of the high level committee would be shared by the three members and it is going to be musical chairs as far as the "donor" western Christian countries that have donated the chair. These western Christian countries and Japan, which is a western Christian country for all practical purposes would have two observers in the high level committee so that they could observe the musical chairs from ring side chairs. The decision making will be with the assistance of the "donors" if the need arises It is expected that this need to consult the "donors" would arise more often so that the final decision makers would be the "donors" themselves.
The proto ISGA or the proto Eelam is the regional committee that would be set up in Killinochchi. The regional committee would finally exercise "authority" over the northern and the eastern provinces, though at present it will be restricted to six districts in the maritime provinces. The regional committee would be dominated by the LTTE with its five representatives. At least four members would be Muslims including one government representative as has been promised to the Muslim community leaving at most one representative for Sinhalas. The composition of the regional committee or the proto Eelam clearly shows that the establishment of PTOMS have nothing to with tsunami related work. If that was the case there would have been more Muslim representation in the regional committee as more than fifty percent of those affected by tsunami in the eastern province were Muslims. Why should the chairman of the regional committee be a representative of the LTTE if the PTOMS are established in order to carry out tsunami related work. That the PTOMS (Paca Toms) are for tsunami work is the "Tomma Tom Pacaya" in the recent history of the country. As there may not be a single Sinhala representative in the regional committee the myth propagated by the Tamil racists of so called Sinhala colonisation in the eastern province would have been established as a "fact", forgetting the fact that before 1818 these areas were Sinhala and Muslim populated, the Muslims having being settled there by the Sinhala kings. The Tamils in these areas were settled down by the British as historical records show, and between the Anglican British and the Lutheran Norwegians the Sinhala Buddhists would be evacuated from the eastern province in no time. Finally the district committees that would be established under PTOMS are the proto local government bodies of Eelam.
The western Christian countries have finally established what they wanted to from the very beginning. However, it is not going to be the end as far as the Sinhalas are concerned. The Sinhala nationalist forces would have to evolve a strategy to nullify these proto bodies in time to come. In the meantime however, it is going to be difficult for the Sinhala nationalists as it appears that the westerners have given another extension to Ms. Kumaratunga. It is not the Nobel Prize that she is after but the Presidency for a third term. The Prize that has been offered to her by the west for her willingness to go ahead with the RIPMoU is apparently a constitutional amendment with the help of the UNP to enable a person to become the President for three consecutive terms. Ms. Kumaratunga would be the Presidential candidate of the SLFP and it would be an added headache for the Sinhala nationalists in evolving their strategy. The reappointment of Mr. Reginald Cooray as Chief Minister in the western Province, with the blessings of the UNP is only a sign of the understanding between the UNP and Ms. Kumaratunga through the "good offices" of the western Christian countries.
Professor Nalin de Silva
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