A reality Check. SLMM take note!

If you stop kidding around and analyze the true underlining agendas of the warring parties in the ethnic conflict, you can determine the outcome of the peace talks. Firstly, there is the Sri Lankan government. They seem to have learnt from the past mistakes and decided that minority rights are an inherent significance to good governance. The country has abundant potential that can only be reaped only if there is sufficient stability. While the nationalist may demand certain out-of-whack policies and may warrant some attention, there are enough moderate citizens within the electorate to win elections while keeping the policies fair and just. The recent memorandum with the opposition clearly indicates the support for the government by a significant majority of the people to disregard the extremist views of the nationalist.

Then there is the LTTE. The true agenda of the LTTE is a little harder to fathom. Filtering out the intentions of the LTTE through their military rhetoric and world-wide propaganda is tricky.
Controlled by a dictatorial style leadership, they claim to be a liberating force representing all of the Tamil speaking population of Sri Lanka. But their actions clearly defy this theory. Furthermore, the majority of Tamils, while believing in higher autonomy and better rights for minorities, do not condone the path of violence the LTTE has chosen if they are not able to express their views under the LTTE authoritarian rule. What then is the LTTE agenda?

In my opinion, the LTTE’s agenda and the grievances of the Tamil’s share nothing in common. The LTTE has become a Boy Scout troop that begs for a certain level of respect. They and their make believe government wants the Thamileelam play-land to be a reality. Besides it is an all-or-nothing struggle for the leadership. It is not like the leader of the LTTE, wanted by local and international low enforcement agencies, has too many options in a stable and peaceful Sri Lanka. So despite how many rounds of talks are held and what issues and grievances are addressed, the LTTE supreme and his henchmen cannot possibly agree on peace. The only solution may lie some where in the midst of international pressure, elimination of the leadership and/or reconciliation, without which despite all effort the LTTE will have no choice but to maintain the status quo that guarantees their survival and existence.