I am not a political analyst. But that’s the best part. I can be wrong!!! And still get away with it!!! Okay the issue is LTTE and the stand that Sri Lankan government has taken, that of offensive and a wow to wipe LTTE out. And the question is will, say 25 years from now, the stand taken by the Sri Lankan government be heralded as a path breaking decision? The simple answer is to wait for 25 years. But 25 years from now I will be happier if I am able to hold a cup all by myself and less curious to know what happens in Sri Lanka. And this common human curiosity prompts me to guess. So let us guess…
First LTTE is a secessionist moment than can now only look back and say they had a noble objective, that of bringing the Sri Lankan Tamils what was due to them. But somewhere the capricious brutality took precedence over noble objectives. There is nothing that can explain the barbaric deeds and tactics that has become a part of the LTTE DNA.
Secessionist movements are brainchilds of a limited few and do not represent the views of the masses. Secessionist movements tend to be violent too. In India we have our own example of the Khalistan moment. Movements built around a thirst for power by few individuals does not address larger goals of a society and fades away or gets wiped out at some point in time.
Secondly, what has 25 years of Elam yielded? I am not educated enough on this subject. The little knowledge that I have suggests that good things have happened; LTTE has been munificent in humanitarian activities. But everything still happened under the gory shadow of tactless brutalism. And a social network built on a tainted fabric would not have outlasted its propagators, and would not have taken it into the next 25 years.
I am not sure of the effort taken by the Sri Lankan government to ensure safety and other concerns of the un-affiliated civilians. But Sri Lanka still is a progressive state and not one that is torn down by internal violence. And LTTE has had its time, moments and may disintegrate into mere words when the Sri Lankan government finishes. Will Sri Lankan Tamils face more ostracization, will they continue to face discrimination, and will they have a hero standing up for their noble cause the noble way? No definite answers, one yearns for optimism. Still in a way what is happening today holds a lot of promises for tomorrow.
Could all of this been avoided through a more peaceful way? There have been negotiations in plenty, ceasefires in plenty, none of which worked. My heart goes out to the thousands of innocent civilians getting caught in the crossfire. They too had dreams, ambitions, all of which lies in shambles. . But if a different sun dawns 25 years from now they may have something to cheer about.
