Why voices of moderation must prevail .. with excess !

 We have quite simply reached the tether end of the long rope; a VERY long rope at that.

We have politicians proclaiming some very virulent stuff in their speeches and with all due apologies to Mr Vaiko whose tenacity I greatly admire, you simply have crossed the line.

 

To set the record straight I am a Tamilian. I am well aware of the historic discrimination faced by Tamilians in Srilanka and I am most aware of how many people, including our own former Prime minister have fallen to the LTTE’s blood lust.

There are 2 sides to every story, and so does the Sri Lankan crisis. Tamilian anguish over treatment of their (or more correctly ‘OUR’) brethren in SriLanka is justified, but support for the LTTE only harms that cause. I can scarcely imagine how we can support an organization that gave Chennai its bloodiest encounter with destiny when the LTTE decided to wipe out whatever semblance of alternate Tamilian leadership there was in SriLanka. Quite simply, the LTTE considered other Tamilian parties just as inimical to its interests as it did the Sinhala government, and therein lies its biggest demon.

 

Tamilians cannot be denied their rights. India has proactively worked to ensuring that. The world will not watch a repeat of past indiscretions of  the Srilankan government. In short; Tamilians will get their due and any bloodshed only harms this cause. Despite rhetoric to the contrary, I think the present government in Lanka has respected Tamilian rights quite admirably in a war zone. Collateral damage cannot be avoided and I have only Tamilian protests in Jaffna (against holding of civilians hostage by the LTTE) to show for how murky the whole situation can get.

Remember the same protests in Kashmir are met with great surprise. “Why would they not want to be part of this great country?”

 

The dangers of what our leaders mouth in public and what our government does not care to put down is immense. I see fertile ground for Lankan insurgency to spread to India. So far there was no pressure north of Palk Straits for the simple reason that the Island nation provided a staging ground for separatist sentiment. With that ground fast disappearing (last standing at 20 square kilometers) I can only shudder at the thought of the effect it will have on the mainland.

 

Our options are quite simple. Either our leaders take up the cause of Tamilians (NOT the LTTE) the way it should be (i.e. subtle diplomacy), or these voices should be put down ruthlessly. To proclaim war upon the motherland for the struggles of another country is nothing short of sedition and it must not be tolerated. We have only to look to Pakistan to know that trying to set fire to your neighbour’s house isn’t any guarantee of a warm, blissful night’s sleep. It is only a perfect recipe for unmitigated disaster.

 

My request to our leaders is simple. Please do not jeapordize the future of this great country with irresponsible poll speak. In your vengeful words may lie the undoing of modern mankind’s greatest experiment with multi-ethnic, multi-cultural democracy.

 

On a totally subject, but not so different a note …. There IS still hope

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123931787215706747.html