Demand for a separate state
Demand for a separate state
The political violence that broke out in Tamileelam outside the parliament, and the armed resistance movement that took the form of the Tiger Movement, threatened and oppressed Tamil politicians. The people of Tamileelam realized that the statements made in Parliament, like voices raised in the desert, had no meaning.
The people also realized that the struggles for a state had also become futile. The intensification of Sinhala communal oppression, the revolutionary tendencies that had emerged in Tamileelam as a counterattack, and the new awareness among the people that they should abandon unitary rule and win the right to autonomy, put new pressure on Tamil politicians.
The bitter historical experience of being repeatedly deceived by the Sinhala ruling class, despite making agreements, making agreements, and cooperating, and giving in every way, irritated the Tamil leaders. Political leaders also realized that if they refused to listen to the voice of autonomy that prevailed in Tamileelam, it would lead to political suicide. Tamil politicians, constrained by such historical constraints, came forward to present a demand for a separate state based on the right to autonomy in harmony with the political aspirations of the people.
At the national conference of the Tamil Liberation Alliance held in Vaddukottay in May 1976, a resolution was passed to “establish an independent, sovereign, secular socialist Tamileelam based on the right to autonomy.” The alliance appealed to the Tamil people in the general election held in July 1977 to petition them to implement this resolution. The alliance declared in its election manifesto that they would act as a council in the election, prepare a constitution for the government of Tamileelam, and fight to establish the independence of Tamileelam.
In this election, which was like a referendum, the people of Tamileelam made their political aspirations very clear. There is no need to describe the story of the coalition, which achieved a landslide victory, once again climbing the drumstick tree.
The coalition’s use of the struggle for autonomy of the people of Tamileelam as a mere election slogan is a great historical betrayal committed against the people of Tamileelam. This political betrayal drama, staged by the coalition to denigrate the basic political rights of the Tamil nationalist race, pushed the national struggle of the Tamil people into a setback.
The J.R. government, which took office with a majority in the 1977 election, unleashed a terrible ethnic riot as if declaring war against the Tamil people. Even though thousands of Tamil people were killed in this Sinhala-communal war, the coalition leaders remained inactive and only held on to their parliamentary chairs. Following this incident, the coalition leadership was completely alienated from the political arena of Tamileelam. As if to fill this void, the armed struggle of the LTTE began at the forefront. Our movement destroyed many secret police officers and ethnic traitors who acted as tools of repression of the government and were an obstacle to the struggle of the Tamil people.
On April 7, 1978, the incident of Inspector Basthiyampillai and his police constable being destroyed by the LTTE in the Murungan forest shocked the Sinhala ruler. The Colombo newspapers gave prominence to the first official statement issued by the LTTE, claiming the destruction of Basthiyampillai constable and the killing of other police officers and ethnic traitors. Through this, the LTTE movement gained popularity among the Tamil and Sinhala people. The Sinhala government was shocked to see the development of the armed struggle of the LTTE. To somehow destroy the underground liberation movement in Tamileelam, the Sinhalese government passed the LTTE Prohibition Act in Parliament in May 1978. This law gave excessive powers to the armed forces. This harsh law allowed for the indiscriminate arrest of young people, prolonged detention without trial, and torture and killing. Overall, this law strengthened the repression against Tamils.
On September 7, 1978, the Jayewardene government implemented the Constitution. This constitution established a presidential system with all-powerful powers. It granted special status to the Sinhala language and Buddhism. It relegated the Tamil language to a second-class status. In essence, Sinhala-Buddhist chauvinism was strengthened by law, and a fascist dictatorship was established. The Tamil people were completely alienated from the Sri Lankan regime.
(Translation by Tamilpriya)
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