Kadirgamar and the Tamils
By: Dr. Rajasingham Narendran
The assassination of Lakshman Kadirgamar has for the first time in the post-
independence history of Sri Lanka united the Sinhalese, Muslims and the Tamils who
have managed to retain their sanity amidst the lunacy around them, if not in grief, at least
in condemnation of one more senseless murder. I do not think the nation has united in
the present manner at the death of a Tamil, since the death of Ponambalam Ramanathan
and probably his brother, Ponnambalam Arunachalam. The unity that Lakshman
Kadirgamar could not see in life has been achieved at least for a short period at his
death. The news that elements among the Tamils had rejoiced and celebrated on
hearing of Lakshman Kadirgamar’s murder is a reflection of the degeneracy that has
afflicted sections of the Tamils as a people. With every senseless murder committed in
the name of Tamil liberation, the moral justification for the Tamil struggle is being
additionally compromised and we as a people diminished. A person need not be
acceptable to every one, in mundane life or in politics, to be assured of his right to live - a
truism that seems alien to the Tamil militancy spearheaded by the LTTE. The killing of
Kadirgamar, by very likely the LTTE, will be one more loathsome episode in the sad
history of the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Kadirgamar, a Tamil with origins in the northern peninsula, grew and lived among the
Sinhalese and other ethnic groups in the predominantly Sinhala areas of Sri Lanka. He
was though a Tamil by origin, a Sri Lankan more, because of circumstances that
governed his life. The Sri Lankan identity transcended his identity as a Tamil by birth. I
do not know how fluent he was in Tamil. He may have had only a very rudimentary
knowledge of Tamil, because of the environment he grew up in. On the other hand he
did not identify himself as a Sinhalese either. He was one of the rare individuals,
moulded by circumstances largely beyond his control, to become a Sri Lankan in the true
sense of the word. I wish more of us, Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims, can consciously
transcend our parochial identities, and become true Sri Lankans by thought, word and
deed. What Kadirgamar became by accident, we should be able to become by conscious
choice. It is unfortunate that the men, who have presently assumed the leadership of the
Tamils, were incapable of comprehending the circumstances that moulded Kadirgamar
and his beliefs.
Kadirgamar, while bravely and vehemently crusading for banning the LTTE
internationally and containing it locally, failed to publicly articulate the genuine grievances
of the Tamils. This was a failure that caused much misunderstanding among a large
swathe of the Tamils and was fodder for LTTE propaganda. The tributes being paid
posthumously to Kadirgamar, especially by the Sinhala political leadership of varied
hues, have however emphasized that he championed the just cause of the Tamils within
the government. I have no reasons to doubt this. The credibility and adoration that
Lakshman Kadirgamar enjoys among the Sinhalese, is probably grounded in this quiet
approach. He had consciously chosen to work quietly and steadfastly, using his status,
position and influence, to keep Sri Lanka one nation, where everyone-Sinhalese, Tamil
and Muslim- can live as equal and respected citizens, having known the Sinhalese,
especially their leadership, better than any other Tamil of stature today. This was a
choice dictated by his experiences and intellect. He was probably right. His way was
probably the right way. A man with his intellect, education, stature and international
exposure, could not have been a self-seeking fraud, who was ready to sell his soul and
betray his roots. It is unfortunate that his approach to the Sinhala- Tamil ethnic problem
and possible solutions, while making him a respected figure among the Sinhalese,
condemned him to marginalization, denunciation and ultimately death by the Tamils. I
myself stand accused of this misunderstanding at one time, because I was not privy to
facts, as I am now and did not have the understanding of the nature of the Tamil
militancy, as I do now. Sympathizing with the Tamil cause is one thing and being
supportive or critical of the Tamil militants is another. One can sympathize with the Tamil
cause, while being critical of the militants. I am sure Lakshman Kadirgamar was able to
make this distinction. He was probably able to understand the character of the Tamil
militancy, ahead of many Tamils, who are coming belatedly to similar conclusions now. I
am certain a majority of the Tamils, who considered Mr. Kadirgamar a traitor to their
cause, would have thought otherwise if the facts were known. A tragedy indeed!
The fact that the Sinhalese, including the leadership of the JVP, were prepared to accept
Kadirgamar, a Tamil, as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, was the ultimate tribute he could
have been paid. He would probably be the first and the last Tamil, to be considered
acceptable by the Sinhalese to hold that position for a long time to come. There is a
lesson in this for the Tamils. It is although tragic, an opportune time to look inwards and
see what our contribution to the national alienation has been. Lakshman Kadirgamar
was whole- heartedly accepted by the Sinhala people in recent times as Ponnambalam
Ramanathan was decades back. If so, why have the Sinhala people failed to respond to
other Tamil leaders in a similar way? Have we, especially the so- called Jaffna Tamils,
erred in our political calculations? Have we been passing the wrong signals or have we
acted in a manner that fanned distrust? Was the double talk that characterized most
Tamil leaders- one in the Sinhala heartland and the other among the Tamils- a cause?
Have we in some way signaled our refusal to subordinate our Tamil identity within a larger
Sri Lankan identity? Did we exhibit a superiority complex over the Sinhalese, which was
responded to in kind belligerently? The life, times and death of Lakshman Kadirgamar
should give us some food for thought and possibly some answers.
Whatever Lakshman Kadirgamar may have been or meant to any one, he did not
deserve to be killed the way he was. The crafty, well planned and cleverly executed
assassination bears the seal of the LTTE all over. It will be a welcome surprise, if the
LTTE was not implicated. I had always in an intellectual and rational way asked the
question, what has the LTTE got to gain from the murders it has committed over two
decades. This was so in the case of both prominent personalities like Rajiv Gandhi,
Amirthalingam and Ranasinghe Premadasa, and other individuals from all walks of life
who were murdered by the LTTE. In the absence of a valid answer in a strategic sense,
relevant to the so-called Tamil liberation struggle, I had always given the benefit of the
doubt to the LTTE and concluded that someone else had committed the murders to
devalue and destroy the foundations of the struggle, and discredit the LTTE. I was
proved wrong each time. The LTTE kills irrationally, indiscriminately, with a vengeance
and very efficiently. It is a well-oiled killing machine, functioning under the banner of a
liberation movement. Killing has become a habit with it. Any flimsy reason that could be
adduced is good enough to take a life. No reason is given most times and the public has
to find its own explanations and rationalize. On most such occasions there is no valid
strategic reason, why the killing of non-combatants becomes necessary-however
undesirable and immoral such killing may be - in terms of the Tamil liberation movement.
The overriding reasons for the killings seems to be to instill a sense of fear in people,
enforce its hegemony over the people, crush any possibility of dissent and safeguard
business and other pecuniary interests. The liberation struggle or the interests of the
Tamil people are not the prime criteria; when the hounds are set loose to take someone’s
life. The fact that the LTTE denies responsibility for a murder also does not hold water,
as it has made falsehood a fine art. The LTTE also takes pride in its ability to kill anyone
at any place, when it decides so. The frequent boast of those in and connected to the
LTTE is that they can enter where even air cannot enter (“Kaartru poora mudiyaatha
iddathillum pooruvome”- Tamil)! What an achievement to be proud of for a liberation
movement! Such boasts befit the mafia!
The Tamil people have to be ashamed that we have given birth to and sustained a
militant movement that has become our tormentor and a major liability. We have to be
also ashamed that we continue to financially support it, without being able to influence its
affairs, because we fear it. We have to hence take the responsibility for every murder
committed by the LTTE. As much as we were proud about the LTTE victories in the
battlefields, we have to be also ashamed of the dastardly acts committed by it. We have
to bow our heads in shame for the murder of Lakshman Kadirgamar and the many
murders committed before him. We have to also take responsibility for the murders that
will be committed in our name in the future. We will never be liberated as long as we
tolerate and condone such murders and other equally heinous crimes. If we had
accused the Sinhala people and polity for barbarity and cruelty during ethnic riots, and
discrimination and injustice at other times, what have we done in return through the so-
called liberation struggle? Two wrongs do not make a right. If there is a God, as we
Hindus and Christians believe, good cannot come out of evil of this nature. We are
condemned to live as a blighted people, if we do not insist that the LTTE change course.
We are at the cross roads now and the direction we take will decide our future as a
people. I feel sorry for us, the Tamils, as a people, as much as I regret Lakshman
Kadirgamar’s unnecessary and cruel murder. [TamilWeek]