Transcend SA model, SL State and Wests mechanisms in seeking justice: Fr Rajan

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 January 2014, 07:04 GMT]

model that "etrayed its #eo#le is no$ ta%en u# "y &olom"o 'ust to sa(e $ar !riminals) *t is utile or Tamils to e+#e!t 'usti!e rom any uture ,o(ernment o S- State) Tamils also ha(e to re!onsider a##roa!hin, their stru,,le on!e a,ain throu,h .est/s me!hanisms o 'usti!e) The !urrent TNA ailed to !om"ine moderate #oliti!s $ith the #oliti!s o stru,,le) Steerin, Tamil national #olity or !rum#s !an/t "e 'usti ied as 0di#loma!y)/
The South A ri!an

Tamil intelle!tuals ha(e to thin% "eyond the tra# o 0Transitional Justi!e/ and in(esti,ate #otentialities o the !on!e#t 1ost2 Transitional Justi!e, $hi!h is non2state, multi2sited, multi2a!tor and multi2re erential, said 3r 4lil 5a'an, ad(o!atin, &hile model, at a ,atherin, in the 4ast last $ee% that remem"ered slain TNA #arliamentarian Mr Jose#h 1arara'asin,ham)

Fr. Elil Rajan

Fr. Elil Rajan delivered the 2013 Memorial Address remembering Maamanithar Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, ho as !illed b" the agents o# the geno$idal state o# %ri &an!a on the 'hristmas da" o# 200(, hile attending servi$es at the %t Mar")s $o*$athedral in +atti$aloa. ,he meeting, organi-ed b" the ,amil .ational Peoples) Front /,.PF0 presided b" Mr. 1ajendra!2mar Ponnambalam. as

Jes2it priest Fr. Elil Rajan is a part*time le$t2rer at the ,rin$omalee $amp2s o# the Eastern 3niversit".

4+!er#ts o the address translated into 4n,lish ollo$) 3ull te+t in Tamil a##ears as #d :

9,amil: F2ll te4t o# the memorial le$t2re A#ter M2)l)livaa"!!aal, the g2ns /o# ,amils0 have b" Fr Elil Rajan been silen$ed. +2t str2$t2ral geno$ide is p2shed #or ard in an a$$elerated a". Another M2)l)livaa"!!aal is being staged silentl".

All e4ternal agendas, hether #rom the 5est o# #rom the neighbo2ring $o2ntr", are intent on hija$!ing the ,amil national polit" in order to di##2se it. ,he s2btl" programmed 6$o2nterins2rgen$") to be vie ed as a $ontin2ation o# geno$ide. ar aged against ,amils has

7# a nation has to $ome o2t o# geno$ide, it is inevitable that it has to $reate a spa$e #or str2ggle. %2$h a str2ggle gains righteo2sness and a$$eptan$e hen it be$omes a people)s str2ggle. ,he ,amil .ational Allian$e as #ormed b" the e##orts o# Mr %ivaram to get rid o# bi*polar polit". +2t the ,.A o# post*M2)l)livaa"!!aal, #ailing in bringing together moderate polit" and the polit" o# str2ggle, is travelling on a sel#* see!ing path o# moderatism, hi$h is sad as ell as an ins2lt to those ho sa$ri#i$ed their lives #or the $a2se o# ,amil nationalism. %teering the ,amil national polit" #or j2st $r2mps $o2ld never be j2sti#ied as diploma$".
888

,amils have to ta!e into a$$o2nt the hit$hes in approa$hing their str2ggle on$e again thro2gh the 5est)s me$hanisms o# j2sti$e. ,he Permanent Peoples) ,rib2nal in its latest session has a$$epted that the 3%A, 3; and 7ndia ere in $ompli$it" in the geno$ide. ,he post*200< sit2ation in the island has to be investigated as a 2ni=2e

sit2ation. 7t $an)t be $ompared

ith other post* ar transition sit2ations.

5hile the %& %tate is p2shing #or ard a %o2th A#ri$an model 6tr2th and re$on$iliation $ommission), ,amil intelle$t2als are $ompelled to investigate and raise a histori$ =2estion hether the model is s2itable to the island or not. %tates and governments are e4pe$ted to #ollo transition models a$$eptable to the international la . ,here are several models bro2ght o2t b" di##erent geographi$al, politi$al and $2lt2ral sit2ations. ,he %o2th A#ri$an model is j2st one s2$h. +2t there is a politi$al ba$!gro2nd #or h" the %& government ants to #ollo the %o2th A#ri$an model. 7t ants to thr2st a model that is based on 6pardon), ith an intention to save its ar $riminals. 7n post*apartheid %o2th A#ri$a, the .ational Part" trapped the A#ri$an .ational 'ongress into a sit2ation to $ompromise, thro2gh insisting on p2nishment to ar $riminals o# both sides. ,he ver" bla$! politi$ians, ho $apt2red the government in the name o# their people, abandoned the tr2th and the #indings o# the ,R' $ommission. ,he people see!ing j2sti$e be$ame vi$tims o# the do2ble e4ploitation polit". ,he %o2th A#ri$an model is the best e4ample to =2estion the validit" o# s2$h $ommissions, hether an" %tate ma$hiner" is ever prepared to a$$ept the tr2th. 88 7n the orld histor" o# the last de$ade, transitional j2sti$e as the most important re=2irement #or pea$e. 7t ill be a slandero2s dis$o2rse i# the geno$ide is red2$ed into mere h2man rights violations in the des$riptions. 9Fr Elil Rajan e4tensivel" dis$2ssed the #ail2re o# the vario2s tr2th*#inding $ommissions and transitional j2sti$e, b" $iting pre$eden$e in other orld sit2ations s2$h as &atin Ameri$a, East E2rope, A#ri$a et$., and b" $iting the vario2s $ommissions instit2ted b" the s2$$essive governments in 'olombo. As an alternative, he arg2ed in #avo2r o# a $on$ept, Post*,ransitional J2sti$e and $ited the #ollo ing #rom 'ath 'ollins>: A$$ording to 'ath 'ollins post*transitional j2sti$e has the #ollo ing $hara$teristi$s> Post*transitional j2sti$e a$tivit", in the #orm o# $ontin2ed or rene ed $ontestation over a$$o2ntabilit" o# past ?R@s, $an observed in a n2mber o# present da" post*transitional settings in &atin Ameri$a. %i4 $hara$teristi$s o# post*transitional j2sti$e disting2ish it $learl" #rom the transitional j2sti$e

s$hool o# tho2ght. Frist, here transitional j2sti$e is $entrall" $on$erned ith attaining and preserving the minim2m instit2tional re=2irements o# #ormal demo$ra$", post*transitional j2sti$e #o$2ses o# s2bse=2ent =2estions o# the =2alit", rea$h, and per#e$tibilit" o# that demo$ra$". %e$ond, post* transitional j2sti$e a$$ordingl" =2estions the $omprehensiveness and s2##i$ien$" o# initial transitional j2sti$e $ompromises, parti$2larl" the ren2n$iation o# prose$2tion over ?R@s. ,hird, sin$e most s2bse=2ent administrations have regarded o##i$ial ren2n$iations o# prose$2tion as irrevo$able, post*transitional j2sti$e has been largel" non*state, driven b" private a$tors operating both Aabove and Abelo the state. Fo2rth. 5hen $ontrasted ith state*driven transitional poli$" ma!ing, post*transitional j2sti$e is notabl" m2lti*sited, m2lti*a$tor, and m2lti*re#erential. A m2ltipli$it" o# #orms and sites $an be 2sed, depending o# s2$h a$tors as a$tor e4pertise, goals, reso2r$e a$$ess and per$eptions o# li!el" s2$$ess. Fi#th, this m2ltipli$ation o# potential #orms, sites, and a$tors means that post*transitional j2sti$e initiatives $ome to be adopted in p2rs2it o# a ide variet" o# possibl" divergent aims. %i4th, post*transitional j2sti$e a$tivit" is empiri$all" more li!el" than transitional j2sti$e poli$" ma!ing to have an Ainternationali-ed $hara$ter, en$ompassing norms and sites o# $ontestation be"ond the domesti$ sphereB. 8 88 7t is #2tile to e4pe$t that an" #2t2re government o# the %tate o# %ri &an!a $o2ld deliver j2sti$e to ,amils. ,here#ore, e the a##e$ted people sho2ld #orm o2r o n j2sti$e me$hanism either ithin the spa$e o# the island or o2tside o# the island, along ith global partners. ,he best e4ample #or s2$h a model is 'hile in &atin Ameri$a. ,he 'hile model o# Post*,ransitional J2sti$e $o2ld help to instit2te a ne2tral me$hanism #or j2sti$e and it $o2ld bring in man" bene#its to ,amils. ,he $2rrent times $ompel ,amil intelle$t2als to $onsider the model o# 'hile, Fr. Elil Rajan said. 8 88 5es#onses rom Tamil a!ti(ists or alternati(e #oliti!s in the island: 5hether transitional j2sti$e or post*transitional j2sti$eC hether the %o2th A#ri$an model or the 'hile model, hat the Ee-ham ,amils 2rgentl" need toda" is the arrest o# the on*going str2$t2ral geno$ide o# their nation in the island, $ommented ,amil a$tivists #or alternative politi$s in the island. ,he %o2th A#ri$an model p2shed b" geno$idal 'olombo is $o2pled ith sealing and po$!eti-ation o# Ee-ham ,amils in their o n land, perhaps to s2it the %o2th A#ri$an model o# 6re$on$iliation.) ,his is engineered and blessed b" all the po ers that ere in $ompli$it" in the geno$idal ar. ,o hat e4tent the 'hile model addresses the $onte4tC i.e., a national =2estion

o# $ent2ries o# geno$idal intent and an on*going geno$ide, is not $lear, the a$tivists said, adding that an" model that as 2sed in the transition o# a $o2ntr" b" !eeping it as a $o2ntr" is 2seless to the $onte4t. 5hat the Ee-ham ,amils sho2ld demand, along ith the people)s po er o# ,amil .ad2, deplo"ing all possible strategies, is a transitional %tate #or them to $ome o2t o# the geno$ide and to #reel" thin! o# post*transitional models o# j2sti$e. Perhaps the" sho2ld evolve their o n model to meet the re=2irements o# their $ase that as made into 62ni=2e) than!s to the international $omm2nit" o# establishments, $ommented ,amil a$tivists #or alternative politi$s in the island, appre$iating and adding to the address o# Fr Elil Rajan.