50 shades of Sumanthiran

MP M.A. Sumanthiran 

Although he didn’t reply to my open letter sent earlier, I feel like I have made a connection with Abraham Sumanthiran, MP. Firstly, I should thank Sumanthiran for speaking openly at a public television debate held on 22 January. He should’ve spoken in both Sinhala and Tamil to set an example. I think all mass media channels should be trilingual, especially with the use of modern technology.

However I was disappointed about Sumanthiran’s overall performance because I was hoping he would make a compelling case for the new proposed Constitution. Instead of highlighting its content he mostly tried to convince the audience that SLFP MPs had all agreed to the new Constitution. Sumanthiran doesn’t need to expose them because we already know their hypocrisy. But if that was his tactic, it was clearly evident.

The debate was mainly between Sumanthiran and Udaya Gammanpila MP. The other two were just noise. But in the end it was a revealing debate. He knowingly or unknowingly cleared out some major policy issues. So I thank Abraham for that. And here are the three key points which he confirmed:

 

1) There is a new draft Constitution

Sumanthiran had the guts to admit that what has been tabled in the Parliament is in fact a new draft Constitution (https://youtu.be/rPdW0mZxz88?t=190). And he said that it was labelled as a report by the request of some SLFP MPs. I can imagine his repulsion (I feel the same way). And thanks to Sumanthiran it was proven that PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and his minions unsurprisingly tried to mislead the public (for the zillionth time) saying that there is no new Constitution, let alone a draft. 

As people’s representatives it is important that they speak openly and honestly. And I know firsthand from many of my Tamil colleagues that honesty is an important virtue in their beautiful culture. The truth came out from Sumanthiran naturally. So we can put the doubts aside and focus on the content of this new proposed Constitution.

 

2) TNA is against Sri Lanka being a unitary state

I think this is the most important outcome from the debate. A lot of people have been denying that TNA is against the unitary state. But Sumanthiran accepted it on camera loud and clear, silencing all those naysayers (https://youtu.be/rPdW0mZxz88?t=4431). And I think it makes our lives so much easier now because we all know the TNA’s policy on the Republic’s unitary status.  

But it was very naughty of him to try to mislead the Sinhala speaking people by saying that they support “Ekeeya Raajyaya”. The Sinhala word “Ekeeya” has been synonymously used for the standard English political term “unitary” meaning a state with one rule. Whoever came up with this ridiculous tactic of somehow “redefining” the Sinhala word “Ekeeya” to “non-divisible” and not “unitary”, are not as clever as they think. Did you really think that you can fool all the people, all the time like that? We are not that stupid. 

I would’ve respected Abraham a lot more if he didn’t try such cheap magic tricks on the people. They all should’ve been straight about it. Say what they really want and then we can have an honest debate, conversation, negotiation and compromise leading to a better mutual solution. But he chose to hoodwink the people from the start. People are your friends, Sumanthiran. Please treat us with respect and dignity.

 

3) TNA wants a federal state

Sumanthiran acknowledged that TNA’s policy stands on federalism (https://youtu.be/rPdW0mZxz88?t=2724). And his emotive argument was that they are willing to compromise and come to some “grey” area. Now Sumanthiran, I don’t know which “shades of grey” you are referring to, but a matter of such high importance with huge consequences to the people of the Republic and its future, cannot be discussed in “shades of grey”. 

I can now see how his mind works. Like how they created that “grey” area in the President’s ability to dissolve the parliament by amending the constitution with “grey” clauses leaving so much ambiguity and uncertainty. Because when things are “grey” i.e. ambiguous the results can be manipulated by those who have Power. That is standard Machiavelli power tactics. Sumanthiran, we know what you are up to. The new constitution is a sugar coated “confederation”. In it, the Provincial States are more powerful than the Central Government. The devil is in the details and I was hoping he would get to those nitty-gritty. Perhaps next time. 

And it was rather disappointing how he passively threatened all of us that if they don’t get their way, extremists will rise in the north (https://youtu.be/rPdW0mZxz88?t=5824). But I think he knows by now that there will be no next time. The UNP has once again used the TNA and led them astray on false hopes as they always did in the past. I don’t know when the TNA will stop falling for the UNP’s tricks and empty promises. I mean look at the MP who they sent to accompany Sumanthiran... 

The TNA has raised expectations of the Tamil diaspora so high and I can imagine their disappointment. If only Sumanthiran had the courage to become a true leader for all people of the Republic, if only he didn’t play shady ethnocentric politics, if only he accepted that the Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Malay, Burgher – all citizens of the Republic – already have equal sovereignty, equal rights and equal franchise, and embrace equality in diversity. I’d be the first to cheer him if and when he becomes a representative for all people of Sri Lanka with a vision to develop the Republic as a whole. 

(The writer can be reached via email at [email protected].)