Constant pressure on the Sri Lankan government and put them to task and make known that Malaysia and Malaysian MPs are watching and monitoring the progress of reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts for the displaced Tamils in Sri Lanka

While Malaysia and the rest of the world will never forget the unforgivable crimes against humanity and the senseless murders of over 40,000 ethnic Tamils in a 30 year bloody war in Sri Lanka, the way forward to be the voice of the ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka is to constantly pressure and put the Sri Lankan government to task and make known that Malaysia and Malaysian MPs are watching and monitoring the progress of reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts for the displaced Tamils in Sri Lanka are executed in upholding fundamental liberties and civil rights.

From the 1st to the 3rd Feb a human rights conference organized by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) was held in Sri Lanka. Other Members of Parliament from Commonwealth countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives and from Sri Lanka from the Asian region and also two from Africa attended this conference on the role of Parliamentarians in the promotion and protection of human rights.

The Malaysian Parliament had proposed 2 MPs to attend this human rights conference in Sri Lanka organized by the CPA; I had been selected to represent the opposition and the MP for Kanowit from the government. Our role in that conference is to ensure that the new Sri Lankan government upholds integrity, transparency and accountability in the reconciliation, rehabilitation and the reconstruction efforts for the displaced Tamils in Sri Lanka. On top of it, it was also important to highlight the digress and the gross erosion of human rights in our very own nation, and this was an excellent platform to do so.

The focus of the conference was to place importance on the role of the government, the parliament, parliamentarians, civil society, the press circle and national institutes of human rights in each country in upholding the spirit of fundamental liberties, as well as protecting and the promotion of human rights.

Many may react furiously that it is ironic at the highest level that Sri Lanka, under the authoritarian iron fisted brutal regime of ex-President Mahindra Rajapakse played venue host for the CPA conference on human rights when they had breached every fundamental human right in the bloody 30 year ethnic conflict between the Singhala regime and the LTTE protecting the interest of the ethnic Tamils in the northeast of Sri Lanka. While Sri Lanka is guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity and a bloody massacre of 40,000 innocent men, women and children, all ethnically Tamil, how can the international community ‘grab the bull by its horns’ and demand transparency and accountability on the reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction process for the victims of their war if not by going there to see for themselves if the government is committed or not to heal old painful wounds and to make peace.

After the shocking fall of Mahindra Rajapakse in the August 2015 elections, a unity government was formed and eventual reconciliation, rehabilitation dna reconstruction process of these war affected areas started to see the light of day.

Among the issues that I had raised at the 3 day conference were the encroachment of power between the legislative, the executive and the judiciary in Malaysia and the hidden hands that orchestrate the outcome of judiciary proceedings to favour those in power, the appalling use of the Sedition Act to silent voices of dissent, the lacklustre relationship between Human Rights Commission of Malaysia or Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia (SUHAKAM) and the Parliament and what can be done to ensure that the voices of the marginalized and oppressed may be heard and fought for.

While it is the moral obligation of a Member of Parliament to be sensitive towards human rights abuses, it is also my responsibility as a member of the international community to speak out and be the voice of the Tamils who have been displaced because of the 30 year civil war in Sri Lanka. Heartbreaking to visit the land where tens of thousands of ethnic Tamils had perished mercilessly at the hands of the savage Rajapakse regime.

To solely rely on human rights reports from the previous regime or even the present Sri Lankan government which is notorious for denying war crimes is akin to asking a thief to guard your house.

This is why the true conditions of the displaced Tamils in the war affected areas must be seen with our own eyes and whether the reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts are ongoing or not. What are the constraints faced by the new government? Is financial aid and funding sufficient to carry out all these efforts for peace?

For the Tamils to prosper in Sri Lanka, there must be sound and civil negotiations and engagement between the 2 affected parties. This includes identifying internally displaced persons affected by the war, identifying the former abodes of these victims, the allocation and release of private land currently occupied by the military, resettlement of displaced persons, developing a sustainable plan of livelihood for the resettled families, creating a conducive atmosphere for peaceful community living, especially in establishing basic infrastructure to facilitate education, healthcare, women’s and children’s rights, employment, water supply, sanitation, rural roads, housing and transport and to restore the identity and lingua-culture of the ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka.

These are the issues that I had highlighted and spoken about to the Minister of Justice of Sri Lanka Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa and State Defence Minister Dinendra Ruwan Wijewardene on the efforts of reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction in the north eastern parts of Sri Lanka.

Tamil leaders from India too have expressed willingness to work with Sri Lanka and its support for the reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction through India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who visited Sri Lanka to discuss development policies. While the leader of the Opposition in the Sri Lankan Parliament Mr Sampanthan has also said that his party will work with the new unity government, India’s role is vital to ensure the issue is resolved “in a reasonable and amicable manner”.

While Malaysia and the rest of the world will never forget the unforgivable crimes against humanity and the senseless murders of over 40,000 ethnic Tamils in a 30 year bloody war in Sri Lanka, the way forward to be the voice of the ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka is to constantly pressure and put the Sri Lankan government to task and make known that Malaysia and Malaysian MPs are watching and monitoring the progress of reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts for the displaced Tamils in Sri Lanka are executed in upholding fundamental liberties and civil rights. Even if it means going all the way to Sri Lanka and seeking for answers, seeing for ourselves no matter how hard or painful it can be.

The Malaysian Parliamentary Caucus on Displaced People of Sri Lanka headed by MP for Sungai Petani Datuk Johari Abdul will be visiting the war affected areas in the north east to evaluate and observe for ourselves how much as been done for the Tamil community there in the near future and the Sri Lankan government has so far appeared optimistic to the visit. A follow up on this visit is to engage with other caucuses and national human rights institutions to pressure the government to keep to its promise.

A point to note is that the last time that the national anthem was sung in Tamil was in 1949 and this year, commeorating the 68th independence day celebration on Feb 4, the Sri Lanka national anthem was sung in Tamil, a baby step in fostering ties with the ethnic Tamils. A gesture that had made many Tamilians in Sri Lanka, openly weep, bringing back a sense of unity and togetherness.

The DAP has been a constant and consistent warrior in voicing out against injustices, oppression and discrimination in the country and has been fighting tirelessly in upholding fundamental rights and civil liberties without fear or favour for a Malaysian Malaysia and to ensure the spirit of basic human rights are upheld in other democratic nations too.

“If we keep quiet by not speaking up then we will lose that part of humanity. So, we must speak up,” Chief Minister of Penang, YAB Lim Guan Eng.

“Injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice to everywhere” Martin Luther King, revolutionist, freedom fighter.