Political Leadership of LTTE

An Oxymoron? or an Urban Myth?

It was not long ago that not a single week passed by without the headlines blaring about the foreign dignitaries and diplomats meeting the 'political leadership' of LTTE to talk about, among many other things, 'talks about talks'. Those adventurous Indiana Jones types blazed the trail in the wanni jungles to find 'peace', as if it was buried in an ark inside the heavily fortified bunker of der Fuehrer.  Unfortunately for the usual suspects, Akashis and Solheims, an audience by der Fuehrer was always denied.

Then we had another bunch of adventure seeking tourists.

The repesentatives from the international organizations, who come to lecture about the human rights violations and child conscriptions and teach them about democracy, somehow get carried away by the tiger hospitality that includes everything but full body massage. Like every visiting communist who got excited with the guided tours of soviet communal farms, they are blown away, literally, by the LTTE's administrative and judicial bodies like courts, law colleges and banks and, above all, the 'political leadership' of LTTE. In the end, they occasionally find themselves in hot water for their comments on the LTTE's 'state within state' or 'invincibility', when the SL goverment accuse them of interference in internal affairs and extremist sinahalese parties protest in front of their offices. 

These explorers and tourists didn't even bother to check with the locals living under LTTE, even if the people dare to open their mouth.

Have you ever seen Mr.Solheim talking to ordinary people in Wanni?

Ringmasters and the tiger

Tiger media are flooded with images of these diplomats meeting the 'political leadership' consisting 'Tiger Political Chief' Thamilselvan, 'Deputy leader of the Political wing' Pulithevan and, of course, their translators (or their own advisors). At times, it  becomes a rite of self-humiliation, when these delegates have to settle for anybody, some Thangan or Singan, who happened to be hanging around the LTTE's 'Peace Secretariat' at the time, calling them afterwards 'Senior political leaders'.

Vikings occasionally crossed North Sea to England, not to raid castles, but to meet the 'LTTE's Political Advisor' Anton Balasingam. Getting excited about the prospect of these historic meetings, tiger controlled tamil media went as far as to gleefully publish the menu of their dinner... curry of murunga, a tree grown vegetable, known for its aphrodisiac qualities. This might help you understand the grumbling of the 'Voice of the Nation' about the younger political leadership's appetite for nightlife in Bangok.

Meeting the media afterwards, all these dignitaries and diplomats would describe in detail how they saw the tiger eyeball to eyeball and strongly expressed their concerns and condemnations about child soldiers, political killings, ceasefire violations and the inevitable 'get back to the table'.

Telling the tiger to 'stop the killings' and ordering it to 'get back to the table'!

What do they think of themselves?

Ring Masters?

The bombshell that shocked and awed

It is not a question about the integrity and intentions of these dignitaries, nor to suggest their ignorance and stupidity. It is simply a question of their awareness of the (non)existence of politics in Tigerland. Though nonexistent in real life, like Weapons of Mass Destruction and 'the killer or killers' OJ Simpson looking for, LTTE's so called 'political leadership' has a larger-than-life presence. 

To have this imaginary leadership, there should be an existence of politics (at least, imaginary!).

Before we recover from this confusion, came the bombshell that left us shocked and awed. Not only does LTTE have political leadership, but also has factions of moderates and hardliners.

Hm... Doves and hawks among tigers! That sounds interesting.

        With Balasingam's death, political pundits and diplomats are eulogizing the demise of moderate dovish political leadership, fuelling the fear of hawkish tigers getting upperhand.

Let alone the leadership. To begin with, LTTE doesn't even have any politics to speak of.

In a civilised world, politics is built upon the basic human rights and democratic principles. While it is respecting the human rights within reason, it gives the people the freedom to choose their own leaders. Democracy might have its own shortcomings and those who manipulate it. But it exists there at least for the sake of the name.

But, Such politics doesn't exist in Tigerland.

Simply put, politics of LTTE is politics of murder. It is an organization which views murder as a necessary modus operandi, not an inevitable byproduct of third world politics. LTTE has got to where it is at now simply by killing the tamil politicians, moderate and militant, depriving the tamils of talented leadership and multi party democracy. If tamils are left with a handful of independent politicians now, it doesn't simply mean that LTTE stopped killing them. It is only because LTTE couldn't get their hands on them yet. Or at least it couldn't get them into total submission like those in Tamil Naitonal Alliance. Above all, it is that fear of murder that silenced the majority of tamils and it is propagated as support for LTTE.

Any difference of opinion, internally and externally, is dealt with the gun. LTTE mastered all forms of killings, be they murders, assassinations or massacres. It never believed in the politics of dialogs or democracy.

LTTE has such a contempt for democratic politics that it is hellbent on distrupting any elections and eliminate those who had the courage to contest in them. It doesn't even leave those who want to vote. It will intimidate, even chop the hands of those who vote. LTTE's electoral abuses and violations in the last election were well documented in a report done by the EU commission.

Though it claims to be the sole representative of the tamils, it doesn't have the courage to contest in elections under its name, like Sinn Fein.

Such is the politics LTTE had sofar.

'Born again' politicians

So far, only person who seemed to have understood the tiger politics, whatever it is, is Mr.Ranil Wickeramasinghe. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) he signed with LTTE had allowed the LTTE to enter government controlled areas to do 'political work'. But the 'political work' LTTE had done during that time, with the help of army escorts and air force heli-rides facilitated by the MoU, is kidnapping children, extortion and killing political opponents. If there is any 'work' of political nature, it is those 'mass demonstrations' where the 'angry tamil people' burnt military vehicles and challenged the forces for fist fight. Inevitably, these 'revived tamil people' hoisted the tiger flag, which in itself a ceasefire violation and saluted in LTTE's version of 'Hail to the chief!'.

Thanks to the colonel's defection, fearing for their lives for the first time, they closed the offices and the political work ended. When the missions are closed and 'missionaries' left, tamils were saved from being 'born again' politically under the tiger.

Myth of political leadership

Even with its politics (or lack thereof) LTTE created a myth of political leadership. Long before LTTE had political leaders, it only had spokespersons. There were Lawrence Thilagar of Paris and Anton Raja of London, who were much sought after by media for their comments that usually ranging from 'categorical denials' to 'ball is in their court'. These spokepersons fell from their grace and sank into obscurity. Always, they had Balasingam as a 'political advisor', but he was never called a 'political leader'.

After the peace agreement, LTTE promoted the myth of 'political leadership' to serve its own purposes.   While giving the impression that it has the equal political footing with the government in the peace talks, it is used to camouflage their military mindset to get recognition from international community as a political entity. It went as far as to create a 'Peace secretariat' to entertain the above mentioned dignitaries with the self-praised 'jaffna hospitality'. It tried to project a softer image to convince the international community to lift the ban.

Thanks to the MOU, tiger that was confined to the jungle for a long time, found itself in exotic locales.  Charmed by the politicised tiger in cow's clothing, European countries warmly embraced it with open arms. (No wonder the story of emperor's clothing comes from one of these Scandinavian countries.)

 It found the new spot in the limelight refreshing and seemed to enjoy each and every moment of it and exploited it.

As it could go to any European country at will, it found many uses for these opportunities, including attending mass rallies proclaiming 'Tiger's thirst is Tamil Ealam Homeland'. One time it would go for constitutional talks, next time for medical treatment. If you wish to believe one report from dissenters, it even went jewellery shopping for for the First Lady.

During these trips, they had stock answers for any dignitaries and media, who bothered to raise any human rights issues, ranging from shamelessly-logic-defying 'catergorical denials' to 'guilty with explanation', which will be inconsistent depending on the time and the 'political leader' being asked.

It had all become a media circus.

Lime light, ring masters and a tiger!

What else could you expect?

Who are these political leaders?

Who are these political leaders anyway?

How much influence do they have in their organization?

 What leverage do they have over their 'National Leader'?

Simply put, they are HMVs… His Master's Voices.

LTTE is simply an authoritarian outfit.  An 'infallible' great leader would rule with iron fist where any form of dissension is not tolerated and only dealt with death. Cadres are expected to be loyal and ready to kill themselves (and others) in the name of the National Leader. Whoever exceeds these expectations, and lucky to be alive, rises in rank. A few who had leadership aspirations dared to have their own loyalists, but were eliminated, as traitors like Mahathaya or martyrs like Kittu, in purges. Learning from that, those who are careful not to have their own clique will be rewarded with commander roles and anyone who could show some strength in talking (even if it lacks sense and logic), was thrust upon with the greatness of political leadership.

These obedient servants would recite, like parrots, whatever they are told to. Nothing more for the fear of being seen smarter, nothing less for the fear of being seen incompetent. Above all, they are not supposed to make decisions. They will 'get back to you on that' after 'consultations with' the National Leader.

Valued as much as disposable diapers, they can be elevated, sidelined or disposed by the National leader at will.  But they are free to say anything whenever they attend gatherings to hoist flags. They are not expected to say things in unison. These political leaders had the luxury to improvise as they go.

In east, someone will say 'India shouldn't ignore the reality' and recognize LTTE. Then another in Jaffna will warn that 'India shouldn't forget the past' and shouldn't sign the defence agreement. Then another, in Zurich, would growl at India and promise 'we will teach a lesson again' amid applause from cheering 'revived tamils'. Unaware of all these developments, another at Peace secretariat will say 'we welcome india's role'.

Being an official organ, Tamilnet will report these speeches dutifully, which will eventually make it to international media where pundits would analyse the paradigm shift in LTTE's fundamental thinking. Nobody will be disciplined for these contradictions as they don't mean anything at all, as far as LTTE is concerned.

This is the kind of political leadership LTTE has.

Rounding up the usual suspects

        At this backdrop, let's have a look at the top 'political leaders'.

The man who was the 'advisor' when he was alive, beame the 'Voice of the Nation' when he is dead. Former 'political advisor' baptized by media and born again as 'political leader', Mr.Balsingam was in high demand, at least by Norwegians and media. Between the visits of Vikings, British intelligence had to remind this loyal subject that it is the Queen, Her majesty, not His Excellency in wanni, he should be loyal to.

Talk about divided loyalties! But everybody came to know after Maththaya's episode that he is a master of serving two masters.

In reality, he was an interpreter who thought he was a political advisor, a speechwriter who thought he was a theoretician. Claiming to have doctorate in political science and coming from nowhere, he thrust himself in the struggle to guide the 'boys'. Always a fan of winning side, he ended up with the Great Leader, who was in need of an English speaker. There he made a name for himself as a man who put 'creativity' in intepretation and speechwriting. His 'creative intepretation' is well known and documented. He is the man who brought the philosopher out of the Leader, possibly by putting words in his mouth. Thus we got the often repeated 'History is my teacher, Nature is my best friend' quote. In one of the BBC interviews long ago, he was seen on camera stretching his imagination when translating his leader's answers for western consumption. What else could be worse when he tried to 'translate' the questions posed by south indian journalists in tamil language?  Jumping the gun to answer the questions posed to the National leader, he justified it by saying he and the leader are same.

Hm, Great minds think alike!

The man who came to define the path of revolution, found himself explaining the turns it took.

Is he a political leader of any sorts? Does he have any influence?

He was disposable like any other. Not long ago, if you could remember, suddenly Norwegians made arrangements for a heli-ride for Balasingam to seek emergency medical attention in London. But he was seen walking normally. After that, he was incommunicado for a long time. Those who got hold of him, were told to 'have all the contacts with Kilinochi'. Speculation was rife that he was sidelined or had had it with the leader himself or the political chief. During that time he was reportedly DUI (Dishing-it-out Under the Influence) about the National leader. He was well aware that 'younger brother' will come back, looking for the 'elder brother' for speechwriting. Then came the Great heroes day and he was rehabilitated again. This illustrates his importance and influence within the organization.

There were reports of ongoing rivalry between him and Thamilselvan. Both of them were jockeying for power and position as the sole spokesperson. Balasingam might have looked down on the political chief as 'a late grown horn trying to block the ear'.  Here is a man who depended financially on the LTTE to make a living. Though he might have barked at the hands that fed, he would never have bitten. A typical jaffna dog would wag its tail even when it is kicked out of the house, as it has nowhere else to go.

Was he able to make decisions on his own?

No!

He agreed to federal solution in Oslo, only to deny its existence later. Though Mr.Solheim claims now that Balasingam believed in federal solution, we don't have anything to substantiate his claim from what Balasingam said in tamil. He only uttered whatever everybody wanted to hear. To the international community and SL negotiating teams he would have promised about federal solution. But to the National leader and those who came to listen to the translation of his 'Great Heroes' Day speeh, he told something else. He was well aware that both sides wouldn't know what the other was told.

Now the diplomats and the media call him as 'a moderate who believed in a federal solution'. Tamil media praise him for his unwavering support to the independent Tamil Ealam.

The Great leader honored him for 'his superb performance in political and diplomatic spheres, thus establishing our independent struggle in the international arena in a manner that Eelam Tamils are proud of.'

Such was the performance of the moderate 'Voice of the Nation' that made tamils proud!

May the 'VON' RIP!

Mona Selva

Then, we have our ever-grinning 'mona selva' Thamilselvan. Dubbed as political chief, his gibberish is dissected, put under microscope and analysed in detail for possible paradigm shift. More of a broken record than a parrot, he will repeat the same thing, along with his 'May the National leader, peace upon him, be praised'. A former bodyguard of the National leader, he rose through the ranks to become political chief. With his close proximity to the leader, he was known to throw his weight around. It is that proximity, not any political savvy, determined his anointing as political chief. To deflate Balasingam's ego and as a possible replacement, he was elevated as a political chief to be given on-the-job-training.

        Known for his grin, and the shaking head, he has seen his stars aligned for the time being. He may enjoy the privilege of being the pet of the leader. But, in LTTE, there is nothing carved in stone. How long he would last in the limelight is anybody's guess. 

Potpourri

Then there are regional political leaders, whose main job was to intimidate public servants to follow their orders, school principals to send children to the mass demonstrations and traders to pay taxes. Having no political clouts, these are peace time titles for some senior cadres. Like those ministers without portfolios, they spent most of their free time attending graduation ceremonies at citizen force trainings and hoisting flags. Any media which couldn't get hold of wanni leadership before the deadline will settle for some quotable quotes from them, as a filler.  Now it seems they are forced to leave their political work and don their fatigues to defend east.

We also have media coordinators, police chief, Senior members, Director of 'Peace secretariat' and, of course, the miltary spokesperson. Though, technically, they don't belong to the political leadership, they can be seen in all the photo ops with diplomats and at the peace talks.

Collectively, these political leaders are battle hardened cadres who were trained not to think on their own, but to shoot to kill. None of them were exposed to politics, democratic politics that is. One can't expect them to act like seasoned diplomats, when this 'political leadership' is thrust upon them. It is not that easy for them understand the human rights and democratic principles, when all their adult life was spent in Wild Wanni.

Sorry to say, but their political as well as physical existence is totally at the mercy of the National Leader.

Military head and political tail?

In the liberation struggles everywhere, ANCs and PLOs, mostly in exile, were trying to elicit support from the international community with their political leadership, while the military wing holding the ground. Even the tiny East Timor was successful in this regard. Generally, the military and political leadership are so intertwined that it's hard to differentiate them. But those political leaders, who are themselves leaders on their own right, rub shoulders with statesmen everywhere, many of them cultivating personal friendships and using it to their advantage to convince them to put pressure on the aggressors.

  It is the political leadership's role, being the face of the struggle, to elicit sympathy by propagating the aggressor's atrocities, though at times it ends up defending the atrocities committed in the name of liberation. As it is the one facing the international pressure to 'get back to table', political leadership has to convince the military leadership to cease fire and talk, cashing on the military advantages to find a political solution with the support of international community. Politics is not a simple matter of getting military advantage. It can only be used to advance the cause politically. It should always be a political head and a military tail, not the other way around.

In this regard, 'political leadership' of LTTE is more like Sinn Fein of IRA. Though it was an open secret and nobody wanted to talk about it in order not to damage the peace process, now it is acknowledged that Gerry Adams et al are integral part of the IRA's military command. For their atrocities and refusal to lay down arms, they are no more welcome in many host countries and shunned even by their own people.

Take me to your leader

LTTE is projecting its political leadership as an independent entity from its military leadership, just to hide its murderous mindset and to give an impression that it is interested in a political solution.

Just like the emperor's clothing. As they say 'If you look hard enough, you will see whatever you want to see'.

This is how international community (IC) seems to see LTTE's 'Political Leadership'.

If IC really wants to find a solution, it should talk to the leader himself, instead of wasting its time with this political leadership. Like all the explorers, and aliens, IC has to demand 'Take me to your leader'.

Any political solution agreed by this political leadershp can be made null and void by a single bullet by the leader, as it was demonstrated in Oslo and in Mahathaya-Premadasa talks. Unless IC make him personally accountable for his actions, it can't bring LTTE to accept any solution.  

Now we hear the UN is considering harsh measures against LTTE for their ongoing forced conscriptions. If it ever happens, it will be more damaging to LTTE than the EU ban. It was the UN ban that broke the back of Savimbi's murderous madness in Angola.

Sooner or Later, the UN representatives will trek to Wanni to meet the 'political leadership' to convey the message and measures.

Seeing what is written on the wall, LTTE might upgrade its hospitality to include Full Body Massage, and you never know, they might throw in some bikini-clad women to do just that.

UN diplomats might as well enjoy it, because the audience by the National leader will always be denied for them.

George R.Ckrhushchev