On Anandasangaree and the Anuradhapura Air-Base Attack

by Sachi Sri Kantha

Donna Summer (1948-  ), the American disco diva's biggest hit, ‘She Works Hard for the Money’, portrays the turbulent times of a street prostitute. The old Tamil politico who has been working hard for his money in Colombo - delivering cheap jibes at the LTTE and hogging media space for himself without sweating - has done it again. The sclerotic Sangaree woke up from his slumber and released his unsolicited sermon, under the ‘TULF press release’ label, on October 24. To quote,

"The TULF strongly condemns the attack on the Air-base at Anuradhapuura, by the LTTE, as unwanted, meaningless and provocative. This is not a matter for anyone to rejoice at. The LTTE should at least at this stage realize that Tamil Eelam is a wild goose chase and even if achieved cannot last for one day, with the international Community strongly opposing it.

Mr. Prabaharan should stop playing with human life. Apart from the killing of 10 Air-force personnel he has also scarified without a just cause 21 Tamil youths whom they recruited compulsorily and brain-washed. I convey my deepest sympathies for these 31 victims of LTTE’s atrocities.

V.Anandasangaree,
President – TULF."

In the last sentence of his press release, he has noted, “I convey my deepest sympathies for these 31 victims of LTTE’s atrocities.” The pseudo-sympathy of glib-talking Sangaree to the 21 heroic Tamil youths deserves condemnation. As the old adage informs us, words are cheap. Words flow more cheaply for a prostituting weathervane politician like Anandasangaree. Two years ago, this politician received a UNESCO prize tagged with the name of an Indian mediocrity. That the current regime of President Mahinda Rajapakse sponsored Sangaree’s nomination for this prize was a fact that I gathered subsequently from one UNESCO desk official. Sangaree was also granted, as per the news reports, a cheque for 100,000 US dollars. If Sangaree’s sympathy for the 21 Tamil youths is sincere, he should come forward to donate the 100,000 US dollars he got in Paris immediately to the families of the 21 Black Tigers and to the families of Tamil victims who have died due to the Sinhalese government’s aerial aggression since November 2005.

While military analysts in the Indian subcontinent and elsewhere have correctly (or with some bias) assessed the effect of the enemy-demoralizing October 22nd display by the LTTE’s special commandos, to Anandasangaree’s jaundiced eyes, it was nothing but, “unwanted, meaningless and provocative.” I’d say that the Tamil proverb, Kazhuthaiku Theriyuma Karpoora Vaasanai [Does the Donkey know anything about camphor scent?] aptly sums up Anandasangaree’s ignorance on the significance of the Anuradhapura air-base attack by the LTTE. For a comparative evaluation, it may be of interest to hear what the TULF he currently leads has achieved for Tamils since the April 2004 General Election, other than his umpteen flying jaunts to India, Europe and South Africa.

More than three years have passed since Sangaree self-anointed himself as the President of a rump TULF party. Isn’t it time for him to provide details on the other office bearers of his rump TULF? Has this rump party held any annual convention to present its political manifesto to the Tamils, apart from issuing insipid press releases and ‘letters’ to the media, all in the name of Anandasangaree? Can Sangaree even list 20 of his Tamil followers, by name, designation and a recognizable address? After all, he is supposed to be leading the Tamil United Liberation Front! Doesn’t Sangaree brag of himself as a politician adhering to non-violence?

OK, if this be the case, can he lead his team of 20 Tamil followers in an influential agitation for the execution of Tamil rights for equality, by performing a ‘fast to death’ a la Gandhi, anywhere in Sri Lanka? This ‘fast to death’ (not the cheap stunt of fasting for 12 hours!) agitation by Sangaree, may bring the respect he badly yearns from Tamils. But, believe me, Sangaree is not a Mahatma.