by P.J., October 31, 2004
sangam.org/articles/view2/629.html
I became interested in the armed struggle of our people in the eighth grade. It all started with my friend telling me about a band called “Rage Against The Machine.”
Rage Against The Machine fascinated me with the idea of revolution. I tried to learn about the issues they focused upon. The singer of the band, Zach de la Rocha, was a Chicano, a Mexican-American. He brought my consciousness to the Mexican revolution.
During the Mexican revolution, there were two major leaders directing armed struggles against the corrupt government. There was General Emiliano Zapata, the leader of the Zapatisas, and General Pancho Villa, both of whom led successful military campaigns against the Mexican government. Both were brilliant strategists when it came to battle, but there was something different between them that sparked my intrigue.
Emiliano Zapata
General Pancho Villa was a brilliant commander, but did not enforce discipline amongst his fighters. When General Villa came into a town, he didn’t stop his troops from raping and plundering. In fact, he joined in the chaos and hurt the very people he was supposedly fighting for. General Emiliano Zapata, on the other hand, believed in a more ethical approach to the revolution. Emiliano Zapata, a very moral man, kept his fighters very disciplined. When General Zapata entered a city or town, there was no looting or raping. In fact, General Zapata was so strict with his troops that they were not allowed to steal food from people. They had to politely ask for food and shelter. Finally, whereas Pancho Villa reveled in the control and power he felt as a General, Zapata didn’t want the attention or respect. He was more focused on his purpose: fighting the Mexican government to gain back the rights of his people. General Emiliano Zapata’s strict rules with his fighters gained my respect and the respect of people around the world because he showed the world that armed revolution did not have to be linked with chaos or the rape and plunder of innocent people.
In the same way that I have respect for the Zapatistas and their admirable leader, Emiliano Zapata, there is another armed struggle in the world, one much closer to my heart. The Liberation Tigers of Thamil Eelam have gained the respect of the Thamil people because of their discipline in following strict moral values throughout the armed struggle.
This respect is due in part because of one man. Without this man, our leader, we would not have the rights we have to this day. For all we know, we may have been successfully wiped out by the genocide of the Sri Lankan government. Many of us youth might not be living today if not for the honorable work of a man who has dedicated his life to us, to all Thamil people. If not for the brilliant strategies and decisions of our Talaiver, the Thamil people would have been exterminated.
One of the most important reasons why I support the LTTE is because of their strict discipline. If our leader had not enforced firm rules on our fighters from the beginning, the LTTE would not have survived and grown to what it has become today: a liberation army of honor. The LTTE would not have the support of the people if not for the strict obedience that Talaiver imparted to it. How much support would the LTTE have if it had stooped to the ugly nature of General Pancho Villa’s army? Would anyone support the LTTE if the cadres were allowed to run amok as the Sri Lankan Army does, brutally raping and killing innocent women and children? This is exactly why discipline is needed. Fortunately, our leader created a militant group with admirable ethics.
A very important fact I had overlooked originally was our leader’s age when he actually started the armed struggle. Can you imagine making the decision to risk your entire life the young age of adolescent boyhood? Our leader did not have to make the sacrifices he did. He could have stayed in school and found a job after a while. He could have left the country in hopes to prosper in the world. He could have waited to let another person attempt what he had done. Would that have happened? Could there be another person like Talaiver? It could be possible, but how long would we have waited? The Thamil people were being oppressed day by day, more and more.
How do you make a decision at the age that he was, to risk your life? I don’t think I would ever be able to make such a heavy decision in my life. Further, how does one even attempt to start an armed struggle at such a young age? Even more admirable is the discipline he conscientiously enforced from the very beginning.
Talaiver has brought to the Thamil people what they have always been denied: freedom. If not for our leader’s dedication to the LTTE and maintaining strict discipline, the war in Sri Lanka would be a replication of the current crisis in Sudan, where an undisciplined government is at war with undisciplined tribes. In Sudan, people have no one to trust because both sides are corrupt and selfish. Our leader has created and maintained an armed struggle truly devoted to helping the Thamil people. Our leader has created and maintained a government that the Thamil people can trust. Chills travel down my back as I think about the fact that if Talaiver had not devoted his life to protecting the Thamil people, it is possible the Sri Lankan government would have successfully exterminated the Thamil people.
Signed by:
P. J,. Student at Florida Atlantic University Honors College
T. M., Student at Georgetown University
T.l C., Student at University of Maryland, College Park
R. K., Student of Zurich University, Switzerland
A. S., Student at Dublin Scioto High School
S. C., Student at University of Maryland Baltimore County
S. S., University of Waterloo
R. J., Student at The King’s Academy
R. V., Student at Florida Atlantic University Honors College
B. R., Student at Florida Atlantic University Honors College
S. R., Student at Florida Atlantic University Honors College
C. H., Student at Florida Atlantic University
L. P., Student at Palm Beach Community College
C. B., Student at Florida Institute of Technology
M. D., Student at University of Central Florida
B. H., Student at Palm Beach Community College
S. W., Student of Vejle Nursing School, Denmark
M. B., Student at Saint Leo University
T. B., Student at McMaster University
A. A., Student at York University, Toronto
P. S., Student at York University, Toronto
T. S., Student at McMaster University Canada
C. D., Student at Florida Atlantic University Honors College
K. B., Student at Florida Atlantic University Honors College
M. S., Student at Vejle Tekniske gymnasium
G. T., Int. Business Management Student Germany
S. N., Student at Monash University, Australia.