The Norwegian ambassador in Colombo
was addressing a registered gathering of around 100 participants, most
of them Tamils, at a conference convened by Øivind Fuglerud, Professor
of Social Anthropology at the Museum of Cultural History of the Oslo
University. A few months ago, the same professor convened another
conference for the visiting Director of the Postgraduate Institute of
Archaeology in Colombo.
Professor N. Shanmugaratnam, of the
Department of International Environment and Development Studies of the
Norwegian University of Life Sciences was vested with the task of making
the ‘Closing Statement’ for the present conference on diaspora and
‘development’. Prof Shanmugaratnam is known to old generation of Eezham
Tamils as a Chinese Communist stalwart.
* * *
Delivering
the star address of the conference, the thrust of the Ambassador’s
speech was that Tamils, especially their diaspora, should erase the
image that they are working for Eezham.
“The Norwegian government
and the other governments continuously encourage the government of Sri
Lanka to engage with the Diaspora. The Diaspora could be and should be a
major contributor to the development of Sri Lanka and especially the
conflict affected areas in the North and the East. Same message goes to
the Diaspora. The Diaspora has to be strategic and conscious in its
actions and public statements regarding calls for reconciliation and
political solution, by avoiding feeding into the rhetoric of the current
government that the Diaspora is still working for an Eezham. It doesn't
help the Tamils and their elected representatives living in Sri Lanka,”
she concluded.
* * *
The Norwegian Ambassador was favouring a ‘minority’ formula and was harping on international diaspora support to the PC model.
Hoping
that the ‘development’ conference would focus “on how to get the
diaspora involved in a more sustainable manner” she further said: “This
is a crucial time for Sri Lanka and for its ethnic and religious
minorities. The upcoming provincial council election in the North at the
end of September could create more interest and new opportunities to
get the diaspora, not only in Norway, but in other countries more
involved in development activities.”
“The Northern Provincial Council could be an important percept for reconciliation and a political solution,” she proclaimed.
“For
the diaspora in Norway, and the rest in the Europe and North America,
the Northern Provincial Council could provide an important avenue,” she
added.
According to the Ambassador, “the starting point seems
more thinking the words of each other and others intention, rather than
trying to reach out looking for opportunities without underestimating
the challenging political context. And I see this as one of the key
challenges of today's Sri Lanka.”
* * *
However,
in her address, she was hinting at cutbacks in direct Norwegian
assistance and implied that the strategy would be to exploit the
resources of the diaspora.
“There is a gradual phasing out of the Norwegian development cooperation in Sri Lanka,” she said.
“I think the financial crisis is also playing a big role. Different governments have to make tougher priorities,” she observed.
She
was hinting that the Tamils, on whom a genocide was committed and is
being committed with the complicity of the West, are not going to be
adequately cared as the West in its financial crisis now cares more only
in using its limited resources in bringing out further disasters
elsewhere, commented observers.
She was citing at China:
“China
will be there as the big investor, coming in with not grants, but
loans. And they are behind the all infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka
today. And they will continue to be there,” she was aiming at
insinuating some West-minded sections in the diaspora and at pricking
competitive minds in India.
She was not prepared to concede to Norway’s complicity in the genocide:
“We
have nothing shameful to hide, but we have to acknowledge the fact that
Norway's role in the peace process is still very controversial in Sri
Lanka,” she said.
According to her, it was not because of the
lack of money but because of the lack of priority Norway cuts down its
involvement in the island. She assured that Norway doesn’t have the
financial crisis like the others.
She was lamenting, “so far, we have seen limited organised diaspora in development engagement in the North and the East.”
She
implied that the diaspora, rather than organised in its own ways, or
visibly unorganised but coordinated in conscience, should pool even its
meagre resources to the benefit of the agenda of the Establishments,
observers at the conference commented.
* * *
A
visible part of the ‘development’ she was attesting to was the
“reconstruction of private houses, kovils, mosques and churches.” [This
was entirely effected through direct diaspora contributions]
Listeners
at the conference didn’t fail to note the more Sinhalicised
pronunciation Kovil in the Ambassador’s tongue than the commonly used
and literature-attested Tamil pronunciation Koyil for a Hindu temple.
The trend is the same with the Colombo-based diplomats and foreign
journalists in spelling Vanni as Wanni and calling a Paalai tree as Palu
tree, commented observers at the conference.
The Ambassador was shedding crocodile tears for the Tamil youth, in inviting diaspora assistance, observers said.
“One
of the main concerns is the youth: the lack of opportunities;
educational and work related. Likewise, an increase in domestic and
sexual violence is much due to the increasing alcoholic use. In many
ways, you see destroyed families and communities, which are in dire need
of rebuilding economically, socially and psychologically. We see
potentials for diaspora engagement,” she said.
All know why they
are aloof and astray, who sustain an impunity culture inspiring them,
and how it is not possible to resurrect them without delivery of justice
to their nation, and in its absence, giving them their struggle against
the ultimate culprits, commented the observers at the conference.
* * *
Another
part of the ‘development’ the Ambassador eulogising was the ‘culture’
they are promoting to achieve ‘national reconciliation’.
“The key focus is on how culture
can contribute to national reconciliation. Since 2009, music cooperation
has been established between Sri Lanka and Norway Concerts
(Rikskonsertene) as the key partner on the Norwegian side and a Sri
Lankan NGO on the other.
[She didn't mention that the concert
was in partnership with a Sinhala NGO Sewalanka operating in the
occupied country of Eezham Tamils. She also never mentioned in her
speech the funding and collaboration Norway has been making towards
extremist Sinhala outfits operating in the name of ‘development’ in the
occupied country of Eezham Tamils.]
“Important component of this
collaboration is the annual music festivals in Galle and Jaffna. This
year, it was in Jaffna in March. With Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim
artists playing together with artists from India, Bangladesh, Norway,
Palestine, Brazil. And, it was an amazing event. I attended it and the
artists were highly achieving,” the Ambassador observed.
“Jaffna
youth rocking with the Indian Bollywood artists. And it was really
incredible,” observed Ms Grete Løchen at the conference, making no
secret of her ‘counterinsurgency’ perception of ‘development’.
* * *
Apart
from Prof Nadarajah Shanmugaratnam, the other Tamil speakers at the
conference were Mr. Yogarajah Balasingham, Mr Satchi Mylvahanam, Mr.
Selvin Ireneuss Mariampillai, Dr. Ilango Balasingam, Dr Panchkulasingham
Kandiah and Ms. Sumathi Wijeyaraj. All of them reside in Norway. Coming
from the outside, Mr CVK Sivagnanam contesting for the NPC in Jaffna on
the TNA ticket and Dr Malar, representing TECH-Malaysia spoke at the
conference.
All Tamil speakers at the conference were critical in
varying degrees about the Colombo government, except Dr Malar, who was
assuring the audience on finding no difficulty in getting the support of
the Sinhala military in the island, if development is not connected to
politics, observers at the conference said.
Dr Malar has been
chosen for key participation at another meeting in Oslo organised by the
Development Fund, a beneficiary of the Norwegian government's
development agency NORAD, informed circles said.
How many of the
Tamil ‘development activists’ in the conference, thinking of the
kroners they may get would have grasped the nuances of the Ambassador’s
speech, was the concern of some of the observers at the conference.
Those who could grasp, but habitually revisionist in orientation, fail
to tell Tamils of the true nature of the impending dangers, was the
added concern of the observers.
If the priority of the West and
Norway is not on bringing in justice in the island, why should the
Eezham Tamil diaspora get hooked up with their agenda of ‘development’
rather than thinking of its own ways, is a major question, the observers
further commented.
* * *
Just a day before the Norwegian Ambassador’s address at the conference, a feature appeared in TamilNet,
Conceiving and designing strategy for Struggle and Development
, not only predicted what would be coming out from the
Establishments but have also responded to almost all the major issues
touched by the Ambassador. The feature appeared on Sunday may be read
along with the following excerpts of the address of the Ambassador on
Monday.
* * *
Excerpts from the speech of the Norwegian Ambassador in Colombo:I hope that the discussion today would focus on how to get the Diaspora involved in a more sustainable manner.
This is a crucial time for Sri Lanka and for its ethnic and religious minorities.
The
upcoming Provincial Council election in the North in the end of
September, could create more interest and new opportunities to get the
diaspora – not only in Norway – but also in other countries, more
involved in development activities.
[...]
One observation from my side after one year in Sri Lanka is the high level of trust deficit at all levels.
Whether
it is between the government and civil society, government and its
minorities, government – international community, government – diaspora,
and also between the communities.
The starting point seems more
thinking the words of each other, and others’ intention, rather than
trying to reach out looking for opportunities without underestimating
the challenging political context.
And I see this as one of the key challenges of today's Sri Lanka.
[...]
Now, I understand that many in the diaspora are not aware of the scale of the Norwegian development assistance to Sri Lanka.
I do see that it could be better in communicating what we have been, and are actually doing in the country.
[...]
Some facts about Norwegian assistance to Sri Lanka:
Long-term development cooperation started actually in 1967.
During the first decades integrated rural development was at the core of the Norwegian support.
Economic
Development, Reconciliation, Peace-building, Good Governance, Human
Rights and Democracy Building have been the main focus areas in recent
years.
Support to economic development has aimed to improve the
living conditions in the least developed parts of the country, whereas
the comprehensive peace building support has focused on contributing to
reconciliation and a lasting peace, strengthening the voices of the
civil society and independent institutions such as the media, human
rights defenders and women.
Norway has – since the end of the
war – contributed 250 million Norwegian kroner, approximately 41 million
USD, to reconstruction and resettlement related programmes in the North
and the East.
In 2012 alone, Norwegian support to the North and
East was 32 million Norwegian kroner, a little bit more than 5 million
USD, through the UN, local and the international NGOs.
Some of the NGOs present here today have received lot of this funding, so you can meet them later today.
Total
Norwegian support to Sri Lanka between 2009 and 2012 was 656 million
Norwegian kroner, a little less than 110 million USD. This is
approximately within a 4-year-time.
So, what are we doing in the North and East:
Humanitarian
de-mining, shelter and permanent house-building, support to
agricultural revival, vocational training and livelihood, legal
counselling on land issues, assisting in getting birth and marriage
certificates, national identity cards, as well as - through IOM - we
have contributed to the re-integration of former LTTE cadres, after
rehabilitation.
Special focus has always been on vulnerable
groups such as war-widows and female-headed households through different
livelihood programmes.
I will give you some examples:
Through de-mining, Norway contributed in 2011 and 2012 so that more than 19,000 families could return to their home areas.
400
ex-LTTE cadres have received social and economic assistance to
re-integrate in the local communities after being released from the
rehabilitation camps.
4,230 students, among them 31% women, have completed vocational training in 2012 alone.
Through
UNDP programme supported by Norway, on resettlement and economic
development, approximately 49,000 members of cooperatives within rice
production, fisheries and animal husbandry, have received assistance.
Through FAO, 5005 farmers could return to their places of origin and be given seed grains in order to restart farming.
So, you see, it is a quite a heavy intervention.
In
addition to our support to the North and the East, the Embassy of
Norway supports organisations that work on human rights, good
governance, media training, reconciliation and gender equality has also
been a priority.
The support is channelled primarily through NGOs, mostly local, but also some international.
Another sector of collaboration is culture. The key focus on how culture can contribute to national reconciliation.
Since
2009, a music cooperation has been established between Sri Lanka and
Norway Concerts (Rikskonsertene) as the key partner on the Norwegian
side and a Sri Lankan NGO on the other.
Important component of this collaboration is the annual music festivals in Galle and Jaffna.
This
year, it was in Jaffna in March. With Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim
artists playing together with artists from India, Bangladesh, Norway,
Palestine, Brazil.
And, it was an amazing event.
I
attended it and the artists were highly achieving, Jaffna youth rocking
with the Indian Bollywood artists, it was really incredible.
Since
last year, we have also a technical cooperation between Norwegian and
Sri Lankan institutions, has been established, both within fisheries and
disaster management.
For many decades, Norway has been a major
player in Sri Lanka. Not only in the [inaudible] of funding, but also in
the humanitarian development policy dialogue with the government of Sri
Lanka, both through the Embassy and through our partners. I would like
to mention that Norwegian Refugee Council was an important player as a
good example in this regard, regarding humanitarian policies and a
strong defender of the importance of the humanitarian space.
Norwegian development assistance is not always as visible as the tradition of many other countries.
There
are good reasons for not putting the Norwegian flag on everything. We
have nothing shameful to hide, but we have to acknowledge the fact that
Norway's role in the peace process is still very controversial in Sri
Lanka.
We are easily seen with a hidden agenda.
We, as a
government, we have to think through carefully, not to put some of our
partners in difficulties, but flagging our support. Sometimes discretion
is better and more effective.
And some of the challenges I see in the development sector:
There is a gradual phasing out of the Norwegian development cooperation in Sri Lanka.
Just to give you some figures, last year, the funding managed by the Embassy was approximately 65 million Norwegian kroner.
This year, it is approximately 53 million Norwegian kroner.
This is the funding managed by the Embassy alone and that does not include funding directly from MFA or NORAD.
Not only Norway is reducing, but most the countries and the UN are reducing development assistance to Sri Lanka.
This is related to Sri Lanka's middle-income country status, achieved in 2010.
Likewise, I think, the financial crisis in the West is also playing a big role.
Different governments have to make tougher priorities.
Where
are the urgent needs in the World today? I will give an example: The UN
consolidated the appeal to Syria, this spring, was the largest
humanitarian appeal in the UN history, of 5 billion USD.
So, in
the context of financial crisis, for many European countries - we are
not talking about Norway, we are not in the financial crisis - but you
do see priorities being made by different Western countries.
Before coming to Sri Lanka, I was in Afghanistan. We see there is a tendency also in Afghanistan. There is less funding.
Like Afghanistan, Sri Lanka is not on the top of the International Agenda.
Four
years after war, there is no huge humanitarian crisis although there
are humanitarian needs, especially among the vulnerable groups such as
the war widows and female-headed households.
However, I do not want to be too pessimistic about the situation.
There are still big development actors in Sri Lanka in the years to come.
I mean, Japan is a big player. Australia - big programmes. South Korea, India, and also EU, still contribute.
But, you will see limited contribution from Western governments. […]
And China will be there as the big investor, coming in with not grants, but loans.
And they are behind the all infrastructure and projects in Sri Lanka today. And they will continue to be there.
So, what to do: Less funding. But, there are still recovering development needs.
It
is important for all parties making clear priorities. We have to create
new partnerships, involving private sector and we have to think out of
the box.
And I do think that the Diaspora could have and should have an important role today in assisting the North and the East.
So far, we have seen limited organised diaspora development engagement in the North and the East. […]
What you see is more on individual basis.
Remittances are being sent.
And,
as you know, this [inaudible] remittances to Sri Lanka, is playing an
extremely important role for the economy of Sri Lanka.
Last year it was altogether 6 billion USD. It is one third of the countries revenues.
The most visible effects of the North and the East is reconstruction of private houses, koavils, mosques and churches.
And
in Jaffna city, you see the youth with motorcycles, the latest mobiles,
and unfortunately, a higher level of alcohol consumption and hanging
out.
You see little bit of the same picture in the East.
There is private money out there. But, not always being used in benefit of the community at large.
And,
I have been traveling to the North and the East, talking to people,
with the local politicians, civil societies and ordinary people in the
villages.
One of the main concerns is the youth.
The lack of opportunities, educational and work related.
Likewise, an increase in domestic and sexual violence, much due to the increasing alcoholic use.
In
many ways, you see destroyed families and communities, which are in
dire need of rebuilding economically, socially and psychologically.
But, we see potentials for diaspora engagement.
I am not an expert here. I am just raising some issues.
How
can we get home remittance assistance, from mainly helping only those
with relatives abroad, to supporting whole communities?
We need
closer diaspora cooperation, partnership and professional development
actors, NGOs knowing the context and the challenges in doing development
activities in the North and East.
My experience, after visiting
many of the Norwegian funded projects is that these actors know
intertwines as sensitivities regarding getting approval of projects.
They
know where are the possibilities, where are the [inaudible] and they
have established working relationships with local and central
authorities. I think this is extremely important, knowing the context
and making these partnerships.
And we see the Northern Provincial Council election due to be held in September as a possibility.
Tamil
political parties contesting under the TNA, are according to polls,
expected to do very well and capture power in the regional
administration.
And I think development of Sri Lanka also expects this.
The Northern Provincial Council could be an important percept towards reconciliation and a political solution.
For
the diaspora in Norway, and the rest in the Europe and North America,
the Northern Provincial Council could provide an important avenue,
through which efforts at assisting reconstruction and capacity building
of local administration in the North can be channelled. There are
possibilities to look for.
Finally, the Norwegian government and
the other governments continuously encourage the government of Sri
Lanka to engage the Diaspora.
The Diaspora could be and should
be a major contributor to the development of Sri Lanka and especially of
the conflict affected areas in the North and East.
Same message goes to the Diaspora.
The
Diaspora has to be strategic and conscious in its actions and public
statements regarding calls for reconciliation and political solution, by
avoiding feeding into the rhetoric of the current government that the
Diaspora is still working for Eezham.
It doesn't help the Tamils and their elected representatives living in Sri Lanka.
I am looking forward to the discussion today.
Chronology:
