The following is an interview given to the "Sunday Island" by Champika Ranawake, National Organiser of the Sihala Urumaya. Mr. Ranawake is an engineer by profession and has been a lecturer at the Open University. He is the Convenor of the National Movement against Terrorism. He is a well known orator who espouses the cause of the Sinhalese and has been interviewed many times on TV. He is also a writer

In answer to a question by our correspondent, as to why Sihala Urumaya has been called a racist party’ Mr. Ranawake said:

It is indeed strange what when the Sinhalese form a party to safeguard the rights of the Sinhalese and prevent their further erosion, then are called racist. The western godfathers, the foreign funded NGOs, the horde of "International mercenaries" among our academics who are falling over each other to defend and apologies for the Tamil racists and LTTE terrorists never call the LTTE and the plethora of Tamil parties with "E" before their names, racist.

Nor do they call the communalistic and racist Muslim parties, racist. This is precisely why Sihala Urumaya was formed. Despite the fact that the Sinhalese are 76 percent of the population, they have been reduced to the status of a minority. More important, form the birth of Tamil racism, its protagonists, supporters and puppets have used the tag of "racism" to silence the Sinhalese. Sihala Urumaya is the voice of the Sinhalese.

Even though more than three fourths of the MPs in the last Parliament were Sinhalese did anyone of them speak up for the Sinhalese when measures were taken which were detrimental to the interests of the Sinhalese? It was the same with the UNP government. The Sinhalese never asked for Provincial Councils but they were inflicted on them. PCs are now swallowing more then Rs. 2500 million from the national exchequer and serving no purpose.

What is most ridiculous is that in the north and east where the Tamils have been demanding autonomy/self determination/ separation, no Provincial Council is functional. Even under the proposed Constitutional reforms no Regional Council will function. Instead a merged North/East would be buried under an Interim Council forever. Thirteen years ago it was stated that a referendum would be held in the North and East. This has not been done and no Sinhala MP has protested.

This means that 70 percent of Tamils will dominate and control the lives of 17 percent Muslims and 13 percent Sinhalese in the North/East. The merged North/East would naturally bring down the population ratio of the Sinhalese and Muslims vis a vis the Tamils a device for which both the PA and UNP agree wholeheartedly.

Quite apart from the betrayal of the doughty Sinhalese who have been holding onto their lands, residence and livelihood in these areas, the creation of Regional Councils is the most dangerous step which any government in this country has taken. It would jeopardies the security of the state and break up the country into pieces.

Both these parties are doing this to appease the murderous LTTE, the puppeteer who manipulates the terrified Tamil parties such as the TULF, EPDP, EPRLF, PLOTE etc.

I ask you, is this racism when we try to defend the integrity, sovereignty of this country and the rights of the majority community. The nightmare before Sri Lanka is NOT merely that Prabhakaran intends to rule over the North-East through Eelam, but means to conquer the whole country. I would suggest that your readers read Dixit’s book ‘Assignment Colombo’ Dixit who was India’s ambassador to Sri Lanka during the Jayewardene era was no friend of Sri Lanka. He supported the Tamil cause, misled the Indian government, complicated, distorted, muddled the facts concerning the conflict here in a partisan manna, besides interfering in our internal affairs. But even he has had hindsight. He says that there is no hope of negotiations with the LTTE and that RAW had found the LTTE documents relating to the creation of Greater Dravidastan, which would include Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu even parts of Malaysia. The documents were given to Rajive Gandhi, Dixit says.

Sihala Urumaya is not racist. Let me spell it out. Sihala Urumaya stands for equal rights for all races, communities, religions, in one country, where there will be one law, for all peoples. We stand for the rule of law and the maintenance of law and order under a Constitution which will be the fundamental law which applies to an undivided Sri Lanka.

This means the total eradication of terrorism and the writ of the government will apply to the whole country. We will eliminate for all time the myth of an exclusive Tamil homeland.

Sihala Urumaya believes that Sri Lanka is the homeland of all it’s people. They must be free to live in any part of the country move around freely, earn their livelihood and own property.

Question: Then what do you understand by racism?

Answer: Racism exists when one race, (as it happened in Hitler’s Germany and in Apartheid ridden South Africa) considers itself the superior race with exclusive rights and privileges to the detriment of other races - putting them at a distinct disadvantage, discriminating against them by denying them their legitimate rights, and persecuting them.

Sihala Urumaya does not stand for such barbarism. This is what the LTTE stands for, which includes the fascistic repression and murder of even dissident Tamils. It has appointed itself the sole voice of the Tamils, to the exclusion of other parties.

I would like to refer to one tragedy affecting the Sinhalese and the Muslims ethnic cleansing, in the name of a mythical Tamil homeland. This is what happened to the Sinhalese and Muslims in the North East. To summarize:

In Jaffna district there is not one Sinhala family left. The last six Sinhalese were killed in 1987. According to the 1981 census there were 3998 (6 percent) Sinhalese in Mullaitivu district. In Nov. 1999 the last two Sinhala villages Gajbapura and Kalynapura were destroyed. With natural increase there should be at least 5000 Sinhalese in Mullaitivu district by 2000.

At least 16,000 have been displaced from Trincomalee district; from Vavuniya district 8000; from Mannar district ova 10,000, from Batticaloa 15,000 ova 10,000 Sinhalese were driven out of Ampara, Polonnaruwa, and Puttalam districts.

Over one lakh of Sinhalese have been displaced and no one seems to know about them or follow their fortunes. In addition, in Oct. 1990, 75,000 Muslims were driven away from Jaffna and Mannar at 24 hours notice.

In the face of continuous massacres and ethnic cleansing there have been no reprisals by the Sinhalese after the state advocated riots of 1983.

Sihala Urumaya stands for the protection of all these unfortunate people. Does this make us racists? There have been more than 140 attacks on the Sinhalese since 1983.

Lands abandoned by the Sinhalese and the Muslims have been colonised by up-country Tamils of recent Indian origin under the agency of NGOs such as the Gandhian movement, TROs, Sarvodaya, SEDEC and Red Barnna. Funding for these settlement schemes have come from Norway, Sweden Holland Canada etc.

Over 40,000 Indian Tamils have been settled in Kilinochchi and Mannar. This is the almighty pool of manpower from which Prabhakaran has drawn his cadres. In addition over 50,000 Tamils of recent Indian origin have been settled illegally in Maduru oya.

Against this situation look what is happening in Colombo. According to the census of 1981 there were 130,210 Tamils living in Colombo. With natural increase the numbers would be around two lakhs. Out of this number between 85,000-100,000 would have migrated, but today there are over five lakhs of Tamils living peacefully with the Sinhalese and Muslims in Colombo and Greater Colombo.

Question: Sihala Urumaya has rejected totally a political solution. Can you explain.

Answer: Yes, Sihala Urumaya stands for a military solution. The war is winnable. Only those who have a vested interest in the war - ‘the comis kakkas’, the defeatist NGOs, the western vested interests and two irresponsible, inefficient governments which have repeatedly betrayed this country say the war is unwinnable. But the strategies of war must be determined by strong trained competent Generals, motivated to win, determined to fight for military successes and not political gains. They will not fight for a ridiculous concept called ‘weakening the Tigers and bringing them to the negotiating table’. This is a political prayer which will never be answered.

Question: Sihala Urumaya is totally opposed to devolution. What do you propose to do?

Answer: Sihala Urumaya is totally opposed to the devolution of power. We stand for considerable decentralisation of the administration so that local authorities and local people can manage their own affairs in the best manna beneficial to themselves.

In any case, the LTTE will take nothing less than Eelam. When they did agree to cease-fires, we know that they did so to reinforce themselves for the next battle. But neither the UNP nor the PA have learnt their lessons. All what has happened is that we have sacrificed more and more men in the battlefield and more and more real estate.

We are told by PA spokesmen that the proposed Constitution is ‘ahosi wela’ dead because of the dissolution of Parliament. I can tell you, that it is not dead, but it is in a temporary coma. It will be revived by whichever party comes to power. In any case the LTTE has rejected it in toto. So, what they hope to do’ is concede more and more to Tamil demands till we have given this whole land away.

The history of devolution from 1981 onwards is itself the strongest indictment against the very process of devolution. The servile offers of devolution have been the greatest of incentives to the Tigers. ‘A little now, and more later’. The LTTE has found the key. Kill a few people and you get District Councils, kills a thousand and you get Provincial Councils. Then escalate the massacres to thousands and you are being offered Regional Councils. The LTTE will kill even more people and destroy more property when it receives this gift from the PA and the UNP. The road to the achievement of Eelam would surely have been cut out for them. And in every instance the LTTE has disdainfully rejected the proposals.

This is what Sihala Urumaya has set out to fight.

Question: So, do you hope to come to power ?

Answer: We are too young in the field to come to power. Sihala Urumaya was launched on April 26th 2000. We are not six months old, but we have a crucial role to play in Parliament. Besides, the people have been voting almost automatically for the UNP and SLFP. Now they have a credible alternative. And we are confident that we will make considerable headway during this election .For the first time they can think of themselves as Sinhalese and vote for a party which will look after their interests.

I am certain that there will be a hung Parliament. In such a Parliament Sihala Urumaya can hold the crucial votes which will determine the decisions taken in Parliament. Any government will be compelled to think again if we have voting strength. Most important, Sihala Urumaya will be the voice of the Sinhalese in Parliament which they did not have for two decades.

There are many, many instances when the Sinhalese have been betrayed by Sinhala MPs. How many MPs protested against the proposal in the new Constitution to confer citizenship on 400,000 Tamils of recent Indian origin, over the counter. This would completely distort the population and electoral dynamics of the hill country and do a mighty injustice to the Sinhala villagers living in those areas.

What the proposed Constitution would have granted was Federal status for this country and a servile, shameless caving into the Thimpu principles - right of self delamination, an exclusive homeland and a separate nation and citizenship for all Tamils in Sri Lanka, even if already they have obtained Indian citizenship.