Anandasangaree, Devananda, Petain and Quisling
February 2nd, 2008
by Kumar David
According to some Sunday (27th) newspapers Mr Anandasangaree will be anointed Governor of the proposed Interim Administration for the Northern Province and Mr Douglas Devananda appointed as Chairman of the Interim Council. Although the names Quisling and Petain have become synonyms for “traitor” Marshal Petain at least was a highly decorated soldier and in his own way an honourable administrator though Quisling was a rather more murky character. What is interesting, however, is that Pétain was a prisoner of history, and captive of a situation not of his own making. He was abjured by posterity and earned a reputation that he thought was unjustified. Quisling on the other hand was a notorious strike breaking and communist hating minister before resigning to found the Nasjonal Samling (National Party), the Norwegian fascist party, in 1933.
[Marshal Petain~Quisling & Adolf Hitler]
The ambitious Quisling
Quisling met Adolf Hitler in December 1939, two months after war had broken out, and urged him to occupy Norway. Although Norway proclaimed its neutrality in 1939 Germany invaded in April 1940 and after a brief resistance the Norwegian army capitulated. Quisling proclaimed himself head of a ‘national government’ but this aroused strong resistance and the Germans replaced it within a week with an Administrative Council (similar to the proposed Interim Council) of pliant civil servants and Nazi supporters including Quisling. Real power was wielded by a Reich Commissioner and the superior role of the military occupation over the ‘civilian administration’ was probably similar to what the relationship between the military and the proposed Interim Council for the Northern Province (IC-NP) will be in the coming months. If the IC-NP is forced to hide in the High Security Zone and does not include participants from the principal parliamentary parties representing the province, it will be abjured by the people.
Thousands of Jews were sent off to the gas chambers by the Quisling administration; hence one wonders what the fate of suspected and potential Tiger cubs will be over here. An explicitly Nazi government was formed in 1942 under the leadership of Quisling; it was hated and aroused resistance, strikes and industrial sabotage. Quisling and the Germans countered with martial law and executions. After the liberation of Norway in May 1945, Quisling was arrested, found guilty of treason and hanged.
Petain the hero of Verdun
Marshal Petain was the hero of the Battle of Verdun in World War I and had an extraordinary rapport with his rank and file.
At Verdun in a practically hopeless situation he masterfully reorganised the army and inspired his troops to a victory that made him a popular hero. At the commencement of World War II, Petain, already in his eighties, was recalled to be Vice Premier and when the French army collapsed in the face of the German assault the “hero of Verdun” asked for an armistice and formed a government with its seat in Vichy, from which it derives its derisory name.
The Vichy regime, which did its business in the South of France, was subordinate to the superior German occupation of two-thirds of the country. Pétain was well intentioned, like Mr Anandasangaree, and believed he could repair the ruin caused by the invasion and secure the release of prisoners of war only by cooperating with the Germans.
He tried to run an efficient and corruption free but paternalistic administration. When Paris was liberated by De Gaulle and the French Partisans in August 1944 he tried to arrange a peaceful transfer of power but was rebuffed and fled to Germany. He was arrested, tried and condemned to death in 1945 but the sentence was commuted and he died in incarceration at the age of 95.
What went wrong in both cases was that an occupying military power imposed an administration on a hostile population. It mattered little that in one case the imposition was repressive and fascist and in the other case comparatively benign and well intentioned. While unelected, undemocratic, appointed governments are always hated those that rule under the aegis of an occupying military power are shunned with particular opprobrium.
The intention of implementing the 13th Amendment is good if it is done with sincerity and purposefulness and if it is a genuine transitional prelude to real devolution in the Tamil areas.
The second part is unlikely to see the light of day under this government, but even in the case of the first part, two conditions must be met; otherwise the whole exercise will end up like a Quisling or Pétain excrescence.
The first condition is that all armed groups must be disarmed in the East and the elections must be free and fair. Unlikely, but the point must be made.
In the North the TNA, the largest parliamentary party, must be invited and persuaded to participate in the Interim Administration and become its principal stakeholder; a Sangaree, Douglas monopoly of power won’t do because they are not the peoples’ principal representatives.
TNA participation will also open a tenuous line to the Tigers once (if) they give the TNA an ok-it would be idiotic for the Tigers to debar the TNA from participating in the IC-NP. Furthermore, to my mind, the other reason is that, though fragile, this is an opening to the LTTE, and hence a step towards an eventual negotiated settlement. Without this the Interim Council and Administration is a road to nowhere-interim between where and where if the principal protagonist is not drawn in?
Entry Filed under: transCurrents NewsFeatures
15 Comments Add your own
1. KTR | February 3rd, 2008 at 2:28 am
The most valuable article I have read in recent times. Timely publication.
2. ratnam Ganesh | February 3rd, 2008 at 2:59 am
I can remember well: Once Anandasangaree’s father Mr.Veerasingam who was the president of the Federal Party ,Point Pedro Branch commented in an election meeting held at the Point Pedro beach opposite the old Post -Office”My son Anandasangaree is contesting in the Klinochchi Electroate on an LSSP ticket.But soon he will find his mistakes.
Time will tell him he is wrong.But now I as his neighbour back in Sri Lanka will tell him again that he is wrong again now.
3. R.Goonetilake | February 3rd, 2008 at 5:01 am
Anandsangaree has one foot of his in the grave and thus IC-NP can be folded as soon as AS bites the dust.
DD of course, hung onto Saree Pota and now to Chaatakaya to enjoy power.
DD would be dead meat if Rajapakshe of SLFP loses the next elections. KD is right that no ordinary people would appreciate being ruled by the power of an occupying forces as same as in Iraq.
The US & UK couldn’t do it. so will the SL govt in N-E.
Mark my words. The whole war and this govt will collapse within a year.
4. Subra S.Massey | February 3rd, 2008 at 8:48 am
Mr.AnandaSangaree,
Your brother Duruwasangaree was my best friend. You came for his funeral by we were by his side when he was dying at the Scarboruogh general hospital. You could not help your family you want help the Tamil people. Come on Mr. Sangaree at your age why don’t you just retire and leave the Tamil people alone?. Please I beg you in the name of my dearest friend Duruwasangaree and your brother. Your sister lives very close to me and she is living on welfare and living in a dungeon. Please help her. I may be getting too personal but then these are facts. So tell me what are you going to do for the Tamils?
Mr.Douglas Devananda,
How many Tamil people you hope to kill? You are a terrorist so how can you be a minister. Are you going to be the minister of terrorism?
I pray for the people of Sri Lanka. I hope sanity comes to help.
5. Naga UK | February 3rd, 2008 at 9:45 am
Sangari is too wise a man and Devananda too clever (unless they have had drastic sli-ups) to fall for it. Pillayan has already shown signs of what is in store for the current blue print on the table. The recent happenings - killing innocent civilians in the name of a conflict - confusing the general public ‘who is doing what’ and for ‘what reason’ has become an eternal guessing game very familiar and we should be looking at couple of centuries at best for people to look back and realize that we have been fighting for no valid reason at all! Facts are meaningless. You can use facts to prove anything meanigless!
6. Gee | February 3rd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
That is the Kumar I remember…and completely agree with Kumar about AnandaSangaree…but I do not know the other guy and do not want to know either. I am not surprised by the Sangaree’s behaviour..ashe grew up without lifting a finger..just because his brother had sufficient power in the department of education in the Jaffna district. He got paid without having to work or teach..just running around on his shiny bike.
I know Kumar and I can remember his honesty and integrity. I am glad Kumar wrote this…Thank you Kumar for the insight. There will be a road to somewhere ,where Tamils can live with dignity and freedom, without the Quisling or the Petain.
7. mahin | February 3rd, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Mr sangaree is already a dead man without any course for living. He is living in illusions and doing his last rituals for his masters. He is not in a right mindset, my kind advises for him to see a good psychiatrist.
8. Sri | February 4th, 2008 at 1:42 am
Thanks Kumar David for an excellent article.
We must accept the reality and go forward. Capture the opportunity and go forward.Do not wait till everything is gained. We must understand that the Indian stand in Sri Lankan affairs is very ambiguous and therefore adopt alternate strategy.
Let us not destroy the Tamil community by our obstinate mind set. We lost everything we gained by the Indo-Sri lanka Accord of 1987.We had Tamil dominated North East Provincial. Council which was the envy of Sinhala racialist. It had solved the muslim question to a great extent.There is no need to negotiate for a Muslim enclave within the north East.
But we lost everything with the de merger. The racialist are now consolidating for a Sinhala Majority East with the help of quislings.
Then the ceasefire agreement which is very favourable we also played a part in the withdrawal of the government from the ceasefire agrrement. We could have made it impossible to the government to go back and we lost EP
Now the only way out is to come to an agreement with the Muslim Congress and contest the Easter Provincial Council Election and make tamils and muslims stakeholders in the east.Not allow the military to continue even for another day.This is very urgent.The only way 0ut for us to save the East. It is better even come to some understanding with the Tamil armed groupsand form a grand coalition. .
Sri
9. Subra S.Massey | February 4th, 2008 at 6:49 am
Dear Folks,
Pilliyan in the east?We will get him also. Clear conscience is an invincible weapon. So it is morality against immorality. I hope some one help them to realise their follies. Anadasangaree, Devanda, Pilliyan, Mahinda, Gothabaya et al it is only for a short time. Morality is very a powerful but sharp and slow drill it will drill through any hard rock! It is an absolute power.
10. Thilee | February 4th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Indian foreign policy didn’t work in SL as Indo-Lanka accord and IPKF. Now the Indian diplomatic help and full support of ‘war on terror’ will be the next step. This AS and DD setup is a temporary arrangement with Indian help, is to fool IC ‘after the CFA’ development. Indian policy makers want to keep IC quite on SL. It is like the Tamil film director Ramanarayana’s film. Few animals will rescue the hero in a dramatic mission.
I think India should have some policy makers and a foreign policy
11. Indian Tamil | February 6th, 2008 at 12:52 am
#10
Hilarious for comparing India’s foreign policy with Ramanarayan movies.Did he direct Aattukara Alamelu.I loved that.Well.India has a consistent Srilankan policy,which no one can miss .India stands for the Unity & Integrity of Srilanka.All problems to be sortedout thro peaseful negotiations.No need for India to keep IC quite on SL.Entire IC will stand behind India except china and Pak(will u care) .Power of democracy and Economy.This fact is still being glossed over by LTTE and continue to undervalue India.They will never comprehend /make sense of.
12. Justin | February 7th, 2008 at 9:08 am
Sangaree was a faithful puppet of Mahinda Rajapakse. He even flew to London to celeberate the “60 years of Independence” and say that not even 10 were raped by Sri Lankan army in the North East.
Mahinda is looking for a dishonest Tamil puppet who can play to his tune. He will find that in Sangaree!
13. Devinda Fernando | February 8th, 2008 at 10:38 am
*** Sangaree was a faithful puppet of Mahinda Rajapakse. He even flew to London to celeberate the “60 years of Independence” ***
This person Justin is a prime example of the “Donkey Diaspora’s” racist mentality that has been inbred and fostered by the Tamil Nationalist community and the LTTE. Any Tamil who tries to be a ‘Sri Lankan’ or think as a ‘Sri Lankan’ is Labelled as a “GoSL Arsel**ker” or “Puppet” or “Traitor”. Such polarizing Rhetoric that has been invented to Demonize even the Moderate tamils who want to live in peace with the Sinhalese.
This fact of the matter is you people who write here trying to be the Moral Compasses of the Tamil people are nothing more than Extremists, Racists, and Hypocrites who have never taken a mirror to your own faces. Eelam or Nothing! - always has been for you people and always will be…. Good luck! My condolences in advance for all the thousands of unfortunate Tamil children that will surely become casualties to your Jingoistic Ideology.
14. Subra S.Massey | February 11th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Mr.Davinda Fernando,
You are taiking about belligerant patriotism! You are absolutely wrong. We are asking for a birth right in our own country.Concede it and we will be great friends.
When a man has lost his citizenship what do you expect? Citizenship is not just a piece of plastic. It is the birth right of any person. Can a person be a refugee in his own country? No. We were. It is the duty of the government to protect all its citizens. Every citizen has the right to life and right to impartial treatment, when the state refuses to protect a citizen what do you want him to do? Become a subject who obeys the master. It is bad for the master not to release the servant, beacuse the master needs the services of the servant. In a democratic society we choose what we want to be, a master or servant or freelance ctizen. What you are failing to understand is in the eye of the creator and in the eye of the state we are all equal. Equality in the way we conduct our lives. It is not a piece of plastic.
Freedom,equality, choice of vocation are the life and breath of democracy. The problem is if I lack freedom what will it do to you? Your quality of life will go down with me. If you free me then you will get my contribution, then both of us can have quality life. I hope you understand my argument you release me for your own well being, otherwise we have lost two people. You and I. You have to waste your energy to control me and I waste my energy to uncontrol me from you. THAT IS THE VERY PURPOSE OF THE WAR going on now. How many of your leaders can understand this basic principle? I hope you understand it.
I am able to read your mind. Two things come to my mind one is all Tamils must go or two if they stay they are mere servants of the Singhalese. Reflect on it and let your conscience be your own judge of your moral standing. Apparently you are living in a feudalistic era when the world had transcened Race, Religion, Caste, Language etc. Think about it! Some of us are out of the country and we are prospering. But we have family living in Sri Lanka, we have a moral obligation to them and to protect them. Do you have any qualms about it? I think there is something in the mind of the singhalese people which they are unwilling to say it openely and also that belief is not negotiable. In the present world you cannot say it openly but the actions of sucessive government point to total elimination of Tamils from Sri Lanka and whoever is left will be mere low level workers. Seldom dreams come true and day dreams are fools paradise.
You seem to be calling us Donkey Diaspora, why do you want call us like that? Is it beacuse the other nations have taken us and developed us to world standard. Something is bothering you but you are unable to say it. Say it lets discuss it, may there is something that is bothering you but we can help to clarify it. If you constanly chant any slogan it becomes gospal truth until you play it against another person. May be it is self-righteousness that is clouding your mind. Openly discuss and get it out of your mind.
Release yourself from you!
15. Naga UK | February 11th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Guess it is time for poaching in the dust-bins for the lost the-the-way Tamils living in handouts. They will do these things no matter what, so long as they could get into what they perceive as some powerful position and get at each other’s throat. They will have a distinct position in the history.
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