A leftist leader who suffered immense oppression in the south due to his fight for the rights of numerically minorities in Sri Lanka throughout his political career has been commemorated in the north.
Several events were held in the north in remembrance of Nava Sama Samaja Party’s General Secretary Dr. Vickramabahu Karunarathne, who breathed his last on 25 July. According to regional reporters, commemorations of this nature in the north for a Sinhala political leader was unprecedented.
The first commemoration was held on 27 July at the Jaffna office of the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) led by Parliamentarian Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam. Joining the event, popular writer and TNPF member M. Elaththamilmani had stated that Dr. Karunarathne, who passed away at the age of 81, was a leftist leader that dedicated his life for the rights of Tamils.
“He believed that Tamil people’s rights should be given at some point. He lived to achieve it. If he wanted, he could have continued in politics in collaboration with Sinhala parties. But, he did not change his policy. His policy was that Sinhala people were free to accept him for who he was.”
Dr. Karunarathne was labelled a traitor among the majority of the Sinhala community due to his fight for Tamil people’s rights. Elaththamilmani had reminisced how he was a leader with the correct political vision.
“It did not matter where he went, he always stressed that Tamil people should be given their rights. The result was Sinhala newspapers labelling him as a traitor. The situation remains the same even today. He had warned that the country may have to face a dangerous situation if the country moves forward with the Sinhala-Buddhist policy and if Sinhala parties embrace that policy. He worked for around 50 years with his zeal for Tamil nationalism.”
On 4 August (Sunday), the Tamil National Green Movement (TNGM) had also organised a commemoration in remembrance of Dr. Karunarathne at the Thirunelveli Bright Inn function hall.
Speaking at the event, TNGM Leader and former Northern Provincial Council Agriculture Minister Ponnuthurai Aingaranesan had recalled how the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) murdered Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP) activists who actively worked among Sinhala people to protect Provincial Councils which were believed to provide some power for Tamil people.
“For us, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution is neither a solution nor a starting point. We see it as a breathing space in the long Tamil national liberation struggle. When the south opposed the Indo-Sri Lanka accord due to the 13th Amendment, he supported it. Due to his support, many of his supporters were gunned down by the JVP.”
In 1988, Dr. Karunaratne sustained serious injuries after being shot at by JVP-led Patriotic People’s Movement (DJV).
Incumbent JVP Leader and Presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake was among the political leaders that paid their last respects to Dr. Karunaratne, who struggled throughout his political career to ensure Tamil people’s self-determination rights.
Regional correspondents further reported that Vavuniya-based civil society activists recently held a commemoration for Dr. Karunaratne.
