Recently, Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Prof P Ramasamy announced that he will boycott the Pravasi Barathiya Divas conference in New Delhi organised by the Indian government.

He turned down an invitation to attend the conference extended to him by Vyalar Ravi, the Indian Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs.

According to press reports, Ramasamy, in a letter dated Jan 4, 2010, addressed to Vayalar Ravi, stated that he is boycotting the conference for the 'questionable role' played by the Indian government in the Sri Lankan war.

kampung buah pala penang p ramasamy meeting 120609 04 With due respect for the wisdom of Ramasamy as an Indian Malaysian leader, he should not have taken this stand and should not confuse Sri Lankan issues with that of ‘Indian’ issues.

First of all, Ramasamy should realise that he was accorded an invitation from the Indian government because of his position as deputy chief minister.

 and if he has any personal opinions or criticisms about the Indian government’s role in Sri Lanka’s affairs then he should have voiced it out in that forum.

The Pravasi conference should be seen in a global perspective and not with a narrow mind as it is a conference for the Indian diaspora comprising millions of Indians scattered around the world in about 50 countries.

                                

This annual gathering is attended by key Indian politicians, senior civil service officers and other Indian businessmen and political leaders. It would have been an ideal forum for Ramasamy to express and convey his own opinions and convictions about the Sri Lankan affairs and to engage with the Indian government.

Respect the post

Since independence, this is the first time an Indian Malaysian has achieved such a high position of deputy chief minister at the state level in Malaysia and therefore that position should be respected and used in the right perspective to represent and struggle for the community.

Ramasamy should not have boycotted a conference which could bring some benefits to Indian Malaysians because of his political opinions about another country. His first and foremost responsibility is towards Malaysians and the Indians here.

It is an open secret that China also played a ‘questionable role’ in helping the Sri Lankan government crush the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and indirectly contributed to the sufferings of Sri Lankan Tamils.

So, is he going to boycott conferences in China too? Is he going to use his deputy chief minister position to voice out against China ?

Then what about Pakistan? They too played a crucial role in the destruction of LTTE and helped the Sri Lankan government through military cooperation.

What about the role of the United Nations, United States and the International community which watched silently as the Sri Lankan government perpetrated war crimes against LTTE fighters, eventually throwing thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils behind barbed wires under atrocious conditions.

What we should understand is that the Sri Lankan war in the end became a highly complex international political game and was the result of non-committal stand of the Indian government and the Tamil Nadu state government.

The internal squabbles of Sri Lanka’s own Tamil leaders and certain political stand of LTTE also contributed to the war.

To put it simply, the Sri Lankan issue is far beyond our understanding and reach, for any one of us to boycott a conference on Indian soil just because of Sri Lankan issues.

That does not mean that we do not support the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils. Almost every Tamil in this country sympathises with them and wants to do something. Many believe that Tamil Eelam is the only solution to the problems and sufferings of Sri Lankan Tamils.

There is also no doubt that Velupillai Prabakaran is the greatest leader the Tamil community had witnessed in recent history when we take into consideration his single-minded leadership, discipline and sacrifices.

As we argue whether it is right for Ramasamy to boycott the Pravasi conference because of the Sri Lankan war, we should also understand and appreciate the significance of the conference.

Significance of conference

The Pravasi Barathiya Divas conference (meaning ‘the day when Indians who migrated return) was mooted by the Indian government for the first time in 2003, to create a forum for overseas Indians to return to their motherland to voice out their concerns and aspirations and to understand and participate in the Indian government’s initiatives for overseas Indians.

The conference is held every year around the Jan 9 to mark the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India on Jan 9, 1915.

Everyone knows that Gandhi is hailed as the greatest ‘pravasi’ ever to return to India because it is his return to India that eventually led to the successful struggle for independence.

Last year it was held in Chennai. It is jointly organised by the Indian business federations and the Indian government with cooperation from the respective state government.

The conference has contributed significantly to overseas Indian affairs in that it was through this medium that the idea of a separate ministry for overseas Indians was mooted and realised.

It is through this conference that the idea of the PIO (People of Indian Origin) card became a reality and today the PIO card has become an important document for overseas Indians to connect back to their motherland for business, travel, investment and social purposes.

The conference also introduced and floated the concept of dual citizenship for overseas Indians. The Indian government in many ways considers this conference as one of its most important international conferences as it is always opened by the prime minister with the valedictory done by the president.

The conference has become an ideal forum for leaders from the Indian diaspora to mingle and exchange their political ideas and discuss political developments.

In this respect, the Pravasi conference would have been the most apt forum for Ramasamy to attend and convey his thoughts and ideas on the Sri Lankan problem. But he missed a golden opportunity.

Keep the issues separate

In conclusion, we should learn to see international political issues in isolation and should not confuse and complicate everything with the Sri Lankan problem.

Similarly, as much as we condemn the Indian government’s involvement in the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, we should also have a limitation until which we can drag ourselves into this problem. At this juncture, let us also remind ourselves about the political predicament of the congress government in India, whose leader Rajiv Ghandi was killed by the LTTE movement itself.

It must also be noted that for years, the Indian government has been providing shelter and comfort to thousands of Sri Lankan refugees in Tamil Nadu's refugee camps, in the process spending millions of rupees to maintain them. After the Sri Lankan war, the Indian government also allocated billions of rupees for the rehabilitation of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka. The Indian government is even considering now to grant Indian citizenship to Sri Lankan refugees in India.

The Indian government is also expected to initiate a political solution for the Sri Lankan Tamils after the Sri Lankan presidential elections.

Let us also not forget that for all that has happened, the Sri Lankan Tamils and their leaders are today supporting the very army general who was instrumental in killing Prabakaran and destroying the LTTE movement thereby contributing to the ‘barbed camps’ for Sri Lankan Tamils.

The reality of Sri Lankan politics today is that the Tamil community there, is torn between two presidential candidates, one who ordered the destruction of LTTE and the other, an army general who successfully carried out that order.

So, why do we as Indian Malaysians stand in between in this highly complex, political game?

R Mutharasan is an observer and writer on Malaysian politics and Indian issues. He is the web-master of www.indiantoday.net and has also authored the book "Winning Strategies of Anwar Ibrahim".