Sinhalese, Tamils and Sri Lanka: Need for a paradigm shift
By: Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
The war between the LTTE and the government of Sri Lanka is over. The pursuit of an independent Tamil Eelam- an illusion- initially floated by the democratic political leadership of the Tamils, thereafter passionately pursued by various militant-terrorist groups, including the LTTE and finally carried forward in a highly organized, but fatally flawed manner by the LTTE, has proved to be just what it was- just an illusion!
What it has cost the Sri Lankan state in terms of financial, development and institutional degradation, I am sure will become topics of in-depth study. The financial and social cost to the Tamils of pursuing the illusion of Eelam will never be known in its true dimensions. The destruction wrought on Tamil society in the north and east of the Island, in social terms by the LTTE, independent of the ravages of war, are so deep and wide that it will be almost impossible to describe accurately or quantify in a reliable manner. While the destruction of the valuable collection of books, manuscripts and other documents in the Jaffna public library by forces aligned with the government were deservedly well publicized and remains an incident we have to be ashamed, the destruction wrought on the private libraries in the homes of Jaffna by the LTTE, though substantial, will never be known!
This destruction involved not only the history of individuals and families, but the efforts of generations of Tamil intellectuals. Further, the intellectual, spiritual, mystical and cultural traditions in the north and east that had evolved over thousands of years of Tamil history were trashed, trampled and destroyed. The deliberate cultivation and enabling of the dregs of Tamil society by the LTTE has also left the unique value system of the Tamils, in total disarray. These losses can never be fully regained. The psychological scars left on the people will take generations to heal. While the physical injuries may be healed faster and over come, Tamils in particular have to find ways to deal with thousands of handicapped. and disabled over several decades.
The total destruction of the caste system can be cited as the only benefit accruing from the decades that were dominated by the Tamil militants and the LTTE. This benefit has been unfortunately negated by the emigration and displacement of the standard bearers of the Tamil culture and identity – the middle and upper classes. The Tamils may have become largely a caste-less society, but in the process they have also become a society lacking in ‘Class’ (high quality).
The Tamils of the north and east may need several decades to recover and become a normal people. The brain-washing that was part of creating the illusion of Tamil Eelam will be the most difficult to overcome. While a significant number of Tamils were disgusted with the LTTE and the other militants, now masquerading as democratic political groups, the illusion of Tamil Eelam had become part of the mental make up of most Tamils born since the 1960s. Their thought processes were influenced by various unsavory events that affected the Tamils and by perceptions that were reinforced regularly and most times invented and very effectively propagated. Many Tamils yet continue to harbour doubts as to whether the Sinhala polity can be trusted to play fair by them and accept their linguistic and cultural differences as part of the Sri Lankan mosaic. The hardest task for Sri Lanka will be to win the trust and confidence of the Tamils.
On the other hand, the Sinhala polity has its own fears of Tamil intentions for the future. The Sri Lankan armed forced have fought a hard and costly battle to overcome the LTTE- a formidable enemy- much to the delight of most Sinhalese. While a majority of Sinhalese harbour no malice against the Tamils and accept them as fellow citizens of equal standing, every single Sinhalese to the last man and women, is against the concept of a separate state for the Tamils. For years most Tamils will be considered ‘Closet Tigers’ and separatists by the Sinhala polity. This is natural as the Sinhalese were also the victims of Sinhala extremist propaganda and the LTTE propaganda and terror tactics.
While there were divisions among the Tamils on the question of Eelam, there was unanimity among the Sinhalese against the very thought of the Island being split asunder. The civil war fought over three decades and won on the battle front on behalf of largely the Sinhalese by the Sri Lankan armed forces (the potential gains for the Tamils are incidental), will make it very difficult for the Sinhala polity to view any exercise at devolution of political power without suspicion and as an alternate path to a separate state for the Tamils. There will also be many in the Sinhala political and religious establishment who will nurture and validate these fears, either through ignorance, short sightedness, malice or political expediency.
Tamil politicians of the past and present, and the Tamil militant movements- I should now say of the past- including the LTTE, failed to understand the deep seated Sinhala attachment to the concept of ‘ Sinhala Dwipa’ ( The ‘Sinhala Theevu’ of Bharathiar). The ‘Sinhala Dwipa’ is a concept that is at the core of the Sinhala psyche. It involves the attachment of a people, speaking a language spoken nowhere else, to the land they consider special because of its association with Lord Buddha. We can debate ad-infinitum whether the association with Lord Buddha is fact or fiction and whether the Sinhala language is as unique as believed, but it will make no difference to what the people believe.
The concept of ‘Eelam’ is no different, although it was hijacked by the Tamil politicians and militants, to define an unrealizable illusion. I remember the elders of Jaffna at one time believed in a similar concept of special identity and uniqueness, when confronted with Indian (mainly South Indian) influences. ‘Vaitru Valiyai nambinalum, Vadakathayanai nambathey’ (‘Even if you trust a stomach ache, do not trust the northerner’-English) was their constant refrain. Although there were significant linguistic, religious and cultural affinities, there was deep felt aversion to being overwhelmed by South India (north of Jaffna) by most Jaffna Tamils. Erudite Tamils in Tamil Nadu also recognized the antiquity and quality of Tamil spoken in the north and east of Sri Lanka, and the uniqueness of Sri Lankan Tamils. I also recall an elderly school principal describing the Tamils of recent Indian origin who had come to Jaffna as refugees after the 1977 riots as the ‘Fifth Column’.
The association of Lanka with the Ramayana and Ravana with Saivaism was another dimension in the Tamil sense of belonging to the Island. The location of four of the five (Pancha Easwarams) ancient and revered Saivite temples in Sri Lanka and the presence of the ancient Murugan temple in jungles of Kataragama supported Tamil beliefs. The Tamils who believe Sri Lanka is their land and has been their home for thouands of years, consider themselves also unique and have a special affinity for the parts of the Island they inhabit. This is the ‘Eelam’ that is mentioned in the Sangam poetry, is part of Tamil lore and is at the core of their passions.
The concepts of ‘Sinhala Dwipa’ and ‘Eelam’ are similar and define a passion for an Island by two groups of people who are closely related, speaking two different languages that are also closely related in many ways. Subramaniya Bharathy – a Tamil poet of great stature from South India– had no qualms about calling the Island ‘Sinhala Theevu’ and dream of not only constructing a bridge over Palk strait but also reconstructing the Adam’s bridge to form a highway ( “Sinhala Theevinukor Paalam Amaipoem , Sethuvai Meduruthi Veethi Samaipoem”) to Sri Lanka. Both the Sinhalese and Tamils of Sri Lanka, having lived on a small island close to giant India, had obviously developed a sense of uniqueness and a degree of anti-Indianism, to protect their culture and way of life!
The Sinhala politicians and influential elements in the Sinhala polity had failed to understand the passion the majority of Sri Lankan Tamils had for their Island and thoughtlessly and sometimes maliciously hurt and insulted these Tamils to their very core, by asking them to go back to India, where they were accused of having come. What should have been a struggle or even war for the rights and place of Tamils within Sri Lanka was unfortunately and thoughtlessly permitted to become struggle/ war for a separate state by the Tamil leadership of the day. The short sightedness of the Tamil politicians of yore in seeding the concept of an independent Tamil state within the Island and firing the imagination of disgruntled and immature youth in its pursuit was one of the tragedies of Sri Lankan history.
The failures of the Sri Lankan Sinhala leadership to sense the direction in which the Tamil struggle was evolving and take wise political decisions to remove the root causes, was a further tragedy. The wise steps Jawaharlal Nehru’s government in India took to politically diffuse the separatist movement in the Madras state (now Tamil Nadu), is an example the Sri Lankan governments should have followed. Pride, prejudice and sheer stupidity came together among both the Sinhalese and Tamils to foment an unnecessary, costly and beastly war that has almost destroyed the Tamils as a people and left the Sinhalese severely diminished in terms of their humanity and political maturity.
The time has now come for a paradigm shift in the thoughts, way of life and political process among the peoples of Sri Lanka. The war that has just ended has only proved how stupid we have been. In a narrow sense an unnecessary war has been both lost and won by the citizens of the same country! Whether a war should have been fought over the issues under dispute, will be judged with distaste by our future generations. In a broader sense the war itself was a loss for all peoples in Sri Lanka. If the just concluded war and misery that it has entailed do not jolt us into rational thinking and pragmatic reactions, we are doomed as a nation.
Recognition of the right of Tamils to be Tamils and Sri Lankan citizens of equal status should be the foundation on which the future Sri Lanka is built. This concept should apply to every other community in Sri Lanka. The voice of the majority of citizens, and not only the voice of the majority among the Sinhalese, should be heard in the corridors of power. What is good for all Sri Lankans should be the concern of the government and not exclusively what is good for the Sinhalese, because they are a numerical majority who has a greater influence on electing politicians to office.
Power should be devolved on the existing provincial basis, for the people in different areas of the country to manage their internal affairs. Within the frame work of a united Sri Lanka, every citizen should be equal and should be equally protected, where ever he or she may choose to live. The right of every individual or community to be what they are and live according to what they believe must be respected within the boundaries of just law. Any activity that impinges on the rights of any one citizen or a community of citizens should be a criminal offence punishable to the utmost extent possible. Every citizen should have the right to live wherever he/she wishes in the Island, in peace and security. The rule of law should guarantee the rights of every citizen on the Island and protect them from the ravages of political expediency , security force excesses and mis-governance.
The 300,000 internally displaced people, living in refugee camps should weigh heavily on the conscience of our nation. The service men who have been maimed or injured and families of the dead servicemen who have been widowed and orphaned should also be our concern. The hapless victims of LTTE conscription and brain washing, and their families should also receive our sympathies. They are the unfortunate victims of the flaws in the Sri Lankan political system. They are the unfortunate victims of a liberator who had turned predator. They are the unfortunate victims of a fratricidal war. They are the unfortunate victims of our national stupidity. What we do to rehabilitate these unfortunates and how quickly we do it will define our nation to the world, after the macabre display we put on for the world to view in distaste, during the war.
The Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and others in Sri Lanka and the Diaspora should come together in our millions, to be participants in this rehabilitation and re-building process. This would heal our wounds faster than anything else would. The government should pave the way for this to happen fast and efficiently. This is the tragedy that should catalyze us to come together to become Sri Lankans in the true sense of the word. Those who have backed the war from both sides of the national divide- whether Sinhalese or Tamil- should see and experience the misery they have caused. This should be their penance. The recent UTHR (J) report on how compassionately Sinhala servicemen treated the besieged Tamil civilians in the midst of war and the false propaganda alleging mass rape and murder, should be an eye opener for the Tamils.
The government should be forthright with the people and declare its intentions on how the national reconciliation process will be carried forward. This government is at its peak in popularity and will be elected hands down at least at the next national and presidential elections. The Sinhala people also trust this government, as never before. This is the opportune time to carry out the necessary political reforms in Sri Lanka. The minorities should be politically empowered and given a role to play in national affairs. The Tamils in particular have to be won to the cause of a united Sri Lanka. This would be the best insurance the nation could have against future insurgencies. The Tamils have to be trusted for them to become trusting. Tamils have to be given the time , space and peace of mind to evolve a new political leadership committed to national unity.
A political leadership that is largely unacceptable to the Tamils should not be thrust on them. A political leadership that is the product of the gun culture and is gun dependent or that has been supportive of the gun culture and terrorism, should not be imposed on the Tamils. Hounds trained to kill, pillage and prey should not be let loose on a people who are yet on their knees after a debilitating and brutal war. These groups and the individuals associated with them have mounted a well orchestrated campaign to convince the government they are popular and are the rightful heirs to the vacant Tamil throne! This prank if successful, will not only make fools of the Tamils, but the government as well. The government decision to hold elections, within months of defeating the LTTE and before normalcy has returned to the north, is unjustifiable and will be interpreted as an attempt stifle genuine democracy among the Tamils and impose a ‘Victor’s justice’ on them. There is definitely no need for elections of any type-Local Councils or Provincial Council- now.
Tamils on the other hand have to concentrate their efforts primarily towards recovery as a people, recovery of their economy and re-building their social fabric. This cannot be done without the support of the Sinhalese and the Sri Lankan government. Tamils cannot behave like the proverbial street dog that had been badly abused in the past, and as a result whines and begins to run with its tail tucked between its legs every time some one raises his hands innocently (akin to Pavlov's reflex)! Tamils should stop seeing a ghost behind every shadow and being on the defensive. Tamils should also not continue to harp on past grievances and complain about what they perceive as problems unique to themselves. Tamils have to learn to look around and see whether other Sri Lankans- Sinhalese, Muslims and others- share the same problems. Tamils have to regain their confidence and commit ourselves to a united Sri Lanka, without any reservations.
Tamils have to regain their place as an important component of the Sri Lankan mosaic. Tamil while learning their Tamil better, have to also learn Sinhalese and English. Tamils have to regain their culture, while learning about the cultures around them. Tamils have to become an outgoing people, instead of being insular and struck within their shells. Tamils have to stop being eternal complainers and find solutions to their problems from within. Tamils have to assert ourselves as a force for progress and democracy within Sri Lanka. Tamils need not become a supine people as a result. They should stand up fearlessly for their rights when justified. Tamils in the Diaspora should return and participate in the rehabilitation, reconstruction and reconciliation process, without continuing to encourage the re-emergence of a past that has been devastating to their compatriots and relatives living in Sri Lanka. Tamils have the opportunity to become a better people with a new vision, at this tragic moment in their history. I hope they will be capable of meeting these challenges and God will help them do it.
Tamils have to also recognize they are not a homogenous people. The days of domination by the Jaffna Tamils over other Tamils are gone forever. The needs of the Jaffna Tamils are not the same as those of Tamils living in other parts of Sri Lanka. There are Jaffna Tamils, Vanni Tamils, Mannar Tamils, Batticaloa Tamils, Trincomalee Tamils, Amparai Tamils, Colombo Tamils, West coast Tamils (now being classified as Mukkuwar by some in the Sri Lankan government) and Hill Country Tamils. Each with different needs and different priorities, but linked by a common language. The needs of the Muslims, who speak Tamil and live amongst the Tamils are also different. Tamils have to accept the diversity amongst them and the fact that they have different aspirations in terms of their geographical dispersion. Tamils have to find a unity in their diversity, while Sri Lanka as a nation should also strive to find the unity amongst its diversity.
The concept of the north-east merger was never viable and has been rendered obsolete. The north and east will remain separate and it will be futile and foolish to demand a merger. The Tamils in the east do not need it and do not want it. The Tamils have to come forward to participate in national politics and seek membership in the national parties of their choice. Tamils have to strive to become national leaders acceptable to the Sinhalese and other peoples in Sri Lanka. Tamils and Muslims in Sri Lanka should be able to produce their own Narasimha Raos and Manmohan Singhs, as the minorities in India have.
The Sinhalese on the other hand should learn to treat the minorities, as a people who have been entrusted to their care. The Sinhalese should not view the minorities as enemies, competitors and usurpers. The minorities do not need special favours and dispensations. What they need is to be treated equally and be provided the opportunity to play in a fair game. How well the minorities do in Sri Lanka, will be a reflection on the greatness of the Sinhala people and the religion they practice –Buddhism. Sinhala politicians should begin to reflect the true nature of their people. Buddhist monks should reflect the essence of the teachings of Lord Buddha, in their words and deeds.
All Sinhalese should learn Tamil and begin to interact with the Tamils and Muslims living amongst them. The Sinhalese should visit the north and east now and view the ravages of war and the plight of the Tamils living in refugee camps. Sinhalese should begin to learn they share much in common with the Tamils. The Sinhalese should stretch a hand of friendship towards the Tamils and participate fully in the rehabilitation, reconstruction and reconciliation process to the extent they can. Every positive gesture and word from the Sinhalese, however small, will go a long way in healing our national wounds. What Sri Lanka has to become is largely in the hands of the Sinhalese and it is up to them to shoulder their responsibility towards our common mother land and the other people, who are also her children. The right of being a majority in a multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-religious country like ours, also involves the need to be inclusive, tolerant, considerate and magnanimous towards the minorities.
“ ONDRU PATTAAL UNDU VALLVEY,
OTTRUMAI NEENGIL ANAIVARUKUM THAALVEY”- (Tamil)
“ United we will prosper, divided we will all suffer” (translation)
26 Comments
AN ARTICLE THAT ALL SRI LANKANS SHOULD READ AND UNDERSTAND.
This should be the essence of any political framework.
'Buddhist monks should reflect the essence of the teachings of Lord Buddha, in their words and deeds'
If only the Sinhala monks have done that ever since Prince Vijaya visited this beautiful island and selected the first group of monks, we would not be here...!!!
"All Sinhalese should learn Tamil and begin to interact with the Tamils and Muslims living amongst them. " - WHY ON EARTH we should do that? If we live in North we should learn tamil. If Tamils live in South THEY SHOULD LEARN Sinhalese.
Do English speak Welsh or Scotish? Do Germans speak Turkish? Do Americans speak Spanish? Do every Canadian speak French?
This is teh Tamil mindset that they are greatest coming out here.
Having said that I learned Tamil - I can say vanakkam, Pera Enna, Eppadi Sukam, Nalla Sukam, Thambi poi sholla vana, Anna poi sholla vana, Sappadanga etc etc but what that help me for. We Sinhalese in the south should learn Englsih and if we want we can leanr Tamil. For pure choice. We DO NOT AHVE TO SPEAK minority language if we do not want to. But if you are coming to work or live in the south it's for your benefit that you learn Sinhala. All teh Sothern businessman and people lived in jaffna could speak Tamil. But so many Wellawatta residents do not speak Sinhala. You should start now to learn Sinhala too.
Dear Dr. Naredren..... I was relaxed to read your genuine expression and correct evaluation on the scenario....I am a Sinhalese from South and as you said so far we have seen Tamils in their shells...Few voices like yours emerged here and there and it is time more such voices popped out and address the Sinhala scociety before it is too late. Sri Lanka government and wise Sinhalese too should not this train which will never reach this plat form again. Sri Lanka land whether it is Jaffna, Matara, Battlicaloa etc should be free to the lively hood of all Sri Lankans while the inherent and native communities being the numeric majorities as it is now. Simple admin defects like ID in Sinhala etc is a matter of few months to over come in this era of IT. On the other side extreme requests to drop the lion from the National flag and also extreme habbits of calling it lion flag too to be avoided.... I feem much honesty and intregrity in your words than that of who is still have the shell of Jaffna.... May the tripple gem bless you and hope the SL government has the wisdom of taking Tamils like you into the mainstream of reconciliation.... Nandre !
Well said Sir.Hats off to you.Right thinking people like you are the real asset of the country.I agree with you with every word and sentence you have written here.This is the real way forward for both communities.
I have not read a balanced and meaningful article like this ever before.
The need of the hour is
1.Speedy resettlement
2.Implementation of Tamil as an official language and eliminate any other unequal treatements to minorities
3.Process of power sharing within as much as possible within a unitary country to make tamils and muslims feel that they also have a role to play in governance even though the majorty is sinhalese.
As a sinhalese I hope we should understand and agree with Dr.RN.and understand the nature of the problem we are facing.
MR is in the best position to diliver what is required but yet no signs of that has come out from the Gvt which is regrettable.
Also Tamil political parties are also doing the same mistake by asking a federal model and running to India for everything.
Well articulated,well meaning thought process.Will both communities take heed? Only Time will tell.If we fail it's not without well meaning thought processes but because of lack of action, stupidity and bull bullheadedness.
What should we do?
GoSL responsibilities:
Educating the masses about the current plight of residents of North and East.
The plight of the victims of war both Sinhalese and Tamils.This would mean mass media being allowed to visit film and interview the IDP's,the families of the SL soldiers and the injured/wounded from both sides.
Immediate disarmament of all armed paramilitaries of north east.
Immediate and speedy arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of the "White Van Crime" and instilling confidence in rule of Law.
A concerted effort by historians and educators to carry out a program of educating the masses of the common elements of all cultures and each others uniqueness.Practicing tolerance.
Allowing the media and judiciary to be free to perform their democratic duties.
Form a national reconciliation committee with the intention of bringing all together and uniting them. This will include diaspora Tamils and Sinhalese.
The committed should have executive powers to carry out it's recommendations.
Tamil grievances predated LTTE and will post date LTTE. Ellalan was killed not because he was a cruel king. In fact he was a good king by all account. He was killed because he was a Tamil. It was the same, it has been the same and it is going to be the same.
Tamil intellectuals were first discarded by the Government. They were made useless by the Government for their pleas for addressing the Tamil grievances were not heeded by the Government. The LTTE followed suit violently. LTTE is nothing but the direct result of the unresolved Tamil issue.
You are inventing many things here. The "private libraries" is one of those. Total destruction of the caste system is another one.The caste system is still there as it was prior to the LTTE dominanace. Buy a Jaffna daily and read the matrimonial section. I am not proud of it but it is still there. Only an economic development will settle this issue and it will never be under the present system.
Brain washing is not an easy thing. No one is going to believe when you claim your hen has more than two legs. People are smart and wait for their time. They may pretend that they believe when you are armed to the teeth, but would not. There must be convincing reasons to rally people around a concept. That was the unresolved Tamil issue and it is going to be the unresolved Tamil issue.
There is no decent word in Sinhala for Tamils. Demala is in fact a derogatory words. Decent Sinhalese is uncomfortable using that word. They prefer to use "Tamil" rather than Demala. Past president Premadasa used to address as Dravida jathiya not as Demala jathiya. It is not mine, but a fellow Sinhala engineer told me about 30years back, saying that they would rather use "Tamil" than Demala.
‘Vaitru Valiyai nambinalum, Vadakathayanai nambathey’ is your racist undertone. A Tamil teacher taught us that this was first used by the Tamil Nadu people to discredit their Northeners. The reason was that Ramayana described the South Indians as monkeys and Sri lankans as demons. It disappeared in Tamil Nadu and remained in Sri lanka. Ramayana and Mahabharatham are dealing with the ascendency of Lord Vishnu over Lord Siva. In both, deciples of Lord Siva are the loosers, Ravanan and the mother Gaigeyi. Both were very ardent deciples of Lord Siva and their defeat was cleverly ensured without creating suspicion. Rama finds monkeys(Vaaley, Sukrevan etc) in the South and demons(Ravanan and co)in Sri lanka. You may be happy with it, but I am not. That is the Tamils of those days said ‘Vaitru Valiyai nambinalum, Vadakathayanai nambathey’. It was proved once again in Mullivaykaal with the death of 30000 innocent Tamils in a week. I am not talking about Pirabhakaran, I am talking about the 30000 Tamils murdered by Sri lanka army to kill Pirabhakaran. You too are happy about it as Pirabhakaran is killed and the other 30000 is mere colateral damage. Great!.
"...There are Jaffna Tamils, Vanni Tamils, Mannar Tamils, Batticaloa Tamils, Trincomalee Tamils, Amparai Tamils, Colombo Tamils, West coast Tamils.." Are there no Colombo Sinhalese, Kandy Sinhalese, Galle Sinhalese, etc.! Will your master get angry if you add those also?
We sent decent, educated and cooperative elected members and Sinhala polity refused to deal with them. Then Pirabhakaran elected himself. That was the story and that is going to be the story. Karuna was forced to leave the party he himself created and Douglas was coerced not to contest under party he himself created. That is the benevolence of Sinhala polity.
K.Easwaran
this island is doomed
the tamils will continue to fight for an independence
Dr. N said:
"The Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and others in Sri Lanka and the Diaspora should come together in our millions, to be participants in this rehabilitation and re-building process. This would heal our wounds faster than anything else would.
The government should pave the way for this to happen fast and efficiently. "
Believing that the last line above will happen IS THE REAL ILLUSION. I would love to be proved wrong. I'm not holding my breath !!
As long as the Sinahlese hold on to the Mahavamsa mentality, Tamil Eelam sounds more real than ever.
I believe many Tamils are with you in the same trajectory - but for some exceptions. You have laid much faith in the President and his government. You are said to have met the government at its higher levels in various capacities, brought in delegations from the Tamil diaspora -with the encouragement of the UK and other European governments - while the LTTE was active. All this in support of GoSL to build an “alternative Tamil leadership” to the Tigers. VP, LTTE are all gone and are now history. It is time the President and the Govt openly and transparently give expressions to the obvious assurances and guarantees they presumably gave you and your colleagues. We are agreeable to arrangements where we can run our affairs ourselves on the basis of existing Provinces, as you suggest. Tamils have never been a real threat to the Sinhalase – their land, culture or religion. We wish to live in peace and amity with them. Falsehoods and deceit somehow poisoned the ties between the communities. If you can persuade the President along the lines you write, this will go a long way in changing the Lankan political landscape in the manner you foresee here. I am entirely with you no Elections – local or Provincial – should be held in the North until such time as our people are back in their homes and on their feet. We so no reason why the Govt is keen to bulldoze its way through this? Similarly, I agree we do not want the Govt to impose a discredited political leadership of men who are deeply steeped in the gun culture, of kidnapping, ransom taking and murder simply because they happen to be with the Govt now. The Tamil people should be allowed to chose their own leadership freely, without coercion, in due time and under the right conditions. To start with, people should be enabled to get back to their own homes; houses and agricultural land seized unlawfully under the HSZ program. These should please be restored to their legitimate owners at the soonest. The Supreme Court has already given instructions to the army and police in this regard months ago. I was glad the right to fish was recently restored to the relief of several lakhs of people dependent on this industry. Surprisingly severe restrictions are reported to have been imposed again recently. Power, Water, Sanitation, Health, new roads, repairs to roads and bridges – all promised by the President and his brothers should be implemented without delay and transparently.
I wonder if the “total destruction of the caste system” you mention has been realized. It is good if this and the dowry system are banished although both have other personal and individual right factors inherent in them. As to the N-E merger, I am afraid this is not negotiable. The solemn undertaking of both Govts under the Indo-Lanka Accord cannot be tinkered with. The political machinations of a former judicial high-up and activist has only resulted in the Indian government concluding GoSL and its leaders cannot be trusted even with written undertakings. Not just the merger but the demographic reality of the pre-1947 period should also be respected. Elsewhere in these columns someone notes one of the conditions the army lays down in calling for additional 100,000 new recruits is that their families together with the men should be prepared to reside in the North-East. I believe I need not elaborate furtheron this as the conspiracy can be seen through.
It would have served the cause of peace and unity if President Rajapakse made unambiguous references to these “to the Tamil people – his people” in the two major rallies in Colombo after the defeat of the LTTE late May. It was only yesterday Indian Defence Minister A.K. Anthony asked GoSL to declare an acceptable devolutionary package – a further reminder to the many GoI has made in recent times in the background of the assurances given to them by both the President, the Foreign Minister and other senior leaders of GoSL.
I can see peace and unity close at hand if these assurances are followed through sincerely.
ISS
As a person who was born and bred among the Sinhalese, I would state that on their own, majority of the Sinhala people will not give anything substantial to the Tamils. Sinhalese want the Tamis only for socialising and not for any power sharing. I do not know whether Srilanka will be divided into a Tamil nation and a Sinhala nation, but more likely it is going to be divided into an Indian controlled region with a Tamil majority and a Chinese controlled region with a Sinhala majority.
Dr.Narendran,
I agree with much of what you have written. Especially, SL citizens need massive re-education. Only intellectual development and change in cultural attitudes will bring about lasting peace in the nation. The country needs to move forward into greater liberalism, with decent space provided for intellectual development.
However, there is an underlying assumption in your article that the Sinhalese have more rights to the land than Tamils. You ask Sinhalese to temper their sense of their majority rights with inclusiveness, and magnanimous towards the minorities. If it is unreasonable for Tamils to demand their own land,it is equally unreasonable of Sinhalese to see Sri Lanka as their own, such that the minorities are seen as guests who have to be tolerated, etc. You use the host (Sinhalese)/guest (Tamils, minorities) model of race relations. Hence, Sinhalese are asked to learn Tamil so as to be better hosts, I suppose, rather than because multiculturalism is the way to go for a multi-ethnic nation.
Are Sinhalese a majority? If Tamils have cultural differences among themselves, then what immunizes the Sinhalese against this? Are Sinhalese working class absolutely culturally the same as the elite, educated class? How about the well-travelled ones? What about their regional differences? Are Christian Sinhalese culturally the same as Buddhist ones? Do they all practise the Buddhist faith in the same way and have the same relationship to it?
Sri Lanka should catch up with post-modern times. The post-modern nation thrives on cultural pluralism. Sri Lanka has many cultures even among the Sinhalese. Let them all have equal space in the nation, and allow room for new hybrid cultures to develop.
A reply to comments on article 'Sinhalese, Tamil and Sri Lanka : Need for a paradigm shift':
It is a habit for some who comment to do so without understanding the overall objective of an article and harp on sentences taken out of context or wrongly understood. What is important at this stage in our history is to assemble facts to understand why we are, where we are and seek a way forward. A debate should be objective, factual and contribute towards understanding the many facets of an issue. The debate on Sri Lanka and the future of Tamils living there should be serious, considering their present plight.
Can anyone who is truthful, deny the LTTE looted homes including the books there in? I was one of the victims of LTTE looting and know several others who were, as well. They not only looted my house, but also removed picture frames, throwing away valuable family photographs! Their justification for carting away books, with some falling on the roadside, was they were stocking a library! Where is that library now? Can anyone deny the LTTE occupied and vandalized houses? I was one of the victims as well. I am sure hundreds will come out to testify on LTTE vandalism and theft, if given the opportunity to do so. I will also testify to the fact that my mother, brother and the gardener and some others in the neighbourhood were killed in cold blood by the IPKF ( and left to rot for ten days) because the LTTE created the conditions for it- planting road side land mines in a residential neighbourhood.
Some of those whom (Douglas Devananda, Pillaiyan and Karuna) Minister Rajitha Senaratne describes as those who opposed separatism from within, in a recent interview (Island, 26/06/09), are as guilty as the LTTE on every count and are of the same genre. The only difference is that they abandoned sinking ship earlier and joined hands with the government to sink it.
Further, trying to give new interpretations to what was believed in Jaffna , does not detract what was believed. There was a strong undercurrent of antipathy towards South India, in Jaffna and this is fact that cannot be denied, however much it may go against current political stances and compulsions among us. I have no knowledge of the position of Tamils in the east on this subject.
The word 'Demala' is not derogatory, while 'Para Demala' certainly is. President Premadasa was wrong in using the word 'Dravida' to refer to Tamils. It implied the Sinhalese are 'Aryans', whereas the Tamils are 'Dravidians'. This is not true. The root of the words Demala/ Demalu and Sinhala/Sihala, is 'Elu'. Both the indigenous Tamils and Sinhalese are of 'Elu' origin. The word 'Eelam' has also its origins in the word 'Elu' describing a people and a language they spoke. We should be proud to be called 'Demalas' as it confirms our antiquity as a people.
It is funny we have conveniently forgotten the time we were very openly and shamelessly calling the Sinhalese- 'Moettu Singalavar' (Idiotic Sinhalese)! Was that not insulting an entire people? What is sauce for the goose should also be sauce for the gander! Sadly, the Tamils have made fools / idiots of themselves now!
It is the (some) Tamils who are yet demanding the merger of the northern and eastern provinces. They call it a non-negotiable demand! The Sinhalese are not demanding the merger of provincial units. They are happy with what is prevailing and hence there is no need for me to classify the Sinhalese into regional groupings. The differences among the Sinhalese, based on their regional dispersion, have gradually faded since independence. Whereas, our's have become sharper and stronger. The IDPs in the camps of Vavuniya were cursing the 'Yarlpani' (Jaffna Tamils) for their plight. We cannot pretend to ignore these facts. The Rajadurai episode of old and the Karuna- Pillaiyan phenomenon should teach us some lessons.
The caste system in Jaffna is definitely in tatters. It has no social context now. It is a label, a few of the surviving old guard yet believe. Labels do not mean anything, in the absence of a social context. Any one who insists the caste system is yet strong in Jaffna, has not been there in recent years and has not seen the so-called 'High castes' are a very small minority! The caste system had started to crumble even prior to he advent of the LTTE. There were 'High Caste' Tamils giving their daughters in marriage to 'low Caste' men who had become doctors and engineers!
After having accepted the likes of Prabaharan, Anton Balasingam, Thamil Selvan and several others in the LTTE (I find it distasteful to discuss their caste affiliations) as their undisputed and infallible leaders and worshiping them adoringly, it is funny the same people are disputing the only achievement of the LTTE! Please ask your children whether they understand what their caste is and what it means. Mine certainly do not. I was also not taught about castes as a child. I learnt what caste was all about only as a teenager and have always considered it an insult to us as a people and the religion we practice.
Finally, to the gentleman who asked why the Sinhalese should learn Tamil, my answer is, it is because the Sinhalese have to govern us, cater to our administrative needs, communicate with us, understand us, appreciate us and live with us. The Sinhalese are not our colonial masters to demand we learn your language. We are not servile supplicants. We are not servants. We are also masters as much as you are, in our common island. We are fellow citizens who speak a different language, but pay the same taxes and follow the same rules . We are not immigrants in our own land.
We have to deal with a monolingual (Sinhala) bureaucracy that does not understand us. We become functional illiterates in front of these bureaucrats, even if we hold a doctoral degree! We have a right to deal in the language we know and understand. Even the British colonial administrators learnt our languages, translated our books and explored the depths of our history and cultures. If your desire is to rule as a bullying and over bearing colonial master, I have to reconsider whether Prabaharan was after all right - Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
It is possible in your meetings with the GoSL leadership they have asked you not to touch the subject of a re-merged NEP.
That this is non-negotiable is not my personal view but of most dedicated Tamils within and outside the country, the TNA leadership with credentials of the highest Tamil electoral authority.
This can include Mr. Anandasangaree too with Siddharthan and friends in the fence. Many Sinhalese academics have agreed with my pointing out that nothing by way of Eelam or linking with Tamilnadu (the illusionary bogey fed to the gullible Sinhala masses by the JHU, WW, the Buddhist religious heirarchy and the Sinhala supremacist cabal) took place after the merger from 1987 till someone decided turn the Supreme Courts into a part of the Rajapakse Govt – just to secure his place with the extreme Sinhala wing and the clerical leaders after his retirement.
You know your political science sufficiently to realize India will never compromise with this vital clause being recklessly reneged as GoI, their leaders and the media there have consistently pointed out. It appears to me in stating the matter does not bother the Sinhalese you have confused this with the hitherto Upcountry-Low country Sinhala equation. I agree this has now passed into obscurity. As to the merger, contrary to what you state the Sinhalese are absolutely paranoid. Too much of tamil blood and sacrifice has gone into this to give into anything different.
As to the caste system in the North, I am glad it is on the wane but it is not going to die in a hurry. The LTTE and others, like the DK/DMK and others in Tamilnadu, used this factor to gain popularity in the larger Tamil electorate. But this will remain for sometime. I know many learned and radical Tamil activists who treat this as a personal and sensitive matter outside State fiat. It is not the most ethical attitude but that is the reality in a society where the caste system has wheels within wheels.
While it is true the focus on the matter in the Sinhala society is less pronounced, it remains there too (just look at the Marriage Columns in Sunday English papers) Goigama parents will offer strong resistance to their girls marrying someone from the padu or similar castes in the lower rung. It can be different in the case of boys so long as the division is not deep. However, it is likely in both societies class may sometimes yield to class - with little fuss. This has been so – even in the upper tiers of both South and North Indian societies notably during the post-Independence period. Admittedly, it is encouraging this factor plays a decreasing role in the Tamil diaspora for clearly known reasons.
I would have liked to hear your comments to my points re. the HSZ, IDPs and those other features the President has been promising the country and the world with – which I suspect is only to raise his stakes of credibility and acceptance. It is in record he assured he will cause immediate and large infra-structural developments in the North East as a means of expediting unity between the two sides.
The high-profile announcement was made over two years ago at the opening of the multi-billion dollar Moragahakande Project and remains gathering dust there. No similar to the promise he gave many times to GoI (even on Walk the Talk with Shekar Gupta of NDTV) in erecting a statue in the Parliamentary complex ares in Kotte in memory of those IPKF soldiers who made their supreme sacrifice to save the Sinhala Govt of JRJ.
I was always against the LTTE’s fascistic insistence of “sole representatives of the Tamils” – unworthy of consideration in a plural society and so looked at groupings of educated Lankans overseas with favour. I have seen poor quality representation of Tamils in the diaspora – many of whom unable to write or speak English properly and ignorant of the ethnic issue in detail - although they are said to be professionals.
While I have been impressed with your writings and some of your positions, your observation here that “some comment without understanding the overall objective” etc contains, if you will forgive me, seeds of the intolerance that came into VP somewhere in the interim and was to eventually consume him. Surely, learning, political analysis and knowledge are not a monopoly of an individual or a few?
ISS
This is by far the best article i read regarding the ethnic issues in sri lanka. how much i wish this will be published in a sinhala news paper. congratulations Dr. Narendran and keep up the good work.
I too had a lot of books and all were burnt by the army in the latter part of 1995 and the early part of 1996. Do not tell me that LTTE wanted books. Those are the ones LTTE wants last. Army carted loads of house hold items that were left in the infamous exodus of October 1995. They did not have time remove the photos from albums and took albums with photos. I am sure lakhs of Jaffna men, women and children come to testify the army plundering of valuables from Jaffna homes.
You are like Pirabhakaran, thinking that only you are the only one objective. You have resisted even to mention the tens of thousands of Tamils killed during the last phase of battlle in May. They are nothing to you because you are very objective!
Yes LTTE occupied houses. No one denied it. Where are army camping? Who is occuping Subas hotel? Did the owner rent that to army? Who is occupying the vast tract of agricultural lands around palaly, Tellipalai etc? ISS also queried HSZ! You refused to see those.
My knowledge is that no one is allowed to freely discuss issues with IDPs in the internment camps. How did you get the 'Yalpani' message? My guess is the about 50% in the camps are from Jaffna peninsula. My (first)cousin, 76yrs old with 13children died an orphan while his wife was kept in another camp. He was cremated with many others withot anyone and it took more than a month to get the message. He was a 'Yalpani' too.
If you say that Tamils accepted LTTE & Co as their leaders, then you are absolutely clueless. Sri Lanka Government refused to deal with elected Tamil representatives, and was having a very cosy dealings with LTTE when the last Tamil leaderships was murdered. There was a power vacuum created by LTTE with the help of Sri Lanka Government and LTTE installed itself as the sole representative of the Tamils. You can only argue with a diehard LTTEers not with others who consider LTTE as one of the players. Earlier I requested you to refer the matrimonial column of Tamil papers and ISS referred Sunday English papers. I do not want to add anymore on that as you have a rabbit with three legs. I left Jaffna long after LTTE left Jaffna with lock, stock and barrel. Caste was very prevalent at that time and LTTE would not have made that change from Vanni. I would agree, to my knowledge, that LTTE did not practice caste.
K.Easwaran
I talked to a person who visited the IDP camps 3 days ago. According to this person malnutrition among children is severe and widespread. They do not have any special feeding program. They eat whatever the parents get (rice and dhal).
NGOs of children are deliberately prevented by the GOSL from accessing these poor children by Mahinda Bros Co Ltd.
Can you think of any crimes that could be worse than this? I challenge Dr RN to persuade Mahinda to give permission to the UNHCR, UNICEF to access to these children with a view to assessing and feeding.
If you can't do this please stop your verbal diarrhoea of reconciliation at this juncture, it only irritates us.
"Finally, to the gentleman who asked why the Sinhalese should learn Tamil, my answer is, it is because the Sinhalese have to govern us, cater to our administrative needs, communicate with us, understand us, appreciate us and live with us."---
ARE You the majority Dr Narendran or Are we the Majority? I am one of the leftists who supported one time to Tamil Self Detaermination and now follows very Clearly Dr Dayan jayathilake's path which I think the best way forward. Giving Tamils more self rule beyond 13 amendment. Last thing I would say that Sinhalse has to govern Tamils. It is the Sri Lankan government with Tamil Sinhala Muslim leaders should govern Sri Lanka and Tamil Majority, Mulim Majority places should govern by respective Tamil, muslim leaders.
"The Sinhalese are not our colonial masters to demand we learn your language." - I never said that. What I am saying is if you are coming to live in our areas it is to your benefit that you speak Sinhala. If I am going to live in Jaffna I will learn Tamil. Becauase majority of my neighbours will be Tamil and it is to my benefit that I learn Tamil.
I will fight against if the government will make it compulsary that we learn Tamil. I do not say to any Tamils living in Jaffna to learn Sinhala if they do not want to. But if you come to Live Colombo or South or Kandy - Learn Sinhala.
"We are not servile supplicants. We are not servants."- No body said you are.
"We have to deal with a monolingual (Sinhala) bureaucracy that does not understand us. We become functional illiterates in front of these bureaucrats, even if we hold a doctoral degree! " - Well Dr Narendran - I had to pay a bribe to get my marriage certificate translated. If you would have slipped some money through they would either speak with you in Tamil or wil bring Tamil Speaking gentleman. In a well known government office - Tamil civil servant is always in hiding. His sinhala collegue will make life misery to the Tamil person until he or she would cough up some money and Tamil Officer will appear like miracle. Afterwards they share the booty. That sort of corruption is common in Sri lanka (and India)
Do you know the government is going to make it compulsory that every one in government service should speak Tamil? Do you know Tamil is a state Language and birth crtificates to every government forms are now all in three langugaes?
What government should do is to arrange range of Tamil interpreters (like in UK, US Councils) - for Tamil speaking people who wanted to get something done in government institutions. But they should avoid sending officers who do not speak Tamil to Tamil majority areas.
"If your desire is to rule as a bullying and over bearing colonial master, I have to reconsider whether Prabaharan was after all right" - Prabhakaran was right in one or two things - destroying the cast system in Jaffna and sent all of you overseas.
MY brother is sending his child to Tamil Tution. What for? he lives in Sinhala area and it is enough if child speaks Sinhala or English one is own langugae and other one is business language. If she ever want to visit and work in Jaffna or Bati, or want marry Tamil man then she can learn Tamil if she wishes. We will ask most writers (already started) to translate tamil books to Sinhalese.
I love my language and respect it. Because of that I respect other languages and cultures. I can speak four languages any way. But no way that governemnt is going to make it compulsory for ordinary Sinhalese to learn Tamil.
Tamils have NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER EMBRACING AND LEARNING ENGLISH. They have no problem with their Children learning White Western Culture either...
They only have a Problem learning and Embracing Sinhalese, and Sinhala culture. THAT IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS WHOLE MESS.
Everything seen here seethes with the UTTER CONTEMPT by Tamils for Sinhala people. The Paradigm shift Needed is not on the Side of the Sinhalese but on that of the Tamils. MOST SINHALESE have no problem embracing the SRI LANKAN (not Sinhalese) NATIONAL IDENTITY... Most Tamils Refuse to ... This is now their Problem and their Problem Alone. Failure to COMPROMISE on their TAMIL NATIONALISM will continue to Yield DISASTEROUS CONSEQUENCES for Tamils in Sri Lanka.
I totaly agree with you Gamaya, my brother's 2 children are going for Tamil tution class as they have to do tamil as a subject at school. What for???? Where they live they need only sinhala and English and one day they will go overseas for further studies, I think it's crazy what the children have to go through because of a minioraty who think we should do what ever they ask for.
I hope they will do the same for us.
Only someone with an 'Acute mental constipation' could describe Dr.Narendran's article espousing national reconciliation as 'verbal Diarrhoea"! I also wonder how written prose can be describe as verbal.
This article is sane, wise and timely! All Sri Lankans should take to heart what is suggested in this article. How can what the army did, justify LTTE malevolence?
Wasn't the defence of the Tamils- life and property, the rationale for the existence of the LTTE. Further, how can any one question what is cited as personal experiences, which were part of a larger plot, unless it is to defend the indefensible even now. We should wake up from our pretended slumber and face the truth at least now!
The other gentleman, is justifying his 'majoritarian' mindset, with the description of his liberal proclivities and linguistic abilities. I cannot understand the reluctance of a person who knows four languages already, to learn Tamil. Dr.Narendran has also urged all Tamils to learn Sinhalese. The Sinhalese learning Tamil and Tamils learning Sinhala will make us appreaciate each others literature and culture, and help overcome many baseless prejudices that burden us, in addition to enabling both the Sinhalese and Tamils to deal with each other better.
It is sad to see that common sense has forsaken many otherwise sensible and learned people. This is the tragedy of Sri Lanka and the Sinhalese and Tamils.
Dear Dr Rajasingham,
It is very encouraging to read your articles, even though some of the past articles are very lengthy I use to read your articles.
honestly I do not agree with you with this statement.
“Finally, to the gentleman who asked why the Sinhalese should learn Tamil, my answer is, it is because the Sinhalese have to govern us, cater to our administrative needs, communicate with us, understand us, appreciate us and live with us. The Sinhalese are not our colonial masters to demand we learn your language. We are not servile supplicants. “
As a Sinhala person I do not believe governing Tamils simply because this will create a situation where Tamil politicians has the excuse by saying “look because of Sinhala government we cannot do anything” just by conveniently saying this they will not engage in any development project on the other hand lazy Sinhala Politicians will promote racial hate just to gain votes come to think of it I do not see any difference in either Sinhala or Tamils politicians. I strongly believe we Sinhalese should delegate administrative powers to Tamil politicians and they should start working, if they don’t they will not have the excuse I mention before.
I remember at one time in my School Wesley College we had a Tamil period but it was not continued promoting Tamil will be a time consuming ting but I do think it’s better to promote English because there is a commercial use of it for Tamil people and Sinhala.
I have met Tamil people who do not speak Sinhala but we manage to communicate in English. One very good example I remember is what Singapore once prime minister Lee kuan yew did.
I hope we can solve this problem in the future.
Take care,
Sudarshana
Devinda,
I do not mean to offend or denigrate. But what Sinhala culture are you suggesting the Tamils embrace? What goes as Sinhala language today, if shorn off the Tamil words therein, will be a meaningless babble as Sinhala linguits concede. The religion itself is Indian – in case you too forgot. In today’s India Buddhism, among the learned, is seen as Codes of Conduct. The latter day Indian Buddhists are those untouchables, lowest castes, OBCs etc., whom that Dalit leader Ambedkar, in sheer exasperation, asked to become Buddhists since the Hindu heirarchy did not want to be seen with them (which is both unkind and wrong) Go to ten Buddhist Sinhala wedding poruwa ceremonies today and you will see the men conducting the ceremony in ten different ways. Dress of the Sinhala men and women are Indian. Food preparation and eating habits are Indian. All the names you give your children today are either North or South Indian. The only original culture of the so-called Sinhala will be what that half-monster, blood-drinking cannibal kuveni and her lot left for you. The Veddah chief Tissahamy and his people carry some of the original kuveni stuff, if you care to abandon your own Portugese name and become original.
So, pal, come out with something more original and we will look into that. Better still, why don’t you follow the suggestion of Shyam Sunder in these columns where he proposes you should (and, according to him, soon will) become part of India to stay alive and afloat. SS appears to be a senior, educated, academic-research type who knows what he is talking about.
You have called me "an old man" in this blog on several occasions wondering
what my level of antiquity is. I believe age, as someone said, is a condition of the mind. I am full of zest, zam and zip but thank you, nonetheless, for the concern. Remember the story when that Hungarian-born Hollywood bomb-shell
Zsa Zsa Gabor (63yrs at that time)was asked on her birthday what her age was
and the voluptous doll cooed "I just turned 36, Darlink" She was'nt lying, was she?
ISS
*** So, pal, come out with something more original and we will look into that. Better still, why don’t you follow the suggestion of Shyam Sunder in these columns where he proposes you should (and, according to him, soon will) become part of India to stay alive and afloat. ***
LOL! HOW IRONIC Senguttavan... so if we are so "INDIAN" as you say (despite our language being so very Different, along with our Religion) then what was ll this Armed Struggle FUSS about? LOL! You people supported the SELF-DESTRUCTION of your own Ethnic Group where Half of you Live a STATELESS REFUGEES and the other live under White Tents over the fact that they wanted to Hold onto Tamil Culture so badly and Resist the Sinhalese Culture which you are conceding is the SAME THING BECAUSE OUR ROOTS ARE FROM THE INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT...
Shouldn’t you Tamils just have sat tight until your PREDICTION of the FUTURE where we would be assimilated into INDIA come true???? You certainly would have not lost so many along the way...? Not very Smart if you ask me.
Devinda:
I find this finger-pointing at Sinhala weaknesses somewhat distasteful because, as I have written here and elsewhere, I have much respect and warmth for the Sinhalese and have many friends who are precious to me. I believe, in spite of all the self-imposed gloom, there is still some space to work out a modus of accommodation. I realize although all what I have stated can be justified
it does hurt the Sinhalese – and I do not want to go down that road as far as I can. But sometimes people like you force me. Here now you press on with the reality of Language – something that I did not refer to in my last column here.
But there again I have the same points i.e. shorn off Pali, Sanskrit, Tamil and other (all Indian languages for your information, just in case) the Sinhala language will be A hollow shell. In a recent theory put forth by the Sinhala supremacist wing Prof. Shanthan Hennayake of the Peradeniya University (The Island April/May 2009) propounding the now urgent campaign - to claim that Eastern Province has nothing to do with the Tamils - comes out with the amusing line although Tamil is the dominant language the Sinhalese there have become Tamil and so speak Tamil. He maintains, whatever it is, the EP belongs to the Sinhalese. Ever since old DS, this has been a point of worry and so the State-aided Colonisation programmes that began with the RVDB Project (that threw out Tamil families that lived in the Inginiyagala, Gal Oya areas for several generations) were vigorously continued by governments of different political and ideological persuasions (they were all Sinhala dominated regimes) and now on high-gear by the highly-inflated army. Note the latest recruitment to the army of a 100,000 strong is said to insist men so inducted must go to the North and the East WITH THEIR WIVES AND CHILDREN. Imagine if 100,000 new Sinhala soldiers take a family of about 3 to settle there you already have 400,000 and with the existing 200,000 even if 50% of them are to be asked to follow suit, the entire North and East will have a Sinhala majority. Excellent from the Sinhala point and not so from the Tamil, one might say.
VP and LTTE are gone and the excuse of the war can no longer be a reason for the economy to wait for a “thallu-start” Sinhalese have to now administer CPR to their gasping economy and their stomachs. Petrol and Diesel are once again up by 10-15% by a Govt that is unable to control its profligate living and spending. Justice, Law and Order are in tatters. Murder, extortion, robbery have recorded worrying increases. Garbage mountains and dengue disfigure Colombo and the Western Province. To manage them and overcome them is beyond the ability of the Ministers concerned. This is mentioned by no less a person than the President himself. Inflation is rising close to 30% and people cannot afford price of daily essentials - rice, sugar, fish, Dhals, Dried Fish, vegetables, spices, bread etc., Money circulation in Cbo and the country has
dropped drastically. There is a cash shortage. The real value of the forcibly-held US$ is said to be over Rs.130. On the political front the Govt is caught to New Delhi and cannot delay in giving life to the 13th amendment. A shady deal has been struck to make Nandana Gunatilake of the JVP wing
of the cantankerous Wimal Weerawansa a Minister – supposed to keep this wing quiet when the people inevitably take to the streets. But the real plan is to create a division between WW and Nandana to make that wing weaker in the coming months. The JVP lead by deflated Somawansa Amarasinghe and Tilvin Silva is now a damp squib. When Champaka Ranawake and the yellow-robed mullahs take to the streets with their robes tucked up, there will be hell to pay. If the army is strengthened to meet this eventuality then the lessons of in Iran of 1979
may be recalled. That, dear Devinda, my super Sinhala patriot pal, should worry you more than the p/demalas and their detested by powerful diaspora. Once in a way, forget throwing stones and missiles at the Tamils and help your Sinhala people as well.
ISS
Clearly, the writer and his friends genuflected before the Boss & Bros in the hope justice will come from the Sinhala side. As many of us thought, it has’nt and it is’nt likely to. Pillaiyan and his gun-slinger lot were assured they will have a free run in the East if they fall in line with the Bros. He did and in a few months time complained bitterly in public “As CM, I don’t even have the power to appoint a peon. The Council (EPC) is run by the uniformed man ( designated as Governor).” Now they are made to eat humble pie being forced to do their politics under the SLFP symbol. The vast majority of Tamils will
not take to this kindly – although a few judases will always hover around for that shameful twenty pieces of silver. Tamils knew this idiot was taken for granted. Karuna may engage more respect from the ruling clique. But the fate of both, as well as Douglas D, is sealed. As Lyndon Johnson told on his way from Vietnam back to the USA via the Phillipines (Subic Bay) during the Vietnam war “Marcos is no more than F.L” meaning you use the stuff and discard it with disgust. And our local Marcos’ fate will be no better. Dr Narendran might advise himself in peace, as it is in war, it is those who negotiate from the position of strength and equality who prevail, even when you deal with a more ethical and principled set of opponents. The post-Tiger Tamil future lies in closing ranks – within and outside the Lankan soil – and negotiating in one strong voice in the presence and with the guarantee of India and the international community.
ISS