Presidential Elections, The Sinhala Mindset And The Future Of Sri Lanka
Prof. A. R. M. Imtiyaz
It is likely that who ever wins the ethnic problem will not be solved.
The voters in the island of Sri Lanka will meet the sixth presidential elections on January 26. Though the island of Sri Lanka is a home to two nations and some minorities, its elections are often carefully directed to absorb the attention of the Sinhalese. This is mainly due to competitive nature of Sri Lanka’s electoral system and the size of the Sinhalese population.
One key feature of Sinhala political establishment’s election campaign is anti-minority, particularly the anti-Tamil policies in strict political science language, ethnic outbidding policies. These ethnic outbidding polices radically helped politicise Sri Lanka’s ethnic relations and eventually led the Tamils to lose the trust in the system.
Mahavamsa: the Sinhala ideology
Elections in deeply divided societies can generate tensions and conflict. This is particularly true when politicians on their part resort to emotional politics. In Sri Lanka, the Sinhala political establishment to exploit the support of the poor Sinhala masses tactfully speaks to the Sinhala mind set, which is largely a result of the Mahavamsa.
According to Mahavamsa, Sinhalese people are the preservers of Buddhism and the entire island is the sacred home of the Sinhalese and of Buddhism and explicitly preaches violent messages against the Tamil nation.
Therefore, in this election, the key three questions, as far as the minorities are concerned, need to be answered. They are (1) is Sinhala polity ready to accommodate the aspirations of the minorities and the Tamil nation (2) how much does Sinhala mentality play into the agendas of the major candidates? and (3) will the winner take meaningful measures to reform the Sinhala state by providing genuine power-sharing and autonomy to win ethnic reconciliation among the masses of the Tamil and Sinhala nation as well as the Muslim community to win real peace?
The major candidates: two Sinhala actors
There are 22 candidates in the field. However, the major competitors of the elections are incumbent Rajapaksa who came to power on November 17, 2005 on an anti-peace and anti-Tamil agenda and Fonseka who was carefully recruited to the Sri Lanka’s Army by the ruling Sinhala political establishment led by Rajapaksa to defeat the violent form of the Tamil resistance movement, led by the Tamil Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Moreover, Rajapaksa represents the UPFA, the combine political vehicle of Sinhala extremists and the traditional Marxist parties as well as some minority parties while Fonseka portrays himself as a common candidate and contests the elections, using the swan symbol. The major opposition parties, including the UNP and the JVP endorse the candidacy of Fonseka. Also, Fonseka won the endorsements of the major parties, representing the minorities such as the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).
Both Rajapaksa and Fonseka were able to win the support of the minority political establishment. But the election polices and promises of these candidates do not recognise the special problems of the Muslims, existence of the ethnic conflict between the Tamils and the Sinhalese, or for that matter the Tamil national question. In fact, it is unreasonable to expect such progressive attitudes and polices from these major candidates since they are the different representatives of the Sinhala mind set and hegemony, which aim to consolidate the identities of primordial rights of the Sinhalese.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa speaks at a final political rally for his presidential campaign in Piliyandala January 23, 2010-Reuters pic.
Rajapaksa: the brutal face of Sinhala hegemony
For Rajapaksa, the major problem of the island is the LTTE, which successfully challenged state terrorism since 1983. The LTTE is militarily defeated, and Rajapaksa has been capitalising on the war victory to secure a second term to further fill his family and friends’ pockets in the name of narrow Sinhala patriotism and nation building.
Rajapaksa and his ardent supporters need to understand the fact that the LTTE is the product of Sinhala polity’s spiteful outbidding policies against the Tamil nation.
In 2005, Rajapaksa, employed the anti-peace and anti-Tamil policies to win elections.
This time around, Rajapaksa has been aggressively pursuing war victory against the LTTE to maximise the Sinhala votes. During his tenure, Rajapaksa did not do any serious political actions to seek political solutions and thus it is safe to assume that he will not commit to any solutions (beyond the failed 13th Amendment) to win peace. In fact, his actions are logically compatible with the interests of the 5th century Sinhala mindset.
Coming conflict with the Muslims
The Muslims of the east suspect the government plans to “Sinhalise” the east – through development projects that will bring in new Sinhala settlers, environmental regulations that will remove public lands from use by Muslims.
In Ampara District, there are serious tensions between local Muslims and Sinhalese, with the government ally and Sinhala nationalist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) accused of working against Muslims interests. (International Crisis Group, 2008) JHU inspired Sinhala settlements are being progressed in Kurangkuppaangnchaan in the Kinniya DS division in Trincomalee District.
Presidential candidate of the common opposition and former military chief, Gen. Sarath Fonseka, center, gestures to supporters from behind bullet proof glass, during an election campaign rally in Negambo, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010-AP pic
Mr. Fonseka: neo-Dutugemunu
On the other hand, Fonseka, the atrocious Sinhala warrior is seeking to deny the second term for his former boss — Rajapaksa. Fonseka wants the people of Sri Lanka to believe him as an agent for change. Also, he is assertively trying to represent himself as a human face of Sinhala compassionism.
It was reported in the media that Fonseka strongly believes that Sri Lanka belongs to the Sinhalese. According to an interview in Canada’s National Post newspaper in 2008, Fonseka said that “ We being the majority of the country, 75%, we will never give in and we have the right to protect this country…We are also a strong nation … They can live in this country with us. But they must not try to, under the pretext of being a minority, demand undue things…In any democratic country the majority should rule the country. This country will be ruled by the Sinhalese community which is the majority representing 74% of the population.”
Believable change or believable deception
Fonseka’s above statement represents his desire to transform the island of Sri Lanka only for the Sinhalese. His election manifesto, what he describes as believable change for Sri Lanka, does not recognise the existence of the Tamil problem nor does it come close to seeking ethnic reconciliation and peace by reforming Sri Lanka’s unitary state structure and its Sinhalanised political institutions.
Political reforms and changes are serous business in any human society. Such reforms and changes inexorably require genuine human actions to lead the process. Average politicians cannot emerge as an agent for any serious believable changes, because the major purpose of politicians is to win elections at any price. Therefore by and large, politicians need to understand the mood of voters and formulate policies and promises to win votes.
Hence, it is extremely unlikely that Fonseka will seek genuine measures to transform the island of Sri Lanka to accommodate the needs and aspirations of the minorities and the Tamil nation. Hence, it is politically naive to depict him as an agent for regime change in Sri Lanka.
Real Change: beyond the Mahavamsa mentality
The military campaigns, led by Fonseka what Tamils considered as an accelerated agenda of genocide led to dehumanise the Tamil life, and thus the war uprooted people from a normal life of peace and reduced them to wartime refugees.
The bottom line is that Sri Lanka needs progressive political actors to challenge the Mahavamsa mentality and to embrace human modernisation. These changes should recognise the aspirations of the minorities and the Tamil nation. It is very unlikely the major candidates who are fighting over the split Tamil blood will be committed to such a historical task.
When democracies fail…
Democracy is a beautiful political practice, but it also can produce protracted political instability when politicians manipulate the system to gain power. The major candidates in Sri Lanka’s presidential election provide no real programmes to liberate the island of Sri Lanka from the prison of the Sinhala mentality. Therefore, it is very likely that the island of Sri Lanka would confront the serious polarisation regardless of who wins the power. Moreover, Sri Lankans during election period are often confused with the theory of the lesser evil. What Sri Lanka’s experience proves is that the lesser evils become nasty leaders when they win power. The one result of such politics of deception is the brutal ethnic civil war.
(The author teaches Ethnic Politics and Foreign Governments and Politics at the Department of Political Science, Temple University, USA.)
23 Comments
Why you are talking only about Sinhala mind set. Tamils are also dug in with their mindset dictated by LTTE. One can predict how a Tamil will act for utterly selfish reasons. TNA is the example. At least now let the Tamil be given liberty to decide for themselves and live in peace.
An eminently good study by the author. The key to sustainable peace and unity in the island is the acceptance of the 2-Nation theory is something the intellegentsia there has to educate the mass with.
Beginning last week, campaigning is based - ordered by the incumbency - is the messsage to their supporters "do anything and everything to ensure our victory. Don't worry about breaking laws" It is understood the govt ordered the State media to screen (on prime time) the hit holywood movie 'Last King of Scotland" (duly dubbed in the local languages) featuring all the negative features of Idi Amin after he became President of that ill-fated land.
The message to the vast mass of the gullible Sinhala voter bank is "this is what happens if a military man takes over." In case someone wondered about that rare commodity of a level playing field in justice, I am afraid that died in Sri Lanka long ago thanks to the lead of men like Sansoni - the hero of the 1977 report on ethnic violence.
ISS
"Island of Sri Lanka? Two Nations?" Get your facts right mate. Are you a proxy LTTE agent? You Muslims of Sri Lanka are a parasitic lot that will cling to any ethnic group to make money. You are here today because of the generosity of King Senerath who allowed you all settle in the East of SL and convert and inter-marry with Sinhalese women. Muslims of SL are bigger threat to future peace than the Tamils. You have no identity in SL and do not share the same sub-culture unlike the Sinhalese and Tamils.
Of course we can speculate as to what may go wrong with things and what may happen. Going on the track record the minorities stand no chance with the present regime which is dominated by those holding extreme racist view points and visions of racial hegamony. The misuse of government power to deny fundamental rights of minorities is one of the prominent faetures of this regime over the last couple of years. The president too panders to the wishes of extremists whilst pretending to look after the minorities. Minorities are a neglected lot with some of their leaders taking a back seat in the government mainly to look after themselves.
The article is an attempt to highlite the Sinhala mindset that continues to destroy good governance of Sri Lanka.
The arguments put forth are:
1) Sri Lanka constitutes of peoples of two nations
2) The majority community has been consumed by Mahavamsa teachings; hence, the warped mindset against minority Tamils
3) Elections in Sri Lanka bring out the Sinhala mindset
4) The two way contest essentially exploits the Sinhala thinking
5) The election cannot rid the country of Sinhala mentality
There are some conspicuous omissions:
a) Evidence that the country is the home of two nations
b) How the Mahavamsa preachings get embedded in the minds of the Sinhala Nation
c) How the Tamil nation came to forfeit its rights to nationhood
The presentation might soothe Tamil voters; but, would crystalize the unnatural vehemence of the Sinhala nationalists against the democratically powerless minority nation.
“ We being the majority of the country, 75%, we will never give in and we have the right to protect this country…We are also a strong nation … They can live in this country with us. But they must not try to, under the pretext of being a minority, demand undue things…In any democratic country the majority should rule the country. This country will be ruled by the Sinhalese community which is the majority representing 74% of the population.”
IS A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Excellent analysis. In my view Majority Sinhalese shouldn’t forget that another 70 million Tamils are also their neighbours separated by 22 miles of water. If Sinhalese still want to live in Mahavamsa mindset, they should understand two factors:
a)The same Mahavamsa states that there were times when the kings from the land of70 million Tamils had ruled Ceylon. In fact the last king of Kandy, before British occupation was a Tamil, by the name of Kannuthurai aka King Rajasinghe.
b)Unlike pre 1983 riot days when Tamils were intimidated by anti Tamil riots, now they have proved themselves to be a warrior race. Infact the timid Tamils in Ceylon were made as a warrior race by the Sinhalese continuing to adopt Mahavamsa mindset. Currently,they might have lost a battle but not the war- The war to have equality with the Sinhalese.
Already India had created Bangladesh from Pakistan. Currently internally India is facing a call for dividing Andhrapradesh to form another state, Telungana. Who knows, if the Sinhalese fails to understand the strength of Tamils and their current predicament, they may be pushed, though unwillingly, to look for alternate means. It doesn’t matter whether MR wins or SF wins. It will be better for the both communities to have a unified sovereign country Sri Lanka with two nations. If not who knows a part of Sri Lanka may become another state of India.
The learned professor lacks common sense. His terminology such as ‘Sri Lanka is a home to two nations’, ‘Mahavamsa mentality’ and ‘fighting over the split Tamil blood’ are recipe for future disaster of Tamil minority. We had enough of it during LTTE reign and the professor is fond of rekindling that rhetoric.
For a Professor in Political Science I would advise him to remove the LTTE mindset from his analysis and embark on positive thinking for the future of the battered Tamil minority. Sinhalse colonization of the East is a fact and it should be highlighted with proper facts and figures by the author.
There is no point in vindicating Sarath Fonseka for his remarks on Tamil minority to Canadian newspaper. He has come a long way from that remark during this presidential election campaign. TNA and SLMC are sensible enough to throw their support behind him. Given the political culture in Sri Lanka theory of the lesser evil is the only option available to the minorities to exercise their political franchise.
Hello Author,
I am at the "T JUNCTION" and you are saying Don't turn left (i.e. Sarath Fonseka) and don't turn right (Mahinda Rajapakse). Which way should I take?
Imtiaz and Illaya Seran
What is this nonsense Sinhala nation,Tamil nation,autonomy?
There is only one nation in SL.That is Sri lankan nation,there is one country that is Sri Lanka.
Tamils and Muslima and Sinhalese are the proud partners of one big sri lankan nation.We can not achieve long lasting peace and ethnic harmoney as long as one argues that there are two nations.
This is the meaning of the most favourite word of ISS "gullible" in these days per Oxford gene."Too willing to believe or accept what other people tell you and therefore easily tricked"
That means Sinhlaya Modaya.So according to ISS Tamils are not gullible they are all intellectuals.This shows his arrogant mentality that Tamils are superior than Sinhalese.That is why he talks about Two nations
I am surprised as to why very repectable senior citizens like Ilaya Seran does not have wisdom to understand that this two nations concept brings misery for Sri Lanka.May be their objective is to achieve Ealam without LTTE.This nothing but Old wine in a New bottle.
Good work!“ We being the majority of the country, 75%, we will never give in and we have the right to protect this country" according to Daya. Who are WE? Where did we come from? They have no clue! Is it all about the country (a mass of land) or about language or a religion? No. It is confused feeling. If the majority loves the country they should refrain from distancing other legitimate inhabitants. On the contrary they must intergrate them in the society for the betterment of the nation.
We are not focusing on the proper mechanisms to resolve the conflict. The Sinhala Tamil and Muslim people are separate not only socio-politicalbut also separate legal entities . They are entitle for equal rights and opportunities while not to oppress and deny justice to others. Therefore deconstruction of the Srilanka state to eliminate political barbarity is the only way forward.Under democracy political legal principles counts, not the number of votes .Mahawamsha mentality has no legal validity in any civilised legal order.
Imitiyaz, Yeah you guys want to ruin "Sinhala mind-set" and the first step to do that was to remove Sinhala Literature and Lanka History from syllabus by then education minister Baddudean Mohommed under Sirimvo regime during 70-77. Because of that most of our younger generation of Sinhalese today became immoral and unpatriotic.
I'm totally agree OZMATE and Daya. Furthermore muslims robbed Sinhalese land in Digawapi area when Ashroff was minister.12000 acres belongs to Digawapi Viharaya and then CBK government curtail it to 500acres. And after tsunami they distribute lands under the guise of tsunami.The tsunami afeected coastal areas people but land distribute to them in Digawapi area. Because of JHU it is temporary suspended.
And the 200 acre sacred area of Pothuvil Mangala Raja Maha Viharaya grabbed by muslim people and today only 5 acres remain to temple. These are two example how systematically grab lands in Eastern SL by Muslims.
Democracy is a beautiful political practice. True. When it is in the right hands.
In the wrong hands, democracy is like beautiful garland in the hands of a monkey. False !
Do you realize that the 75% of the Sinhalese can not elect a Leader with out the support of the 25% minoritis in Sri Lanka. This is very visible this time during the Presidential election. So if you want the support of the Tamils and Muslims to rule the country, what is worng in making them as partners and equals to share government with the rest. Do not come out with this fooish talk that the minority ethnic group should be satisfied with the bone thrown now and then by the Sinhala governments. We are not second to anyone. We are a proud community and we will rise again from the ashes.
"Srilankans during election period (especially Tamils) are often confused with the theory of the lesser evil. What SriLanka's experience proves is that the lesser evils become nasty leaders when they win power."
Absolutely true Prof Imtiyaz. Tamils in Srilanka have two days to enjoy the relative freedom because both Mahinda and Sarath are wooing for Tamil votes. Once the election is over, whoever wins is going to continue with the politcs of deception. Either JVP goes on a protest march or Bhikkus goes on a procession and everything will be back to square one.
Martin Thomas, Please refer 2005 Presidential election. Without minority votes Mahinda won that election.
If the Tamils had voted in 2005 Presidential election people would't have suffered so much. We are now reduced to a low level equal to Sudan and Ehiopia in average standard of living. We need not have to go with the beggig bowl for money from Iran to China. In the absence of Tamil vote you have been reduced to this sorry state. That show you need the minorty support to run the country wisely. In every success the country could bost off alway a Tamil is behind. So my dear please be a partner and prosper in future
Professor Imtiayz is not only an agent of the LTTE .but also a Racist.
His racial comments about Sinhalese would have brought severe back lash or even prosecution in Western Countries.
LTTE was banned as a Terrorist Organization world wide.The description,according to the learned Professor is that it is a legit outfit that challenged a Terrorist State.Nice one, good spin Professor.
Professor Imtiyaz too loves his motherland Srilanka and has been honest, sincere and frank in this column as well the past ones. He focuses on post 1948 Srilanka where not only the Sinhalese majority got their sovereignty together with others, from the British. Since then the democracy and sovereignty of the non Sinhalese Buddhists have been highjacked by the UNP and SLFP leaders who used the majoritarian power to their advantage.
Again the post 1948 scenario was beautifully presented by D.B.S Jeyaraj in his column "Fonseka factor and the creeping politicization of military in Sri Lanka "
Professor Dayan Jayatillek's good old friend Late D.Sivaram ( Tharaki )( who used to travel acreoss Srilanka unarmed and unafraid ) wrote a series of articles about the " Mhavamsa Mindset", the purpose of setting up the JHU , about Chandrika ,her husband,about Dayan and his other friends etc, in the Veerakesari Tamil daily. So Professor Imtiyaz is not the only one who apeaks the truth.
It is sad that many comments are abusive and or personal attack on Professor Imtiyaz writeup, presumably by supremacists Sinhalese brothers in response to Imtiyaz's disective analysis. This clearly shows that Srilanka has a long way to go to achieve peace. Even the Srilankan Style Democracy is at stake.
I hate the phrase ‘The ethnic problem’. Why can’t we ignore this phrase and concentrate on ethnic harmony. The minorities of Sri Lanka are not Tamils, Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Burgers or Malays. The minority of the nation are the extremists who always concentrate on my community, my religion, my race, my caste, etc. No harm in it, but people should realise it is simply because a person being born to a set of parents who belongs to a particular group that they become one. It is personal. That’s individualism. A person’s liberty. It should not be an issue in the social harmony. It is an issue only for a small group of extremists. People should concentrate on building the nation with ethnic harmony and ignore such groups.
The learned of the nation should come forward to popularize the ideology ‘my nation’ in general. It is high time for institutes and social organizations at all levels to organize seminars at core level to promote this ideology to bring about the changes in the mindsets. It should be taught from the beginning at Schools and should be part Social Studies. Ours is a beautiful nation. It is beautiful because though there is a major religion and a race, it is also a nation of multi-religious, multi-races, multi-languages, multi-cultural and multi-provincial communities.
One has to analyse the provincial differences. People may belong to same religion or a race but most provinces boast of their own traditions and found cultural and ideological differences. One may belong to the West, East, North, South or Central, but the mentalities are not same, all different.
One Budhisam, one Dalada Maligawa but four Nikayas. This is the beauty. On top of everything people have divided themselves into various casts as well.
Ours is one blood, it may have been segregated as Sinhala, Damila or Maraka but it is one Sri Lankan blood. It was unfortunate (thanks to these small groups of extremists) Sri Lanka lost its blood in abundance. It lost all that blood in order to save and defend the nation, to protect the harmony among different communities, to protect its beauty and to march towards prosperity. It is time that we learn, so that we can avoid another kaalakanni dasawak, that could eventually take us back as a nation while the whole world is moving forward.
Barak Obama is the leader of a huge, powerful nation. But he cannot bring the whole Africa into the US simply because he is the President. It is not him; it is the constitution and pure social equality which protects the country’s ideology. Let’s learn.
History will remain a history. No one will be able to change the past. But the mass should not allow a small group of extreme thinkers to halt the future. We as a nation have to move forward.
If we have to change the curriculum to change the mindset, the country should do that. May we have the Jathika Kodiya carried forward to the next generation with an open mindset, so that it can move ahead of counties like Singapore, at least in the years to come!
Martin Thomas must be reading the Sudan Daily Mirror and the EthiopianeNews on the Web to get his economic data about Srilanka.
How cheeky for a Muslim to Call Sinhalese extremists?
If the Professor is fair dinkum he should attend the prayer sessions in his adopted homeland and preach to the misguided who make life miserable for all travelers world wide.
Majority of the Tamils and Muslims live in Colombo and other Southern areas,so what is the problem? Even the LTTE supporters are openly supporting the Opposition.
In your adopted homeland they would have been in Guantanamo Bay.
Your beloved LTTE chased away your own kind from their ancestral land and some are still languishing in refuges.Still you want autonomous homelands?
Come on mate. This type of writing may please the ego of few hard core LTTE supporters who are all domiciled in the West and are comfortable like yourself.
Let the poor Tamils and Muslims who are the ones left in Srilanka work out their problems themselves with the Sinhalese so that their children and grand children will have the opportunity to enjoy at least some of your current life styles.