'Sinhalese have apparently persuaded themselves against all evidence that the outside world is against them'
Barbara Crossette, United Nations correspondent for The Nation - the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the US, is also a former New York Times correspondent and bureau chief in Asia and at the UN.
"Tamil families struggling back to normal life after months in squalid detention camps set up after the war last spring lack many basic necessities....The World Bank and United Nations offer help, but it is only occasionally and, some international aid workers say, grudgingly accepted" [in Sri Lanka]. "The Sinhalese have apparently persuaded themselves against all evidence that the outside world is against them," writes Barbara Crossette.
Her article "Sri Lanka Wins a War and Diminishes Democracy" published in The Nation's website on Feb 18, 2010 is as follows:
In its 62 years of independence, Sri Lanka has never had a better chance than it has now to stamp out the last fires of ethnic hatred, violence and mindless chauvinisms that have left over 80,000 people dead in civil wars across the country.
Tragically for all Sri Lankans, it looks as if its increasingly autocratic president, reelected in January on a surge of Sinhala triumphalism following the defeat of a Tamil rebel army, is determined to let this hopeful moment pass. Not only a lasting peace between the Tamils and Sinhalese is at stake but also the multiparty democracy that set the country apart from many of its neighbors.
Why should a descent into misgovernment in a nation of 21.3 million people on a relatively small island off the coast of India matter to people anywhere else? This isn't Zimbabwe or Bosnia or Haiti. Not yet. But it is one of the newest examples -- streamed live on the Web if not much present in the American media -- of a post colonial collapse. Kenya is another. It is a phenomenon worth study.
Sri Lanka was once the most advanced nation in South Asia by measures of human development. Literacy, education levels and social services are all still higher than in neighboring Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal. The country has no external enemies. Women have held high office for decades. There was a lively press and a functioning two-party system, albeit dominated by mostly people drawn from elite families.
Now journalists live in fear, are killed, disappear or flee. (The president has just named himself information minister, to make matters more menacing.) The leader of the opposition party who dared to challenge the incumbent in the January presidential election has been detained, so far without formal charges. The Tamils, who voted overwhelmingly for him, wait fearfully for the payback.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa wanted all the credit for the defeat last year of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the death of its ruthless leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran. Rajapaksa decisively defeated his opponent, the war hero Sarath Fonseka, in part because he was rewarded by Sinhala voters - who comprise more than two-thirds of the population -- for being the leader who made the country safe again.
The Tamil Tigers were a totalitarian movement that instilled terror with mass indiscriminate killing of civilians, and introduced suicide bombing to assassinate a generation of leaders, both Tamil and Sinhala.
Poor people were often the victims. They had to ride the vulnerable buses and stand in lines at government buildings or on train platforms that were always at risk of being blown up. Innocent Buddhists, Muslims and Hindus died. The Tigers assassinated numerous ministers and one president, and tried but failed to kill another. They murdered Tamils who questioned their tactics, among them the country's leading human rights lawyer, Neelan Tiruchelvam, and a respected former foreign minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar.
They also killed Rajiv Gandhi as he campaigned to regain the prime ministership in India in 1991. In 1987 he had reversed the Indian policy of using intelligence operatives to arm and train Tamils to keep the pro-Western Sri Lankan government off balance. Gandhi sent Indian peacekeeping troops to the island to disarm the Tigers, and made himself a marked man.
The Tigers were a heavily armed movement that never deserved the ill-informed sympathy it got outside Sri Lanka. Many Tamils and Tamil-speaking Muslims, a separate ethnic group descended from seafarers who crossed the Indian Ocean centuries ago, were trapped in the Tigers' grip and welcomed the end of fighting and oppression. Overseas, Tamils said they were coerced into giving money to support the war, and may still be as the rebels try to regroup. A very sophisticated public relations campaign told a compelling story that was never more than only partially true.
Tamils in Sri Lanka - both those in the north and another very different Tamil population in the central tea plantation country who never joined the militants - certainly had and still have serious grievances. Favored by British colonial administrators for their high education levels and linguistic skills, they aroused resentment among the Sinhalese. In 1956, Prime Minister Solomon Bandaranaike, adopted a chauvinist policy that made Sinhala the sole national language and gave prominence to Buddhism, practiced by the majority of the Sinhalese. (He was assassinated three years later by an enraged monk who thought the prime minister hadn't gone far enough.)
In the ensuing years, Tamil communities were attacked and hundreds of people were killed or had their property destroyed. There was a widespread feeling of marginalization, which persists, whatever the fate of the Tigers.
In this environment, a victorious Sinhala-led government in Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, would be expected to take the opportunity to extend a magnanimous hand to the Tamils, especially in the north, if only to insure lasting peace. The Tamil cultural and historical capital, Jaffna, has been wantonly damaged by the Sri Lankan military and needs rebuilding both materially as well as in spirit. Tamil families struggling back to normal life after months in squalid detention camps set up after the war last spring lack many basic necessities.
The World Bank and United Nations offer help, but it is only occasionally and, some international aid workers say, grudgingly accepted. The Sinhalese have apparently persuaded themselves against all evidence that the outside world is against them. A Sri Lanka writer described this to me as a "majority with a minority complex."
Sri Lankans who deplore what is becoming of their country manage to keep hope alive. Fonseka, the defeated presidential candidate, has appealed to the courts for his release. A parliamentary election is coming. The institutions are still in place, at least for now.
14 Comments
It looks like foreigners know what is best for us Sri Lankans better. Not sure those who shedding crocodile tears will do better for Tamils than the Sinhala people.
Not only Tamil people, we all Sri Lankan suffered in 30 years of war. Only the west cash in in our tragedy. By selling arms or providing training to both sides and NGOs are living in Colombo in best luxury by selling our tragedy begging money in street corners of western cities.
No wonder they want to stair up our past mistakes and try to cash in again. The writer is trying to imply that only Sinhala chauvinists voted for Rajapaksa and the same people are responsible for the war and 80,000 deaths. This simple logic says all about western understanding abut us Sri Lankans.
According to this writer, it is tragedy that people selected Rajapaksa as new president. Alternative for us would have been western puppet Fonseka who is a military man. I think people did the talking on January 26.
DBS Jayaraj rightly said, it will be unwise for Sinhala people to give up hope in political leadership and trust military leadership to deliver our future. No doubt that Rajapaksa is obsessed with getting even with Fonseka and that is a tragedy.
I think this Fonseka madness will pass and Rajpaksa will not sack the parliament and make us Zimbabwe or Bosnia or Haiti (going by his 40 years of past and just one more term left for him)
A crisp and concise study of Sri Lanka's current predicament - save for a single blemish. "Gandhi sent the IPKF to disarm the Tigers.." is
only partially correct and carries a flavour of blantant aggression and interference in the affairs of another country. The fact was JRJ INVITED Rajiv Gandhi to help overcome the twin insurrections he was facing at that time - both in the North and the South. As such, there was no unwelcome invasion.
One has to be fair by other countries and particularly at a time like this when one notes the State-controlled Ceylon Daily News carries an article
titled "Tibet - a part of China (historical evidence)" by an un-named Correspondent. When one reads this together with the fact the Dalai Lama is in the White House today, the temptation we are un-necessarily drawn into the conflicts of the giants in the region comes to mind. India will have reason to feel uncomfortable particularly when China seems to be making heavy inroads into Sri Lanka. Reminds one of the local tale of gathering a passing polonga
and tucking into one's sarong.
ISS
Nobody can blame the Sri Lankan majority for this feeling of insecurity:
//A Sri Lankan writer described this to me as a "majority with a minority complex."//
This feeling of insecurity naturally comes due a cascade of reasons; the current geopolitical situation, decentralized global powers since 80s, being an islander (island nation), unique linguistics of the island's majority in the world (only country with Sinhalese), the first-hand experience in home-grown terrorism, and specially being neighbor to Tamil Nadu (~60 million Tamils).
Global bodies may need to consider those hindrance in their approach to the island.
It is not the Sinhalese as a whole who are suffering from paranoia it is the government that is paranoid in thinking that the whole western world is conspiring against the country.
'Sinhalese have apparently persuaded themselves against all evidence that the outside world is against them'
What is the reason?
Sinhalese are asked to be fair to Tamils.
Sinhalese cannot simply accept it.
So they say the world is against them.
Aid agents are even prevented from helping the suffering Tamils. However oppressive a ''sovereign'' state is, the oppressed have no say on the platform of intergovernmental bodies. the world has done something to overcome external colonialism. Will it ever come up with a solution to internal colonialism?
This is internal colonialism.
When Tamils are wilting and withering in camps and open prison of Northeast, the President brought forward the elections two years and will not the second term now.
This type of ''democracy'' should not be possible in the twenty first century.
The problem is D grade politicians (Mahinda & Bros PVT) - Yes I do think Prabhakaran was a D grade politician as well and he met his match with Rajapakse. All the A graders are long dead and that's for both sides Tamil n Sinhalese. In terms of charisma and leadership skill I give Prabhakaran and Rajapakse an A*.
Sri Lanka was an example of what happens when genuine political grievances are high jacked by extremists on both sides (Tamil & Sinhalese) and the two sides were at loggerheads!
Now the Tigers are no more....there is a power vacuum and only C graders to fill the empty space! Is it a chance for these C graders to fix and polish up? Or be dragged down and made a D grader with their political rivals from the Sinhalese side - in which case the country will never go forward! or if it does its going to be a leaning tower of Pisa with the wrong foundations!
"The Sinhalese have apparently persuaded themselves against all evidence that the outside world is against them," Barbara Crossette.
Please do not anlyze the scenario from the surface. The reality is quite different from what you perceive. I would not blame you for making certain surmises based on the results of the last election for you have no access to the truth.
The Sinhalese are not barbarians. Most of them are kind and god-fearing beings. The leaders, however have exploited their weaknesses, got themselves into positions and today they paint a picture of Sinhala mindset as barbaric. Ultimately, they have now desecrated the Vatican of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.
How the people will react to this would be very interesting!
The problem with the Sinhalese is their guilty conscience. For 60 years they were finding ways,means and devices to subjugate the Tamils from developing themselves. They started with education, then jobs and discrimanatory developmental programs. The buddhist sanga was obsessed with the Tamil 'devils'.
These commentators cannot take it when a foreigner comments on the situation.
The Sinhalese are still living in a cocoon. One time there were Oxford/Cambridge educated Sinhalese running the country with Tamil executives in all Governmental affairs. The country was peaceful and developing slowly and efficiently. Then came the village idiots in their Sarongs and the Red scarfs and the country is now stuck with them. You have no way out. Every election from now on will be gimmick. This is karma.
At a time one Basil fernando who writes to the AHRC attempts to try on a Monks Robe, we read Barbara Crosette attempting to force down a foreign decoction down our throat.
Why blame the majority for the insecurity as we have seen blatant transparent intereference by the West on matters internal of Sri Lanka.
latest we read the EU attempts to twist the GOSL arm with impending GE around the corner.
There was a humungous hue and cry during Wanni annhilation of civillian deaths. BUT those same forces are now struggiling to takeover Marjah in Afganistan with colossal civillian deaths in the Thousands and even the news have gone dry after that bombing gone wrong.
Why these double standards. One for GOSL and another for Western Represented NATO and those countries that make the NATO in Afganistan ?
The writer has stated the reality except ( the Indian intervention corected by seran) the majority with a minority complex is not something that has transpired only with this generation when mother of Duttu Gemmenu asked him why he was sleeping in a fetal postion in that large bed he replied the Tamils have surrouded me I am pushed to the sea this is repeated over and over to all the new born sinhalese naturaly the Majority has a minority complex and the fact that 60 million Tamils live 20 miles away and then the Sinhalese politicians have told the Masses Federalism is Rata Bethanava please these are the same masses who believed that APPA MATTHINI HANDANA INTHALA HALL GAI and voted for her to become a Primeminister so we have high illitracy rate but when it comes to sharing power with Tamils you make the conclusion
Peri Nathen
It is no longer a north/ south or ethnic problem. It is a matter of good governance and personal freedom which appears to be compromised. It is a weakness in the Constitution that has led the country to this situation. It is likely to get much worse before it gets better.
Rajapakse has all the Aces in his hand. He needs to play it carefully as the whole world is watching. J R Jayawardena created a Presidential dictatorship. Now that the war is over, it is no longer justified.
The Tamil Diaspora needs to stop sheding crocodile tears and help in the development work in the north and east. They can help alieviate poverty, and solve the economic and social problems which they help to create by waging a war that devastated the country.
"Now journalists live in fear, are killed, disappear or flee. (The president has just named himself information minister, to make matters more menacing.)"
"
The Tamils, who voted overwhelmingly for him, wait fearfully for the payback."
With these sorts of generalizations. this old dame can not be taken as a serious journalist.
I am not sure what her intentions are, but I certainly feel that she has a gripe over the Government's steadfast courage to stand up to some UN figures who were openly trying to punish the Rajapaksa government for defeating the ruthless Tiger out fit.
Srilanka has every right to reject or accept aid from any quarters. If the aid is offered with strings attached they should be refused.Western countries never give anything without any return to them.
China and Russia on the other hand have been generous donors lenders and friends in need.Srilanka should build even more closer relations with these new economic giants. It will be the safest path for the long term survival of Srilanka as an independent Nation.
The writer seems either completely ignorant or crestfallen. Ignorant; that she is unaware of what has happened to this beautiful island courtesy western governments and blood sucking NGO Inc. Crestfallen; as the western puppet Fonny became a Jonny. Either way, it does not matter to the people of this country.
As I firmly believed, the only accusation against Rajapakse during the presidential election was “corruption”. In the contrary, Fonny casted doubts about a) national security (western interference in the guise of war crimes and other means), b) military style dictatorship (his ruthless character), c) national integrity (sleeping with the untrustworthy TNA, SLMC etc), d)communist tendency (the JVP factor), e) Self before country (despite all the rhetoric to the contrary, it was very clear that he fell out with the commander in chief because he was not provided with the expected accolades and it was also very clear that he was never willing to share the glory with other forces or the political leadership which were also very crucial) etc. People of Sri Lanka did not choose Mahinda Rajapakse due to “triumphalism” or “chauvinism”. They were wise enough to analyze the situation and make the right call.
As for why we the islanders are cautious about westerners; we very well know their hidden agendas. The World Bank and the IMF have a policy of furthering the interests of the donors (which are the western nations) not necessarily friendlier towards the borrower. Their conditions are so stringent that one wonders whether they can be considered as development assistance or bondage to the western powers, notwithstanding the fact that there is some degree of in-country wastage. We also know how the westerners enter into trade agreements which are nothing but one sided arrangements which disproportionately benefit the western countries. It is still fresh in our minds how the NGO’s smuggled weapons and funds in to the LTTE controlled territory to further the war. How deaf and blind the international community was against the LTTE atrocities. How bias they were towards the Tamil Diaspora towing their line for separatism. Desperate attempts that were made by US, France, Norway etc. to save Prabha and the goons at the last minute. Failing which, how they are trying to bring in war crime allegations to a nation and their leader who fought a bloody war against the ruthless LTTE blood hounds for 30 years, What they did in Iraq, Arabian Gulf, Afghanistan, Vietnam, etc..etc..
So my dear lady, do you expect we the islanders to still believe you; the westerners? We will never be an Angola, a Sudan, a Zimbabwe or a Haiti. Instead we will develop like a Malaysia or a Singapore but with a deep rooted concept of “tolerance”, “peaceful co-existence” and “equality” that we have inherited from our great philosopher the Lord Gauthama Buddha and his Buddhist Philosophy.