A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Saturday, June 17, 2017
Commemorating the anti-Muslim violence of June 2014: An urgent call for accountability and reconciliation
Photo by Thyagi Ruwanpathirana
FARZANA HANIFFA on 06/16/2017
The 15th of June 2017 marks the 3rd anniversary
of the orchestrated anti-Muslim violence in Dharga Town, Aluthgama and
several other areas in the south. After a steady buildup of hate
sentiment in the public domain over several months in both 2013 and
2014, an inflammatory meeting chaired by the Venerable Galabodathe
Gnanasara, Aluthgama descended into violence on June 15th. The
events resulted in three deaths and the widespread and selective
destruction of Muslim property. Hundreds of persons including children
were traumatized, Muslim businesses were destroyed, Muslim and Sinhala
families lost their livelihoods, and relations among neighbors were
severely strained.
While the military was mobilized to rebuild the damaged and destroyed
homes as a result of Civil Society lobbying, no proper investigation
into the event or the murders has been conducted to date and no
perpetrators have been prosecuted.. Activist lawyers working on the
cases are alleging that the Police are deliberately delaying taking the
cases forward.
The incitement of ethnic tensions for political gain is an age-old and
time-tested mechanism in Sri Lankan politics that contributed towards
three decades of war. The “riot” was part of the repertoire of methods
used in such politics. Today it seems as if some sections of our
political elite are resorting once again to the same strategy—this time
with the Muslims as the chosen target. Aluthgama, while a huge shock to
the affected community, seemed an inevitability to many when taking Sri
Lanka’s long history of “riots” into account. Conflagrations accompanied
political hard times throughout our independent history. Gal Oya 1958,
Puttalam 1976, Countrywide 1977, Galle 1982, Countrywide July 1983,
Eastern Province 1985, Mawanella 2001, and Aluthgama 2014 are just some
pivotal moments of political difficulty where “riots” came in to play.
Today, Muslims are forced once again to live in fear of another such
conflagration.
January 2015 saw the electoral defeat of Mahinda Rajapaksa whose regime
fostered anti-minority sentiment and fear mongering in the country. The
Sirisena-Wickremasinghe Yahapalanaya Government promised much in its
early days. While the public impetus for reform was mostly against the
rampant corruption and excesses of the Rajapaksa regime, the wave of
goodwill in the wake of the election suggested the possibility of better
ethnic relations as well. Reconciliation and even accountability was on
the agenda at the time. For most Muslims it felt like the time of hate
mongering monks was past. Sri Lanka seemed to be on a new path and
poised to move away from the legacy of politics that mobilized
destructive ethnic animosities. (It is worth noting, however, that the
violence against Evangelical Christians continued throughout the glory
days of Yahapalanaya as well. )
Features of the Yahapalanaya promise included the rhetoric of
inclusivity from the leadership, setting up of the many ministries and
mechanisms dealing with unity, coexistence and reconciliation and the
Government’s commitment to an accountability process mediated by the
United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
The reemergence of organized and well funded anti Muslim sentiment with
acts of arson against Muslim businesses reported almost everyday remains
the greatest indication of the disintegration of this promise. The many
delays by the Police to arrest and prosecute those responsible for both
the incitement and the acts of arson speak volumes about the state of
law and order in the country.
The rhetoric of inclusivity and all citizens’ common humanity that we
saw in the early days of the regime is no longer heard as loudly from
most politicians. The recognition that we needed to recoup and move
forward from a time of war where ethnic animosity was the norm, no
longer resonates from public platforms. Our leaders are not articulating
the crying need of the hour- that we must come together as a country
that recognizes the humanity of all its peoples. Those in charge of law
and order are dragging their feet and political manipulation of anti
minority sentiment is being permitted to flourish.
The government today looks and acts as if in disarray on a variety of
fronts. And the lack of direction, commitment and firm leadership that
characterizes most government actions is evident in its dealings with
this anti Muslim problem as well. For several weeks there were no strong
statements against the acts from either the Prime Minister or the
President, no clear action against either the crimes committed against
Muslim property or the monk spewing hate rhetoric. Closed-door meetings
with Muslim community representatives and promises to do something
ultimately went nowhere. The 13th June statement by the cabinet of ministers and the 14th June
statement by the Prime minister, however are on-point in reaffirming
the government’s recognition of the horrors of war and its refusal of a
politics of ethno religious incitement. It is imperative that the
statements are followed up with the necessary actions.
The roots of the anti Muslim issue and the politicization of ethnic
animosity run deep and without decisive action by the regime at this
point in time we are going to have to live with the reality of
politicized anti-minority hate for the foreseeable future. The
spreading of hate sentiment and rhetoric was done with such masterful
skill and planning by the BBS under the Rajapaksa regime that the
groundwork was laid for its easy mobilization. And that is what we are
seeing today. The regime, while arguably committed to a politics that
rejects ethno-religious incitement seemed initially at a loss as to what
to do with it when it emerged. The phenomenon remains a test for the
government and its future might arguably be decided on how it handles
things now.
There is a strong link between what is happening to Muslims and the
moribund reconciliation and accountability process in the country. While
there seems to be some work carried out by the many government
institutions tasked with reconciliation, the UNHRC process that the
Government committed to, is at a standstill. We see no progress in
relation to the four mechanisms that the government committed to
establish. Sri Lanka is in the unenviable position of being the country
with the 2nd largest
number of disappearances as recorded by United Nations Working Group on
Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances. The ICRC has a record of 16075
missing persons. The Paranagama Commission recorded 23,000 cases. In
August 2016 the Government passed legislation to establish an Office of
Missing Persons. The office however, is still to be set up; and we see
no progress at all in relation to the Accountability Mechanism.
The above processes are necessary in order that the rule of law is
established once again in the country and the equal access to justice
for all of the country’s citizens is assured and we finally come to
terms with the brutal legacy of the war. In addition, the Government
must take the responsibility of informing and guiding the citizenry
towards recognizing the need for such mechanisms. And most importantly,
the manipulation of ethnic sentiment for short-term political gain must
be condemned and those engaging in such politics immediately dealt with
to the fullest extent of the law. If not we will be compelled to repeat
the mistakes of the past.
Today, we are urgently in need of forward thinking and visionary
leadership in a difficult global and local context. National political
leaders must recognize urgency of this challenge and take decisive
action for the sake of all our futures.