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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Back to 500BC.
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Ethnic harmony in flames
Monday, March 19, 2018
The recent incidents of racial violence in Kandy area obviously have
created new challenges to the Yahapalanaya government locally and at the
international level. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe admitted “We
thought the major challenge which the country had to face was the
drought which crippled the agriculture sector but incidents in Kandy
have posted challenges in the international levels as well.” The Prime
Minister said thus while highlighting that country's image has been
tarnished. Also, he was worried about the effect on the tourism
industry.
He
said, “We don't know whether we could achieve it as expected.” He said
revenues of tourist industrialists could decline. In addition, one has
to look into repairing the damages. The state has to repair the damages
while assuring that compensation will be paid to the families of those
who were killed in the clashes and those whose houses and business
establishments were damaged. Such is the burden on the country created
by fascistic political violence; also it adds to the cost of maintaining
religious freedom in the country.
All those who are familiar with Buddhism will agree that there is no
greater perversion of Buddhism than killing in the name of Buddhism. In
the Buddha’s teachings, there is no place for any kind of violence, no
concept of holy war or just war, no room for revenge, whatever the
crime.
If the Maha Nayaka Theras are true followers of the Buddha, they would
have walked going among the rioters, pleading for calm. But the only
monks visible and audible in Kandy at that time appear to be those who
are feeding the fires. Of course, the Maha Nayaka Theras and other
leading monks came out with word of condemnation and plea for sanity and
peace. Still, Kandy-burning symbolizes the failure of Buddhism in Sri
Lanka. That is the humble verdict of the democratic people.
The argument that the violence, be it in July 83 or today, is the work
of a fanatical minority is true. But it is also irrelevant. The majority
of Sinhala did not take part in Black July. They didn’t have to.
Indifference is neither neutral nor benign. Indifference kills and
destroys.
Myths and fake news
In 1983, the silence of the silent majority (together with the leniency
of the government and the collusion of the police and the military)
created the enabling environment in which a minority of extremists could
set fire to an entire country. That collective indifference was fed by
inherited myths and fake news about encroaching Tamils ‘dominating our
universities by cheating at exams, taking away our jobs and our land,
planning to overrun our only country by breeding like rabbits...’
Ancient tales and false statistics were used to lend this demonization
an air of sanctity, authenticity and objectiveness. Without that
seeding, Black July wouldn’t have happened. Those same lies are being
repeated about Muslims now.
The BBS started the madness in 2012, under the patronage of the
Rajapaksa regime, pouring lurid stories into willing ears, turning
Muslims into the next enemy, the new ‘other’. Without that seeding,
Ampara and Teldeniya wouldn’t have happened and Kandy couldn’t be
happening.
Intelligentsia here, Sinhala or otherwise, were not serious about
sterilization pill; the doctors were mostly silent. A few brave souls
from the left spoke out but the absolute majority said nothing. The
various medical associations (including the GMOA) did not bother to
explain the truth to the country. Their silence directly or otherwise
fed the fires of misunderstanding. More than a month later, they are
still silent. Obviously, it is dangerous and irresponsible to allow
extremists to dominate the subject and own the initiative.
The danger becomes a crime when leading extremists are granted de facto
impunity on the strength of a yellow robe. These traditions and
practices were supposed to regularize by Yahapalanaya. The latter was
supposed to, expected to, end the impunity enjoyed by robed thugs and
also adopt a rational firm policy towards every kind of racism. The
government, in spite of pro-racist interventions by the president, was
not racist. But during its tenure, especially the last two years, it has
displayed an incapability to counter fascistic conspiracies hatched by
the Rajapaksa group.
It was distressing for democratic masses to watch the absence of
political and moral courage of Yahapalanaya. Instead of standing up to
every form of extremism, it developed a habit of succumbing to monks,
priests and mullahs. Of course, the government did not create
extremists.
The Rajapaksa group was responsible for most of it. But Yahapalanaya
pandered to extremists probably in the hope of disarming extremism. This
political weakness only enhanced the Rajapaksa group; it helped turn
the teeth into fangs. All minorities voted for the government in massive
numbers, hoping for peace and security. The government failed them. Now
they have to turn left and search for an alternative.
Trivial incidents
Lanka celebrated her 70th independence day just a month ago. However,
still there is no stable, consolidated country with unity. Hence, in
reality, there is nothing much to celebrate. Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim
identities are still powerful, undermining the Lankan nation. We are
Lankans in name only. Unity is just a word; coexistence a precarious
state that can be destroyed by the most trivial of incidents. On the
other hand, we are a country of Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and
Muslims who know very little about each other’s religions. Most of us
study in schools which are de facto segregated, even though there is a
rule to give 5 % to other communities. We live in neighbourhoods with
invisible walls. A fog of misunderstanding almost deliberately made,
divides the nationalities and religious communities, who call this
island home. Comparative religion is not a subject seriously taught in
our schools. What we read in the media strengthen the prejudices we
learn at home and relearn in school. Lanka is still a partial democratic
society. Yahapalanaya was created to carry out the democratic
revolution to the last. Revolution started but enlightenment is yet to
come. Where ignorance and fear rule, violence is never far away.
Anything can ignite it – a misplaced food order, the myth of a
sterilization pill, a brutal crime.
One of the tasks of the new government was to carry out a systematic
effort to dent this fog of misconception. Even that task, which did not
require standing up to mad monks, priests or mullahs, was not done. In
the absence of any counters, lies continued to flourish. For example, a
website recently carried a news item claiming that the proportion of
Sinhala Buddhists which had been at 72% a few decades ago has come down
to 67% now. The statistics were a total fake. According to census
figures since the first census of 1881, Sinhala-Buddhists never exceeded
the 70% mark until 2012. 2012 was the last census and according to that
census, Sinhala-Buddhists comprise 70.1% of the populace and Sinhala
all is 75%.
Sinhala-Buddhists
So the ‘news’ about a rapid decline in Sinhala-Buddhist numbers is fake
news, a lie fabricated to make Sinhala-Buddhists feel insecure. More
worryingly, the website attributes this incendiary canard to the
governor of the Southern Province.
The government must investigate and wipe out such crimes. If these
crimes are not suppressed sooner rather than later, the contagion of
anti-Muslim violence will spread to other areas, including Colombo. If
that happens, Lanka will not be able to escape the scourge of a
religious war. Black July promoted the LTTE to gain the upper hand
within the Tamil liberation struggle.
The triumph of criminal Sinhala racism in the South led to the armed
liberation struggle of Tamil people. Now we are about to recreate that
historical crime with Muslims.
There can be no peace in a country where the extremists set the national
agenda. Talking about the rule of law is a joke when robed thugs are
above the law and can command senior DIGs. It is a dangerous game,
allowing extremists to ply their deadly trade, irrespective of which
race they belong to, which religion they espouse or which political
party they claim to support.
As multi-nationality, multi-religious country, our greatest enemy is
racism; and the most dangerous is the extremism of the majority
community. When Sinhala-Buddhist fanatics are given a free hand, they
set the country on fire, endanger innocent lives and strengthen
communalists in minority communities.
The habit of allowing extremists to shape the national agenda and set
the national course must end if Lanka’s future is to be better than her
past.