Vijayakala Vilification

By Chamindra Weerawardhana –JULY 6, 2018

Dr. Chamindra Weerawardhana

When writing about ethno-national politics in post-war Sri Lanka, this writer has constantly sought to highlight one point – that there is such a thing called Tamil nationalism. Tamil nationalism is a given, and whether some of us like it or not, it continues to exist and in some quarters thrive. A key component of reasonable steps towards reconciliation involves understanding and acknowledging the existence of stakeholders with colliding and opposed views. 

Sri Lankans who are Tamil nationalists have the right to espouse their Tamil nationalism. However, it falls upon them [in the very same way it falls upon Sinhalese nationalists], to ensure that their nationalist discourse and actions do not drift into vicious cycles of extremism. We Sri Lankans have for many decades suffered due to such chauvinistic excesses. In 2018, it is definitely time to sit back, adopt a ‘live and let live’ approach, and share the collective responsibility of challenging and containing drifts towards extremism at all levels of Sri Lankan sociopolitical life. 

Ms. Maheswaran: a controversial statement? 

Sadly, not many people seem to have understood the magnitude of this national necessity. The case of ex-minister The Hon. Vijayakala Maheswaran MP is a case in point. She happened to be a serving State Minister of the Government of Sri Lanka, an MP, and while holding political office, made what can be described as an extremely ill thought-out statement, in a politically charged speech at a public meeting – that the LTTE might need to be resuscitated in order to ensure the rights of women and girls in Northern Sri Lanka. 

The first question to ask is, under what circumstances was this comment made? 

Horrendous cases of sexual violence against women and girls? 

The immediate context in which Minister Maheswaran made this comment was an extremely pathetic incident [to quote from the ex-minister’s speech] — the case of a six-year old girl who was raped and murdered. Reports of girls and women facing high levels of sexual violence frequently come from the North and East. Tamilnet, for one, published this story a few days ago:

There have been next to no news reports on the above incident  in the Sri Lankan media. At this point, it is extremely important to highlight the issue at hand – violence against women and girls.  The fact that such violence has taken high proportions in post-war Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka is the reality that transpires through the ex-minister’s speech. As a woman, and as an elected representative, the ex-minister has every right, and the fullest obligation to raise this issue not only at a public meeting in Jaffna, but also in the legislature and at all possible instances of government. It also needs to be reiterated that this is an issue that gets very sparse attention, which is in itself deeply problematic. If sexual violence is rife in the ex-war zone, we can forget all hopes of even a semblance of reconciliation. 

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