The ethnic question

Janaki Chandraratna-November 24, 2019, 12:00 pm

It was comforting to note that the TNA leaders would be meeting with the President to reach a resolution for the Tamil issues. Mr R. Sampanthan has urged the President to be cognisant of the ‘Tamil verdict’, expressed at the recent Presidential election. According to Mr Sampanthan the Tamil block vote for the UNP was organized by the TNA with the aim of having a maximum devolution of power to the North and the East within a ‘united, undivided, indivisible Sri Lanka’. It is not the intention of this article to highlight the confusion between the terms, ‘Unitary’ and ‘United’.

What is important is the crux of ‘Ethnic’ issues, which are often couched in terms and phrases such as ‘discrimination’, ‘human rights’, ‘Tamil homeland’ etc. The 13-point TNA document presented to the Presidential aspirants, under the topics of power sharing based on general principles, accountability for human rights atrocities and demilitarisations, and trying military personnel before an international tribunal, need further clarification.

I am also happy that the TNA would be presenting its case to the current President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, a non-politician, an excellent project manager and champion of honesty and integrity. It is also a good opportunity for Sri Lankans to have a practical understanding of the Tamil issues and reflect on a justifiable outcome. When dealing with a pragmatic leader like Gotabhaya, it would be necessary for the TNA to spell out the reasons for their claims and practical solutions with a strategy of achieving the proposed outcomes.

As a precursor to the meeting it would be advisable for the TNA to be aware of the ground realities. Nearly 21.44 million people, according to 2019 Sri Lankan statistics, live in Sri Lanka, which is a small island of 25,000 square miles. Of the 21.44 million, Tamils (11.2%) and Muslims (9.7%) live all over the island, whereas the Sinhalese Buddhists (70.2%), in particular, are not welcome in the Northern and Eastern provinces. Hindu temples and mosques have sprung up practically in every corner of the island, and the Buddhist temples, some of which are of significant historical value, are under attack, in some parts of the North and the East. All Sri Lankans need to understand and respect the archaeological value of these monuments, which belong to the people of all ethnicities and religions in this country and should be preserved by the relevant authorities of the country. They cannot be desecrated nor obliterated by racists. Needless to say that any solution sought for the Sri Lankan ‘ethnic question’ needs to be developed within a framework of reason, justice and science for the sake of harmony and posterity.

Janaki Chandraratna