Bodhi Dhanapala and the 13th Amendment: a reply
Posted on August 5th, 2009
C. Wijeyawickrema
Awaking from time to time from his French language classes Bodhi Dhanapala (BD) has a habit of acting like the wise man from Canada. BD may not know that my interest in 13-A began long before he or Dayan Jayatilleke (DJ) came to the scene. I have published enough on 13-A to show that it was an unreasonable, humiliating instrument forced on Sri Lanka by the Indian establishment. 13-A is simply legislation against geography.
BD may also not aware of the fact that I was the only and lonely writer on the Internet supporting Mahinda Rajapakse as the only hope for Sri Lanka prior to the November 2005 election. I know for a fact that Mahinda Rajapakse has no objection to our writing for or against Dayan J, Rajitha Senaratne, Tissa Vitharana or now the latest addition Palitha Kohona.
Dayan J became an incident because he was talking about Sinhala Bushism and the Sinhala over-lordship. I wrote against this to the Island newspaper. BD was asleep then. More writings about DJ took place when DJ asked me publicly to ask those questions from MahindaR instead of answering the policy and philosophical questions that only DJ could answer. I will continue to ask these questions from DJ.
I did not present a scientific theorem when I presented a possible reason for DJ’s sudden dismissal. If BD followed the several subsequent letters he would have realized that my argument was that DJ lost his job because of his unprofessional and unethical conduct. Even if DJ supporting 13-A publicly was a reason, MahindaR cannot fire politicians that he has to depend on for votes in the parliament the way he fired DJ. This, our new political science expert BD should have known.
About DJ’s mother, we have two versions. What DJ says and what another person who knew DJ’s father before DJ was born. DJ knows about this second version because I forwarded it to him. All kinds of possibilities are there in this regard and I do not want to get on to it.
13-A was an attempt to legally recognize a traditional Tamil homeland in the East. There can be 13 ways to look at 13-A as BD says, but unless this connection between 13-A and a Tamil homeland is severed all what the Sinhala Buddhist and (some Christian) soldiers sacrificed could go waste. The mother of the Hasalaka hero cried to prevent Sri Lanka breaking apart. We must make the loudest voice and noise so that people in Sri Lanka here it. In the mean time BD can attend to his French language classes in Quebec.
August 4th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
It is interesting to read about comments on 13-A and its implications. What is more interesting is the conduct of MR and family backed by a plethora of politicians from all sides. It says that colour of some birds could be seen only when flying. Is it not enough to see the time at the top to make some judgement? Having seen the colours, I have nothing to praise about the current leaders though I am related to a strong background that propped up these politicians. As I understand, many Sinhala people remain oblivious to what these people do. As someone who sees these people as the current face of the failed English Eelaam (I meant an alien state built on other’s land) government increasingly becoming dysfunctional, I am very much concerned about the possible damage caused by this regime by the end of its tenure. Why don’t we see the illegality of the whole system and identify all these people involved as traitors who betrayed their own people? As someone who has some knowledge of how these politicians work, I suggest not to write eulogies to any politician until their judgement day.
I believe ethnic identity is a core human value that remains beyond individual’s control that becomes the sole driving force to the end of life. In fact, parents decide this matter. However, there are many who try their best to hide their dark secrets lying in their closets and assume beneficial ethnic identities to suit their interests, in many cases detrimental to the original identity holders. They say that anyone can dress in whatever manner they like hiding behind the screens, but have to come out to the open to dance in public arena. So what people represent by their deeds in public life speak thousand times louder than what they claim to be. So let readers judge DJ or any other person on this basis. Only those who take ownership and become guardians of a particular language, culture and the way of life truly represent that specific ethnic identity, not what they claim to be. Those who claim an ethnic identity and do their best to undermine that ethnic group are called traitors even if they have originated from that specific ethnic group. However, I like to note that a lost ethnic identity in a single generation can be regained within twenty generations if remained determined to get rid of other identities. Unfortunately it is life the way we know it.