The Most Intolerant Wins: The Dominance of the Stubborn Minority
Posted on October 18th, 2017

R Chandrasoma

‘It suffices for an intransigent minority –a certain type of intransigent minorities – to reach a minutely small level, say three or four percent of the total population, for the entire population to have to submit to their preferences. Further, an optical illusion comes with the dominance of the minority: a naive observer would be under the impression that the choices and preferences are those of the majority’. This quotation – singularly apposite in the context of what is happening in Sri Lanka – is extracted from the writings of the Sociologist N N Taleb. He sees this phenomenon as double-edged in that such dominance of the stubborn minority may result in the fixation of an idea or the promotion of a programme that benefits all in the long term. Far more often this ‘dominance of the stubborn minority’ is a harmful anomaly that forces society to move in directions that promote instability and fissiparity. Before we expatiate on the dire situation in Sri Lanka, let us note that minority truculence is a world-wide problem. Islamists form only a very tiny part of the global population but no one can deny that they have destabilized the world and are a real threat to the long-term stability of civilized existence.

In Sri Lanka the Tamils were a fringe group with no great political clout prior to the advent of the European conquerors. The latter soon realized that the active, Industrious and politically servile Tamils could be used as a counterweight to the historic patriotism of the native Sinhalese – and flagrantly promoted Tamil interests as a counterweight to blunt the yearnings of the patriotic and disquieted Sinhala people. The Tamils – an expansive race – had moved in large numbers to the Sinhala-speaking areas and were poised to replace the lethargic Sinhala natives at the time when the historic retreat of Colonialism occurred after World War II. Had this not happened, the Sinhala natives would have become an ‘under-caste’ in a Pan-Tamil society. Note that the first stirrings of dissent in the immediate pre-war years were by ‘communists’ and ‘socialists’ – Sinhala nationalism had no hold while the dominant Tamils shouted from the roof-tops that they would never be under a Sinhala ruler-ship in any post-colonial administration.

There is no need to detail the confused happenings that followed the ‘granting’ of independence. The Tamils resolutely refused to acknowledge the brute fact that Sri Lanka was a creation of the Sinhala people and that the Tamils represented an intrusion of the historic forces determined to erase the uniqueness and success of Sri Lanka as a Sinhala-Buddhist Nation. Let us put aside for a moment the history and achievement of the Sinhala Nation. The Tamils are currently sitting pretty – with Presidents and Prime Ministers of our country and legions of others in foreign parts  abjectly apologetic about the ‘wrongs’ done to the Tamils. The ‘wrongs’ done by the mass-killer Prabhakaran are ignored while the retaliatory action by a patriotic leader is seen by a phony New Leadership as a racially motivated attack on a besieged minority.

Large numbers of Tamils are found distributed across the World and in a Darwinian sense this race represents a highly successful sub-species of the human kind. Why, then, are the President and  the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka indulging in orgies of ‘mea culpa’ vis-à-vis the ‘National Question’? It is a National Disaster when these two leaders of our country genuflect before a minority that spurns healthy co-existence and treats the separation – territorial and cultural – of the races as the only viable political option. Currently, the biggest threat to our country is not the obvious enemy but a leadership that finds the wishes and hopes of the true indigenes obstructive and at variance with their own philosophy of  survival through subservience.

 

9 Responses to “The Most Intolerant Wins: The Dominance of the Stubborn Minority”

  1. Hiranthe Says:

    Well said dear Chandra!,

    These two leaders are very cleverly manipulating the public and the damages are done underneath without anybody noticing them. It is their job given by their foreign masters who planted them to power. Run-nil is playing arrogant authoritarian and My3 is playing innocent village boy promising he will protect everything. When things happens he will say that he did not know.

    Sinhalayas will wake up from this ignorant sleep only when they realise that the country has already been divided.

    Sad days for Mother Lanka.

  2. Dilrook Says:

    I’m shocked (not surprised) by this statement made by Basil recently.

    “Jaffna University students had told me that they were allowed to commemorate Thileepan, the former LTTE leader in Jaffna. In fact, had we been in power for another year, we too would have given permission for such commemorations. We were giving such rights step by step.”

    “It was we who removed first the road blocks put up during the war and instituted the Northern Provincial Council… It was during our time that more lands were released to their original owners. There are more lands which could be released even now. If they are not released the owners must be compensated. We even shifted the Army Headquarters in order to facilitate development activities.”

    “http://www.dailymirror.lk/138357/Basil-s-Jaffna-declaration”

    I have not heard anything like this even from Ranil or Chandrika.

    Are we the patriots utter fools to take this lightly? Or is it because patriots can be taken for granted?

  3. Senerath Says:

    @Dilrook
    You will be banned from Lankaweb soon !

  4. NeelaMahaYoda Says:

    Dilrook

    I don’t understand your point. Both Ranil or Chandrika did the same thing by allowing commemoration of Thileepan.
    So what is your take home message to patriots in Sri Lanka?. Shouldn’t they support opposition to prevent introduction of the new constitution?.

  5. SA Kumar Says:

    NeelaMahaYoda
    His point is All ( BR/ CB/ RW/ MS not sure about MR definitely not GR ) allow to commemoration of Thileepan who fast to dead for IPKF to send out from Sinhela Theevu !!!!

    is any one living better than patriot Mother Lanka Thileepan !!!

  6. Dilrook Says:

    @NeelaMahaYoda

    Of course we should support anyone trying to prevent the new constitution for that purpose only. We cannot support anything an opponent of the new constitution proposes. What matters is each policy, separately. Not individuals.

    The above is uncalled for and contradictory to the claims of winning the war against terrorists that held Tamil people hostage. How can anyone allow the commemoration of such dastardly terrorists? It leads to further brainwashing Tamils into violence and separatism.

    The above statement has helped the government in its “reconciliation” fraud.

    [Quote] Sri Lanka gets fillip from Basil’s Jaffna visit

    ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s government has received an unexpected boost to its ethnic reconciliation efforts from former president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s political strategist brother Basil.

    Government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne announced at the weekly cabinet press briefing that Basil Rajapaksa had travelled to Jaffna at the weekend and made sweeping statements supporting his brother’s successor Maithripala Sirisena. [Unquote]

    “http://www.economynext.com/Sri_Lanka_gets_fillip_from_Basil_s_Jaffna_visit-3-8870.html”

  7. Senerath Says:

    Some years ago my son got 3rd lowest marks of the class for a subject. When I questioned him he reminded me of two kids who have got worse marks.
    Using someone’s won similie “known devil is better than unknown angle”.

    Now, the dreaded Pal Hora Aanduwa has more ammunition, they will argue the same. “If your big Sinhala Buddhist leader can allow this why we can’t ?”

  8. Lorenzo Says:

    Here is the TAMIL point of view of BR recent Jaffna visit (patriots will NOT like it).

    BR did a CLEVER thing.

    MR failed to get over 25% of Tamil votes. So MR team should do one of 2 things

    1. WIN Tamil votes – IMPOSSIBLE
    2. DISRUPT Sira’s Tamil votes – DOABLE

    #1 is not possible – NO brainer!
    #2 is the strategy – CLEVER

    BR went to Jaffna BEFORE Sira’s planned trip.

    BR RAISED the bar for Sira by PROMISING this and that to Tamils (land, missing persons, accepting army crimes, LTTE heroes celebration, etc.)

    What was the OUTCOME? (Lets park RIGHT or WRONG for a moment).

    When Sira went to Jaffna, Tamil people DEMANDED him this and that because Tamil people KNOW the BASIC MINIMUM set by BR is HIGHER than what Sira promised in 2015!!

    Poor Sira now has to GIVE MORE to Tamils to MATCH BR’s promises which makes Sira UNPOPULAR elsewhere.

    Sira narrowly escaped being BASHED by protestors in the north.

    So I for one SUPPORT BR NOT because I’m Tamil and BENEFIT from his GOODIES but because his STRATEGY puts Sira in a tight spot.

    You have to think STRATEGICALLY. Sometimes you have to take ONE STEP BACK to take TWO STEPS FORWARD.

  9. Senerath Says:

    Aiyooo ! Lorenzo become a Sira Hater than a mother lanka lover.

    I thought he disregarded persona;lities and loved mother lanka. Shame !

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