CANADIAN PM AND SINHALESE/TAMIL NEW YEAR
Posted on May 2nd, 2020
Rear Admiral ( Dr.) Sarath Weerasekera
It is observed that in Canada, on the occasion of Sinhalese and Tamil new year, the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, extended his exclusive good wishes to just the Tamils.
There are more than three hundred thousand Sinhalese living in Canada and in contrast to his predecessors the Prime Minister deliberately ignored the Sinhalese and thought it fit to confine/focus his best wishes only to the Tamils.
The slighting of the Sinhalese by Trudeau is not an oversight because it is learnt that on previous occasions too he has in effect been advised to the contrary by the then Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Daniel Jean in this regard.
The Sinhalese in Canada have naturally learnt not to pay any heed to any type of “wishes” of Justin Trudeau mainly because they are aware that the majority of the Canadians do not approve of this type of discriminatory attitude of their Prime Minister .
Everyone knows why Justin Trudeau expresses his solidarity to Tamils in Canada. It is not due to a matter of any principal but simply because the Tamils have a strong voter base. The irony is that he has been apprised that the Tamils in Sri Lanka are fighting with the Sinhalese over the last few decades to realise their dream of Tamil Homeland in the North of Sri Lanka. So he is very careful not to “antagonize” the Tamils in Canada by conveying his “wishes” to Sinhalese fearing that such an act would ultimately deprive him of Tamil votes in his next election. It explains his chronic allergy to the indigenous people in Sri Lanka, the Sinhalese.
It is reiterated that the Sinhalese in Canada could not care less about any type of wishes extended or not by Trudeau. But being the Prime Minister of the country he should know that in actual fact the Tamils are not fighting with Sinhalese in Sri Lanka for a separate state. Only the separatist elements, backed by terrorists, thrive for mono-ethnic, separate, racist Tamil State called Elam.
More than 50% of the Tamil population in Sri Lanka live peacefully amongst Sinhalese in the south. Decent and educated Tamils in any part of the world are not against Sinhalese. Only the Tamils with separatist ideology hate the Sinhalese because for thousands of years they have fought and will fight even in future, to protect the unitary nature of their constitution.
Justin Trudeau should be aware that slighting the Sinhalese in Canada could only appease the separatist and not the decent Tamils in Canada.
As the Head of a State, he should first study about Sri Lanka, the 2500 years of history of the Sinhalese, their rich heritage and culture and their advanced civilization reflected in some such as the unimaginably “modern” man-made tanks which are more like oceans.
When talking about reservoirs, it is prudent to mention that Canadian Engineers who built the Maduruoya Dam in Sri Lanka using the funds of the people of Canada (CIDA) in the 1980s had marvelled at the technology possessed by ancient Sinhalese because when they located the ideal site to build the sluice gate using the latest technology including laser equipment, a nearly 2000 old Bisokotuwa (sluice gate) had already been built there exactly at the same spot. So the people you are trying to sideline are descendants of them.
The hospitality of Sinhalese is legendary. Sinhalese are the only race in the world who greet people by clasping the hands together and with the greeting “Ayubowan”, meaning “may you live long “. Incidentally everyone in the world, including Donald trump does that today, because of the very hygienic quality of this gesture,
even though they may not yet be used to making the wish that the recipient “may live long”.
As the leader of the country, Trudeau should take cognizance of all the national festivals of all ethnic groups living in his country. The Sinhalese and Tamil new year is not something of a fancy dress parade in which Trudeau delights, but everything to do with the movements of the planets and long-established traditions of which he seems to be fully ignorant.
The more Justin Trudeau cares to learn about the Sinhalese and their true nature, their culture and their civilization, I am sure, the more he would repent for slighting the Sinhalese in Canada over their main festival.
For sure, the lure of Canada is its beautiful quality and its immigration policy. For sure, the lure of the Tamil vote is Trudeau’s bane.
May 2nd, 2020 at 6:30 pm
Even in UK, each year, that PM extends wishes only to the Tamils – for the Tamil New Year, on 14 April. See his tweet this year:
“Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted Puthandu wishes yesterday, as Tamils around the world celebrated the new year.”
“Happy New Year to all celebrating Puthandu,” tweeted the official Prime Minister’s page.
“This year’s celebrations may be slightly different from usual, but we must remember why we are staying apart,” it added. “So stay home, protect the NHS and save lives this Puthandu.”
“The tweet comes as Johnson recovers from coronavirus, after being discharged from hospital this week.”
Sinhala Diaspora in these two countries (Canada and UK) must protest. Prior to the recent UK election the Labor Party Election Manifesto published that Sri Lanka needs a two state solution and the Labor Party would work towards that.
Fortunately, this problem is not there in Australia and New Zealand. Politicians attend Sinhala Avurdu Festivals conducted by the Sinhalese in various states.
May 2nd, 2020 at 6:59 pm
I admire the fearlessness shown by Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera. He does it anywhere in the world when it is appropriate. I am sure these are the qualities of true Srl Lankans who are part of that 2500 year old civilization mentioned above.
However Sinhala new year has come and gone and we have much more pressing issues: the need for us to be under lockdown for a prolong period; the unethical manner in which a bunch of crooks who have been convicted or with pending court cases being used to run the affairs of the country; and of course the lakadaisical attitude shown by the powers that be with respect to bringing those responsible for the 4/21 where large number of innocent citizens and foreigners were murdered.
I know majority of Sinhalas who belong to that proud civilization condone the behavior of rulers past and present with these qualities. So, do not think of entering a parliament with a bunch of leaders described as above.
May 3rd, 2020 at 4:50 am
This is an appropriate rebuff to Justin Trudeau. Dr Weerasekere deserves our thanks. He writes: . Well said! And we know that ordinary Sri Lankans have not even heard about this Canadian politico who disgraces all cultured Canadians by blatantly discriminating against the Sinhalese Canadians simply because they are far outnumbered, as voters of potential importance to him, by Tamil Canadians from among whom the separatists come. It is an insult to decent Tamil Canadians for their PM to believe that they are in favour of inflicting untold suffering, through the LTTE’s unjust and unavailing separatist project, on their poor former compatriots of both ethnic groups that they left behind in less enviable circumstances. The problem is that Trudeau, being an uninformed or unconcerned alien to both Tamils and Sinhalese, cannot develop any genuine empathy with either group; he cannot understand the religious-cultural affinity between them that comes through a very long history of shared values of compassion, nonviolence, and kindhearted tolerance of differences among fellow humans.
May 3rd, 2020 at 4:58 am
This is an appropriate rebuff to Justin Trudeau. Dr Weerasekere deserves our thanks. He writes: ‘The Sinhalese in Canada have naturally learnt not to pay any heed to any type of “wishes” of Justin Trudeau mainly because they are aware that the majority of the Canadians do not approve of this type of discriminatory attitude of their Prime Minister’. Well said! And we know that ordinary Sri Lankans have not even heard about this Canadian politico who disgraces all cultured Canadians by blatantly discriminating against the Sinhalese Canadians simply because they are far outnumbered, as voters of potential importance to him, by Tamil Canadians from among whom the separatists come. It is an insult to decent Tamil Canadians for their PM to believe that they are in favour of inflicting untold suffering, through the LTTE’s unjust and unavailing separatist project, on their poor former compatriots of both ethnic groups that they left behind in less enviable circumstances. The problem is that Trudeau, being an uninformed or unconcerned alien to both Tamils and Sinhalese, cannot develop any genuine empathy with either group; he cannot understand the religious-cultural affinity between them that comes through a very long history of shared values of compassion, nonviolence, and kindhearted tolerance of differences among fellow humans.
May 3rd, 2020 at 1:11 pm
The people who jump to conclusions on this issue should bear in mind that the Prime Minister’s Office that makes such decisions ( some of them Tamils) are not necessarily in direct communication with the PM who may not even have had an inkling of the charges leveled at him re- the ignoring of Sinhalese relative to the Sinhala New Year Celebrations. Especially at a time when his priorities are completely immersed in dealing with the COVID19 Pandemic.
It could easily have been deliberately orchestrated by persons bent on creating the situation that has resulted in the apparent disrepute it has brought the Canadian PM who normally is a person of vision and compassion and embraces all ethnicities just as his noble father did before him.Perhaps there are deeper implications as to wherein the real truth lies and it may be unfair to fault Mr Trudeau without further investigations while synonymously bearing in mind that previous regimes did in fact consort with Tamil Tiger supportives in Canada whether inadvertently or not which raised many eyebrows at the time but that was a different scenario.
Rear Admiral (Dr) Weerasekera’s observation nonetheless is worth pondering upon as it is indeed distressing for the many Sinhalese who live and embrace Canada as their home and the issue at hand a very valid one which amplifies the need for all leaders of nations should emphasize the need for racial harmony rather than foment tensions, something which the Canadian Prime Minister is more than likely to endorse.
May 4th, 2020 at 1:42 am
“The people who jump to conclusions on this issue should bear in mind that the Prime Minister’s Office that makes such decisions ( some of them Tamils) are not necessarily in direct communication with the PM who may not even have had an inkling of the charges leveled at him re- the ignoring of Sinhalese relative to the Sinhala New Year Celebrations” – Sunil Mahattaya.
What kind of prime minister is this Justin Trudeau to allow his staff to issue diplomatically important statements on his behalf that are brazenly discriminatory towards 300,000 of his own fellow citizens who happen to be of Sinhalese ethnicity and to prevent him from being aware of fair criticisms levelled against him by them who have a right to depend on him for justice as he is their prime minister as much as other Canadians’? Or do these Sinhalese have another PM to listen to their just criticisms? Can he be a truly democratic pm?
I am sure the fair-minded Canadians will send him and his sneaky staff packing before long when they know the truth about him and when they get the chance to do so at an election, if what Sunil M is saying is true, and if democracy prevails in that country.
May 5th, 2020 at 6:31 pm
‘Vaisrawana’ you seem to be deliberately attempting to cause dissent between the Sinhalese and the PM’s office with hardly a capacity to justify your words beyond sounding hell bent on your internecine sentiments..If you have taken my post out of context it seems unfortunate and perhaps acquiring a manner of addressing issues on merit and rationalization may better serve you when you next write obtuse comments which are glaringly transparent towards your objectives.There is nothing sneaky about the PM and his staff whom you dare to insult in this manner after coming to Canada and in all probabilities enjoying a comfortable life for which you have to be thankful to people like the Honorable Prime Minister who is not only highly respected but is acclaimed globally for his sense of fairness, compassion and insight into the governing of his country relative to the needs of all Canadians irrespective of their backgrounds!.SHAME ON YOU!
May 6th, 2020 at 3:05 am
Thank you Sunil Mahattaya for your response, meaningless though it is. ‘Thought is free’. In Sinhala, which you don’t know or speak, the idiomatic ‘danno danithi’ means ‘those who are well informed know the truth’. No further reply from me, sir.
May 6th, 2020 at 12:21 pm
You still persist in an arrogance unbecoming of a true Sinhalese.
But I think I have got my message across to you.
Mata Peynne Obage Denima Obata Witharai (I think your cognizance is yours alone)
Never underestimate your critics but give them a hearing as in the long run you could stand to benefit and never speak disparagingly of people who are far superior to you in intellect as it could come back to haunt you.
Ayobowan! Bohoma Isthuthiy…(Live Long and thanks very much)