Dr. Sudath Gunasekara

Since the word reconciliation has drawn much attention both at home and abroad in political circles as a necessary tool of peaceful co-existence in this country, I opined to express few thoughts as to how this could be achieved in this country as an everlasting socio-political solution.

Reconcile is to make friendly again after estrangement. This is a very difficult process, especially for a set of people who had been behaving and acting as enemies for a long time. It is a new term invented by the Western world in social and political science, I think, used in present day international to force the different ethnic or religious groups in their former colonies, to come to terms, pretending to unscramble a scrambled egg by them to perpetuate the tension among different social and ethnic groups in order to continue their exploitation rather than making friends among the different groups. It is evident that these minority groups have been created and pampered by the colonial rulers in their vicious strategy of divide and rule. It is noted that there was no need for such tactics in time prior to the advent of colonial rule in these countries as none of these countries had such divisions as they all functioned as single nations.

Ours is a very good example to this model where we had one nation which the British identified as Ceylonese (Sinhalese) which means the people of the Sinhale. Both Tamils and Moors living in this country at that time were only a part of that one nation, the people of the Sinhale-(Sinhalese) as it was recorded in the Kandyan Convention of 1815. There is no evidence where these minorities were called nations as they are referred to in present day times. In this context I would rather prefer for them to replace this word reconciliation with co-existence which means exist together though professing different ideologies” This would be an ideal solution where all people in a given country can live together as one nation with different religious, ethnic or racial ideologies. Where, unity in diversity could be the hallmark and the common denominat0r that unite the nation.

Each country has its own political, social and cultural system evolved over a long period, very often invented and developed by one distinct ethnic group, though in its historical evolution it could undergo to changes due to interaction between the natives and foreigners either as invaders or visitors coming as traders or immigrants both legitimate and illicit, Sinhalese being the district group in our case. But the fact remains that the original native system remains as the solid foundation of the distinct identity of that country other than incases of complete annihilation by invaders. The insularity and its openness to a great Oceans on all sides and its location right at half way of the great East- west oceanic route in the Indian Ocean has made it a place of frequent visitors throughout history. But Sri Lanka remained as an uninterrupted Kingdom with a 2500 year long unique and unbroken history of Sinhala Buddhist civilization. from 543 BC at least. This hall mark remains as the solid foundation of this Island nation even in spite of nearly 14 centuries of recurrent Indian invasion from 2nd Century BC to 12th century AD or even from the days of Ramayana in the distant past and nearly 317 years of (partial) Western invasions and occupation and 133 years of full occupation by the British. Throughout this long history Sinhala people have been the Bhumiputras of this Island.  They were the people who founded the civilization, developed and defended it against all foreign invasions throughout history.

Sinhala people comprising 75 % of the total population still form the dominant ethnic group while Tamil and Moors form only 12% an d7 % of the population in spite of gross and continued discrimination against the Sinhalese by the colonial invaders and India. Peaceful co-existence in this country between different ethnic groups therefore has to be worked out in this backdrop, using the above historical backdrop and the different ethnic proportions. In this backdrop, in my opinion, peacefully co-existence in this country could only be achieved through the following realistic and pragmatic approach.. 

1 Sinhalese

1 They are the original settlers who inhabited this Island people and this had been the motherland of the Sinhala nation at least from 543 BC if not more. They are the people who created the unique civilization on this land and defended it throughout history against all invaders and as such it belongs to them as their only motherland in the world. Therefore they are the only people who can claim this country as their historical motherland and all others are foreigners come to this country from time to time under different circumstances, either as invaders, traders , mercenaries or illicit immigrants and illegally remained

2 Tamils

2 Of the Tamils the first category now called Lanka Demala named by Arunachalam in 1911 (Malabars) are the assortment of the descendants from the left out who invaded this country from 2nd C BC up to 1815 and  Sinhala people who were living in those areas converted to Tamil by Tamil rulers from time to time, descendants  of Tamils brought by Gajaba, those  who have come illicitly and remained as traders from time to time, Malaba slaves brought by Portuguese, Dutch and British between 1505 to 1948 from South India and Indian mercenaries brought to fight against the Kandyans by the British in 1818 an s1848

3 Second category Estate Tamils Slaves brought by British to work on their plantations in the upcountry and left behind illicitly when they left in 1948 and those who have come on temporary visas to do business and mainly living in western parts of the country.

All these Tamils have their original Motherland in Tamilnadu South India. Even today they regard Tamilnadu as their Motherland while they only live here and earn their living as such luxuries are not found in South Indai. Even India treat them as Indians for all intent and purposes, while all governments since the so-called 1948 Independence have miserably failed to solve this problem as Burma did it 1947 when they got Independence from the British.

3 Muslims

Descendants of those who have come on trade from time to time from South India and Arab countries, in the Middle East or Malaysia,  people illicitly brought and settled in the NW, SE and other areas by Muslim politicians in recent times who are planning for capturing this country and settled in pockets all over the country especially the eastern province where their ancestors fleeing from Portuguese massacre in 1560s were settled as refugees on sympathetic and humanitarian grounds by King Senarat of Kandy and now dreaming to convert this land in to an Arab country. Unlike the Tamil , though they worship Mecca , none of these people have a motherland to go back. That is why they are trying to capture this country and make it an Arab land by vandalizing Buddhist archaeological sites all over particularly in the East and areas like Mavanella, Kuragala and Devanagala

My Challenge to all minorities in this country

I challenge any Tamil or Muslim or any other minority member to get back to South India or any Arab country as the case may be which they worship as their motherlands and

1 Contest and win a seat in Parliament in that country                          

2 Show me any country anywhere in the world where they will be treated with the kind of equality, dignity or self-respect as equals of the citizens of that country as they claim here

3 Or prove me any country in the world where minorities are given the kind of privileges enjoyed by them in this country,

4 Or where they are not discriminated as against the natives and not treated as third grade or even lower grade citizens

5 or tell me a country where they can claim a separate State for them

6 Or show me a country anywhere in the world where they can transact correspondence in their own language

7 And finally tell us any country where they are allowed to flout the law of that country with impunity other than Sri Lanka

Before they proceed any further telling the world that they are discriminated by the Government of this country and genocides is committed against the.

(To be continued)