No separate identities for ethnic or religious groups in national symbols!
Posted on February 8th, 2013

Asada M Erpini

Separatist group and their supporters are reported to be clamouring for verses in Tamil language to be included in the national anthem of Sri Lanka. It was heartening that a member of the Christian clergy has stated that such an endeavour is a fruitless exercise, especially when we see many non-Buddhists groups seem to be on the war path against the latter describing them as extremist and intolerant.

National symbols should stand for and signify unity. When the majority in Sri Lanka ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” nearly three fourths of the population ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” comprises the Sinhala ethnic group, there is absolutely nothing improper in having the national anthem in its language Sinhalese.

Another classic example of the divisive tactics adopted by the separatist groups is the basis on which the current national flag of Sri Lanka was conceived. It is based on a design that was adopted in 1950, to which some modifications were added in 1953 and 1972. The Lion flag of today has a strip that is saffron and another in green to represent the Tamil and Muslim groups respectively. Although the areas depicted by different colours may have appeared, at least on the surface, somewhat innocuous at the time, some of the associated connotations seem irrelevant in a few cases, and are downright insidious and dangerous in others.

Though the proponents argued that the inclusion of strips of different colours showed that Sri Lanka had different ethnic or religious groups, does it also not emphasise that that these so-called minorities want to stay away from the rest of the population? The Tamil homeland myth that is widely accepted by many outside Sri Lanka and the noises being made by some politicians from the East for an enclave for the Muslim religious group are natural repercussions of giving in to such pro-separatist mentalities. If anyone has the interest, moves should be initiated to have a new design that does not encourage division, although the writer feels that there are more important matters at hand for Sri Lanka today.

Now that the current political leadership, with the exemplary execution of its strategy by the armed forces, has delivered peace to Sri Lanka after – nation that had been bled for nearly three decades by a Tamil terrorist curse – what is needed is not to leave room for propagation and or the birth of separate identities by different ethnic or religious groups. Such divisions are anathema to unity as a nation ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” let them receive all the prominence at private functions or in family matters.

 

 

4 Responses to “No separate identities for ethnic or religious groups in national symbols!”

  1. Lorenzo Says:

    If Sinhalese and Tamil gather in one place and sign the national anthem, it will be like “malu kade”.

    No one will be able to make out what they are singing. Stop turning the national anthem in to a “malu kade” of noises.

    If everyone signs the same thing there is unity.

    99% of countries sing their national anthem in ONE language.

    Remove saffron and green from our flag. The cricket emblem is enough.

  2. Senevirath Says:

    When there is a small strip it shaws others that there are few tamils and muslims and they are separate from the Majority When their population grows bigger will they ask for bigger strips?

    There will be no unity if they goes on like this

  3. Nanda Says:

    Look at what is happening in Sri lanka compared to 30 years ago (i.e. pre Prabhakaran era).
    Lanka is now more and more like Tamil Nadu in behavior of politicans, people, religion, race , law and order.
    Prabhakaran PBUH has won.

  4. Lorenzo Says:

    “NEW DELHI, India (CNN) — India Saturday executed a man convicted of plotting a militant raid on the nation’s parliament in 2001.

    The man, Mohammed Afzal Guru, was hanged to death Saturday morning, said R.K. Singh, the federal home secretary.

    Guru was executed after the Indian president had rejected the condemned prisoner’s clemency petition, Singh said.

    The convict had denied role in the December 13, 2001 assault that had left nine people dead. All five militants were also killed by Indian security forces deployed on the parliament compound.

    India rarely executes its death row convicts. But Guru’s hanging came on the heels of the execution last year of Pakistani Mohammad Ajmal Kasab, the sole surviving gunman in the 2008 terror siege of Mumbai.

    Authorities in India have blamed Pakistani-backed militants for the attack on their parliament that then led to massive mobilization of troops by the the two nuclear neighbors along their tense borders. Pakistan denied involvement.

    India’s Hindu nationalist opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, which has been demanding hanging of Guru, welcomed the execution.”

    India hangs MINORITY (Muslim) criminals!!

    SL should hang all remaining LTTE terrorists. IT’S THE LAW.

    Anyway well done India.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

 

 


Copyright © 2024 LankaWeb.com. All Rights Reserved. Powered by Wordpress