Lets Stop Acting Deaf And Blind, Lets Curb Minority Racism
Posted on September 22nd, 2013
Janaka Yagirala
‚ The 2013 Northern, North Western and Central Provincial Council election results should serve as an eye opener for all of us to the ground realities of our nation.
‚ First of all, it is good news that the that the ruling UPFA government has secured a comprehensive victory in the North Western and Central Provinces. Kudos to our permanent fixture opposition leader. The Sinhalese people have literally slapped the face of regime change agents who back our bankrupt anti national garbage opposition. Those who manipulated the innocent people of Weliweriya who had a genuine grievance, for their regime change agenda got what they deserved, nothing. The Weliweriya tragedy was not the first occasion where anti-national forces tried their regime change antics. It definitely will not be the last as well.
‚ Gen. Sarath Fonseka’s political party has now become the -third political force-. However, Gen. Fonseka’s political blunder of siding with the anti-national forces can never be erased. He who mastered the art of war, but failed the lesson in politics from Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Gen. Dwight Eisenhower may inevitably end up as a political flare. Nonetheless, he has become the unwitting ally of the UPFA by further eroding votes from the UNP.
‚ The JVP is now one step closer to the dustbin of history. Their comrades in arms the -Frontline- Socialist Party avoided the obvious by choosing not to contest in the election. Its time for the red dinosaurs (along with the -Senior Ministers- of the government) to go extinct. When they do, it will be the greatest thing our country has seen after the defeat of the LTTE. Factories will become productive, state universities will function without disruption and minorities with racist agendas will loose their -self hating- allies.
‚ We should commend the Tamils of the Central Province for rejecting the CWC and voting for mainstream political parties. Tea is one of our main sources of foreign exchange, along with garments and the people who toil for this always deserve better regardless of their ethnicity. The Tamils of the Northern Province who voted for mainstream political parties other than the TNA should also be commended. They are the people who are willing to integrate and coexist with the majority. Those who voted for the TNA are not worthy of Sri Lankan citizenship. To be plain, unambiguous and simple, you do not belong in my country.
‚ Now to the current UPFA government. The people of Sri Lanka voted for you regardless of the countless shortcomings for one reason; eradicating our motherland of terrorism. This -political interest- will not last forever. The minute the opposition discard their anti-national stance and unite under a nationalist agenda that brings economic benefits to the masses, the current election winning streak will come to an end.
‚ It is also the time for all patriotic citizens to take a stand against minority racism. It is the best thing we can do to honor the lives lost saving our motherland from terrorism. Despite winning the war, the current government lacks the backbone and political will to do so. If the government will notabolish the 13th Amendment (the keystone issue) and curb minority racist parties we should take matters into our own hands and take whatever non-violent action necessary within the framework of our legal system.
‚ The legal action against the TNA by Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekara (and other parties) is a bold first step. Action taken by the UGC against university teachers who took part in a separatist conference abroad is another example of doing what we can. Prior to this, the UGC was a bastion of -reconciliation-. Officials of the UGC learned the hard truth after the -Role of Higher Education in Reconciliation- conference was boycotted by none other than the University of Jaffna! Keeping Indian junk out of our country is another necessary course of action.
‚ It is time for minorities who dream of their own exclusive ghettos to get the message that all of Sri Lanka is the homeland of the Sinhalese. This by all means is non-negotiable and the Sinhalese people who built this nation will go to any length to protect it. If minorities want their own way, they better go back to where they came from.
September 22nd, 2013 at 1:05 pm
Kudos to a well written article which I fully endorse. Though the words were not uttered it echoed the idea that the needs and aspirations of the majority must and I mean must be first addressed over the needs of the minorities.
Most nations including Sri Lanka post the British Empire catered to the needs of the minority while ignoring or placing them behind those of the minority which only perpetuated the “divide and conquer” aspect of the British Empire.
Any nation that has placed the needs and aspirations of the majority over that of the minority have maintained stable economies and cultures such as Buddhist Japan, China, to Russia and those who have placed the aspirations and rights of the minority over that of the majority such as many European nations, India to the US now suffer social malaise and including the “three evils” stated by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization: Terrorism, extremism and separatism.
September 22nd, 2013 at 1:07 pm
Correction: “Most nations including Sri Lanka posts the British Empire catered to the needs of the minority while ignoring or placing them behind those of the MAJORITY…
September 22nd, 2013 at 4:36 pm
Minority GHETTOS must be busted at least now.
Foolish govt. does nothing to do it.
I badly want to see the poker faces of Basil, Namal and Yoshitha after the DEFEAT in NPC.
September 22nd, 2013 at 8:07 pm
Whether going for PC election without abolishing 13th Amendment was a mistake or not, it is history now. As Janaka says, now we have to open up our eyes and see where we have been ended up. If TNA starts in the separatist line, GOSL will definitely abolish the 13.
Before that we have to let the old and defunct Red sahodarayas retire from the ministerial posts before they will be forced to the state of “Retired Hurt”. They should take a note of this and go home and enjoy their retirement in peace. JVP is almost in “Retired Hurt” state but they cannot leave the crease for the fear of getting beaten up by their followers.
I would like to see the day on which we can say that racist Tamil voters in North ‘Illan kewa’
September 23rd, 2013 at 2:50 am
I concur with Hiranthe’s statement. Communist/socialist groups have been totally rejected by the people in both the north and the south. It is a politically wise move to remove their ministries now. It is they who dragged the nation to this situation from the government side.
TNA victory is far worse than I thought. Government attempts to curtail provincial powers didn’t work. It will be chaos all around in years ahead.
September 23rd, 2013 at 5:28 am
Sri Lankans of all races love to live in multi-ethnic communities. Like Tamil speaking Sri Lankans live in the South, Sinhalese and Muslims were living in the North until a few decades ago. Their numbers were small but sizable. This was before communal politics hijacked Northern politics. It was very unfortunate. Never would this have happened had the North was a vibrant multi-ethnic community like the Central, South, East & West. The Tamil Elam concept was finally officiated in 1949 with the formation of the ITAK (Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi which means Sri Lanka Tamil Kingdom Party). This catchy name was a ploy to fool unsuspecting Tamils. Its English translation – Federal Party – was another ploy – to fool the Sinhalese. Using aggressive communal politics ITAK rose to prominence winning seats at the 1952 Parliament election and later expanding at the 1956 election much the same way National-Socialists won increasing number of parliament seats in the 1930s in Europe. Tamil speaking Sri Lankans had shown almost an inexhaustible capacity to produce engineers, doctors, accountants, clerks and shopkeepers but the Tamil political culture failed to produce an enlightened political leadership that could rise above their Jaffna peninsularity of mind and lead the Tamil speaking Sri Lankans towards realistic and attainable political goals. Not since Sir Pon Arunachalam left the Ceylon National Congress, rupturing hopes of communal harmony, has Tamil speaking Sri Lankans produced a political leadership which has had the vision to accept co-existence in a multi-ethnic society as the most natural, viable and peaceful path for the welfare of all communities in Sri Lanka.
Tamil speaking Sri Lankans suffered the most in Sri Lanka because of their leaders’ blind refusal to co-exist in a multi-ethnic society sharing the land in common with the other communities. Their suicidal political ambitions, arising from an exaggerated view of their self-importance and superiority, drove them to an end at Nanthik Kadal, they never thought would come.
But now is it back to square one?
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:40 am
Great piece of writing here, Janaka ! Telling it like it is, is a good thing.
By running under the SEPARATIST ticket of the TNA, these TNA leaders, (especially Mr Wigneswaran), are doing a ‘divide & rule’
over the Tamils of Lanka.
* They are Separating the Tamils of the North from the rest of Sri Lanka.
* They are also keeping the Tamil Caste structure well and alive, as the TNA top leaves are ‘high caste’ as will be 90% of the NPC.
It is obvious that the TNA leaders must either change the ILLEGAL TNA MANIFESTO and produce a new one in keeping with the Constitution of Sri Lanka, or remove themselves from the political scene. Or be charged on the Illegal TNA Manifesto and thrown out by the Supreme Court.
Also, If Mr Wigneswaran keeps on talking Separatism as he is currently doing, then he must be charged for breaking the Law and brought to Courts and thrown out with suitable punishments such as jail terms & seizure of property (as per 6-A).
If the Supreme Court does not act firmly on the present TNA Manifesto and leadership of the TNA – why is this so ? If we do not act without fear or favor in an Independent Sri Lanka, are we worthy of our Independence ? Ex-colonists will be only too glad to take over the country once more if do not govern with firmness and wisdom.
On another matter, we would love to see the TNA leaders visit the three orphanages in Jaffna (orphaned mostly by ltte killings of parents), and kiss some kids there ! To date, none of these Tamil leaders have visited any of these orphanages, let alone kiss the kids. That would be really something to see – Cinnamon Gardens meets Sencholai !
September 23rd, 2013 at 6:40 am
Govt should get cracking in this.
EVERY PC member has to make the following oath.
“I . . . . . do solemnly declare and affirm-swear that I will uphold and defend the Constitution of the Republic of Sri Lanka.”
TNA dirt will take oath in front of Sambanthan. However, govt. should RECORD them taking it and play it to Tamilian Diaspora jokers. Can’t describe their anger!!
IF TNA dirt don’t take this oath, they cannot function as PC members.
September 23rd, 2013 at 8:58 am
Thank you for your concentrated contribution on the outline of the position we have got into and the WAY OUT. And I like your label on some Tamils affected by “Minority Racism”. This label sould be repeated whenever relevant.
September 23rd, 2013 at 9:05 am
TNA will never ask for Eelaam or seperate the country. TNA has Power in Provicial council like a a cake in their hand (They got it by Brain washing and cheating the Tamils) Now they want to divide the cake to their family members only.
Don´t be worry.
September 23rd, 2013 at 10:15 am
Two hundred years ago American missionaries started in educational institutions in Jaffna. This led to Jaffna Tamils having better access to universities and employment in government.
Ethnic allegiance among Tamils & Muslims is now the most potent anti-systemic force, the great destabilizer in Sri Lanka. It is interesting to note that the plantation Tamil leadership does not espouse the politics of TNA.
September 23rd, 2013 at 10:24 am
Rome was not built in one day. There are more powerful forces working against Sri Lanka. Buddhist political movements should reach to low caste and poor tamils, should convert them to Buddhism and living conditions enhancing programs should go hand in hand.
September 23rd, 2013 at 11:22 am
The article suggests that since the government will not handle the issue of the 13th amendment which is the crux of the problem the people should use nonviolent ways to address it. Well here is one:
Since the northern and eastern provinces are still held by a majority of Tamils why not organize resettlement programs of retired Sinhalese or Sinhalese Soldiers to those areas to dilute these provinces. It will need the full support of the Buddhist Sanga and it is not illegal. It is the full right of any Sri Lankan to live in any part of Sri Lanka. Taking into fact the fear aspect I limit my suggestion to those who do not need a job and are retired and to soldiers who have the training to protect themselves and their families but it could also include the Sinhalese nationalists backed up by the BBS. The TNA will have no grounds to grumble and if they do it will only show them for what they are.
This should be the order of the day or at least a pressing issue for if there were enough of Singhalese Buddhists already living in the northern province I doubt if the TNA would have won so easily.
September 23rd, 2013 at 12:52 pm
Mr BW,
It is far easier to change the TNA Manifesto.
September 23rd, 2013 at 4:37 pm
Fran,
Changing TNA manifesto now make NO difference. IT HAS WON!
TNA action plan must be changed and that CANNOT BE DONE.
September 23rd, 2013 at 4:38 pm
BW,
It has to be done by the govt.
Individuals cannot do it.
Now TNA has PC land powers so it cannot be done now.
September 23rd, 2013 at 5:21 pm
Lorenzo,
Why do you say that ?
Even now, the illegal TNAManifesto is breaking the 6-A, isn’t it ? The TNA Manifesto was illegal and is still illegal – not withstanding winning or losing the NPC.
September 23rd, 2013 at 7:30 pm
Fran,
YES it is ILLEGAL.
But it is only the TIP of the iceberg.
TNA’s action plan (Tamil Elam) is more than its manifesto.
Declaring its manifesto illegal is only 1% of the thing. TNA MUST be stopped.
September 24th, 2013 at 3:26 am
Dear Hon CJ Vigneswaran CM !
if I were advising Vig,
I would tell him to start on the social & economic front first and not to dwell on division of power as the first priority because political independence of a provincial Gvt cannot be achieved without economic independence. Once NP begins to show signs of alleviation of the existing deep rooted suspicions on the issue of divisionism, political independence will come automatically. Therefore, one of the primary goal would be to take care of land issues of all families irrespective of their ethnicity no matter how complicated each individual case might be !
Life & let live !!!
Sinhalavan is not bad people to live with !!!
September 24th, 2013 at 5:37 am
Lorenzo,
The TNA must be changed. If not changed, then stopped. Changing the Manifesto is a start. The TNA is currently concerned about their leadership Ego and control of the Northern Tamils and the area, not about the needs of the Northern Tamils to feel secure in a united Lanka or about the rest of Sri Lanka that nurtures the North ! The TNA reminds us of what the Nazis were after in Germany – Fascism.
Let us not get bullied by TNA FALSE Hidden agenda – Separatism, Control, Caste, Language, etc. where those conflicts lead to more serious events engulfing all of Lanka as in the past, destabilising and undoing all Development work. Tamil leaders will have to conform to Development of those areas, and drop useless issues such as caving out Separate states and keeping the Northern Tamils in a state of conflict/enmity with the rest of Sri Lanka. If the TNA leaders continues to do so, they are breaking the Law of the Land and ought to be punished according to the 6-A.
The TNA has to first gain legal status by conforming to the Law of the Land and have for itself a legal Manifesto and also get
REGISTERED as a political party. At present, the TNA is NOT even a registered political party ! How they managed to contest the Northern elections even via the ITAK beats me. Something is wrong with our election laws.
September 24th, 2013 at 6:57 am
P.S. : We still say DEPORT ALL ILLEGAL MIGRANTS, from at least 10-15 yrs ago.
September 24th, 2013 at 7:50 am
Fran Diaz
Trust me, Rt Chief Judge CM won’t break the law of of land ( Eg: He gave longer prison sentence for suspected Koddiyas than his Sinhala judge – Those prisoners prayed to god get Sinhala judge, not all of them are luck)
Our Maththar Sinhalavan (Hon MR) & Urumpirai Demilaya ( Hon Vigneswaran CM) have vision for united mother Lanka !
Live & let live ! Game start now !!! Yel devi in killinochchi Now soon in Jalpanam to meet Urudra devi!
Forget & forgive ! live happy foe ever !
September 24th, 2013 at 5:14 pm
Mahinda Rajapakse went and interacted and patted some of their heads. These are low caste unwanted children. I like to see the Vellala Tamils like Vigneswaran and Sambanthan the leaders of TNA who live like Kings in Cinnamon Gardens and Bambalapitiya do the same. They will not touch an untouchable since in their mind they are so high caste. They go to Jaffna and spout all the nonsense about how bad the Sinhalese are to a bunch of mostly illegal migrant Tamils who do not appear to understand what is going on, and then come back to Colombo to live among the Sinhalese in the lap of luxury.
September 25th, 2013 at 6:06 am
SA Kumar,
CM has already broken the Law of the Land by his stating his intentions. Please don’t pull wool over our eyes.
Go in the right and truthful direction and we will not fail. Lies, cheat, deceit will only lead to downfall and enslavement of all.
September 25th, 2013 at 12:33 pm
I have already commented on the psyche of the Tamils as to why their sense of inferiority complex deeply rooted on their complexion to the ancient Hindu concept of what constitutes the most noble man which the Tamils have the characteristics of the worst of these and those being very dark, kinky to curly hair, short, wide nosed, which has led to compensating by acting hyper Chauvinistic or with a sense of superiority complex very similar to the black population in the US but that fully does not explain why the Tamils are so tenacious about an independent nation.
One needs to go to India for part of the answer. Throughout India’s history it was the northern civilizations that defined India. Be it the Harappan civilization dated three thousand BC. (which the Tamils have laid claim even though the language of the Harappa civilization has no relationship to Tamil and is still cannot be deciphered.) to the Empire of Ashoka to the golden age of Hinduism under Emperor Chandragupta Maurya to the great Temple building era from the 9th century to the 13th century to learning institutes like Nalanda to where the Buddha (and Mahavira the founder of Jainism) was born, to even the Mogul Empire and that enigmatic Taj Mahal to what the British uncovered such as the Ellora and the Ajanta complexes, The Kajuraho temples, to the heart of Hinduism the city of Varanasi, to the valor of the Rajputs and the Sikhs etc are all in the north. It is reported that of the foreign tourists only one out of ten go to the South and most of them to the southern state of Kerala.
While the Northern part of India got recognition as far away as Great Britain under Queen Elizabeth the 1st who sent a letter to Emperor Akbar, the south remained in relative isolation. Only the Chola dynasty made her presence across India, down to Sri Lanka and into South East Asia. When the great Vijayanagar Empire was constructed the language of the court was Telugu though Tamil held her position. But even this the credit of the birth of Hinduism in south east Asia is not a Tamil only issue. The prevailing monsoon winds helped Hindu merchants from East and South India to sail to South east Asia and when the winds turned directions six months later they would sail back to India. No Southeastern Hindu Civilization spoke Tamil though they did speak Sanskrit.
They were equally influenced by the Tamils as by the cultures of Orissa, and other cultures along the Eastern side of India. but again the Tamils claim only they should be given credit for the birth of Hinduism in South east Asia which the architecture of Southeast Asia such as Angkor Vat is more akin to North India than Tamil Nadu where not a single Gopuram defines South east Asian architecture. The pattern of the Hindu Temple of Angkor vat is the same as that of the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya where the five star pattern of four towers with a central tower is an architectural pattern not even seen in the Mahabhaliipuram carvings.
Yet again it was completely destroyed at the battle of Talicot against the five Deccani Sultanates who amassed an army of half a million while the Vijayanagar Empire amassed an army of one million and yet were defeated by the Sultans. They took three months to destroy the capital city of Hampi and the Tamils faced yet another defeat. Tamil kings who invaded Sri Lanka were driven out each and every one of them. Even the Sensitization from the North was vehemently met by the Tamil culture yet they were eventually sanscritized. Modern Tamil contains a lot of Sanskrit words and Puja is done in Sanskrit so culturally at an early stage the Tamil culture was defeated by the northern Sanskrit language which many radical Tamils now claim that Sanskrit is really a product of their culture. When the British East India company made their first presence it was in Madras and a little later in Bengal. Again the Tamil culture had to deal with a foreign force greater than theirs.
When India was born the creation of Pakistan defined that time. But again another division which occurred a few years later was as significant and that was the division of the “Madras Presidency” which included all the lands that now make up Andra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. This had to be a painful psychological effect on the modern state of India. When it comes to India’s various movie industries it is “Bollywood” the Hindi movie industry that the world knows of and defines India’s movie tradition. The Tamil movie industry though almost as prolific as Bollywood is hardly even mentioned in international circles.
But the biggest issue is the issue of the sense of nationhood for the Tamils. The Tamil culture in the history of Hindu India has always played a provincial role while the northern kingdoms and Empires defined India. Today it is Hindi that takes precedence over Tamils and again the Tamils had to fight against New Delhi imposing this language upon them with the first threats of separatism emanating from Tamil Nadu.
The Tamil culture has always been part of a bigger picture where the prevailing cultural change and evolutions of greater India ultimately defined the Tamil culture. Take for example Hinduisms epic poems the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The Mahabharata was written during a period of 800 years by various authors while the Ramayana was written by Valmiki and both in Sanskrit. India’s greatest poet Kalidasa served in the Gupta court in the north and his plays were written in Sanskrit. the world’s greatest grammarian Panini was from the north. Same can be said of the concept of zero, Aryabhata, Brahmagupta, the game of chess to the science of plastic surgery are all northern creations. Including the reformist faiths of Jainism and Buddhism. Now written and spoken in Tamil it gives a false impression to the Sinhalese who really should get the credit. While in Sri Lanka the Sinhalese civilization can lay claim to all that they created making Sri Lanka have the highest standard of living in the Sub continent.
Since the Tamil culture has been part of a greater picture the Tamils have never experienced a sense of nationhood that the Sinhalese Buddhists with their documented history continue to enjoy. Both Tamil Nadu in India and Jaffna in Sri Lanka were minority enclaves of a greater culture. Even today Chennai is no match to Colombo where the latter is the capital of a nation, has the power to align with foreign powers, and commands a military. Chennai on the other hand depends on the Hindi speaking New Delhi for foreign issue, for her security, and does not have any power to form any alliances with any nation. This would explain a great deal why both Tamil Nadu and Jaffna have demanded autonomy and will continue to do so for their unrealized dream of leading their future by their leaders remains an unrealized dream.
September 25th, 2013 at 2:39 pm
BW,
We think that Tamil Nadu has failed in leadership due to two reasons.
(1) Inability to erase the Caste Structure.
(2) Their leadership wishing SEPARATISM, from the rest of India, and passing on same idea to Sri Lanka.
It has nothing to do with the looks, skin tones, etc. There are lots of fair skinned Tamils both in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.
September 25th, 2013 at 3:31 pm
Agree with BW.
Now cracks emerging.
TN wants TNA to GET Tamil Elam. But if TNA tries that it will be BUSTED. Vigenswaran plans to go on a pilgrimage to Jeyalalitha (his first trip). He will be BLASTED and told what to do – Tamil Elam. But the poor bastard cannot do it in SL.
So there will be cracks between TN and TNA.
SL must EXPLOIT these cracks to screw both TN and TNA voters.