Shenali D Waduge

Several factors need to be taken into account to comprehend the gravity of the situation. Firstly, it is now glaringly clear that the present government is in power following a regime change. It is also clear that those holding various posts & handling portfolios are controversial characters many of whom are yet to be investigated for links to terrorist LTTE. Many of the present changes being rolled out have been promises made to these uninvestigated entities & questions its detrimental effects to the Nation. To top it all there is growing resentment among the masses against the Government & its coalition partners by all the communities. It is also now very clear that the promised good governance has been a total sham and what is now also obvious is that all of these entities are united in a bid to usurp the foremost place of Buddhism and transfer powers from the majority to the minorities through new constitutional & administrative changes. It is in this larger scheme of things that the new Ministry of National Integration has been created to carry out that historical unfulfilled objective of destroying Buddhism and removing the nationalism among those that defend the nation.

We cannot ignore the fact international laws, terminologies, nomenclatures are all created and promoted by the post-colonial White Christian Nations that invaded, murdered and plundered non-Christian lands and left creating brown sahibs, drawing new boundaries and creating new ‘countries’ that they christened with new names and gave ‘independence’ to. The West does not have a history to show off and the history it has is one it is ashamed to showcase and thus the attempts to white-wash the past and re-write history projecting the ‘good’ they have done omitting the murders & plunder.

We cannot also forget that trade of slaves and importing of slave labor to all corners of the world created a non-indigenous group of people who claim equal rights with those that had evolved. Sri Lanka is a case in point.

Moreover, we have countries that have been virtually ‘created’ by denying the original inhabitants their land rights – US, Canada, Australia while elsewhere territories have been cobbled together to make countries like India, some countries in Africa, Saudi Arabia, while even a religion has been made into a State – the Vatican.

All these newly created states have opted to hide their real roots and distort the true history of the land. Thus the programs being laid out like ‘multiculturalism’, ‘multi-faith’ ‘shared values’, one-religion, one-government are all to bring what the West did illegally to a legal level and deny countries which have proud histories and heritage their right to preserve it. The West wants to usurp these rights and then dictate what is ‘historical’ and what is ‘heritage’ on their terms and conditions.

Moreover, the colonials came with gun in one hand and the Bible in the other. The gun was used to plunder and the Bible was used to convert. Missionaries of colonial era are today replaced by NGOs funded by the same Christian countries with continued objective of amassing and increasing flocks. Competition has been added with Islam and Indian imperialism adopting the same objectives.

It is in this context that we address this topic. These violations of historical truth as interpreted by the West cannot be allowed to continue and must be scientifically challenged and proven false. West is using these new Ministries like ‘National Integration’ to legitimize their illegal programs to distort and re-write countries that have proud histories to bring them on par with countries that don’t and as part of a bigger agenda to neutralize people who are proud of their history and would do anything to defend it.

No archaeological evidence can prove of Tamils evolving in the North to claim homeland status while no one seems to question how one ethnic group (Tamils) can claim homelands in two different countries (India & Sri Lanka) as at no point in time has Sri Lanka been part of India while the name India was coined only after 1947 and previously there was no India but scores of independent territories and princely kingdoms. There is no Sri Lankan identity either for the name Sri Lanka was coined only in 1972 and has a history of just 45 years. A national identity cannot forget our proud past before 1505!

Moreover, if Sinhalese are also claiming that they were living in the North and can back their claims with historical and archaeological evidence, no international entity can take sides. What also needs to be clearly reiterated is that the North was under the reign of the Kandyan Kingdom as revealed from colonial writings of Father De Querozy and Baldeus as well as numerous other historians.

Moreover, Tamils cannot use the periods of illegitimate South Indian invader rulers to claim they ran a separate Tamil kingdom. Invader rule does not constitute any legitimacy whatsoever for self-determination or homeland demands.

The other aspect is that Sri Lanka suffered a Terrorist Problem not an Ethnic Problem. No one should have to reconcile with terrorists while there are no issues between the majority or minorities except what extremist politicians on all sides of the political framework promote for their own political careers. Everyone seems to have confused and confounded matters mistakenly believing it to be ethnic.

LTTE terrorism was the common enemy of all the citizens including Tamils. In fact more Tamils have died from LTTE fire as confirmed by none other than S. Chandrahasan, son of Chelvanayakam while LTTE has ruined the lives of many Tamils by kidnapping children and turning them into child soldiers. What also cannot be forgotten is that these LTTE cadres were all from low-caste, poor families. In terms of the battered slogan of ‘discrimination’ so far no one been able to produce even 5 examples of constitutionally and legally denied rights to minorities that are constitutionally and legally allocated to only the majority Sinhalese populace.

Following the well-orchestrated regime change government posts/portfolios have gone into the hands of people who have agreed to be party to a sinister program being subtly rolled out. The statements by former US Secretary John Kerry, articles published post-Jan 2015 elections clearly reveals West/Indian involvement.

What has also been exposed is the manner LTTE terrorism has been used as an international leverage by Western countries and India over the Sri Lankan Government. It is also noteworthy that many of the organizations that funded and provided material support to the LTTE operate from the very countries that have banned LTTE and numerous foreign politicians and even UN officials have been openly courting these entities. To prove these beyond doubt calls for investigating these foreign MPs, UN officials and even the proscribed LTTE fronts have fallen on deaf ears though even the US continues to say LTTE international networks remain active even in 2015.

While the regime-changed government has gone overboard to please those that assisted them to power by allowing LTTE fled cadres to return, giving open-amnesties to hardcore cadres in prison, recruiting them into the military there has been a shocking rise in the discovery of arms, ammunition and even sporadic attacks and altercations have increased so much that even the IGP has had to suddenly travel to the North to assess the situation and declare that LTTE resurgence can be anticipated!

Can and should drastic changes and a new constitution take place in such a background of uncertainty and chaos and by people who should be first investigated!?

The shooting of a policemen while attempting to assassinate the Jaffna high court judge, the many attacks by a group called AWA immediately brings to mind the manner India-helped militancy first began in the 1980s also under UNP rule with the situation been allowed to worsen to hide the governments administrative inefficiencies and corruption. Are we seeing the same scenario?

In the meanwhile, what cannot be ignored is the nature of the demands that are being forwarded with precision by the coalition partners which are identical and tally with the demands that have been made by extremist Tamil leaders following the ideology of the Vaddukoddai Resolution and the LTTE. Moreover, the most interesting aspect is the ITAK amendment to its constitution in 2008 that declares that ITAK aims and objectives correspond to the objectives of the Vaddukoddai separatist Resolution of 1976.

The co-sponsoring of the UNHRC Resolution by the yahapalana government & its determination to draft a new constitution cannot ignore the assurances by the present finance minister and the key drafter of the constitution in 2013 to the Tamil Diaspora known as the Singapore Principles. The manner that the Northern Chief Minister claims genocide and colonization of Sinhalese is in keeping with these objectives while the illegalities of the UNHRC Resolutions through an illegally set up personal mechanism started by the former UN Security General needs to be investigated to realize the sinister objectives at play and the players involved.

The Sinhalese have fallen shy to put their version to the global stage. It is the Sinhalese who have been wronged and victimized by colonial rule and Indian invasions. No group has been more discriminated than the Sinhalese. Where is the reverse discrimination for all that they were denied since 1505 to date! Why are their rights and what they enjoyed not been restored! This will not happen because it does not fit into the objectives of those that use minorities as a trump card!

The population statistics clearly reveal that Sinhalese were the clear majority and Buddhism was the foundation of the civilization that developed. Let us not forget the other institutional religions came 1000 years after Buddhism! Even the South Indian invaders that ruled followed the tenets of Buddhism. The British who were virtually handed the island too realized that unless they agreed to give due prominence to Buddhism they would not be able to sign the Kandyan Convention in 1815.

That the white race speaks with a forked tongue was evident by the manner they broke the promises made and it is this historical objective now being ironed out using the Ministry of National Integration which is being led by local lascoreens and sepoys ever ready to do the bidding of the foreign masters for tuppence or rewards and the West is ever ready to dish out international awards for betrayal. They did this in the past bestowing titles to traitors and they are doing so now.

The Ministry of National Integration is thus tasked to incrementally dilute the place of Buddhism and bring Buddhism on par with religions that arrived far later and by migration and aftermath of colonial rule.

This is a national crime & a cultural genocide for no one has the right to take away what has existed and the foundation that has weathered for centuries. Moreover, constitutionally too this is a violation for the State is bound to give foremost place to Buddhism and protect it.

Giving the foremost place to Buddhism and protecting it by the State is nothing any non-Buddhists can object to so long as the people of non-Buddhist faith have freedom and right to practice their faith. Count the number of churches, mosques and kovils and the numbers that have appeared in the last 30 years and it is clearly disproportionate to the population statistics but brings to zero the argument that there is religious discrimination. The right to practice one’s religion does not equate to and give freedom for the institutional religions to carry out their agendas – increase flocks or promote cults!

Moreover, these foreign-based religions are all well-funded and their places of worship are regular recipients of funding. This is not the case with Buddhism which is why the State is bound to protect and preserve that heritage with the meagre allocations made available which does not come close to what the foreign-based religions send. However, part & parcel of the installation of the present government by those who are out to dilute the place of Buddhism has resulted in arrests of Buddhist monks, removal of funds for pirivena education, attempts to dilute Buddhist cultural events, reduce the powers of the Buddha Sasana Ministry, place inefficient officials in the Archaeological department who will not alert regarding incursions and destructions of Buddhist sites taking place, closure of temple tills are just a handful of shocking and very sad acts being committed by this Government obviously on orders or following assurances by those that helped them to come into power.

What needs to be essentially argued is that there cannot be demands without reciprocity. Will Muslim-majority nations that fund Muslim activities in Sri Lanka give to Buddhists what Muslims demand in their countries? Will Christian-majority nations do the same? If the Roman Catholic faith has been given a State and diplomatic rights why are other religions not given the same rights! Does UK inspite of its multicultural background place Christianity on par with the faiths of other religions, the political jargon says so but in practice Christianity and God gets prominence at all State levels. Is this not the same in Norway, Germany, France too! US, Canada & Australia cannot comment because these countries have stolen histories with blood soaked hands of indigenous people’s murders and are developed by inviting immigrants to build their nations, so they are bound to acknowledge the people who helped build their nation.

However, Sri Lanka has a solid history, our great Sinhala Kings built man-made irrigation systems, dagobas, temples which still stand stupendously and bring pride at what our people have achieved. We have defended our nation against foreign invaders and no time have our island been totally conquered. Sadly, it was traitors that handed over the nation then and now.

Temples were a cornerstone in building the nationalism to defend the nation. It is that spine that the Ministry of Integration attempts to now break. The temples were the schools in ancient times, that was taken away by Olcott who created Buddhist schools and now the post-Olcott period is trying to take away both the Temples of learning and the Daham Pasal by deciding on what the Daham Pasal should teach and not teach. This is a violation of the Constitution and a conspiracy against Buddhism which the Buddhists must rise against and file fundamental rights applications immediately.

A good look at the composition of the Ministry of National Integration and the Secular Sri Lanka team/initiatives it is clear that these portfolios have been dished out to lascoreens ready to do what the colonials failed to do and the situation is further compounded with the new entrants of Indian imperialism and Islamic incursions added to worsen the plight of the Buddhists.

Ideally these are times that the Buddhist organizations and the patriotic academics should not wait in slumber and must unite & come to the rescue by legally and institutionally challenging these illegalities through FR petitions and protests.

Until & unless separatists & jihadists are investigated and removed from portfolios the Majority should not agree to any changes especially a New Constitution.
The rising unpopularity of the Govt further justifies that this Govt has no right to make any changes as they have lost the confidence of the People.

The enemies are not at the door – the enemies have already entered and are now doing the damage!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yufLZiss7bg voice of Srimath Anagarika Dharmapalathuma

Shenali D Waduge

http://dailynews.lk/2017/08/02/local/123938/%E2%80%98daham-pasal%E2%80%99-school-teachers%E2%80%99-meeting-trincomalee

‪Secular Ethics shall Replace Religion in Public Schools in Sri Lanka

http://www.secularsrilanka.com/secular-ethics-in-public-schools-in-sri-lanka