KAMALIKA PIERIS
Revised 9.9.19
Analysts pointed out that turning Sri Lanka into a bilingual state
would not be an easy task. It would take a long time. In 2008, Raja Collure pointed out that in
Canada, the process of bilingualisation has already taken over forty
years. And in Canada, unlike Sri Lanka, the two languages
English and French shared the same script. In Sri Lanka the Sinhala and Tamil
scripts were completely different. We
cannot dream of a bilingual government service even within the next few
decades, said Minister Ganesan in 2017.
If so, then a trilingual society is also far away.
At the start, the country mechanically followed the
bilingual/trilingual language policy. At the Sarasavi film awards 1998, all the
films that came up for awards were Sinhala, but every single announcement
including the remarks of the winners were laboriously translated into Tamil.
This was soon abandoned. It was too cumbersome. Activities were carried out in
a single language with brief translations in the other two languages, if at
all.
A bilingual language policy can be used to delay, obstruct and
distort. The first meeting of the Galle Municipal Council for 2018 had to be
temporarily suspended due to a language matter. Mayor Priyantha Sahabandu had
delivered a speech in Sinhala at the start of the meeting. Councilor M.M.Rihana
complained that it was in Sinhala and that she could not understand it. Rihana
asked for a translation to be provided to her.
She pointed out that her fundamental rights had been violated due
to a lack of translation services available at the Council. It took over one
and a half hours for the Council to reconvene. A Muslim clerk working at the
Municipal Council was found to function as an interpreter and the Council
meeting was able to continue.
In 2002 it was observed that shipping legation got delayed because
of the trilingual policy. International Maritime Organization had decalred some
conditions relating to shipping and Sri Lanka had ratified them. But when it
came to incorporating these into Sri Lanka’s
shipping legislation, there was a problem with the Tamil terms and the legislation
was delayed. The legislation had to be
issued in all three languages at once.
A very serious misuse of the bilingual language policy took place
with regard to the Constitution of Sri Lanka. The present constitution, (1978) declared that Sri Lanka
was a” unitary state”. This was confirmed in both, the Sinhala and Tamil
versions. The Sinhala version said Ekeeiya rajya’ and Tamil version said Otriyatchi”. But In the draft Constitution
drawn up by Yahapalana in 2019, the Sinhala version continued to say ‘ekeeiya rajya’ but the Tamil version said
Orumiththa Nadu”. ‘Orumiththa nadu’ is
not ‘unitary state’. Orumiththa Nadu means ‘a country that is formed by
amalgamation.’ This implies that Sri Lanka is a Federal State.
The public are prepared to accept
a bilingual language policy, provided it is Sinhala and English, not Sinhala
and Tamil. Derana Sinhala service had special news broadcast, on 22nd
April 2019, after the Easter Bomb
blast. Breaking news” was given, as it happened , in Sinhala and English. Tamil was forgotten.
In August 2002, Ceylon Cold Stores
advertised for trainee brand managers fluent in Sinhala and English. In September 2002, Bonsoir asked for a
co-coordinator fluent in English, French and Sinhala. A parent announced, Don’t let the state
force Tamil down our children’s throat. I
want my child only to learn Sinhala and English. The only compulsory language other than
Sinhala should be English,”
A
new website by the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) set up in
2018 for the local government elections, called ‘Nidahas Yugayak’, is exclusively in Sinhala, said Sanjana Hattotuwa. There is not a
single word or section on it in English or Tamil. All featured videos are in
Sinhala. All the related social media accounts are in Sinhala. All the
President’s speeches are in Sinhala.
But where is the outrage asked Sanjana Hattotuwa. Social media is
also largely silent about the discrimination against the Tamil language and
Tamil peoples by Google
and Microsoft, he added.
There
is no outrage because Tamil speakers are ready to work in Sinhala . Most Tamils
who live in the south, and today there are probably more Tamils in the South
than in the North, already know and use Sinhala, said Sebastian Rasalingam in
2012.
Researchers
reported in 2014 that in most of the
administrative divisions declared as bilingual, the administration was
done in Sinhala, and the Tamil speaking community accepted this. In Ambagamuwa
division in Badulla district. the Tamils
were in the majority in towns and estates, but the staff in the DS offices conducted their work in Sinhala. Office
files were maintained in Sinhala. In Hali
Ela DS office many Tamil speakers complete their forms in Sinhala and made
written submissions in Sinhala. If the estate Tamils can come to Colombo and
get their work done at pass port offices and at the job agents to offices it
would seem that they can communicate effectively, said Rasalingam.
In Colombo there was a sizeable number of Sri Lankan Tamil, Indian
Tamils, Sri Lankan Moors and Malays. The majority were competent in Sinhala
both spoken and written. They were therefore able to do business with the
government institutions in Sinhala. The Police stations in Colombo operate
almost exclusively, in Sinhala but the majority of Tamil speakers can manage in
Sinhala, Selvakumaran observed in 2008.
In 2018, at the National Savings Bank , a Tamil client refused to even look at the Tamil version of the document he had come for. ‘All three documents will be
the same’ he said and readily signed the Sinhala version, giving his wife
access to his locker.
Tamils and Muslims already know Sinhala and speak it well,
fluently and stylishly. Both groups want their children educated in the Sinhala
medium The Indian
Tamils on estates have also indicated they want Sinhala. But their schools
teach in Tamil. Therefore estate Tamils are learning Sinhala privately. The Tamil medium is dying out in schools. ‘Introduce a
Sinhala stream into all Tamil schools at Grade one and see what happens’ said
critics.
In 1997, a delegation of Muslims told the
Minister of Education that a large number of Muslims outside the North and East
were switching on to the Sinhala medium. They wanted a special officer to
supervise and coordinate Sinhala teaching in Muslim schools.
Wimala
Ratnayake has stated that when she left teaching in 1986, she found an
increasing demand by some Muslims and even a few Tamil parents to get their
children admitted to the Sinhala stream in Colombo. (Daily News 26.9.97 p
7) A growing proportion of Muslims in Sinhala areas are opting for
Sinhala as the medium of education instead of Tamil, said Devanesan Nesiah in
2015.
Muslim parents have been trying for decades, to get their children
into the Sinhala medium in school. They complain that when they try to get their
children admitted to the Sinhala stream the authorities refuse to do so. They
admit the children to the Tamil stream. The reason given by the education authorities was
that otherwise the Tamil stream would not have any pupils and would die out.
In 1998, Muslims in Kandy district alleged, with
evidence, that Muslim and Tamil children were denied admission to the Sinhala
stream. One parent had filed a Fundamental rights case on this matter.
The Tamil speakers in the north are also interested in learning
Sinhala. Presidential
Secretariat of the Government of Sri Lanka (PRIU) said that Sinhala language teaching was started in the north
in 2009 itself. It was taught in
pre-school as well. . A survey in 2013 found
that nearly 80% of Tamils in the north are willing to learn Sinhala along with
English. A Trilingual Learning Centre was started at Kalviyankadu, Jaffna in 2014. A huge number of applications
were received from Jaffna alone, in 2014,
to learn Sinhala at this centre.
From 2014 Sinhala language training had been provided in Vavuniya
and Punthottam, Mannar, Mullativu, Kilinochchi and Jaffna. Children in all five
districts of the north were given the opportunity to learn Sinhala and English
for six months in the after school hours at Mankulam Maha Vidyalaya in
Mullaitivu.
Sinhala language classes for Tamil speakers, and public officers in north and east are held
during weekends, courses are well organized and keenly attended with a
remarkable rate of success reported Tudor Silva in his 2014 study
on the language needs and services in selected bilingual administration
divisions in Sri Lanka .
There is an imbalance in the teaching of Sinhala and Tamil at
government service level. The government has been slow to start teaching
Sinhala to Tamil government servants. First batch of public service Tamil officers from five secretarial
divisions in Batticaloa district passed out in 2012 from the National Institute
of Language education and training. The
Institute said in 2014 that 700 have now learnt Tamil and 200 Tamils have
learned Sinhala.
The Tamil speakers who said they did not know
Sinhala were criticized. A Tamil whose family had lived for three generations in Colombo, complained that the government department he went to did not have
Tamil speaking officer to deal with his needs. This was greeted with scorn.
After living all his life among
Sinhalese did he not know enough Sinhala to conduct his business, critics asked.
The total population of Tamils in the 2012 Census was 2,269,266.
Out of this, 392,583 (17.3%) know
Sinhala. This leaves 1,876,683 who do not know
Sinhala. This amounts to 2 million out
of a total Sri Lankan population of 20 million. Instead of teaching this 2
million to speak in Sinhala, the state
has decided to make the other 18 million
learn Tamil. This is absurd. Further, a
Sinhala speaker is expected to know Tamil to serve as a public servant even in
Sinhalese areas where Tamils are only 5% or less.
A
reader wrote in to a newspaper, asking ‘why should I
learn Tamil. The Tamils should learn Sinhalese. Where in the world is it
necessary for the majority to learn the minority language. The rule worldwide
is for the minority to learn the language of the majority population. Which
county in the world could force a minority language down the throats of its
majority citizens. Tamils readily learn
the language of the countries they
emigrate to. It is only in Sri Lanka
they find it difficult to learn Sinhala.
Tamils have gone to countries like Norway or Poland and learnt those difficult
languages in record time”, he concluded.
The emphasis on Tamil language did not lead to
an elevation of the Tamil language, as the Tamil lobby hoped. It went the other
way. It led to an elevation of Sinhala. At Independence Day celebrations, the
main speech is always in Sinhala, with
quick, short translations in Tamil and English.
Clause 23 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka said
All laws and subordinate legislation shall be enacted or made and published in
Sinhala and Tamil, together with a translation thereof in English”. Then it
said that Parliament shall, at the stage of enactment of any law determine
which text shall prevail in the event of any inconsistency between texts .
This
has been scrupulously followed and all Acts of Parliament say in its final
clause “In the event of any inconsistency between the Sinhala and Tamil texts
of this Act, the Sinhala text shall prevail”. This made the position of Sinhala
stronger.
A total of more than 240,000 letters are
received monthly by all 49 ministries and among these, the overwhelming
majority (70%) are in the Sinhala language, 25% are in English and 5% are in
the Tamil language, said the Centre for Policy Alternatives after a survey in
2017. Only about 1% of the correspondence received in the Hali Ela DS office
was in Tamil said Tudor Silva after a survey in 2014.
There is a clear preference in the modern
world for just one language per country. This is usually the language
considered indigenous to that country.
In Sri Lanka this means Sinhala. Sinhala today is not like Sinhala yesterday. Sinhala
now has a greatly improved image. It is used everywhere and can cater to any
subject. There is an impressive vocabulary and stylish delivery. Sinhala has
greater strength and vitality than it had in 1956. Everyone, from President and Prime Minister downwards
speak it.
There are many advantages in having just one national language. A common language helps to link the total
population and create a sense of community. Communication
increases understanding among people and eliminates misunderstandings. A single official language will also act as a
leveler, because it will provide a level playing field. A multilingual language policy is time consuming and
expensive. It also means ‘language load’
where citizens need to know at least two languages or, preferably three, English, Sinhala and
Tamil. A single language will do away with’ language load’
At the practical level it
will be more economical to work in one language than three. One language will
cut administration costs. At present the state sector is producing documents in
triplicate, in three different languages.
One language will avoid delay in communication with the state. It will help citizens to communicate with the
state without the tension of translations and interpreters.
It would be great if everyone spoke and understood Sinhala which
is the language spoken for communication among the Sri Lankans now that English
has declined, said R.M.B Senanayake . It
would be great also to see the promotion of mutual understanding if all Sri
Lankans spoke Sinhala. In 1956, it was done the wrong way. By forcing it on non-Sinhala speakers. .The Sinhalese extremists have to take the blame. But now that we
have learnt from our mistakes, we should seek to promote a common language
among all our people by mutual consent. Sinhala fills such a role.
Tamil people should be free to consider Sinhala as their language
of school education if they so wish and except in the North and perhaps to some
extent in the East many Tamil people may prefer to learn Sinhala in school as
their main language with Tamil as a secondary language..When I served in Jaffna
in the early 1950s, I noticed how Tamil people liked to speak in Sinhala, said
R.M.B Senanayake.
ADDITIONS TO
REVISED ESSAY.
ADDITION 1
In 2019 there was
an Official Language Day and Week from July 1 to July 5. This would include an
Official Language School Day with the theme ‘promoting bilinguality’, and an
Official Language Youth Day on the theme of ‘blooming of language ‘
ADDITION 2
A Circular issued by the PSC in 2014/1, said that all public
servants who joined the Service after 2007, must have an Ordinary Level pass in
the Sinhala or Tamil Language, as the case may be. Accordingly, Sinhala public
servants need to have Tamil proficiency and vice-a-versa.
However, teachers unions complained
that teachers, who could not reach this level, were deprived of their annual
increments and promotions. The Public Services Commission then issued amended
Circular, No.2014/1(IV), which said that
as of January 31, 2017 teachers over 50 years were allowed to follow 100 hours
of Sinhala/Tamil Language course, Instead of an Ordinary Level pass in the
second language,
In June 2019, public sector
trade unions also asked for this concession. They want an amendment to the
Circular and asked Ministry of Public Administration and Ministry of National Integration and Official
Languages to submit a Cabinet paper
regarding the matter.
ADDITION 3
British Council In June 2019 initiated, a Tamil language course
for public officials, in partnership with the National Institute for Language
Education and Training (NILET).
British Council announced that it will hold a four-week intensive
training course for a core group of NILET trainers. They will be shown a
task-based methodology for teaching Tamil as a second language to public officials.
They will learn to use a content and language integrated approach. This
includes not only teaching grammar, vocabulary, speaking and listening in a
motivating and participatory way, but also addressing language needs in the
public service, such as health, education, social services, employment and
police.
The NILET trainers will practice this new
methodology by delivering a specially developed Tamil language course to
Sinhala speaking officers from two bi-lingual Divisions in the Kandy area.
Field officers have been selected using a new Tamil Language Placement Test
which objectively measures their second language skills. By the end of the
project, 150 NILET trainers will have made more than 600 public servants
proficient in Tamil.
The course is part of “Strengthening
Reconciliation Processes in Sri Lanka” (SRP), a four-year program launched
in March 2018. SRP is jointly funded by the European Union (EU) and the German
Federal Foreign Office. It is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the British Council in partnership
with the Ministry of National Integration, Official Languages, Social Progress
and Hindu Religious Affairs.
ADDITION 4
National
Integration, Official Languages, Social Development and Hindu Religious Affairs
Minister Mano Ganesan, said In June
2019 that if the people had understood
one another’s language and respected them, there wouldn’t have been a national
problem.
Ganesan said that he didn’t believe that there
was such a big issue over language contrary to claims made in some
quarters.” there was no issue regarding the language issue among political
parties and races as all agreed on it.”Ganesan said. Sinhala and Tamil
were official languages and English was the link language. “This is our
language policy.”He said that all sign boards in the country should be in
all three languages. (Concluded)
-YPR.jpg)
