Please accept my apologies for reaching you on this post.

I happened to read your article which has been reproduced on the Sri Lankan army web site at

http://www.army.lk/detailed.php?NewsId=517

Unfortunately, your optimism regarding the “non desecration” of Prabhakaran’s has come a little too early.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VgwejYmOlQ

This video with the stripped body of Prabhakaran was initially uploaded to one of the Sri Lankan government websites. It was shortly removed, then replaced with the current ones which present the dignified winner image of the soldiers examing the dead body in its battle fatigues.

We live in a world where things are not what they seem – even well meaning words can and are misused for disinformation. I took the time to write to you to simply point out that the misinformation and guile in our world runs much deeper than we can comprehend.

I pray for peace in your beautiful island.

Kind Regards

The Thomian teacher who taught us English in our village school, left a lasting impression on my use of language. He impressed upon me that the best writing was that which left the best unwritten. In other words he stressed the beauty of understatement. I abided by his advice when I wrote the original article.

In retrospect, I have come to realize that finesse of language is lost on a society that is getting progressively brutalized. What works now is the Sinhala adage that my father taught me when I was so high. It goes, “If a man cannot take your hint, drive it into him with a rice-pounder”.

So I decided to give naked expression to what I was trying to say through my real anecdotes of our ethnic riots. They may be summed up as follows:

1. In the kaleidoscope of humanity there can be no scientifically pure ethnic identity. In the absence of identity, there is no base for rivalry.
2. Theory and doctrine have so far failed to find an effective cure for ethnic strife even in advanced societies.
3. What ultimately works is the milk of human kindness that is basic to every religion and found in greater measure among the lesser sophisticated.
4. Before you harm any one, remember that that person is the issue of another mother like yours. How would your mother have reacted, if the same harm befell on you?
5. Quite apart from the theory of Karma, all religions teach that every action has its equal and opposite reaction. Remember that the pain you inflict on another under the delusion of ethnicity, will visit you in equal measure some day.
6. According to the doctrine of rebirth, you may be in the shoes of your ethnic rival in your next birth. In that case all the disabilities you impose on your rival in this birth, will be suffered by you yourself in your next birth.
7. Violence is not the preserve of any one race. The carry-over of your violence to your next birth, may result in the destruction of the very persons who were near and dear to you in this birth.
8. Never misuse an official influence personally, to summarily avenge even a wrong done to you.
9. We should be altruistic enough to stand back and fight for our people, before seeking refuge for ourselves.
10. Do not demonize a whole class of people for the fault of a few of their bad eggs.

I wish our teaching fraternity to which I once belonged, would use the anecdotes of the ethnic riots, put together by Sanjana, to inculcate these truths and values, in the flowering tender minds under their charge. Let us ensure that ‘communalism’ would be a dirty word for our progeny.

The similar can be applied to the 90 000 expulsion for the fescilitation of a nazi state, that even more recently, 1990.

Ofcourse the many historical accounts are too numerous to mention. Lets also hope that the Sinhalese could also be able to live and persue legitimate aspirations in the North (and east) like many of us (certainly not all) Tamils enjoy outside Vanni.

Australian Aboriginal people didn’t have a word in their language to discribe land owndership. Why? Because the land (Earth) cannot be owned. It is like our mother. We are to respect it and look after it where ever we are in the world.

Every human being is born with blood, veins, bones, etc. No, difference! We live on this Earth which ever corner we are in, for a very short period of time. IF we are lucky we can may be make a hundred. Even this is rare… Then what are we fighting for? No one takes the land, nor possessions, nor even their ancestral names on their way when they leave this life. Think beyond the greed and live the short time we are on Earth to the best and happiest possible.

May peace and happiness be with you all!

However, to the Tamils, 1958 and 1983 incidents underlined the utmost importance of a Tamil homeland, with the ability to protect themselves, into which the Tamils could run and seek shelter whenever the ” Sinhala snake” started to pour out venom.

From the year 1958, the political parties in the South had an obligation to educate their children, the future leaders of their country, to respect the legitimate right of Tamils in the North East (NE) to rule themselves, to live together, build up the island and dvelop its economy jointly to benefit all the citizens.

The policos were not concerned at all of citizen life imbued with tranquility, stability and peace. Their aim was to get into power and become “monarchs” and treat citizens like subjects.

Though governments have changed since 1958, there was no change in lack of determination to grant the legitimate rights of Tamils in the NE. Instead, a competitive “anti Tamil software” not to grant Tamil rights grew rapidly within UNP and SLFP; the major political parties in the south, inspite of decades of losing precious lives and properties. The island has turned out to be a “paradise in decay”.

The hallmark of a good democracy is to include all the people. But the people of NE were excluded from governance by their inability to decide on their own matters at grass root level.

It would be correct to say that political leadership in the South became extinct in 1956. Since then, the South had political Managers and not Political Leaders. No party would have been elected to power if their stance on anti Tamilism was not better than the opposing party. No real leadership was coming up from any of them to carve out a peaceful future.

A writer once said ” Leaders inspire people and believe in the future while managers control people to behave. This definition exactly fits the political mangers in the island from 1956, whom we erroneously call as “Political Leaders”. Mangers fear the future. They dread the possibilities and fear the success of others.

Political Sub managers play “Politics of belly”, where they regard themselves as accountable to the appointing authority and disregard the good of all the citizens. Presently, President Rajapakse and his cabinet sub managers are playing exactly this role.

Therefore, what is needed now in Sri Lanka is real leadership from capable leaders who would boldly stand up distinctly to entail a more open culture towards the legitimate rights of people in the NE and take the island and all the citizens to a “digital level”: inspiring people to a future for all.

- wrenching the heart and choking the throat and misting the eyes. Can’t we put the clock back?