Misconceptions that prolong our ethnic conflict
Repost This ArticleThere is no doubt that our ethnic conflict is the worst scourge that has bedeviled this nation since Independence. An incisive and objective look at the calamity would reveal that it is being prolonged by misconceptions born of prejudice, parochialism and rivalry.
Perhaps the initial mis-concept is the impulsive assumption that the conflict has to be settled by a grant of concessions from one sector of the nation to another. There can be no ‘grantors’ or ‘grantees’ among ethnic groups in a nation. Once a community is inside, it should automatically be entitled to all privileges of citizenship. These privileges are inbuilt and non-negotiable. What is negotiable is only synchronization of interests.
In the national context, fundamental rights do not depend on numbers. Claims of a community with lesser numbers are identical with those of another with larger numbers, for these claims are acquired by birth and not by force of numbers. Each community should respect the others irrespective of the strength or the weakness of their respective numbers. It is not implied that this ideal standard is universally observed but wherever it was undermined, discord, degeneration and ruin has been the inevitable result.
Vote-catching Tactics
Equality of citizenship was more evident in the pre-independence era. Leaders of all communities fought side by side on an equal footing to wrest power from the colonial masters. In the wake of liberation from colonialism, came government based on franchise and national leaders had to depend on votes for their survival. Communalism became a ready tool of vote-catching and leaders of all communities stooped to it to conquer. Language, history and numbers became the handiest weapons of the rat race.
Despite bitter experiences of the past, Muslim leadership had the sagacity and the vision to keep to a non-collision course, thereby enhancing the prospects of their followers. The dispute between Sinhala and Tamil leaders deteriorated progressively, prompted by extremists on both sides, seemingly despite their own better judgement. The net result of that trend is the war that has raged for the last two and half decades, causing untold hardship, destruction and death to both sides.
No rational mind can tolerate terrorism as a means of resolution. At the same time reason demands that the causes that lead to such travesty be investigated dispassionately and corrective action taken. It is presumed that the on-going APRC is an attempt to address that imperative. The honesty of that attempt has to reflect itself in the speed and productivity of its search, both of which manifestations have been unfortunately, absent so far.
It is also axiomatic that the search has to be made jointly by all stake-holders. In this context, it is regrettable that the most affected party to the conflict is not among those present in the APRC. The Prince of Denmark is shut out of ‘Hamlet’! The possibility that the overt representatives of the most affected are restrained by insidious forces, cannot be ruled out either. Some of those invited to the talks have been playing hide-and-seek to serve their own agendas.
“Absolute power corrupts absolutely”, not only in conventional politics, but also in revolutionary interventions. There is the human tendency to get power-drunk even in that sphere. Such endeavours may have commenced with lofty motives but there comes a stage when their leaders would reject the most pragmatic solution to their problem. That happens after such a leader has been deified and the solution could cost his ‘divinity’.
Grantor-Grantee Syndrome
Be that as it may, the recent declaration that the solution to the ethnic conflict would be announced only after the LTTE has been defeated, raises certain disturbing issues, in addition to the uncertainty when that happy day would arrive. It unwittingly connects the solution with the LTTE and impliedly credits relevance to them. Why was there no solution before the LTTE was born? How could the existence or the predation of that group be conditional to the just aspirations of the Tamils?
More disturbingly, the declaration highlights the ‘Grantor-Grantee Syndrome’ mentioned at the beginning of this exercise. Logically even the head of state cannot be a ‘giver’ of inherent rights. He is only the referee. He has no side. His duty is to see that the ethnic problem is resolved fairly and expeditiously by consensus and announce the result at the earliest opportunity. Such announcement need not await the demise of a party alien to the process of resolution.
The declaration has a humiliating aspect as well. It is tantamount to saying, “You get the bone when you stop barking”. Irrespective of the infradig implications of the promise, it would appear to be unsound strategy pragmatically, for giving the bone to begin with would automatically stop the barking!
Penelope’s Web
It has been often asserted that the LTTE could not be eliminated as long as they retain the sympathy of the Tamils. Even their defeat militarily could not eradicate the threat until they lose their relevance to the Tamil cause. In that sense, announcement of a package of ethnic resolution acceptable to the average Tamil would be more deadly to the LTTE than all the weaponry of the armed forces put together. Such announcement would also put an end to the international rumbling that is embarrassing the on-going war effort of the government.
Let us pray that the Guardian Angels of this Nation grant our leaders the wisdom to complete the Penelope’s Web of the APRC Package without further procrastination and exhibit the product with due expedition. It would be tactical to do so while its possible detractors are still under the spell of Pooneryn.
While applauding the writer for the sensible portrayal of the malaise afflicting Sri Lanka, article such as this which softpeddles the APRC, provides the APRC even that little space the document doesn't deserve in intellectual debate. APRC is a farce, and the originator had nothing but duplicitous intentions in mooting it, and not even .0001% of Tamils view that as anything usable…Intellectuals with a modicum of honesty should say so; directly.
Justin! what about Prbha killing Alfred Duraiappa and the 13 soldiers?What about generations of Tamils never want to intragrate into Sri Lankan society?Do Welsh,Irish,Scottish and other nationals living in England accept English as the official language?Do Chinese in Thailand(16% of the whole population) accept Thai as their one and only language and Intergrated into Thai socisty just like Chinese in Malaysia.(In both countries even Chinese new year is not a national holiday!!!)Why Tamilnadu and all the states of India accept Hindi as the only official language?Can any Tamilnadu citizen get a government job even in Tamilnadu if he does not speak Hindi?The answer is no!.Tamils should intergrate to SL society like blacks in USA intergrated joining the main parties.,.Otherwise there will be no Obamas.As long as they need their only parties and separate homelands the fights will continue.
Thank you for the excellent and informative article Mr. Gunadheera!
If the Tamil struggle had campaigned for "equality of citizenship," rather than a separate nation, the struggle may have had a better chance of succeeding (the comparison is the civil rights struggle in America–they won equal citizenship and Obama is a culmination of that win).
With regard to the APRC, It's pretty evident that it is a sham and the government has no intention of ever presenting a political package. The 'liberated' East is proof of this, with even the existing 13th amendment not being implemented–land and police powers have been withheld and governance is largely in the hands of Colombo. IF the war is won (whatever that means), the government will probably declare that there is no ethnic conflict any more–problem solved, we can all go home, no need for a political package. We can expect the daily tally of shootings in the 'liberated' east to continue unabated, and to extend into the 'liberated' north.
We fail to understand one thing, and that is, the Sri Lankan state was the cause for initiating and sustaining violence on Tamils. The violence was inflicted in 1958 anti Tamil riots and the brutal acts of 1983; which the then Prime miinster Indira Gandhi – who was forced to admit large numbers of Tamil refugees fleeing from our coutry, including our political leaders- called genocide.
Today, there is graduation to state terror and full blown genocide with cluster bombs.
APRC or any political solution will not come from the South because they are not remorseful for the evil they inflicted on Tamils for the past 60 years. They are hell bent on brutal war. What Prabaharan said in his message on these matters is a complete reflection of the entire Tamil people.
Let us not waste anybody's time. Let us ask India to separate Tamil Eelam from Genocidal Sinhalese. Perhaps then we can talk of living peacefully.
We cannot devide this small country . EElam wanted by most erxtremist tamils, will not end there. They will try to annexe more to their state till they take over the whole country. The tamil nadu will be part of eelam and fight against India. Courtesy of support extended by India.
Sinhalese will keep never give up the land. They had fought with Portugese, Dutch, English and Indians with past and will fightin future.
What is the future of tamils living in the south. They are ten times more than the number in the North. Will they prefer to live in eelam under the uneducated terrorist group or want to live in the south sharing equal rights and power in a democratic environment.
Get rid of madmax Prabha and his soldiers. Let the whole country be one Sri Lanka where everybody can live in any place without any fear as a SRILANKAN enjoying equal rights, opportunities and freedom. We can all march towards Glory, Economic Prosperity and Independence if we are together and not divided. Let us wipe out terrorism and then join hands to build peace among us and give this country free of all these problems to our future generation whatever their religion, race or belief is as ONE SRI LANKAN.
congrats on very clearly discussing the misconceptions that have become a vicious deterrent to a positive change of attitude towards a negotiated solution to the conflict.
I just fail to understand whether thre is a difference between Sinhalese and Sri Lankans. In practice Sri Lankans means Sinhalese and Sinhalese means Sri Lankans. The others living in Sri Lanka are termed as Sri Lankan Tamils, Sri Lankan Muslims and so on but they are not called or treated as Sri Lankans or Sri Lankan citizens.
The Tamils in Sri Lanka wanted themselves to be treated 'practically' as Sri Lankan citizens in the same way the Sinhalese are being treated. That 'demand' is the cause of the trouble going on today.
'Sinhalese' are being treated as 'disabled' persons who need a 'helping' hand while the Tamils are being treated as 'very abled' persons who should be given an 'obstacle' to run an 'even race' on a level field.
With or without their knowledge the 'Sinhalese' want themselves to be treated as 'disabled' persons and so it looks that we have a 'very large' number of disabled persons in this country who are not receiving any aid from the INGO's