Still more assumptions? Okay, with regard to 1. Why do you assume that I was willing to endure 30 years of absolute horror and only care for the past six months? What do you know about me to assume that? When did I ever say that I preferred that SL Tamils be ruled by the LTTE than the SL government? Don’t put words in my mouth and then proceed to indict me.

As for 2. You’re bringing up the behaviour of Tamils in the diaspora. I am talking about the Sri Lankan situation, and the racism of SL citizens—not of people outside the country. Do you think SL should hold their local Tamils responsible for what the diaspora is doing?

And 3. The Tamils don’t have a “craze” about their language. They merely want it recognised, TOGETHER with Sinhala, a recognition that is due to them as citizens who, additionally, have a long history in the land. Unlike some Sinhalese, who want ONLY their language to be recognized. So please tell me who has a “craze” about their language.

As for the LTTE, I have no interest in defending them. They took power illegally, by force, and they also killed their own community. The Sinhalese-dominated government, voted in largely by a majority Sinhalese population, on the other hand, has been persecuting its own minority citizens. I find that abominable, an extreme form of racism. Don’t you expect a government to behave better than terrorists?

There is a great deal of difference between a minority group fighting for its rights (which is not racism) and an overwhelmingly large majority group exacting racial privilege over minority groups (which is racism).

No, other countries do not expect their people to drop their ethnic identifications to take up that of national identity.They recognize that they must cater to the cultural needs of the various ethnic groups. Given such recognition, people are then able to identify with the nation because it supports them and understands their needs. When the state withholds that recognition of one’s ethnic culture, then the people naturally disidentify with the nation.

And anyway, are you saying that the national identity would be based on no ethnic culture at all? Then, aren’t you left with a nation with no culture?

Allow me to quote yourself from a post early on: “You’re a case in point. You say airily that we should appeal to our humanity in general. You have no idea what that means.”

I suppose when you are making presumptions, that’s attacking the ARGUMENT, whereas when I do it, it’s a personal attack. Here’s a suggestion, don’t take it personally.

Secondly you said: “You weren’t trying to silence me? What were all those “Where were you” questions about? Wasn’t it about telling me that I had no right to speak?”

The questions were used as a rhetorical device in asking you to question your assumptions.So far you seem to have missed my point, so I will list them out in point form.

1. Why is it that you are willing to endure 30 years of absolute horror for these people in an existence which holds no future for them but you cannot abide a minute of the 6 months of incarceration till these people are resettled? Is it because, somehow, “freedom” under the despotic regime of the LTTE is superior to temporary incarceration under the “chauvinistic Sinhala Buddhist govt”? Can you give me a clear answer as to why you prefer one over the other for these people? That’s why I asked you early on, are you more concerned about the plight of these people or something else?

2. Once again you seek to excuse the LTTE as not having been an elected body, but it’s a “moral expression of the people” that Rajapakse was elected to decimate them. So why is it not a “moral expression of the people” that the more affluent Tamils chose to fund terrorism and were happy to expend the lives of those poor hapless people in the Vanni to achieve their goals?

3. I’ve agreed, many times over, that there are problems in Sri Lanka. But I highly doubt that your condemning stance is palatable to many or will bring results in sorting this problem out. The average Sinhala person should be understanding of the “terrorism” of the LTTE as a human reaction and the Tamil language craze of a Tamil as a human reaction, but the “Sinhala-Buddhist” nature of the Sinhalese is inhuman? Like I said, your racially biased approach doesn’t make sense to me and is only a reflection of your own attitude. Can you tell how other countries in the world unite under one nation? Is it not by shifting their allegiance from racial identities to a national identity? So explain to me again, how do you plan on sorting out this problem by driving in a wedge between races?

I attacked the racist presumptions in your ARGUMENT. You tried to suggest that I was a racist for the Tamil cause by assuming that I was Tamil, and that I cheered the Tigers on. Those are personal attacks.

Again, more presumption on your part—what makes you think that I am speaking up for Tamils only because of what’s happened over the past six months? I have a very clear idea of the history of the struggle. So I am very well aware of those six months and the barbed wire as the climax of a very long event.

I don’t call every person in the majority community racist. However, the Tamils have been struggling for equal rights for a very long time. The resistance to giving them their rights is what has stretched out this struggle, leading to violence on both sides. Sri Lanka follows the democratic system. So while SL political leaders may have been horribly chauvinistic, we need to remember who voted them in. Within democratic systems, the leaders are moral expressions of the people—which is not true in non-democratic systems, where tyrants rise to power by militaristic means, not by the vote. SL Tamils did not vote for Prabhakaran; Sri Lankans voted for Rajapaksa. Political leaders in democracies run on platforms that appeal to the masses. The cultural chauvinism ticket has worked many times in SL. Your president is only getting away with his abhorrent behaviour because the people allow him to do so. The likelihood is very high that he will be voted in again, despite the people’s full awareness of his tyranny.

You weren’t trying to silence me? What were all those “Where were you” questions about? Wasn’t it about telling me that I had no right to speak?

“I don’t think it escapes anyone that you’re fresh out of argument and have to resort to making personal attacks.”

If you re-read this thread, you’ll see that you’re the one who came out with the racist bullshit and accusing me of being one. I only highlighted the fact that the mirror you are so eager to hold out to other people is merely showing a reflection of yourself.

“Equal rights for all, eh? But it is acceptable that a quarter million people should sacrifice their freedom for the security of the rest of the country? You don’t see a contradiction in that? Equal rights for all but not for that quarter million?”

I already asked you this question. Where were you when these same people’s very existence was threatened for over 30 years from both sides by two evils? On the one hand by a fascist despot and on the other side by the shelling and bombing of successive govts? All of a sudden, your greatest concern is the short-term incarceration of those very same people? Like I said, I see the present situation as an improvement over the previous status quo. Not that it’s something to sit back and be joyous about. But since your urgency seems to be over this 6 month incarceration period, like a little child demanding candy, and the much more destructive 30 years of death and mayhem prior to that has been conveniently forgotten, I feel your concern would be better displayed if you stop the pointless wailing and lend what support you can to hurry the govt. on in ensuring their speedy resettlement. Making holier-than-thou proclamations is unlikely to help.

” With equal rights, there is no question of one side patronising the other. No group of citizens in any country should have to rely on the patronising of another group.”

I think I mentioned several times that I more or less agree with you on this. I agreed that there were many attitudes that need to be fixed. But what you don’t seem to understand is that vilifying one party will not get you results. For one thing, the very act of vilifying an entire race of people is only a mirror of your own prejudices. If I characterized all Tamils as a bunch of racist terrorist bastards who are driving this country to ruin through their attempts to carve out their mono-ethnic ghetto, do you reckon that would be accurate? Yet, you don’t hesitate to similarly vilify an entire race of Sinhalese people as racist bastards and somehow expect them to blush in shame and mend their ways? Somehow, the Sinhalese are every so slightly more villainous aren’t they, hell-bent on oppressing the Tamils and all? Like I said, that mirror isn’t showing the reflection you expect.

Finally,
“That way, the racial privilege of the dominant community can continue to be perpetuated but in an invisible way, and it becomes something that nobody is allowed to talk about.”

I didn’t mean to say that, and I clearly mentioned that earlier, so that’s pure assumption. At no point should anyone keep silent. What I don’t see a point in doing is condemning swathes of people while not expecting to be condemned yourself. We’ve come to this point at great cost. What we need to do now is understand the commonalities than unite us all and instill the concept of equality through that. Stop people identifying with races but with a Sri Lankan identity which transcends race. This is how the concept of equality works in any country. Try instilling the concept of equality by highlighting differences and condemning others and let me know how that works out for you.

You said what? Biblical drivel! How can we have peace on earth when there are Sinhala Buddhists around us? Isn’t that what you and the congregation have always been writing and talking about? Don’t you despise those Sinhalese, who – not affiliated to our congregation – are truly saddened by the harsh sentence given to Tissainayagam? Tell me how they could speak on matters of human rights when this is strictly our domain.

We are professional human rights activists who are paid for doing great work. Those Sinhala Buddhists, not belonging to similar organizations – or any organizations, for that matter – do not know the true meaning of human rights. They seem to think it’s all about equality, justice and empathy; however, we know better: human rights must always come with a dollar attached to the keester of any poor sod we try to bail out. No money, no honey!

The Lord shall see us through!

So, just to say, I’m not conned by this fake high rhetoric of wanting everyone to appeal to a general humanity and wanting to transcend race. It’s just a strategy to reject the claims of minorities to equal rights and and to equal respect of their culture and their humanity.

61 yrs of self-rule (since independence from Britain in 1948) has but fuelled a pseudo-Buddhist dictatorship that has eliminated its Tamil population to second-class citizens.

Dharmeratnam Sivaram
Aiyathurai Nadesan
Mylvaganam Nimalrajan

make up a long list of Tamil writers killed by government death squads.

Why, even Lasantha Wickrematunge, a leading Sinhalese journalist was assassinated early this year. His crime, being a conscience of truth!

Tissainayagam also gave voice to the struggles of the oppressed, knowing the risks to his own life. As others before him, he too has paid a huge price!

My solution is very practical, and I have already mentioned it. Since the majority community is the only one with political power and the only one that can effect change, I suggest that it looks deep into the mirror at its own attitudes. Because only when these are addressed and remedied, can there be any way forward. But what I keep seeing is that this community wants to do everything but look at itself. Whatever other solution is suggested will be a lie, like yours is—singing about equality but not even realising that you don’t have a clue what it entails. With equal rights, there is no question of one side patronising the other. No group of citizens in any country should have to rely on the patronising of another group. That’s not about racial pride—that’s about citizenship rights.

Your argument relies on a lot of unfounded assumptions. What makes you so sure I’m not risking life and limb? What makes you think I was strutting around and crowing that “The boys are kicking arse”? I’m not suffering from any wounded racist pride either. I don’t think it escapes anyone that you’re fresh out of argument and have to resort to making personal attacks. It’s none of your business where I was when all this was happening. I doubt you were risking life and limb, so why should you insinuate that I would need to do that in order to have the right to speak?

Only in Sri Lanka does speaking up for an extremely oppressed group constitute racism. On the other hand, incarcerating innocent victims of war who belong to only one particular community is not racism! Go figure!

Who wouldn’t like to see these people going home? So I’m whole-heartedly with you on it. The only nasty problem is that our idealistic notions must be tempered by the bleak reality which faces us. If you can outline good practical suggestions on ways forward, I’d be happy to listen to them.

The only caveat? keep in mind that the present govt. very nearly risked the existence of the country and the lives of many thousands to bring about the demise of the LTTE. Are you saying that their precautionary measures, as paranoid as they may be, are entirely unjustified given the enormity of the sacrifices that were involved? From their point of view, who is to be be held accountable if any remaining hard-core LTTE cadres get their hands on hidden weapons caches and go berserk? At least they are taking responsibility and are accountable for the plight of the refugees but who is accountable when things go wrong? I think idealistic talk alone is insufficient in a situation like this. That’s why I’d like to hear good concrete alternatives. Not that hearing them is going to change a damn thing, after all, I’m not running the govt. But hey, humour me.

No, I don’t think you are seeing where I’m going with this. Anyone with an iota of intelligence can see that it’s not easy to bring about reconciliation, so there’s little point in belabouring the obvious. But I merely suggested the only path I saw as showing a way out. What’s your solution? To drive in a greater wedge between two ethnicities and somehow magically expect a solution to come out of it? I’d like to hear your solutions, not pointless idealistic rhetoric that helps no one.

The problem with people like you of course, all very proud and not willing to appeal to the “sheer kindness of the patronising little hearts of the majority”, have always had the poor in the vanni blowing themselves up for you while you had the luxury of strutting about crowing on about “how the boys were kicking arse” while never risking life or limb. I mean, what the heck kind of equality did the poor in the vanni have with anyone except for the equally poor Sinhalese in the rural south? So whose rights are we talking about here? The people in the Vanni or yours? And that’s been the story for ever and ever hasn’t it? Perhaps you’re the one who needs to read the history and evolution of this conflict?

And thank your for disillusioning me of my “version” of humanity, but where were you when these same people were living in a de-facto state of Eelam, having their children forcibly conscripted for war and generally having their entire existence geared towards nothing but blowing themselves up for the “cause”? Where were you when people were being blown up in buses and a country of 21 million people were being held hostage to the political ideals of a nutty dictator? If you want to show your humanity by numbers, then I consider the temporary incarceration of a quarter million people an acceptable sacrifice for the resolution of a 30 year old problem which was driving an entire country into the gutter. Heck, maybe these people will actually survive to enjoy the rights that you so loudly demand for yourself, without being bombed and shelled to bits by successive govts.

Contrary to your eager attempt to paint my stance with a racist brush, I’d be taking the same stance regardless of what race these people are. I don’t think you can fathom that race has nothing to do with it, not being able to think outside such a framework. I don’t have any illusions that what I’m endorsing is by any means the high-road. But unlike you, I don’t care to indulge in the luxury of making grand idealistic statements on how things “ought” to be done, while not risking life or limb. I understand enough to know that the common man, Sinhalese and Tamil have sacrified their very existence for a pointless war and we need some practical ways forward out of this mess. And removing excuses for the govt. to bomb and shell again is a practical way forward. If you have better practical suggestions, and not just some silly holier-than-thou rhetoric, you are welcome to come out with it.

I also very clearly said that I fully expect equal rights for all. Never did I say that the minorities should not demand equal rights for themselves. What I did say is not to expect results while simultaneously driving in a racial wedge between these ethnicities and exacerbating the problem. Whether we like it or not, it will be the “patronizing little hearts” that can make a change, given the current demographic. But hey, it shouldn’t be too hard for you to go soft on the fears of the Sinhalese as gently as you do on the Tamils, if you aren’t really rooting for races now should it? Shouldn’t be too hard if you identify with all human beings in general? After all, be it Sinhalese or Tamil, why are you so upset about the patronizing hearts of one community in particular? Are we talking about saving lives or saving some wounded racist pride?

Oh and I won’t even bother to go into your silly aside about the history and origin of this conflict

Good day!

Trouble is Sri Lanka has a very big KKK. In US, despite the KKK, they elected a black man as President. In SL, the KKK is large enough to get a cultural chauvinist elected President. What’s more, its HQ is the government. When do you reckon SL will have a Burger, or Malay or Tamil president?

Yo, yo, Mawatha, are you a journalist? I never went to high school/college/university etc, but, I got my accreditation – or my street cred – from the gang “dawgs” down the street.

Even the big gangsta dudes told us from the get go: “no run – on sentences”! So, what’s up with you, Mawatha? Do you think a hotshot like you is above grammar?

Uh, oh…I could be wrong y’all. Some of my bros went to envelopmental journalism school. Did you go to the same school?

Mawatha, you may find the mantra of my envelopmental journalist bros handy: cashola first, grammar second.

God Bless!

I have no idea what you are talking about?!

Perhaps a coherent explanation without pointless biblical drivel might help. This is a political discussion not a religious debate.

August 31, 2009 Sri Lanka’s High Court awarded a 20-year jail sentence to J S Tissainayagam. He dared to write and expressed legitimate concern over the manner in which Sri Lankan forces were conducting the war against LTTE by cracking down on Tamil people. He was detained on March 7, 2008 for five months and then charged with publishing and distributing material which spread “false information to spur ethnic violence”. The court convicted him on three charges of conspiracy, violation of prevention of terrorism laws as well as sweeping emergency regulations. However, his conviction is based on his purported confession, which was extracted when he was in custody.

During World Freedom Day in May, President Barack Obama said Tamil journalist, Tissainayagam, was an “emblematic example“of a persecuted journalist. Amnesty International has declared the journalist a prisoner of conscience.

Sorry, that isn’t going to happen. Racists and racialists don’t become non-racists overnight. Self-examination has to be done about one’s own racism before one can transcend racism and recognise that other people have the same rights as oneself.

You’re a case in point. You say airily that we should appeal to our humanity in general. You have no idea what that means. You think that 250,000 people already traumatised by war should remain incarcerated while the government goes about discovering weapons caches of an army that has already been completely destroyed. That’s your so-called humanism. I suppose to your mind these quarter of a million people should sacrifice their own well-being so that other Sri Lankans may feel more secure. You would like to forget that this quarter million, of whom such a sacrifice is demanded, are all only of one ethnic group, a powerless minority at that.

I’m not surprised you are totally blind to the racism of your perspective. It’s based on that racism that you ask for everyone to appeal to humanity in general. What you really mean is that the minority should stop demanding equal rights (or even just basic human rights), and then everyone will be at peace. Then, according to your scenario, the majority community out of the sheer kindness of their patronising little hearts can pressure the government to move a little faster on resettlement.

Why do you consider it to be a fruitless exercise to consider the origins and evolution of the current situation? Are you afraid of what you might learn? How do you hope to move into a future of peace if you don’t want to learn any lessons from a past of extreme mayhem and violence?

I disagree with your characterization of the Sinhalese wanting “Sri Lanka for itself”. This is gross exaggeration and I’m not sure what purpose it serves? Other ethnic communities exist and play dominant roles in Sri Lankan society. What some Sinhalese are guilty of is expecting the “foremost” place amongst these other ethnic groups, and here I agree with you, is a mindset that needs to go the way of the dodo. I completely denounce and disagree with that mindset, let me be clear on that.

However, don’t be too quick to dismiss the virulent form that Tamil racism has evolved into either. The ethnically pure Tamil state that was forming in the north and the “Pure Tamil” concepts in Eelam propaganda are ample testimony to this fact. Let’s be clear on that also.

When do I reckon we can address the issue of Sinhalese racism? Well, I dunno, heck, when do you reckon we can address the issue of Tamil racism, currently crushed in its external manifestation, but with its embers still glowing inside? How can the fears of either of these communities be allayed?

There are no easy answers to such questions. The only way I can imagine is to stop creating a dichotomous relationship between Sinhalese and Tamils. Let me illustrate why.

Consider the passage I wrote about Tamil racism above, you might feel compelled to defend it, because as far as you are concerned, the dominance of the majority started it. While the origins and evolution of this problem could be debated endlessly (which I consider a fruitless exercise) and blame apportioned (equally counter-productive), the point I do wish to highlight is that the more you create an us vs. them scenario, the more people feel compelled to align with and defend their respective “sides”, creating an impasse. The only way forward as I see it is to appeal to our humanity in general and not align ourselves with any race (which as self proclaimed non-racists, we shoudln’t).

Doubtless it’s a long and arduous process, but hey, we gotta start somewhere. Do you have any better ideas?

Of course, this does not mean keeping silent on issues such as the prolonged incarceration of the refugees, but accusing the “other” of racism is unlikely to yield any results, given that neither “side” has a good track record on the matter.

My personal belief is that the refugees must be returned to their homes at the earliest possible, but at the same time, any remaining weapons caches must be found and destroyed, so that we don’t see anyone attempting to revert things to the old status quo. I see that as a practical step given the situation. Of course, pressure on the govt. to hurry on the process is a good thing.

Well said! You’ve hit the nail exactly on the head!

Now, the same authorities who have treated journalism with such contempt are seeking to keep information in the realm of contestability, through the cynical technique of rebuttal.