Archive for November, 2009

Why should Tamil speaking communities give critical support to Sarath Fonseka?

Authors note: This expands on a comment I left on Groundviews here, in response to my last article In defense of the JVP campaign to support Sarath Fonseka. Tamils must not play a sectarian role in the presidential election. That’ll be counterproductive. This is not the time for Tamils to do politics based on anger and hatred. Tamils, I think, should realize democratic transformation of the Centre is crucial for them. Also, Tamil-speaking people – including plantation-workers & Muslims and Colombo Tamils- live all over Sri Lanka. Therefore, it’s important to make all calculations in general terms, not in sectarian terms. All parties of the Tamil-speaking people should maintain a solid united front in presenting their demands. They should present them to the General in no uncertain terms. It should amount to a critical support – not a blank cheque. The presidential election will mark a unique turn in Sri Lankan politics, irrespective of the protagonist’s personal background. This election…

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Ragging in our universities: A symptom or a disease?

Sri Lanka is one of the few countries that provides students the opportunity of a free secondary education. More than 200,000 students sit for the GCE Advanced Level examinations in Sri Lanka every year, of which only around 20,000 are selected to the fourteen universities across the country. It is possible to conclude then that this 10% who make it, are among the brightest and best brains in the country, who deserve every bit of the chance they get to ensure a better life for themselves. Surprisingly then, barely one year into their University careers, a few of these same students get angrily referred to in the media and among the public as being “mentally unstable” and even “psychotic”. The reason? Ragging. Ragging is thought to have begun in educational institutions in the 18th Century and was very much in vogue in European countries. The concept was then adopted in the US in a milder form known as ‘hazing’, and spread…

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The fate of Internally Detained Persons and the future of freedom and democracy

There is much  controversy over the fate of the internally displaced persons (IDPs), whom I wish to refer as internally detained persons. In essence, this controversy revolves around the nature of the LTTE, the counter-insurgency strategy of the GOSL, and its criminal effect on over 200,000 detainees. The question of the fate of some 10,000 Tamil political prisoners who are yet to be charged, also hovers in the background. To get some rationality and clarity on these issues, we should raise and answer one fundamental question. Do the Tamil people who consider the North-East as their areas of historical habitation (homeland) constitute a nation? This question cannot be resolved by piling up archaic archaeological or historical evidence. It is not a question of who came first.  The fact is that the modern Tamil nation has been forged through six decades of political struggle, including nearly three decades of armed struggle, at the cost of immense sacrifice and suffering, against systematic…

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We will reap what we sow: Sri Lanka’s Presidential contenders

In a one dimensional interview with the Daily Mirror, General Sarath Fonseka outlined his grievances before the people and we got an idea why he is running for the highest office in the land. It was a litany of personal woes. Just about the whole interview was about what has been taken away from him by the Rajapakse brothers since the end of the war. More specifically, the interview dealt almost exclusively with the issue of reducing his security detail. To give him credit, he knew exactly how many personnel, support staff, vehicles and special forces were involved in providing security for the President, the Secretary of Defense, his nemesis the former Navy Commander, wife of Lakshman Kadiragamar, the current Commander of the Army, one Brigadier and so on. He also knew how long former heads of armed forces had stayed at their official residences after retirement and the diplomatic posts bestowed on them. In between, almost as an after…

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Provincial Council Elections 2008/2009: Nominations for and representation of women

Table1

A number of columnists have commented on the various different aspects of the Provincial Council elections held in 2008 /2009 beginning with the Eastern PC elections in May 2008. These comments have ranged from increasing election fatigue, the costs to the tax payer, the phenomenon of the new contenders, and implications of results for future parliamentary and presidential elections. Here I would like to focus on the nominations given to women and women’s representation in PCs following these elections. According to statistics from the Department of Elections a total of 31 political parties and numerous Independent groups (as many as 13 in some districts) contested for the 417 seats in the 8 PC elections held between May 2008 and October 2008. A staggering 9356 candidates were given nominations, almost double the number at the 2004 PC elections. 711 women were among the candidates i.e 7.5% of the total number of candidates. As Table No. 1 indicates this is slightly less…

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Are alliances the key in Sri Lanka’s up-coming Presidential election?

In the past few weeks newspapers were rife with speculations of a possible presidential or parliamentary election that was ‘coming soon’. Confirming most of these speculations, President Mahinda Rajapakse announced the presidential elections and sent directives to the election commissioner to do the needful in this regard.  Ending the long speculation of the common candidate, the UNF and the JVP also announced that they will field General Sarath Fonseka as their common candidate in the upcoming presidential election. Political analysts are already busy with their predictions on the outcomes of the most awaited hustings.  Political Analysts and regular newspaper columnist who unconditionally supported the Rajapakse regime and General Fonseka during the war are now finding themselves in total discomfiture, as on the one hand, they want to seal their allegiance to President Rajapakse by predicting his potential victory while also being careful not to deny General Fonseka’s ability to be a formidable challenge to that.  I guess, this precarious stance…

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In defense of the JVP campaign to support Sarath Fonseka

The ongoing “Rajapaksa-Fonseka battle” is a blessing in disguise for the Tamil-speaking people and the Sinhalese despite its immediate appearances; because the upcoming debates are bound to change the confused Sinhala consciousness on an unprecedented scale. The JVP’s decision to back the General as a tactical move to get rid of the utterly corrupt Rajapaksa-regime is sensible indeed, to say the least. Fonseka is a political novice, therefore, he is malleable. He is thoroughly cornered by the reactionary establishment; and therefore, his pliability is increasing by the day. That’s a positive thing. The chances of him suddenly turning into a dictator after an electoral victory is very little indeed. If he does a social revolution will be on the cards; and it’ll be the duty of the JVP to lead the people towards real democracy & real “poverty eradication” along socialist principles. Comrade Bahu’s decision to contest, I believe, is wrong. It will confuse the Tamils and mislead the Sri…

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Potato Farmer’s Anthropology Research: Part 1

I have taken up anthropology. It is I, your potato farmer. In previous posts, I told you the story of my farm, my trial and my poultry venture. I now want to study the differences between the T-tribe and the S-tribe in our island paradise, in order to answer a fundamental question about genetics and behavior. Experts say that the genomic variation within members of either tribe is as high as that across. The technology of DNA sequencing was unknown to the authors of our History 101 texts, MV and YVM, from which our tribal elders often quote, to drive up our blood pressures and make us vote for them. Because of our overindulgence in these classics, we have failed to notice the scientific advances taking place around us, miserably failing, for example, to take part in the fantastic technological developments in neighboring India – the Bangalore phenomenon, though we had an advantageous starting point in terms of education (C.W.W….

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Wasted vote!

Caveat: It is strongly encouraged that one reads Dr. Saravanamuttu’s article “Rajapakse vs Fonseka: Tweedledum vs Tweedledee” before proceeding. Also, in this fragment I have failed to adequately define terms such as “moderate” and “extremist”; however, I hope my readers will be considerate of the informal, conversational nature of this fragment. In previous presidential elections, although the (generally) two primary candidates were far from satisfactory, one was generally the lesser of the two evils. The question whether President Rajapakse or General Fonseka is the the lesser of the two evils cannot be convincingly answered.  Dr. Saravanamuttu, in his latest Groundviews post, aptly used the cliché, “between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea”. There will be enough and more banter about the merits and demerits of each candidate; everyone trying to vilify one candidate more than the other. But there will be no resolution to the question in the foreseeable future (ie before the election) Nevertheless, the terrible choice that…

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Manufacturing of a ‘Common Candidate’ and Our Collective Political (Un)Conscious

“The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them.” — Karl Marx “The oppressed, having internalized the image of the oppressor and adopted his guidelines are fearful of freedom. Freedom would require them to eject this image and replace it with autonomy and responsibility.” — Paulo Freire As news of the upcoming election unfolds, I find myself considering the meaning of the notion the “common candidate” in general, and its application to General Fonseka in particular.  In the broadest sense, a common candidate is one who represents and promises to fulfill the people’s common aspirations and desires.  Whether the General meets these criteria is still open to question, and I think our understanding and our judgment on the matter would be improved through reflection.  I find myself, perhaps along with my readers, wondering what is unique about the timing of this “common candidacy,” and what, exactly,…

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Rajapaksa vs Fonseka: Tweedledum vs Tweedledee?

The results of the national elections are now by no means certain.  There is a contest and as a consequence, there is the possibility that the presidency could change hands, which in turn will have its impact on the general elections.  This is attributable to the Fonseka presidential candidacy and it depriving the incumbent of claiming sole credit for the defeat of the LTTE. Contests in themselves are good.  Elections being the principal mechanism for choice and change in a functioning democracy, the lack of a contest could breed a lack of interest in elections on the part of the electorate, which in turn is not healthy for participatory and representative democracy.  The Fonseka candidacy ensures that the Rajapaksa dynasty is not assured.  They will have to fight and fight they will, to turn appreciation and gratitude for the defeat of the LTTE under their watch into a mandate for government into the next decade.  Yet, challenging the Rajapaksas or…

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The transformation of Buddhism in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, the Dhamma preached by the Buddha has gone through many transformations. First we had the Hinduization, bringing in Hindu deities into our temples, sometimes converting them to ‘Buddhism’. Next came the Christianization, which led to the coining of the term ‘Protestant Buddhism’. This was influenced more by Christians who turned to Buddhism, than from a direct influence of the Christian church. We saw this with the start of ‘Sunday Schools’ instead of teaching the Buddha Dhamma to the children on poya days. We saw the Bhakti Gee, Wesak Cards, Schools on the lines of the Missionary schools. Saying ‘Theruwan Sarani’ for ‘God Bless’. Even performing marriages in temples, officiated by Buddhist monks, even though there was no legal status in the ‘temple marriage’. Now we are seeing the Islamization of Buddhism. It too had begun gradually, almost unobtrusively, like the proverbial camel getting into the tent. Some of the first changes happened in ‘Buddhist schools’, where mothers…

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Taking note of the Lisbon Treaty

Czechoslovakian President Vaclav Klaus signed the 2007 EU Lisbon Treaty on the 3rd of November thereby making the Treaty effective as of the 1st of December 2009. The Czech Republic was the last European Union nation (EU is comprised of 27 nations) to ratify the Lisbon treaty. President Klaus, a Eurosceptic, had earlier opposed the Treaty, and still had many objections to the Treaty, but felt forced to sign the treaty after the Czech Constitutional Court had ruled in favor of the Treaty. The Lisbon treaty was signed by EU leaders on 13 December 2007 bringing to an end several years of negotiations about institutional issues. The Treaty of Lisbon amends the current EU and EC treaties, without replacing them. The 287 page treaty was meant to strengthen the institutions of the European Parliament. Key innovations include a new permanent EU President to coordinate the union’s affairs; creating the post of a Foreign Minister and new regulations to allow decision…

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A Wobbly Bridge (Or Is It A Footpath?) From The Tamil Diaspora

For a long time I didn’t think of myself as being a part of the Tamil Diaspora. I had this vague feeling that I was going to go back home some day.  Even when it was pretty obvious that I was not going back, I still didn’t want to identify myself as a member of the Diaspora.  For me, acknowledging that I was a part of the Diaspora meant closing the door on my life in Colombo.  Forever.  After this past year, I am humbled and grateful to be able to call myself a part of the Diaspora (and furious, sad, and horrified, like much of the Tamil Diaspora, by the plight of Tamil citizens callously sacrificed to the Sri Lankan State’s all-out war against the LTTE).  Still, it has not been easy to find my place in this amorphous and evolving Diaspora and to figure out my relationship to Sri Lanka from within it. Until now, it seemed to…

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The Travelling Circus: A different take on IDPs in Sri Lanka

Groundviews recently spoke to Tracy Holsinger of Mind Adventures and Mike Masilamani (Masii) about the upcoming production of ‘The Travelling Circus’, devised and adapted from Mike’s short story, ‘The Boy Who Spoke in Numbers‘. Tracy’s adaptation of the short story for stage deals with the political and social problems in Sri Lanka at present and also ventures, comprehensively, into the subject of IDPs. Tracy and Mike highlighted the importance of theatre in engaging with the narratives of the country as well as the moral and political dilemmas that prevail in our society. The production is a refreshing approach in engaging the discourses that surround the IDPs of Sri Lanka at present and one where theatre will quite assertively make its voice heard on the issue. For further information on ‘The Travelling Circus’ please visit, http://www.mindadventuressl.com/ For a more in-depth conversation with Tracy Holsinger on theatre in Sri Lanka, click here. Repost This Article

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About Groundviews

Located at the Centre for Policy Alternatives in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Groundviews is a citizen journalism website that uses a range of genres and media to highlight critical perspectives on governance, reconciliation, human rights, the arts and literature, democracy and other issues. The site has won two international awards, including the prestigious Manthan Award South Asia in 2009. The grand jury's evaluation of the site noted, "What no media dares to report, Groundviews publicly exposes. It's a new age media for a new Sri Lanka... Free media at it's very best!"

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