Low intensity evil in Sri Lanka
How can evil ever be low intensity? It is similar to a low intensity cyclone. It appears to be a misnomer. However it does really exist. A depression given the right conditions which causes spinning and convergence in the atmosphere becomes a highly damaging cyclone. Wisely meteorological institutions track depressions before they become cyclones due to their harm potential. Should not we be aware as to low intensity evil?
The celebrated author Miroslav Volf refers to low intensity evil as a complete system, which prevents others, from obtaining economic, social or psychological necessities through domination. It is low intensity because it is not outright persecution. Sadly it has the ability to work subversively trapping a naïve populace into believing in its perverted logic. Saying it -simply watch out! There could be schemes being hatched, already hatched, in fact the chicks could be running about even now, they appear normal, but they are working towards making someone, some people dominant. The flip side is that some people will not be finding the economic, social or psychological necessities that life requires because a group suppressed it to make themselves strong. This article attempts to engage in a larger issue than the ethnic issue alone. It attempts to engage the way our society functions.
The logic to make someone or a group dominant at the cost of others is evil. Those who want to dominate make their viewpoints the most dominating viewpoints in public life. They make their viewpoint permeate every facet of society; it is beamed through different lenses and repeated intentionally so that it would influence the totality of the way people think. Then Historians pick up this dominating viewpoint and trumpet out loud how the past was glorious when the dominating viewpoint was in play, and how the past victimized us when some other viewpoint was dominant. Political scientists play the same tune in all forums like DJ’s play the ‘in song’ at all the parties. Cultural anthropologists make stoic arguments at to how the community is under threat if the dominant viewpoint is not dominant, or if any other viewpoint is allowed to compete. Artists extol the virtues of the dominant group, and what you get is a public trapped into perverted logic. Somebody or some group must go down for myself or my group to come up. Is it of little wonder that all these groups appear to find an easier path to the Sri Lanka parliament, simple by echoing the dominant viewpoint?
Think of the argument about national sovereignty that is in the air. Whose sovereignty does it deem to protect? Is there any chance for anyone to stand up and say, we are signatories to the conventions that espouse Human rights and Humanitarian Law, and if there has been a breach there has to be an investigation? If not what does sovereignty mean? Is the sovereignty of the people different to the sovereignty of the state?
The problem with low intensity evil is that it cannot be always managed. With sustained dissent or the convergence of suppressed anger and we can experience violent repercussions, leaving us to wonder what went wrong.
Sri Lankan has been down this path before. Should we travel on it again?
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The logic that makes sense to me is that long as there is good, there will be evil. Ying & yang. So can an argument be made that if evil is an indisposable element of the world, low intensity is certainly better than full blown evil?
Is it of little wonder that all these groups appear to find an easier path to the Sri Lanka parliament, simple by echoing the dominant viewpoint?
Echoing the dominant view point has been the underlying principle of successful politicians everywhere! How can you blame them for that? Pardon my ignorance here.
If not what does sovereignty mean?
It means the lack of right to interferer! If this is an alien concept we need to work towards disbanding borders of all the countries of the world. We need to strive to make borders an irrelevant concept. Start challenging jurisdictional rights everywhere. Personally this is the way I’d like the world to be, although it would be wildly chaotic to say the least and probably unmanageable. But if I have to live in a world where borders are the reality, then you better respect my damn borders! If not then it should only be challenged through war.
It doesn’t seem to have occurred to the writer that the ‘sovereign people’ of Sri Lanka would be even less willing to consider an international investigation into the conduct of their armed forces in the climactic battles of a popular and victorious war, than would the ‘sovereign state’ of Sri Lanka!
Dr Dayan Jayatilleka presumably does not consider the Tamils in Sri Lanka as ‘sovereign people’ people of Sri Lanka. They all are urging for international investigation on the massacre of thousands of Tamils by the armed forces, ordered by Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Dayan is the organic intellectual of the Sinhalese state- chauvinism, He always backs authoritarian regimes
‘sovereign people’
“chosen people”
“Herrenmenschen”
Doesn’t it smell like…..
I appeal to some charities in the South to arrange bus trips for representatives from all vertical and horizontal groups in the South (not down A9 only to Buddhist temples) but into the side roads/lanes of Northeast and we will have a good definition of severeignty.
”If not what does sovereignty mean?
It means the lack of right to interferer!”
Sovereignty means good governance within one’s borders.
When that fails, good neighbours should prod each other.
South Asia hasn’t evolved that much.
It’s the evolution of humanity that talks about sovereignty and R2P.
Reflection of our education system?
Another Low intensity evil in Sri Lanka !!
I think, that this Tamil only registration in Sri Lanka is an ethnic profiling !!
Why are they registered twice in 3 years ?
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An elderly Tamil man who born and brought up in Colombo and he has no other place to call his own and has lived all his life in there.
Last month he had been told by the police to reregister himself and his family members with the police, the second time in past three years he had to undergo the humiliating procedure.
Earlier in 2008, he was rudely woken up and dragged to Wellawatta police station in the night and kept waiting for hours till cops wrote down his family information.
That was at the height of the war.
He asks: “But, why this time… when the war is over?
That is the question of a thousand Tamils.
This still the mind numbing question is why now — 14 months after the end of the war? And, if the program is to register all citizens, which is still bad and smacks
Why is it only in Tamil majority areas that the registration of people is taking place?
The Sinhalese created a monster in the name of Rajapakse to win the war.
Then once again in the last election, they fed the monster with all their votes to keep it in power
Do Sri Lankans think that now they are done with the monster, they could easily get rid of it?
The monster is there to stay and it’s stronger than ever!!!
This monster is holding All the power in Sri Lanka and is more dangerous than anyone.
He is enjoying unchallenged power to finish off anyone who he is suspicious of.
This monster interns or finishes off suspects without any witness to how they are tortured or disposed.
So in the retrospect let us see in real terms what this monster has achieved since the so called peace dawned on this country.
1. A defense budget allocation that surpassed all wartime defense budgets.
2. Loss of GSP plus resulting in daily closure of garment factories.
3. Escalation in prices of Bread/Gas/and most essentials.
4. Appointment of UN panel to probe rights abuses.
5. Demolition of legal/illegal structures of people occupying them for decades.
6. Budget allocation to family held ministries totaling 70% 0f budget.
7. Further suppression of media and journalists.
8. Targeted registration of Tamils thus discriminating minorities.
9. Embracing friends like China, Myanmar, Iran, Russia.(Birds of feather…….)
10. Slowly killing the population with increasing COL and repression.
Keep up the good work.
Who can believe that D J was a country representative at the UN?
But then he was the representative of Mahinda Rajapakse.
Peace constituency is NOT at all built:but low intensity evil is actively planned and practiced:
http://transcurrents.com/tc/2010/08/displacing_northern_tamils_to.html
Displacing Northern Tamils to set up Sinhala military cantonments would increase resentment, 1 August 2010:
Last week the villagers of Ragamwela in Ampara, engaged in a protest demonstration, accusing the police of occupying their lands. Ragamwela is strategically located close to several tourist hotspots; at midnight, July 17, an armed gang descended on the village, assaulting inhabitants and burning houses. …
Ragamwela villagers are Sinhalese; they can protest against the injustice done to them, still, without being labelled ‘Tiger pawns’. But protests are an unaffordable luxury for the residents of three Tamil villages in Murukkundi, displaced from their homes when the state confiscated 4,000 acres in Kilinochchi to build 12,000 prefabricated houses for military families. …….