A honest look sans self criticism!

“….‘Sri Lankan’ identity in the island’s political praxis is one that identifies with a particular ideology – Sinhala Buddhist nationalism ……. I do not necessarily link Sri Lankan identity’s exclusivity with persons or even a particular community – I refer to an ideology”

You have named a particular community. You have also named a particular religion. Having labelled the combination as a nationalism it is cloaked as an ideology. Very confusing, as you have not defined that ideology but stopped short after attaching the label. Can you please define what you are adducing to, specifically.

“This I say to recognize that there are Sinhala Buddhists who do not share the Sinhala Buddhist political ideology and also because there are non-Sinhala Buddhists who adopt the Sinhala Buddhist ideology”

With all due respect I feel that is a run around and does not make sense. Not sure whether that was the intention.

What ideology does the non Buddhist Sinhalese have?
The non Sinhalese are Sinhalese in outlook because they have a common religion! Can you give specific examples so that we could understand what you mean.

Hegemony

1 : preponderant influence or authority over others : domination.
2 : the social, cultural, ideological, or economic influence exerted by a dominant group.

Take Sri Lanka and we have the Sinhalese as the dominant group, a physical fact that nobody can contest. An accident of birth just like being born a Tamil or any other. Want to create sympathy for a perceived “underdog”? Use the physical fact that 75% are Sinhalese against them. Want to fractionate that group? Focus on the Buddhists who are 70% of the population and absolve the Non Buddhists amongst them. Like a pack of wolves after a larger prey keep taking small bites. Divide and conquer. A brilliant strategy indicative of a legal mind. But proving that hegemony pervades Sinhala society is a far cry yet.

Mr Sebastian Rasalingam grew up in Jaffna. He is a low cast Tamil who was baptised in 1925. After WW2 he moved to Mannar and later to Hatton where he married an Estate Tamil Lady and thence to Colombo. Eighty eight years of age, he now lives in Canada. He has this to say about the “Hegemonic Sinhalese”.

quote
“When I moved to Hatton and later to Colombo, I found a very different world. It was a transforming experience for me and my wife to find that our workmates, mostly Sinhalese would actually sit with us and share a cup of tea. We found that we could go to night school and study without being threatened, beaten up, or go and borrow books, and do things that would bring swift retribution ‘back in the North’; our dwellings would have been torched and our women raped with impunity”
unquote. (dbsjayaraj.com)

The above statement emanating from a Jaffna Tamil gives us a rare glimpse at Tamil Society in the North and Sinhalese Society in the South through the experiences of a Tamil.

Mr Rasalingam has provided evidence of an actual hegemony of the Ku Klux gang kind that existed in the North on a daily basis where the Dominant group is a Tamil minority and the Dominated group a Tamil majority.

A minority can be hegemonic over a majority and it did happen in Lanka as well as elsewhere.

Kindly prove that the Sinhalese Buddhists exerted social, cultural, ideological and economic domination over the minorities sans the hyperbole.

You have quoted the following
““Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales – together we do have much to celebrate – the English language of Shakespeare, James Joyce, Dylan Thomas and Edwin Morgan himself “

Unfortunately we don’t have a common language to share in Lanka and that has caused all these problems. But about 85+% of the population does have a common cultural bond. That is the New Year which dawns when the Sun transits from the Meena Rashi to Mesha Rashi. The Sinhala and Tamil New year. It has official recognition in the form of a Public, Bank and Mercantile holiday of not one but two days. This is the most important cultural holiday in Lanka. Perhaps this is cultural hegemony of the Sinhala Buddhists as it is commonly referred to as the Sinhala Tamil New year instead of the Tamil Sinhala New Year!

The preponderance of Hindu deities in Buddhist Temples throughout the Island is perhaps another example of Sinhala Buddhist hegemony. How many Hindu Temples have reminders to Buddhism within them? Blame that too on the Sinhala Buddhists.

Is that reference to separate entities in the UK meant to draw a parallel in Sri Lanka? If so is it the Kingdoms of the past? If not what?

Kadphises asks two pertinent questions.

1. Do you agree that any solution should be based on complete fairness, equality and reciprocity between the communities.

2. Are you prepared to demand for the other communities the same privileges, perks and entitlements that you enjoy or desire for your own community?

You are yet to respond. Does that mean you seek special privileges and an unequal equality?

Burning Issue, a Tamil himself, astutely observes
“No Sinhala can support a situation that will lead to division of Sri Lanka.”

What is your response?

Mr Rasalingam makes the following plea

But my message is simple
Use history to unite people and not to divide them
There are no Tamils descending from Elara, or Sinhalese descending from Gamunu, today in Sri Lanka. All Sri Lankans are as mixed as a band of temple mongrels running loose.

Go for a multi-ethnic society. Follow the example of the Jews of new York who have not asked for Yiddish in every New-York police station, but looked for a domineering role in banking, professions etc. We had that in the 1950s, and lost most of it by pursuing a chimera.

I noted your statement “The anonymity of Aachcharya, I realise, is surrendered with this piece.”

Shouldn’t be a problem, you do have several others!

A federation of two states with 50:50 power sharing at the central government is being discussed as the best solution.

Thanks

That’s cool Ajith, we have several millions who have NOT wimped out, so we can afford a few dropouts and cop-outs like you. The others will fight for Sri Lanka and regard themselves as Sri Lankan while redefining what that means. Re-read Kumar Sangakkara’s closing lines.

You are 100% Mr Jeyachandran

The “bigger denominations” are pieced together with lots and lots of small change. Plus, if we aren’t smart enough to bring change, we should at least refrain from bothering our fellow passengers for change. For no bus driver anywhere in the world would tolerate passengers who feel such a sense of entitlement. Next time, don’t forget to bring some change. Ding, ding…your change, your destiny.

80’s & 90’s We have heard from the bus conductors in Colombo, “Why do we have to give change to Tamils?”

http://www.slbc.lk/index.php/component/content/article/1-latest-news/7265-the-president-pledges-to-rebuild-everything-which-was-lost-due-to-the-three-decade-war-
The President pledges to rebuild everything which was lost due to the three decade war, 19 July 2011:

President Mahinda Rajapaksa pledges that he will rebuild everything which was lost to the public three decades ago war. He stressed that he is ready to serve for everybody as the President disregarding whether they voted in or not.