Comments on: Long Read: Creating Social Reconciliation or Social Implosion?

By: PROF. KOPAN MAHADEVA

PROF. KOPAN MAHADEVA — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:01:59 +0000

Indeed a brilliant, dispassionate and intellectual analysis of what has really been happening in Sri Lanka since 1948, with some reference to certain other parts of the world. I am almost convinced of Lionel Bopage’s analysis in this first reading. The contents of this article merit being translated into Sinhala and Tamil and publicised in the newspapers. In particular this article needs to be distributed to the GOSL and top 225 law-makers with specific recommendations as to what should and could be done now, in time-framed steps, conceived from the viewpoint of those now occupying the hot seats. Can that be done?

As at today I feel diappointed. I find that the Sinhala-Tamil- Muslim polarisation has solidified in the hearts of the population, whatever they may say in public. To that extent it seems the best course could be to hold a clear-cut referendum among the principal ethnic groups
(with international observers) as to the form of government they would like to have, and proceed further. I say this because I see the GOSL struggling to do the right thing overall, but daily getting bogged into
more and more knotty problems — many new small problems that submerge the basic and more important, long-standing issues being solved even to
minimal standards. At the end of the day, common people want solutions
and will never be really happy with mere theorising, speeches, debates.
— Professor Kopan Mahadeva, London

By: Dr Dayan Jayatilleka

Dr Dayan Jayatilleka — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:05:50 +0000

Thoughtful; a positive contribution.

By: Sam Thambipillai

Sam Thambipillai — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:49:19 +0000

The problem in the island of former Ceylon, now called Sri Lanka(SL), is not an ethnic problem as falsely propagated by the government and the politicos.

A symptom is not the discease. It is the result of the discease.

In any discease curing or problem solving, it is not the symptom that is treated or addressed.

Sinhalese and Tamils often have good and friendly personal relationship. So, there is no problem there.

It is the GOSL, its institutions and the Sinhalese owned media that instigate and cause torture, murder, disappearance, repression and Tamil genocide.

The repression and brutality are merely symptoms of a problem in SL. The real problem in the island is a decolonisation problem.

The colonisation of Tamil Eelam(TE) was done by the unilateral declaration of the “Republic of SL” by a group of greedy Sinhalese politicos and attaching TE as a colony of SL in 1972.

This illegal and anti-UN action should be reversed.

For the past 40 years all the “talks” between SL and TE failed because decolonisation of TE was never addressed. And the “talks” even for another 40 years will be useless and endless unless the decolonistion of TE from SL is seriously addressed and implemented.