A Personal view on Ethnic problems in Sri Lanka 2019

I consider every Sri Lankan as a son or daughter of Mother Lanka. I have many friends and I don’t care what nationality, race or religion they are. I am convinced that any division of Sri Lanka on ethnic lines will lead to a sad situation with even more conflict. What we need is a just society in Sri Lanka where race, religion or cast etc would not in any way be a hindrance and every inch of land should be available to any Sri Lankan to live in if they chose to do so with complete freedom and safety. No Northern or North Eastern Homeland for Tamils and no Southern or Hill country homeland for Sinhalese. Sri Lanka belongs to all. I believe that Cultures can be preserved and cross-cultural fertilisation will only bring benefits. The Sinhalese and Tamils have far more in common than differences. They have common origins as suggested but the reality is that a Tamil person feels a “Tamil” and a Sinhala person feels a “Sinhalese”. To deny that would be to deny reality. To deny that Tamils in Sri Lanka have endured a lot of hardship and difficulties for the mere fact that they were Tamils would be dishonest.  However, if any Tamil does not recognise the reality that the majority race and religion in Sri Lanka is Sinhalese and Buddhism respectively and that this is bound to influence our Society (and I don't mean favouritism at the expense of minorities which is one of the dangers but not an inevitable consequence of being a minority), the only way for them to feel comfortable in a non-integrated environment is to pursue the unrealistic goal of a Tamil Eeelam. It is a shame if moderate Tamils were also pushed into this belief because of the failure of successive governments to implement a just Constitution. What they saw was a series of broken promises which ultimately led to the biggest disaster Sri Lanka and all its people ever faced, i.e., the birth of the LTTE, an inhuman terrorist organisation which led to unimaginable damage to Sri Lanka and its people, in every possible way, both directly and indirectly. Although it would be wrong to gloat in the defeat of the LTTE, it is quite natural to regard it as a victory and celebrate it in an appropriate and sensitive way, by all communities.

My personal view is that we are one Nation and I would promote integration at all levels leading to the end of the “Sinhalese” and “Tamil” racial identities and the birth of a true “Sri Lankan” identity, but although I am an idealist and humanist at heart, I am also a realist and I know that this won’t happen. I would like to see opportunities being given to every school child and for that matter every citizen, to learn Sinhala, Tamil and English. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we are all trilingual and if our religion is a personal matter which would not in any way influence our opportunities and aspirations? Wouldn’t it be lovely if all of us could appreciate the rich Sinhala and Tamil literature and musical culture? Wouldn’t it be lovely if “caste” becomes a bad word confined to history? Ah yes, it is nice to dream!

The war is over but the battle can be won only by acceptance from both sides that underlying grievances which made Tamil people feel like second class citizens in their own country must be tackled head-on. This is a two-stage process and the first is an acceptance of the fact. It never ceases to amaze me that there are people who still say “Grievances? What grievances?” When the first condition is met, i.e recognition and acceptance, then the second stage should follow, i.e, taking the necessary action to remedy this and work genuinely towards establishing a Society where your religion and race will not in any way disadvantage you. Any problems should be dealt with in a civil way and not by violence. The past does matter and cannot be swept under the carpet.  For example, the huge disparity in the proportion of Tamils in Universities and Govt jobs was a direct result of the methods used by the British Raj and the Missionaries. No one can seriously assert that this was because the Tamils are more intelligent for example. The Tamils have to accept that with favouritism disappearing and educational facilities becoming better and more disseminated, the balance is bound to change. And this balance is not just between Tamils and Sinhalese, it is also within their own communities. The chances of a rural Sinhala person or a rural Tamil person entering University are much higher than say, post-independence. This is even reflected in the Cricket Team. In the days gone by, it was Royal, St Thomas's, St Peters, St Benedict's, Ananda and Nalanda that produced our cricketers (Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim Moors etc). Now it is wonderful to have chaps from Maha Vidyalaya who can hardly speak English (and I do not in any way say that in a derogatory sense)! The move away from the highly advantageous position the Tamils enjoyed was bound to change even without standardisation or positive discrimination as a result of natural evolution. Even the much-maligned Standardisation disadvantaged not just Tamils but also Sinhala people in Colombo for example. These are realities which Tamils have to accept. They should try and understand why there is so much bitterness especially within the older Sinhala generation who witnessed the unfairness experienced by the Sinhala people within Colonial rule when to be Sinhalese and Buddhist were twin disadvantages. By the same token, the senior Sinhalese generation should be in a better position to understand how terrible it must be to be disadvantaged because you are not a Sinhalese or a Buddhist. Two wrongs do not make a right. What the minorities such as the Tamils can and should demand is that they should not be discriminated in any way because they are Tamils and that they should enjoy all the rights and safeguards (such as the Right to communicate in the language of their choice and observe their Cultural practices) that any citizen of Sri Lanka could expect. If however, people can truly feel Sri Lankan, such differences would not exist as we are all Sri Lankan. The fact that there will be a higher proportion of Sinhalese if an ethnic analysis is done, would merely be a statistic and a reflection of the ethnic mix of the country. Does it matter? No at all if we all have the same rights.

Finally, the place of Buddhism. It is one of the most tolerant of religions (just one of the many good things we got from India!) and if so called Buddhists live the true life of a Buddhist, there will be no place for anger, hatred, jealousy, fear and paranoia but just true love, brotherhood and tolerance. I believe that all people innately have these qualities which just need encouragement and nurturing.

Let us learn from the past but not live in it. Let us move forwards towards a Sri Lanka blessed with economic prosperity within a tolerant and just society for all its citizens irrespective of race and religion.

If no realistic and practical measures are taken, the only other solution worth considering is a federal constitution within a Unified Sri Lanka with 2 separate states. This is not easy. Which areas would constitute a Tamil state? North or North and North East? How do you overcome the fears of those who regard this as  the first step in establishing a completely separate, Eeelam model state? How much freedom would each state possess in local affairs? What would come within the purview of the Sri Lankan State overriding any local laws?

I have been silent because I have an enormous sense of guilt as a Sri Lankan living comfortably abroad ( for reasons I don’t want to go into) and in many ways, I don’t feel I have the right to comment, especially to those Sri Lankans who had the opportunity to seek better pastures abroad like I had but chose not to. 

Nevertheless, in the words of Sir Walter Scott, - Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, who never to himself hath said, “This is my own, my native land!” Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned, as home his footsteps he hath turned, from wandering on a foreign strand! "