Pulasthigama: only a stop on the way

I have little regard for John Amaratunga, the former government's Minister for the Interior, as one with much respect for law and order, especially after his role in the exposure of the safe house at Athurugiriya that sheltered the Army's Deep Penetration Unit, of which the late Major Muthaliph was a part, as were so many other brave and daring soldiers who really frightened the LTTE. That sordid episode was a clear act of treason.

However, even the devil deserves his due and one must take note that it was John Amaratunga, who raised the issue of the attack on the Roman Catholic Church at Pulasthigama, at the adjournment motion in Parliament last Tuesday.

It is regrettable that it was left to a member of the Opposition to have raised this issue in Parliament. It deserved serious mention by the Minister for Christian Affairs or the Minister for Buddhasasana, who is also the Deputy Minister of Defence as well as the Minister of Public Security, Law and Order.

As Minister in charge of the Police and Law Enforcement, Mr. Ratnasiri Wickramanayake would have known of this act of bigotry, desecration and gross violation of the law long before Mr. John Amaratunga.

It would have been far better had the Minister for Law and Order, and also the Buddhasasana, brought this attack to the notice of the House, condemned it, as he later did, and obtained the same condemnation from all quarters of the House, as Mr. John Amaratunga succeeded in gaining.

Such a move would have left a much better and more lasting impression of the Government's commitment to safeguard the rights of all religions, at a time when there is considerable concern among minority religions, especially in the wake of developments in the East, involving Buddha statues.

Previous attacks

For the record, it is necessary to state that while Mr. John Amaratunga did well in raising this matter in Parliament, there were many such attacks on Christian churches and places of worship, when he was in charge of the Police, with no arrests being made.

One can well recall the fear the Christians in this country lived under, during the Christmas of 2003, which coincided with the cremation of the remains of the Ven. Soma Thera.

It was the bold action of President Kumaratunga, in calling the Armed Forces to help the Police prevent any attacks on Christians that enabled them to go in safety to the traditional midnight mass of Christmas, and also feel free to move about in the next few days.

It is a matter for regret that while Mr. John Amaratunga, raised this issue of attacks on Christian places of worship, and in this instance the stabbing of two persons who were in the church that was attacked, the leader of his party, the much vaunted "Prince of Peace" or future saviour of the nation, even as Prime Minister has not uttered a single word against the attacks on those of beliefs other than Buddhist.

It gives cause for serious concern whether in his frantic search for popularity, Ranil Wickremesinghe would betray these smaller communities of beliefs other than Buddhist, and expose them to violence as his political mentor J.R. Jayewardene did to the Tamils who are lesser in number to the Sinhalese, until with July 1983 he became the "midwife" that helped in the birth of the LTTE in its current form of total commitment to terror, violence and intolerance.

A trail of violence

Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church at Pulasthigama is but a mere stop or a pause along a long trail of recent violence against places of Christian worship, and even worse, the obstruction to Christian burials.

The President praised the IGP earlier this week for his handling of the critical situation threatening law and order in the country.

With such praise showered, it would be a true and fitting laurel if he leads his department to track down the criminals who carried out the attack at Pulasthigama, the sooner done the better.

This is most important because no persons who carried out the earlier attacks on places of Christian worship, more than 25 in one year, have been brought before the law and punished, although in some instances the culprits were identified and even taken into police custody.

It is only such law enforcement that will help convince others that both religious bigots and racial chauvinists, emphasizing the importance of majority dominance, and those of lesser numbers living under sufferance, will not be dictating the rules of governance in this country.

Although the JHU did condemn that attack at Pulasthigama, albeit with some references to alleged anti-Buddhist activity by Christian NGOs and new Christian groups, it was a prominent member of the same party who recently said it is necessary to accept that Sri Lanka was essentially a country of or owned by the Sinhalese, and that other communities could be allowed to live here. The implication of living under sufferance is very clear.

In this context the observation made in Parliament by the Minister for Christian Affairs, Milroy Fernando, that he represents an electorate of majority Catholics where the minority Buddhists had freedom of worship, has no relevance, and is even dangerous in concept. What we need is a Constitution and a State where all irrespective of race, ethnicity or religion are free everywhere and in every aspect.

The Indian example

In an important judgment involving the prevention of obstruction to Muslims taking funeral processions through Hindu areas in Tamil Nadu, the First Bench of the Madras High Court recently ruled that: " India does not belong to Hindus alone. It belongs to Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, Sikhs, Jews etc.," The Court said: "In our country all citizens are entitled to live as first rate citizens.

It is the greatness of the founding fathers who made the Constitution that, at the time of Independence when the subcontinent was engulfed in religious madness, they insisted that our country shall not be declared as a Hindu State, but as a secular State."

The Court also said: "It was the duty of the majority community to protect the minorities and to see to it that the minority community members were made to feel secure and live with respect." (The Hindu July 18, 05)

Sri Lanka needs a similar commitment to secularism in all aspects governance, with no place for the bigotry and chauvinism of a State dominated by one race or religion. It is the task of those who believe in the importance of a secular state to take the lead in this effort.

Unless that is done, and the police act effectively to prove that they are not with or are cowed down by the preachers of religious bigotry, tragedies such as the one at Pulasthigama will be much more, spread wider and bloodier too.