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The horror of the Nugegoda bombing and many other such atrocities
makes one wonder in bafflement about the acceptance, protection and
defense of the LTTE by certain foreign governmental factors.
These certain foreign Governmental factors have yielded to this
terrorist organization due to this terror groups supporters’ incessant
tales of woes in compliance with the LTTE’s views on the governance for
its people - ethnic, cultural, racial, and religious idealisms towards a
fascist state totally devoid of acceptance of democracy, national unity,
and the upholding of their cultural heritage in peaceful and civilized
forms.
In modern times, it has been seen in every civilized and peaceful
nation of the world, differing communities and ethnicities interacting
and cooperating with minimal tensions - communities either concentrated
in an area or wide-spread over the country.
It has been seen that in these peaceful nations, each community
safeguards its own, while relying on its nation’s majority to lead and
sustain.
Most countries formally under colonial rule, as in Sri Lanka, are
inhabited by many different communities of people. The colonizers
themselves have taken in many of their colonial immigrants.
Indeed, in most countries of the world, save for a secluded few, the
city populous comprise of many different ethnic and religious groups and
communities. However, there is always one majority ruling race, and one
majority religion, and one majority language in each one of them.
It has been seen that the advent of Sri Lanka as a nation was when
the British unified the country into a whole, with the center of
government in Colombo. Previously, our island contained a set of several
kingdoms which were at times warring, but for most part lived in unity
and corporation within the island.
Prior to colonization, there were the kingdoms of the Sinhala over
most of the island , and the kingdom of the Tamil in the north. With the
rule of the British, the country was divided into provinces and
districts for ease of rule.
Although this would seem a divide and rule policy, it was the easiest
and best way to unify the country and rule it efficiently - division in
a sense of that which was already divided was put into a more formal
aspect.
Unified under the British, Sri Lanka became the more formalised
country known as Ceylon, with Colombo as its center of commerce and
governing. At independence, the government was handed over to the
majority, the Sinhalese, with Colombo as its capital.
The new Government followed a democratic parliament styled on the
British parliament, with the view towards each race and community being
given a fair representation based on their population percentages.
Our Nation is not alone in this form. Consider countries such as
India, Malaysia, China, Japan, the U.S., and England.
Previous to unification, these countries were warring factions within
their land masses.
Once formed as modern nations however, they have strived towards
national peace and unity.
The governance of the United States, for example, consists of various
states with the country’s ethnic minorities concentrated in certain
states. Some of its Southern states comprise of Hispanic majorities, and
certain other states, of Black American majorities.
This nation will never pander to any spark of talks of separation in
any form, and will use peaceful and democratic methods to quell any
dissention at its onset. It functions with a form of government where
the rule is of the White Christian majority.
In considering the history of the United Kingdom, there have been
various ethnic groups within these land masses - the Celts, the Angles,
the Saxons and others.
Each group was a warring group amongst the others with the Celtic
groups concentrated in the North and West and Southern coasts of
England, and Ireland. Each ethnic group had differing languages and
religions.
The Celts in the North in Scotland demanded their autonomy in the
1600’s, but unification of the island of England under Queen Elizabeth(I)
put an end to these ethnic and religious divisions.
The southern part of the British Isles of Ireland however, remained
Catholic and Gaelic speaking.
For many years the Irish Republican Army induced terror of its
citizens. After many peace talks and negations, peaceful agreements have
been finally reached - the IRA is a terror group of the past.
Nowadays, there is very little talk of these ethnic groups, save for
their historical and anthropological interest. Indeed Britain has also
accepted other ethnic groups like the Jews and Arabs, and communities
from all parts of its colonies especially the Indian community, and has
successfully integrating these communities within its larger group of
Britishers and within the precincts of its White Anglo-Saxon Christian
Protestant majority rule.
Many Tamils in our country and around the world would want to see a
permanent unified and peaceful Sri Lanka; a country to call their
homeland and a place where families, cultures and traditions can
flourish.
The Tamils have lived in the north for thousands of years, and had
their own kingdoms and culture -this is also true about the Scots in the
British Isle before unification in the 1600’s.
In modern terms though and especially after over 400 years of
colonization where rule of the country became centralized, the same
rules of Government cannot apply.
It serves no purpose for the LTTE to keep hankering after separatism
and to use acts of terror to achieve this end. It is best that the LTTE
lay down its arms and take a more modest, peaceful and humanistic
approach towards fulfilling their needs as a strong and viable
community.
Division of our land would mean an eternal warring between the two
sides. It would mean such a weakening of our country that the foreign
restless powers of greed and ambition will only too gladly swoop down
and consume our country - our country with its glorious histories,
cultures, traditions and aspirations.
Division will mean the demise of our only hope for pride as a nation,
and for future generations to follow that which has been passed down by
long history and tradition.
Cooperation and unity between all race factions should begin at top
level within the parliamentary precincts of the government of Sri Lanka,
with the Tamil minority working hand-in-hand with their Sinhala
counterparts, gaining their confidence and their respect and vice versa.
As in the country of Peru, where a politician from the minority
Japanese community actually aspired and became its President, so could
it be also for Sri Lanka.
Indeed in the United States, one of the top Presidential contenders
for its up-coming elections is from the Black American minority group.
We hope that the dignity and refinement the Sri Lankan spirit will
prevail, and that our rulers will lead our nation fairly and
conscientiously for the good of all.
RAMONA T. FERNANDO
U.S.A.
We all must act to stop elephants from being shipped to zoos. I just
read of little Asokamala’s possible fate, of being sent to a zoo in
Armenia.
I hope the Sri Lankan Government will not do this, as we are all
learning as a modern society that such a practice is wrong.
Especially, we have all just followed and learned from the plight of
Maggie the elephant (www.friendsofmaggie.net) who was also brought to a
cold place to be a friend of another elephant there.
When that elephant died, she was alone for ten years. There was huge
public outcry, and Maggie was finally sent to retire in a proper
environment, a sanctuary for elephants in California that is similar to
her natural habitat.
I hope very much that rather than move an elephant such as Asokamala
away from her herd and her family, which would be devastating the Sri
Lankan Government work with Armenia to help them discover more about
elephants, and work to relocate the male elephant in Armenia to a proper
sanctuary.
It is time to end the cycle of abuse of these incredible creatures
and thereby work to extend the boundaries of compassion and respect for
all human and animal life.
REBECCA M.
The Sirasa Superstar competition is now over, but the competition
alone has left in its wake a trail of suspicion, criticism and
condemnation.
I am of course referring to our mobile phone operators who had
stooped so low as to immobilise their transmission towers - at the most
crucial time - thus denying subscribers their SMS facility to ‘vote’ for
the singer of their choice.
This nonetheless savours of a paradigm of the apparently unholy
nature of some human beings who tend to be hypocrites in a particular
sphere that concerns a vast majority of people.
One wonders whether a thing of this sort could only take place in Sri
Lanka where interested parties put their feet in the wrong areas in
order to sway the final verdict depending by and large only by SMS
‘voting’.
Please permit me to refer to a published letter in one of our
national newspapers wherein I had specifically stated that the concept
of selecting a Superstar by SMS voting is unacceptable to the discerning
public merely because this is not an election - Parliamentary or Local
Government.
In that letter I had suggested the appointment of a panel of judges
comprising seven ‘Visaradas’ of the calibre of Amaradeva, Sanath
Nandasiri, Chandrika Siriwardene and Geethadeva, just to mention a few.
By secret ballot, they could select the Superstar which would no
doubt eliminate all forms of sabotage.
I hold no brief for the finalists in the competition - yet I feel
constrained to write about this competition in the light of the incident
that transpired particularly in the matter of voting by SMS.
FAZAL MAHMOOD
Chilaw
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