Overcoming the language barrier

A scheme is under way to impart Sinhala and Tamil language skills to elected local Government officials and staff in 11 local government bodies in the Eastern Province. The project sponsored by USAID is aimed at closer interaction with multi-ethnic communities to foster better understanding and improve service.

According to USAID Mission Director Rebecca Cohn "When Sinhala officials learn Tamil and Tamil officials learn Sinhala it sends an important message and demonstrates their commitment to serving all ethnic groups".

More often than not it had been the practice for elected representatives in multi-ethnic communities to serve only their community. Learning each others languages may now blur these lines of demarcation making the elected serve all communities across the board. Of course, it would take time for the results to show on the ground. But making people familiar with each other's language is an effective remedy for unity.

Without doubt the language issue had been one of the key factors which estranged the two communities. It was an expedient exploited to the hilt by power hungry politicians of all hues. Isn't it paradoxical now that politicians themselves are being used albeit unwittingly to undo the damage they caused, by bringing about an amalgam through learning the very languages that was the bone of contention.

The sponsors could not have done better than to start the program targeting elected representatives who are but a microcosm of the general electorate. It is bound to have an influence on the general population and help speed up the unifying process. Through this improved means of communication it is also hoped that all enmities and entrenched prejudices are set aside in the multi-ethnic East and showcase it as an epitome of co-existence.

While all attention is paid towards improving the standard of English and rightly so it is indeed refreshing to note this step taken by an international agency to foster teaching of Sinhala and Tamil with a view to improve interaction among the two main communities.

Had such initiatives been taken by our rulers from the very inception, it could have helped avert the volcano that was to erupt later and consume the country in flames. It is interesting to note that ethnic harmony is most pronounced in the localities with a cosmopolitan background where the people speak each other's languages and communicate with ease.

For example, in the densely populated Colombo metropolitan where there is a heavy mix of both Sinhala and Tamils, tensions are much less than in locales where the language barrier is most pronounced.

This shows the power of language as a unifying force. The scheme specially targeting the Eastern Province is significant. This is an area where at one time the entire community was shut-off from the national mainstream. Even the few Sinhala schools that existed were forced to put up shutters and the region brought under the hegemony of a single language. Thus a whole generation were shut-off from the Sinhala language, its culture and ethos.

Hopefully, the new program started to teach Sinhala and Tamil languages to elected representatives in the East would prove a catalyst towards the strengthening of bonds between the different communities united in a single language of brotherhood and love and provide a stepping stone to the much looked forward to unity.

The Government too should step up implementing the national language policy in earnest where Government servants proficient in both Sinhala and Tamil are singled out for special incentives and promotions.

We say this because despite the genuine efforts made, there are still complaints by sections of Tamils that official correspondence are sent to them in Sinhala. The problem is worse at certain Police stations where there is no officer to record complaints in Tamil creating its own complications. The problem is acute in the Estates.

Learning each other's languages between the Sinhala and Tamils cannot come at a better time when the country has been united under one banner. This is the ideal time for the two communities to get to know each other better and cultivate mutual understanding. Learning each other's languages would also help the healing process and above all help create a firm foundation for national reconciliation.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa during his victory speech in Parliament spoke of a single people and a single community. What better way to reinforce this other than by closing the communication gap - by learning each other's languages.