We have self respect too
Shenali D. Waduge
There are some vital questions that need to be posed for answer
vis-a-vis the important upcoming event of the Commonwealth Heads of
Government Meeting in November 2013.
The fact that CHOGM will be staged amidst a hail of accusations and
allegations by foreign interlopers viz Sri Lanka warrants preparation of
a strategy that would counter these unjustified attacks. No country must
be allowed to point fingers at others particularly when their own hands
are soiled with the blood of innocents in not just one nation by almost
90 per cent of the entire world.
Sri Lanka and fellow nations of Africa, Asia, North and South America
and Australia were all one time colonies of the British Empire. Each
nation has their own woeful tale of atrocities that cover pilfering,
murder and divisions that continue to haunt the masses still. Many of
these once colonized nations in Africa and Asia are now coming out to
seek reparations and compensation from former colonial Western
countries. Sri Lanka is a civilized and considerate nation but we cannot
forget the crimes that our forbears and ancestors had to endure and it
is our duty to seek an apology and compensation for these crimes from
all three Western colonial countries i.e. Portugal, Netherlands, and
Britain.
What is our take on colonial compensation for crimes committed?
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Buddhists
in Myanmar |
Should we not as a self – respecting independent sovereign country be
ready with appropriate placards, slogans and argument in the event one
former colonial master attempts to give a discourse on Accountability
and Human Rights at the CHOGM in Hambantota? We invariably become
victims of their harassment of our own choosing when we take all what is
thrown at us lying down without protest or resistance. Does the
NGO-mindset prefer to keep mum and say ‘Mum’s the word’ and otherwise
maintain total silence when others start pointing the accusing finger at
us and by doing so continue the servile attitude? If Israel can be paid
compensation for the holocaust why can’t other nations who have suffered
more? The summary of the compensations made to Israel is given in detail
in the link.
http://www.claimscon.org/forms/allocations/Summary%20of%20Major%20Holocaust%20Compensation%20Programs.pdf
The Reparations Agreement between Israel and West Germany on
September 10, 1952 says that Israel has to be paid for the slave labour
and persecution of Jews during the Holocaust, and to compensate for
Jewish property that was stolen by the Nazis. In 2009, Israeli Finance
Minister Yuval Steinitz announced that he will demand a further €450
million to €1 billion in reparations from Germany on behalf of some
30,000 Israeli forced labour survivors.
Germany has paid $89billion already to Israel as compensation but
Israel claims a further 50,000 have not received compensation.
If Israel’s claims are being addressed why has Africa’s, Asia’s and
Latin America’s cases being ignored?
An International Claims Conference for Colonial Crimes upon Third
World nations must be immediately set up to put out into the open all
the crimes that have been committed by the Western world upon nations of
the Third World and the colonial powers must come out with a plan to
compensate these nations for the pilfering, the plunder, genocide, the
crimes against humanity and violations of human rights committed by
them.
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Yuval
Steinitz |
The Western media is quick to brand President Mahinda Rajapaksa as a
Sinhala Buddhist leader, given that he did come to power primarily on
the Buddhist vote as do all leaders since the majority are 70 per cent
Sinhalese Buddhists, it was the Mahinda Chinthanaya that promised to rid
the nation of LTTE terrorism that won him the people’s vote. The people
of this country did not vote for any other Chinthanaya for devolution,
separation of power, modification of the national anthem, discarding of
Article 9 of the Constitution and a subtle incremental usurping of the
rights of the Sinhala Buddhists legislatively.
As such, with great warmth when we greet those of other faiths
including foreign representatives at Ambassadorial level to discuss
matters concerning the interests of minority faiths, our next query is
what is stopping the initiation of a similar exercise i.e. an
international forum of Buddhist delegates and starting a think tank to
address the grievances of Buddhists in Sri Lanka as well in other parts
of the Buddhist world given that Article 9 empowers the State to take
steps to 'protect and foster Buddhism’. A straight forward answer will
be good.
We would also like to know if there is a specific reason that
detracts from issuing a statement showing allegiance with the Buddhist
world in particular the Buddhists of Burma/Myanmar which is a fellow
Theravada Buddhist nation? We have not forgotten that we as a country
essentially remained silent when historic Buddhist Temples and priceless
Buddhist artifacts were destroyed overnight by mobs in Bangladesh a few
months ago.
We would first like to have asked what is the strategy to use the
influence and leverage of Sri Lanka as a leading Buddhist nation to join
hands with other Buddhist nations to give voice to the plight of
Buddhists in various parts of the world and protect Buddhists and
Buddhism?
There are many more questions, given that we are to be the host of
the Commonwealth Nations whose heads are to meet in Sri Lanka.
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