SRI LANKA
John Muller
Is it a sign of things to come?
From: Brae Edema in Australia
“Minority people should live submissive to Sinhala people” – Patriotic National Movement [Deshahithaishi Jāthike Vyapāraya].
[ Saturday, 18 December 2010, 10:04.52
AM GMT +05:30 ] Patriotic National Movement had
informed that minority people in Sri Lanka could live independently in Sri Lanka
and they should be submissive to the Sinhala Buddhist principles. In this
situation they welcomed the decision taken, that National Anthem should be played
only in Sinhala language was mentioned by its leader Gunadasa Amarasekera. The
decision taken by the Sri Lankan Government that National Anthem should not be
sang in Tamil language was opposed by India and some Western countries. Sri
Lanka being a Buddhist Sinhala country, it does not have to fear to any
country. In this situation, it can play the National Anthem only in Sinhala
language, and there is no question for anyone to show their oppose was
mentioned by Gunadasa.
Gunadasa Amarasekera (born in 1929) is a prominent Sinhala writer, poet, and essayist from Sri Lanka. Gunadasa Amarasekera was born in Yattalamatta in Galle District. He was educated at Mahinda College, Galle and Nalanda College Colombo. He is a graduate of University of Ceylon and a Dental Surgeon by profession. He is one of the founding fathers of the Peradeniya school of literary tradition of modern Sri Lankan literature. He was a controversial figure from the outset, due to the subject matter and style. He later did a complete turn around and criticized his own works like "Gandabba Apadanaya".
After 1970s, he moved to social, cultural, and political criticism. Together with Nalin de Silva, he was responsible for the Jaathika Chinthanaya (national consciousness) movement which dominates Sinhala intellectual debate from mid-1980s to the current date.
He has 21 books to his credit.
SRI LANKA: Panic, Knee-jerk reactions and the Lunatic-fringe
By
J.B. Müller
The answer to: “Is this a sign of things to come?” regarding the statement of the Patriotic National Movement (Deshahithaishi Jāthike Vyapāraya) is ‘NO.’
The DJV (or PNM) is led by Gunadasa Amarasekera [along with Nalin de Silva] , a Sinhala writer, poet and essayist born in Yattalamatta in the Galle District of the Southern Province in 1929. He was educated at Mahinda College, Galle and Nalanda College Colombo. He is a graduate of University of Ceylon and a Dental Surgeon by profession. He is one of the founding fathers of the Peradeniya school of literary tradition of modern Sri Lankan literature. He was a controversial figure from the outset, due to the subject matter and style. He later did a complete turn around and criticized his own works like "Gandabba Apadanay.”
After 1970s, he moved to social, cultural, and political criticism. Together with Nalin de Silva, he was responsible for the Jaathika Chinthanaya (national consciousness) movement which dominates Sinhala-Buddhist ultra-nationalist intellectual debate from mid-1980s to recent times.
This organization within Sri Lanka Civil Society represents what is known as the ‘lunatic-fringe’ of ultra-nationalist Sinhala-Buddhists and its following is made-up of some ultra-Sinhala Buddhist monks, a few Swabasha-educated graduates, several practitioners of indigenous medicine, various school-teachers and some of the discontented Sinhalese post-1956 elements who have been marginalized.
The PNM was an effort to revive the coalition of nationalist and chauvinist forces brought together by S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike in 1955. In this it has failed to attract mass support as extremist politics no longer has any appeal to the Sinhala-Buddhists. This is mainly due to the fact that harsh economic realities override extremist politics in modern, post- civil war Sri Lanka. A strong contributory factor is the two-million plus Sri Lankans working overseas in West Asia, Cyprus, Libya, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and elsewhere. The constant movement of migrant workers has broadened perspectives and changed attitudes.
The continued dominance of English as an international lingua-franca is also having the effect of changing attitudes. It has opened wide the windows of knowledge and is broadening and deepening understanding of the ground realities that obtain. Every parent wants his child to be educated in English as this is the passport to economic prosperity through better employment at home and abroad.
Furthermore, since the assassination of Bandaranaike in 1958 by a Buddhist monk and a dawning realization that ‘Sinhala Only’ wasn’t going to work, the ethnic misery that came with hare-brained policies, and over three decades of the terror wrought by terrorists have also contributed to more moderate and accommodating views prevailing.
Governments since 1958 have steered the country AWAY from the legacies of 1956 and President Mahinda Rajapakse unequivocally stated on Independence Day, 2009, that there was no ‘majority’ and no ‘minorities’—only ONE nation made up of a majority of patriots and a few traitors. He has pushed English not only as a ‘link-language’ but also as an essential life-skill and is promoting trilingualism as a unifying force in a land characterized by diversity. All of this, separately or collectively, means and implies that the likes of the PNM will continue to sing lullabies to themselves. They are a spent force that hit a dead-end called reality and there they whine about past glories that interest no one. People are too busy building their lives and improving their life-styles to bother with the PNM.
The Government of Sri Lanka fought and won the war against terrorism on our soil. It has taken positive steps to resettle the internally displaced people, more than 280,000 of them and now reduced to around 20,000. It is working steadily to remove landmine hazards so that the remaining IDPs could go back to their homes safely. It appointed the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission. What ‘lessons’? The lessons of what unbridled bigotry and chauvinism have done to the nation. The LLRC, when done, will show the way forward to harmony and tranquility shorn of all forms and manifestations of extremism. The President ordered all public servants to gain proficiency in Sinhala, Tamil, and English—a major task for developing country. He himself learned Tamil and addresses the Nation in that language. This National Anthem brouhaha is another red-herring. How many countries sing their national anthems in more than one language? Is the ‘Star-spangled Banner’ sung in Spanish for the large Hispanic population in the USA? Or is the German national anthem sung is Turkish because of that large Muslim minority within the borders of Germany?
Some leading countries led by America and Britain are stridently calling for a ‘war-crimes’ probe. Did they do so when 600 policemen surrendered to the LTTE in Batticaloa and were butchered to death? Or when the young Buddhist novices, all children, were slaughtered at Arantalava? Or when children, as young as 10 were abducted and then inducted into the terrorist ‘army’? No. Those pressing to hamstring Sri Lanka are a bunch of holier-than-thou frauds and hypocrites who have themselves committed war crimes throughout the world.
The Sri Lankan Diaspora shouldn’t panic and have knee-jerk reactions to such statements. The Media loves to highlight such things because these are sensational and controversial—it sells newspapers, magazines, and TV programmes.
This country has endured such things from the 1860’s with the resurgence of Buddhism during Colonial times and particularly after Col. Henry Steele Olcott and his militant ‘protestant’ version of Buddhism. The nationalist movement that got underway in the Twenties of the last century also contributed, influenced largely by the prevailing liberal thought originating from Europe. If anything the two insurgencies of 1971 and 1987 and the terrorist challenge disabused the people’s minds of any and all extremism. Finally, let us acknowledge that no government on earth is perfect—yet.
The Sinhalese are, by and large, a friendly, hospitable, mild-mannered, tolerant and peace-loving people and they have been so for over two and a half millennia.
The PNM is just another blip on the screen.
--
J.B. Muller
malcolm jansze
Hear hear! A very good reply. I personally agree
with all your statements. The ordinary people
could not care less. Here in Horana I have Tamil
people living about 2 houses down and the
Sinhalese and Tamils are very friendly with each
other. Of course both sides have idiots- like in
any group of people- but on the whole they just
cannot be bothered with racist rubbish
As to the national anthem in Tamil - now
how on earth could they do that? That is one of
the more foolish suggestions we hear these days
by politicians. Why doesnt India sing their
anthem in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali etc in that case?
Nice t6o hear that you are back from your ? trip
abroad asking for cash!!! Did they manage to
catch the idiot thief who set you up for that con trick?
MJ
At 09:59 AM 12/19/2010, you wrote:
>Is it a sign of things to come?
>
>From: Brae Edema in Australia
>
>Â
>
>Â
>
>Â
>
>“Minority people should live submissive to
>Sinhala people†– Patriotic National Movementt
>[Deshahithaishi JÄ thike VyapÄ raya].
>
>[ Saturday, 18 December 2010, 10:04.52 AM GMT +05:30 ]
>[]
>Patriotic National Movement had informed that
>minority people in Sri Lanka could live
>independently in Sri Lanka and they should be
>submissive to the Sinhala Buddhist principles.
>In this situation they welcomed the decision
>taken, that National Anthem should be played
>only in Sinhala language was mentioned by its
>leader Gunadasa Amarasekera. The decision taken
>by the Sri Lankan Government that National
>Anthem should not be sang in Tamil language was
>opposed by India and some Western countries. Sri
>Lanka being a Buddhist Sinhala country, it does
>not have to fear to any country. In this
>situation, it can play the National Anthem only
>in Sinhala language, and there is no question
>for anyone to show their oppose was mentioned by Gunadasa.
>
>Gunadasa Amarasekera (born in 1929) is a
>prominent
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinhalese_language>Sinhala
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writer>writer,
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poet>poet, and
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essayist>essayist
>from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka>Sri
>Lanka. Gunadasa Amarasekera was born in
>Yattalamatta in
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galle_District>Galle
>District. He was educated at
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahinda_College>Mahinda
>College, Galle and
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalanda_College_Colombo>Nalanda
>College Colombo. He is a graduate of
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Colombo>University
>of Ceylon and a
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dentist>Dental
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgeon>Surgeon by
>profession. He is one of the founding fathers of
>the Peradeniya school of literary tradition of
>modern
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_literature>Sri
>Lankan literature. He was a controversial figure
>from the outset, due to the subject matter and
>style. He later did a complete turn around and
>criticized his own works like "Gandabba Apadanaya".
>
>After 1970s, he moved to social, cultural, and
>political criticism. Together with
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalin_de_Silva>Nalin
>de Silva, he was responsible for the Jaathika
>Chinthanaya (national consciousness) movement
>which dominates Sinhala intellectual debate from mid-1980s to the current date.
>
>He has 21 books to his credit.
>
>
>
>SRI LANKA: Panic, Knee-jerk reactions and the Lunatic-fringe
>
>By
>
>J.B. Müller
>
>Â
>
>The answer to: “Is this a sign of things to
>come?†regarding the statement of the
>Patriotic National Movement (Deshahithaishi JÄ thike VyapÄ raya) is ‘NO.’
>
>The DJV (or PNM) is led by Gunadasa Amarasekera
>[along with Nalin de Silva] , a Sinhala writer,
>poet and essayist born in Yattalamatta in the
>Galle District of the Southern Province in
>1929. He was educated at
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahinda_College>Mahinda
>College, Galle and
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalanda_College_Colombo>Nalanda
>College Colombo. He is a graduate of
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Colombo>University
>of Ceylon and a
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dentist>Dental
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgeon>Surgeon by
>profession. He is one of the founding fathers of
>the Peradeniya school of literary tradition of
>modern
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_literature>Sri
>Lankan literature. He was a controversial figure
>from the outset, due to the subject matter and
>style. He later did a complete turn around and
>criticized his own works like "Gandabba Apadanay.â€
>
>After 1970s, he moved to social, cultural, and
>political criticism. Together with
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalin_de_Silva>Nalin
>de Silva, he was responsible for the Jaathika
>Chinthanaya (national consciousness) movement
>which dominates Sinhala-Buddhist
>ultra-nationalist intellectual debate from mid-1980s to recent times.
>
>This organization within Sri Lanka Civil Society
>represents what is known as the
>‘lunatic-fringe’ of ultra-nationalist
>Sinhala-Buddhists and its following is made-up
>of some ultra-Sinhala Buddhist monks, a few
>Swabasha-educated graduates, several
>practitioners of indigenous medicine, various
>school-teachers and some of the discontented Â
>Sinhalese post-1956 elements who have been marginalized.
>
>The PNM was an effort to revive the coalition of
>nationalist and chauvinist forces brought
>together by S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike in 1955. In
>this it has failed to attract mass support as
>extremist politics no longer has any appeal to
>the Sinhala-Buddhists. This is mainly due to
>the fact that harsh economic realities override
>extremist politics in modern, post- civil war
>Sri Lanka. A strong contributory factor is the
>two-million plus Sri Lankans working overseas in
>West Asia, Cyprus, Libya, Singapore, Malaysia,
>South Korea and elsewhere. The constant
>movement of migrant workers has broadened perspectives and changed attitudes.
>
>The continued dominance of English as an
>international lingua-franca is also having the
>effect of changing attitudes. It has opened
>wide the windows of knowledge and is broadening
>and deepening understanding of the ground
>realities that obtain. Every parent wants his
>child to be educated in English as this is the
>passport to economic prosperity through better employment at home and abroad.
>
>Furthermore, since the assassination of
>Bandaranaike in 1958 by a Buddhist monk and a
>dawning realization that ‘Sinhala Only’
>wasn’t going to work, the ethnic misery that
>came with hare-brained policies, and over three
>decades of the terror wrought by terrorists have
>also contributed to more moderate and accommodating views prevailing.
>
>Governments since 1958 have steered the country
>AWAY from the legacies of 1956 and President
>Mahinda Rajapakse unequivocally stated on
>Independence Day, 2009, that there was no
>‘majority’ and no ‘minorities’—only
>ONE nation made up of a majority of patriots and
>a few traitors. He has pushed English not only
>as a ‘link-language’ but also as an
>essential life-skill and is promoting
>trilingualism as a unifying force in a land
>characterized by diversity. All of this,
>separately or collectively, means and implies
>that the likes of the PNM will continue to sing
>lullabies to themselves. They are a spent
>force that hit a dead-end called reality and
>there they whine about past glories that
>interest no one. People are too busy building
>their lives and improving their life-styles to bother with the PNM.
>
>The Government of Sri Lanka fought and won the
>war against terrorism on our soil. It has
>taken positive steps to resettle the internally
>displaced people, more than 280,000 of them and
>now reduced to around 20,000. It is working
>steadily to remove landmine hazards so that the
>remaining IDPs could go back to their homes
>safely. It appointed the Lessons Learned and
>Reconciliation Commission. What
>‘lessons’? The lessons of what unbridled
>bigotry and chauvinism have done to the
>nation. The LLRC, when done, will show the way
>forward to harmony and tranquility shorn of all
>forms and manifestations of extremism. The
>President ordered all public servants to gain
>proficiency in Sinhala, Tamil, and English—a
>major task for developing country. He himself
>learned Tamil and addresses the Nation in that
>language. This National Anthem brouhaha is
>another red-herring. How many countries sing
>their national anthems in more than one
>language? Is the ‘Star-spangled Banner’
>sung in Spanish for the large Hispanic
>population in the USA? Or is the German national
>anthem sung is Turkish because of that large
>Muslim minority within the borders of Germany?
>
>Some leading countries led by America and
>Britain are stridently calling for a
>‘war-crimes’ probe. Did they do so when
>600 policemen surrendered to the LTTE in
>Batticaloa and were butchered to death? Or
>when the young Buddhist novices, all children,
>were slaughtered at Arantalava? Or when
>children, as young as 10 were abducted and then
>inducted into the terrorist
>‘army’? No. Those pressing to hamstring
>Sri Lanka are a bunch of holier-than-thou frauds
>and hypocrites who have themselves committed war crimes throughout the world.
>
>The Sri Lankan Diaspora shouldn’t panic and
>have knee-jerk reactions to such
>statements. The Media loves to highlight such
>things because these are sensational and
>controversial—it sells newspapers, magazines, and TV programmess.
>
>This country has endured such things from the
>1860’s with the resurgence of Buddhism during
>Colonial times and particularly after Col. Henry
>Steele Olcott and his militant ‘protestant’
>version of Buddhism. The nationalist movement
>that got underway in the Twenties of the last
>century also contributed, influenced largely by
>the prevailing liberal thought originating from
>Europe. If anything the two insurgencies of
>1971 and 1987 and the terrorist challenge
>disabused the people’s minds of any and all
>extremism. Finally, let us acknowledge that no
>government on earth is perfect—yet.
>
>The Sinhalese are, by and large, a friendly,
>hospitable, mild-mannered, tolerant and
>peace-loving people and they have been so for over two and a half millennia.
>
>The PNM is just another blip on the screen.
>
><mailto:jb.m...@gmail.com>jb.m...@gmail.com
>
>Â
>
>Â
>
>
>--
>J.B. Muller
>
>--
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