The world moves forward and we move

backwards

Communal riots will emerge over and over again since we, those who govern
and those who are governed, over and over again prove that we do not learn
from the past mistakes – Pix by Shehan Gunasekara

Tuesday, 20 March 2018

Communal riots emerged once again. It will emerge over and over again since we,
those who govern and those who are governed, over and over again prove that
we do not learn from the past mistakes.

My first experience of communal riots was black July 1983. In the first day of the
violence I was walking from the office I then worked at Fort Colombo to the
Colombo Fort Railway Station. I will continue to have the memory of a man, half-
naked, wounded, fallen by the side of the road, still alive and breathing heavily,
whom I could not help. At that point members of the armed forces passed me in
vehicles amidst cheerful applauses from the general public.

Then administration delayed imposing curfew unduly and President Jayewardene

addressed the nation after a few days. He charged the Tamil politicians, he
charged the victims. I felt that the speech was disgraceful. A leader should not
have spoken like that. He preferred to be with the dominant Sinhala Buddhist
ideology prevalent at that time. I felt he was feared. However at that time he had
full force of executive power with five-sixths majority of the Parliament and
resignation letters of the MPs of his party in his pocket.

Sri Lankan leaders acted in the same way on many an occasion. S.W.R.D.
Bandaranaike in 1958, Mahinda Rajapaksa in the last regime and the President
and the Prime Minister recently closed the stable door after the horse had bolted.

With great exceptions, armed forces and the Police, Buddhist clergy
and the Sinhala Buddhist public opinion of this country worked in the same
manner.

It is a punishable offence to engage in hate speech. During the last regime Azath
Salley was arrested for engaging in hate speech. When Buddhist clergy engaged in
the same offence implementation of the law was much slower.
Mahatma Gandhi conducted his last hunger strike demanding a stop to the
violence against the Muslims during 1947 communal riots. There was resistance
against him at the initial stages but later whole India became peaceful. There
were several leaders who took bold decisions against the intentions of the people
and against racism.

Nelson Mandela invited the members of the previous apartheid administration to

join hands amidst resistance from his own African National Congress. The world
changes due to this type of men who march ahead of the people not behind
them.

Anagarika Dharmapala who did a yeoman’s service for the country’s

independence form the British, who was the architect of the national thinking of
this country according to Gunadasa Amarasekara and who was the pioneer of
racism in Sri Lanka, has written the following to Sinhala Bauddhaya on 30
September 1911:

“The person who would be sent on behalf of the King of England should be the
Governor and a noble Englishman should be appointed as the Commander of
Army. Judiciary should be handed over to Ceylonese. All offices such as Secretary
General, Treasurer General, Government Agents and Korales of the Provinces
should be handed over to born Ceylonese, Sinhala, Tamil, Burgher and English
according to their strength. Income of Ceylon should be used to establish crafts,
agriculture and commercial factories for the benefit of Ceylonese. An Army
comprising of Sinhala, Tamil, Burgher and English should be established. Ceylon
should manufacture marine vessels. Sinhalese should wish to follow the doctrine
of independent state.” (Translated by the writer.)

His omission of Moors seems to be intentional but the point he raised that the
armed forces and also the police should be comprising of all the communities
proportionate to their strength was neglected by the successive governments.
This is a strong reason for the Sinhala communal ideology of the armed forces and
the Police.

In recent times Buddhist Bhikkus have taken a prominent role in communal

violence. If a Bhikku promotes communal violence he is a disreputable, despicable
and idiotic person. Because he is engaged in an act which is completely against
the teachings of the Buddha. Because he ruins Buddhism by his very act. Because
he portrays a wrong picture of Buddhism to the world. Because he betrays the
tradition which provides him with food, clothes, lodging and medicine.
Some Bhikkus who lived in the past long years ago were also engaged in those
activities and those were not emerged since they were then the oppressed and
suppressed. Now they are the oppressors so that their despicable acts are
highlighted.
Anagarika Dharmapala communalised the Sinhala Buddhist public awareness.
There were different associations for different communities during the
independence struggle. Gunadasa Amarasekara identified the communalist
ideology of Dharmapala as “Jathikachinthanaya”. This so-called ideology divided
the nation rather than uniting it. In Indian independence struggle their leaders
were able to unite the entire India. They fought against the concept of
untouchables. Even after Jinna has taken away Pakistan there was a large number
of Muslims in India.
Prior to Anagarika Dharmapala Sinhala Buddhists did not have these attitudes of
communalism. In Sri Lanka it was Sinhala Buddhists and their kings who protected
Muslims against the Western nations who were engaged in a trade war and gave
land in internal areas of Sri Lanka. That is why Muslims are concentrated in Kandy.
It was Sinhala Buddhists and their kings who protected Roman Catholics from
Dutch Protestants. That is why Pope Francis was able to canonise Joseph Vaz.
While we debate whether to sing our National Anthem in Tamil as well the
Canadian National Anthem which is sung in both English and French was voted to
change by the Senate. The words at the end of the lyric “True patriot love in all of
thy sons command” was changed to “in all of us command” in order to promote
gender equality. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spearheaded this. The world
moves forward and we move backwards.

Sinhala Buddhists turned Sinhala Buddhism into a religion and implemented

separatism of the majority. Some of Sinhala Buddhists have abandoned their
original religion which was Buddhism. Some follow Hindu gods. Therefore we
should pray for them.

Oh God, forgive them, for they don’t know what they should do. They don’t know
by their ignorance they ruin the future of them, future of their children, future of
the generations ahead and future of their beloved nation. Allow them to see the
present moment mindfully.
Posted by Thavam