The recent incidents of racial violence in Kandy area, obviously have created new challenges to the Yahapalanaya government locally and in the international level. Prime Minister Ranil admitted
"We thought the major challenge which the country had to face was the drought which crippled the agriculture sector but incidents in Kandy have posted challenges in the international levels as well." the Prime Minister said thus while highlighting that country's image has been tarnished. Also he was worried about the effect on the tourism industry. He said, “We don't know whether we could achieve it as expected.” He said revenues of tourist industrialists could decline. In addition one has to look into repairing the damages. State has to repair the damages while assuring that compensation will be paid to the families of those who were killed in the clashes and those whose houses and business establishments were damaged. Such is the burden on the country created by fascistic political violence; also it ads to the cost of maintaining religious freedom in the country.
All those who are familiar with Buddhism will agree that there is no greater perversion of Buddhism than killing in the name of Buddhism. In the Buddha’s teachings there is no place for any kind of violence, no concept of holy war or just war, no room for revenge, whatever the crime. If the Maha Nayaka Theros are true followers of the Buddha, they would have walked going among the rioters, pleading for calm. But the only monks visible and audible in Kandy at that time appear to be those who are feeding the fires. Of course the Maha Nayaka Theros and other leading monks came out with word of condemnation and plea for sanity and peace. Still Kandy-burning symbolizes the failure of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. That is the humble verdict of the democratic people.
The argument that the violence, be it in July 83 or today, is the work of a fanatical minority is true. But it is also irrelevant. The majority of Sinhala did not take part in Black July. They didn’t have to. Indifference is neither neutral nor benign. Indifference kills and destroys. In 1983, the silence of the silent majority (together with the lenience of the government and the collusion of the police and the military) created the enabling environment in which a minority of extremists could set fire to an entire country.That collective indifference was fed by inherited myths and fake news about encroaching Tamils ‘dominating our universities by cheating at exams, taking away our jobs and our land, planning to overrun our only country by breeding like rabbits...’ Ancient tales and false statistics were used to lend this demonization an air of sanctity, authenticity and objectiveness. Without that seeding Black July wouldn’t have happened.Those same lies are being repeated about Muslims now. The BBS started the madness in 2012, under the patronage of the Mahinda regime, pouring lurid stories into willing ears, turning Muslims into the next enemy, the new ‘other’. Without that seeding, Ampara and Teldeniya wouldn’t have happened and Kandy couldn’t be happening.
Inteligencia here, Sinhala or other wise, were not serious about sterilization pill; the doctors were mostly silent. A few brave souls from the left spoke out but the absolute majority said nothing. The various medical associations (including the GMOA) did not bother to explain the truth to the country. Their silence directly or otherwise fed the fires of misunderstanding. More than a month later, they are still silent. Obviously, it is dangerous and irresponsible to allow extremists to dominate the subject and own the initiative. The danger becomes a crime when leading extremists are granted de facto impunity on the strength of a yellow robe. These traditions and practices were supposed to regularize by Yahapalanaya. The latter was supposed to, expected to, end the impunity enjoyed by robed thugs and also adopt a rational firm policy towards every kind of racism. The government, in spite of pro racist interventions by the president, was not racist. But during its tenure, especially the last two years, it has displayed an incapability to counter fascistic conspiracies hatched by Mahinda group.
It was distressing for democratic masses to watch the absence of political and moral courage of Yahapalanaya. Instead of standing up to every form of extremism, it developed a habit of succumbing to monks, priests and mullahs. Of course the government did not create extremists. Mahinda group was responsible for most of it. But Yahapalanaya pandered to extremists probably in the hope of disarming extremism. This political weakness only enhanced the Mahinda group; it helped turn the teeth into fangs. All minorities voted for the government in massive numbers, hoping for peace and security. The government failed them. Now they have to turn left and search for an alternative.
Lanka celebrated her 70th independence day just a month ago. However still there is no stable, consolidated country with unity. Hence in reality there is nothing much to celebrate. Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim identities are still powerful, undermining the Lankan nation. We are Lankans in name only. Unity is just a word; coexistence a precarious state that can be destroyed by the most trivial of incidents. On the other hand we are a country of Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and Muslims who know very little about each other’s religions. Most of us study in schools which are de facto segregated, even though there is a rule to give 5 % to other communities. We live in neighborhoods with invisible walls. A fog of misunderstanding almost deliberately made, divides the nationalities and religious communities, who call this island home. Comparative religion is not a subject seriously taught in our schools. What we read in the media strengthen the prejudices we learn at home and relearn in school. Lanka is still a partial democratic society. Yahapalanaya was created to carry out he democratic revolution to the last. Revolution started but enlightenment is yet to come. Where ignorance and fear rule, violence is never far away. Anything can ignite it – a misplaced food order, the myth of a sterilization pill, a brutal crime.
One of the tasks of the new government was to carry out a systematic effort to dent this fog of misconception. Even that task, which did not require standing up to mad monks, priests or mullahs, was not done. In the absence of any counters, lies continued to flourish. For example, a website called the Lanka C News recently carried a news item claiming that the proportion of Sinhala Buddhists which had been at 72% a few decades ago has come down to 67% now. The statistics were a total fake. According to census figures since the first census of 1881, Sinhala-Buddhists never exceeded the 70% mark until 2012. 2012 was the last census and according to that census Sinhala-Buddhists comprise of 70.1% of the populace and Sinhala all is 75%.
So the ‘news’ about a rapid decline in Sinhala-Buddhist numbers is fake news, a lie fabricated to make Sinhala-Buddhists feel insecure. More worryingly, the website attributes this incendiary canard to the governor of the Southern Province. The government must investigate and wipe out such crimes. If these crimes are not suppressed sooner rather than later, the contagion of anti-Muslim violence will spread to other areas, including Colombo. If that happens, Lanka will not be able to escape the scourge of a religious war. Black July promoted the LTTE to gain the upper hand within the Tamil liberation struggle. The triumph of criminal Sinhala racism in the South led to the armed liberation struggle of Tamil people. Now we are about to recreate that historical crime with Muslims. There can be no peace in a country where the extremists set the national agenda. Talking about the rule of law is a joke when robed thugs are above the law and can command senior DIGs. It is a dangerous game, allowing extremists to ply their deadly trade, irrespective of which race they belong to, which religion they espouse or which political party they claim to support.
As multi-nationality, multi-religious country, our greatest enemy is racism; and the most dangerous is the extremism of the majority community. When Sinhala-Buddhist fanatics are given a free hand, they set the country on fire, endanger innocent lives and strengthen communalists in minority communities. The habit of allowing extremists to shape the national agenda and set the national course must end if Lanka’s future is to be better than her past.
- Dr. Vickramabahu Karunaratne
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