Walking While Tamil
This is an article for the latest Montage, which should be out now
A friend was walking to work and got stopped by the cops. Regular, really. For those of us with proper -jeeva or -watte – or -hamu type names it’s just an inconvenience. For those unfortunate enough to have consonants at the end of our names, and for those cursed to be born in the North, it’s a much more chilling procedure. And this time it was. My friend ended up in jail for the day, fielding questions about terrorism and being told his people were ‘poison in the milk’. Bit of a buzzkill.
And that’s freedom of movement in Colombo. Try to move out of the North (and out from under the bombs) and you’ll find yourself stymied by the LTTE on one end and the government on the other. And the government doesn’t help, it just lumps you in with LTTE in a cruel vestige of ‘security’. Which is, incidentally, both unconstitutional and morally wrong. I use the word ‘you’ because the people affected are Sri Lankans, like you and me. However, it is vital to understand that this is not the view of the people with guns. To quote General Sarath Fonseka:
“I strongly believe that this country belongs to the Sinhalese but there are minority communities and we treat them like our people. We being the majority of the country, 75%, we will never give in and we have the right to protect this country. We are also a strong nation. They can live in this country with us. But they must not try to, under the pretext of being a minority, demand undue things.”
Now, unfortunately, fundamental constitutional rights now fall under the umbrella of ‘undue things’. This includes freedom of movement, freedom of speech, freedom from torture, the right to equality and freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention and punishment. My friend walking the street in Colombo does not have the latter right (under our infinite Emergency Law), and he knows he doesn’t have the others.
And, in a point so obvious it is ignored, this is wrong. Morally, nationally, politically and in terms of guaranteeing our national security, this is wrong. What does it profit a nation to gain the Wanni and lose its Constitution? What does it profit a nation to gain brush land and lose its own people to migration and death?
If you’re fighting for Sri Lanka and believe in Sri Lanka, then Sarath Fonseka and Gotabaya Rajapakse are the most unpatriotic people imaginable. It is only through the prism of a Sinhala state that they appear patriotic, but that is not Sri Lanka. We are not a Sinhala state, and why anyone would want such a thing is beyond me. The beauty of Tamil and Burgher women alone is worth keeping this thing together. This Sri Lanka. There is a Sri Lanka (metaphysical) where anyone can walk the street, speak and just live; to be judged by their character and deeds, not on their racial correlation with terrorism. This is a Sri Lanka worth fighting for. Unfortunately, the people with guns seem to think otherwise.
As I think Gotabaya Rajapaksa & Sarath Fonseka has so far acheived so much that no other person could acheive since 1983. You say these people are unpatriotic, how about those majority Tamils who were chearing Pakistan and pelted rotten eggs at our Sri lanka Cricket team in recent 20/20 series in Canada. Only Sinhalese are suppose to be patriotic, fair & expect equal opportunity for all races ?. Can you think of working in Kilinochchi under Tiger rule if they get a separate state ?.
I’m not clear with how misbehaving at a cricket match equates with killing, jailing, abducting and torturing citizens and bombing their homes.
And I reject the ‘but what about them?’ argument entirely. Being ethical is something you do without expectation of reciprocity or reward. It’s about our character, not anyone elses.
For you information Adam, there are Sinhalese working under Tiger leadership! (who knows they may be even happier than those who work under MR leadership).
As of supporting Pakistan & egging lankans, there are people with extreme views, just like you are on the other extreme, there are tamils with opposite extreme views. You can’t blame them because the discrimation, standardisation, mansloughter & riots bull$hite was initiated from your side.
You can look at this in both points of views, Adam may be correct to some people and Indi may be correct to the others. but i prefer Indi’s side. I want to live in a country where i can talk to people in all three languages. I want to live with people who have different beliefs.
No matter what we say, politics wont change for our sake. Which is unfortunately a sad fact, but there are some people who believe that politics “this” way is what Sri Lanka needs. I dont think i have the right to say is thats patriotic or not. But i will say, no matter what happens, a Sri Lankan will always be a Sri Lankan, you respecting that or not is a totally different subject. I love my country and love the people in it, and i pray and hope that, someday, everything will be ok and everyone will be happy.
Much as we would like it to, justice doesn’t arrive all at once. Maybe it’s come for Prabhakaran now. And it’s about bloody time. But I do hope and pray that it will soon come for the others too – like the ones who persecuted your friend.
Tamils can find a voice in Tamil Nadu. Why occupy the land of the sinhalese and cry foul?
Gen Fonseka & Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapakshe are not politicians.
If you want politically correct statements to please you then speak to politicians.
Pol sambola your insane to think that Tamils have no right to live in SL but should go to Tamil Nadu,its people like you who created the mess we are in and aggrevate it more,remember this country does not belong to the Sinhalese either as they were kicked out of north India (Prince Vijeya and his goons) and landed here thanks to the hospitality tended by Kuvenis people!