indi.ca

62 Comments

1. 

   good woks

2. 

   Sanjana: Thank you for the comments bro, I agree with them :)

   It’s just that after I read your Swansong of Unity article I came to the conclusion that I disagreed with it (not with it all, but with some sections). And then I asked myself whether my disagreement had a rational and justified basis, but I had trouble deciding whether it did. And when I saw your post here (strangely enough after reading the said article recently), I just couldn’t resist asking you about it, and consequently taking this thread really off-topic :)

   I have to be honest and say that I am somewhat of a nationalist. A nationalist of what kind of nationalism you might ask? I would have to say both of Sri Lankan nationalism and Sinhalese nationalism. I suppose this won’t gel well with many people here who seem to me to follow other strands of thought, but diversity of opinion is what makes the world an interesting place, right? :)

   I find that the Sinhalese community, compared to say the Tamil community, is not as united or committed to any sort of goal. Neither do I find a sense of community comparable to that which (as it appears to me) exists within the Tamil community. Rightly or wrongly Sanjana, I found that article of yours, as trying to divide the Sinhalese community along religious lines, and place blame and judgement upon a rather large section of the Sinhalese community. But I am glad that I have managed to discourse with you over this and gain an understanding of your ideas and thoughts. As I said, I found your latest article “Compassion in a Time of Hatred” a really great read and well thought out, and I appreciate how you didn’t attack any particular group of people. I feel that division along any lines is what the Sinhalese community needs least.

   Shanaka: I agree with you bro. I believe that the Sinhalese community consists of people who are ethnically (or at least identify themselves as) Sinhalese. It follows that members of this community can follow any religious tradition, whether it be Buddhism or Christianity or any another tradition, but whatever religious tradition they do follow does not deprive them of membership in the Sinhalese community. For example, I would identify myself as a member of the Sinhalese community who, through birth or practice, follows the Buddhist tradition. I believe that religion is the biggest faultline dividing the Sinhalese people (the other is party politics) and all members of the community should make a concious effort to seal up these faultlines, bridge any gaps and unify the community from all sides. This does not mean that there should be no self critique within the community, but that any self-critique is not emotional and has in its aims the improvement of the Sinhalese community in someway. Uh oh I think I’m starting to preach here :)

   Can I ask you guys one more thing: Do you consider it chauvinistic for Dayan Jayatillaka to use the term “we Sinhalese” in his articles, or is it without cause for criticism? For example in his recent article “Joint Mechanism: The Bigger Picture” Dayan says:

   “If we Sinhalese have any brains we would imitate the big boys, the USA and the USSR during the Cold war, the Indians and Pakistanis today, and adopt a multi-track policy of containing the enemy by engaging and enmeshing it in negotiated agreements while undermining it at the periphery through low intensity proxy war, and building up the military strength of the state. We would (a) sign the joint mechanism while (b) training and equipping our military so as to defeat any LTTE threat, and (c)covertly supporting, or at the least, not selling out and suppressing, the increasingly effective armed resistance by the Karuna forces.”

   http://theacademic.org/feature/115545451080368/index.shtml

   Anyway, apologies for taking this thread off-topic. And thanks for listening to my rambles :)

3. 

   I’m onto a hiding for nothing by replying again to this thread, but oh well.. :) Note: my opinions. You don’t like them, that’s fine. I can deal with that. I’d like argument on points and I’ll try replying.

   Heshan, the main reason I distrust nationalists of any sort is their air of “what I say is right” and “what you say is wrong and you’re dividing the community”. Communities gel together in these circumstances by a sense of common purpose or a sense of common fear. In my opinion (I’m going to sprinkle that phrase liberally throughout this reply), if the Tamil community is united, then part of it is due to their fear that the Sinhalese are going to have another go at imitating Attila the Hun on them. A lot (I generalize, somewhat) of the Sinhalese nationalists have a rallying cry of “omg. they’re giving away our land” or “we’re negotiating with terrorists. That’s so wrong”. Fear or common purpose ? I think fear. I’d prefer not to go down that route. It might also explain how even though I may agree with the substance of some opinions, I myself fear rhetoric and an attempt to appeal to a wider audience will have “the community” make decisions that I don’t agree with and/or I can’t live with.

   Critique by anyone is going to be taken with a degree of emotion. I know I am certainly no diplomat… How will someone separate emotion about “your view is just plain wrong” from objective fact ? Sri Lankans (again, I am generalizing) aren’t the most cold blooded of people… and decades of party politics have inured people into automatic assumptions that detractors have a hidden agenda.

   I don’t think it’s chauvinistic of D.J to use the phrase. But I personally think that paragraph you quoted is a good example of what I illustrated earlier about not agreeing with the approaches, even though I may agree with the overall opinion. He (D.J) advocates a war by proxy. Does no one remember the Montagnards of Vietnam or the Afghan mujaheddin of the 80s ? One proxy army wiped off the face of the map and the other… well, Osama bin Laden and the Taliban. Worked out well for the US, huh ? Today’s proxy army is tomorrow’s problem. Now, could I honestly say that I think his idea sucks without having to listen to nutjobs screaming at me and calling me a LTTE sympathizer ? I leave you to decide.

4. 

   Dear Heshan,

   There is no need for you to cringe from your self-description as a nationalist. Nationalism is unfortunately a perjorative term in Sri Lanka, used for all manner of parochial purposes, precisely because of a lack of debate of what it can mean for Sri Lanka. On the other hand, the selective and restrictive interpretations of histories and communal hagiography also give rise to and underpins regressive expressions of nationalism, which in some texts is called a ‘garrison nationalism’. There are many other ways in which to think of nationalism, but I won’t go into that here. Suffice to say that I respect and encourage your participation in this and other debates as a progressive and articulate nationalist, which is rare in our country.

   I think you have some valuable thoughts there, though unfortunately, this might not be the place to continue this exchange of ideas. However, some thoughts spring to mind in your response to Shanaka. One, the recent article of mine which you refer to (http://www.theacademic.org/feature/115544901079193/index.shtml) is actually quite critical of, inter alia, the LTTE, the JVP and JHU. Though I would abhor creating divisions, I also believe we must stand up against those who, by their venemous rhetoric, create such faultlines, within and between communities. We have to ask ourselves whether silence in the face of such statements and actions is better for a semblence of unity, or actively challenging them, creating dialogues and discourses that offer alternatives to what is oftentimes paraded as a single ‘Truth’.

   Two, we possibly need to explore what the ‘unity’ as you see it in the Tamil community means? Does it mean unity behind a hegemon, unity behind a full recognition of their rights as equal citizens of SL, unity behind the violent struggle for their rights, unity behind the idea of a seperate state, unity behind the notion of the LTTE, however unpalatable their methods, will be able to deliver what parliamentary politics couldn’t etc etc? I look at the Tamil community, and just as with the Sinhala and Muslim communities, see a rich texture and diversity of opinion, that oftentimes, isn’t explored in articles or statements that pidgeonhole entire communities into a single idea.

   Self-critique that is not emotional within the Sinhalese community might be nigh impossible. Given the anonymous responses to my recent critiques (see my post above) and recognising that this is tame in comparison with what Morquendi for instance has gone through, it is difficult to think of ways of engaging the community is dialogues that question and critically analyse the role of the Sangha, Buddhism, the nature of the State, the Tamil national question etc in a manner that doesn’t inflame the misguided passions of zealots.

   Difficult, but perhaps not impossible. What may be required is the infusion of fresh ideas, such as many which are reflected in the comments in this blog, to processes that inform and shape public opinion in Sri Lanka – the media through op-eds, letters to the editor, submissions to online magazines, written contributions, spending time with communities outside of Colombo, speaking to women in border villages, engaging with those who work with children, using art & theatre, creatively adopting and using technology, showing non-violent but unequivocal opposition to the flames of intolerance paraded by anyone (in the NE, Colombo or Vanni) fighting against the Hobbesian cudgel and club politics that seem to have taken over our country.

   As I state in my response to the Asian Tribune rejoinder on The Lanka Academic, we need to “acknowledge the errors of one’s own ways, assess self-critically one’s actions and interventions, retrospectively look at the inequalities that have given rise to the Sri Lanka we know now and finally, the sincerity to commit ourselves to a vision that takes us from narrow, bitter and personal diatribes to a fight for larger ideals of democracy and pluralism.”

   This then is our shared challenge.

   Stay well,

   Sanjana

5. 

   Hilarious disection of blogger types – http://redwing.hutman.net/~mreed/index.htm.

6. 

   I think I an Evil Clown. Such is my lot in life.

7. 

   DBS Jeyaraj on the latest Sunday leader confirms Sivaram did ordered to kill two of his fellow PLOTE rs. He is a murderer like Prabhakaran, Jeyawardene, Premadasa and Rohana Wijayaweera

8. 

   Uh, I fail to understand how a guy I’ve never heard of in a paper I don’t trust confirms anything. Shit, I don’t even trust the spelling in the papers, let alone the writers. Is there any, how do you say, evidence?

9. 

   Text of letter recently sent out to several leading figures in civil society (and media activists). This is very disturbing.

   Announcement No. 1

   THERAPUTHTHABHAYA BALAKAYA
   (Therapuththabhaya brigade)

   THE ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE ENEMIES OF THE MOTHERLAND !

   The attempt by the world imperialists, started in the far off past to take Sri Lanka under their command has not been given up despite the vigorous protest of the anti imperialist patriotic forces.

   These infamous imperialist forces that are shuddering in the face of the revolutionary economic uprising of China, Malaysia, Thailand and India, have united themselves with the traitorous Wanni Tigers who are engaged in dividing this country under the guise of a national liberation struggle, taking the shelter of peace and are advancing step by step to set up a Tamil Ealam. For this purpose the Norwegian white Tigers and UNP green Tigers have got together and showing their dollar bags are building up a flock of Blue Tigers by deceiving the eunuchs in the United Peoples Freedom Alliance. And also a set of traitors in the guise of scholars, intellectuals and artists are acting as the directors of this heinous sin. The Tiger called Dharmaratnam Sivaram who call himself a journalist is only one among these enemies of the motherland, engaged in this traitorous conspiracy of destroying the motherland.

   It is with a heart full of joy that we are informing the patriotic people of this country that we had to put an end on 28th April2005, at 11.20 p m, to the infamous traitorous operation he carried out, defacing and darkening the international face of Sri Lanka, with the help, encouragement and sponsorship of a sinful, traitorous herd, calling themselves mediamen, born of Sinhala parents. What the traitorous imperialist wanni Tigers –green –white –blue Tigers and those traitorous demons who have joined them licking their dollar bags should know from this is that we are looking at them- eyes wide open, day and night.

   It is hereby informed with a strong sense of responsibility that all those who are doing harm to the motherland, while being nourished by the motherland, should be ready to become manure to the motherland very soon.

   Senpathi Mayadunne
   (Commander Mayadunne)
   THERAPUTHTHABHAYA BALAKAYA
   Western province Division
   On 2nd May 2005, in Colombo.

10. 

    And they say Sri Lanka missed it’s renaissance.

    Sanjana – this is well and truly traumatising. I expect it will cause a spike in traffic as well.

    This hammered home a few things to me. Like, this is why Sri Lanka will never join the league of extraodinary nations.
    This is why we will always be entrenched in our own mediocrity and psychosis. This is why we raise generation upon generation of alarmists not visionaries, and this is why we are so deep in our very own cave of faecal depravity that we can only spout crap. We’re amputated by feckless authority and then silenced by each other. That’s what we’ll be:
    A compost heap of mute paralytics.

11. 

    I failed to mention that this is a (loose) English translation of the Sinhala original. I’ve emailed a scanned copy of the original letter to Indi in the hope that he includes a link to it from http://indi.ca/2005/05/note-from-tarakis-killers/. Reading the Sinhala original, one notes the dilution of the malevolent invective, which is really quite disturbing.

12. 

    Indi, the Sinhala scanned copy does not print very well. Any advice?

    Here’s a link to a site with information about the historical Mayadunne, read 1521 onwards.

    http://www.spur.asn.au/450_years_of_colonialism_Part_3.htm

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