28 March, 2024

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Vijayakala’s LTTE & Asgiriya Anunayaka’s Hitler: A Political Economy Of Dissent In A Morally Decaying Society

By Jude Fernando

Jude Fernando

If they call you a Hitler, then be a Hitler and build this country.—Ven. Vendaruwe Upali Thero (Anunayaka of the Asgiriya Chapter), advising Gotabaya Rajapaksa

Now we remember how we lived before May 18, 2009. In the present conditions our main intention is to bring back the LTTE if we want to live, if we want to walk freely, if we need our children to attend schools and return back.Vijayakala Maheswaran

The timing of these two, ill-thought-out and irresponsible, or perhaps, misspoken statements, and the stark difference between the public and political responses to them, are evidence of the harsh and uncomfortable realities of this country. The statements are an indictment of the yahapalanaya (“good governance”) regime for failing to fulfill its promises. Desperation and anxiety about this failure run deep in a society so morally bankrupt and intellectually and politically paralyzed, that it sees no other option but to turn to the LTTE or to authoritarian regimes to help solve the country’s social, economic, and political problems—regardless of the atrocious history of such regimes. These are symptoms of a morally degenerating society deprived of convincing alternative narratives and road maps to guide its future. 

The double standards evident in the popular and political responses to Anunayaka and Vijayakala are indicative of a country sharply polarized along ethnic lines and also of the continuing influence of ethno nationalism on the politics of the country. Such polarization creates communities that are unable to empathize with other communities, even if they are facing similar struggles. After thirty years of war, million-dollar investments in reconciliation and peace-building have not helped the country move away from reactionary, racist nationalism and toward a more inclusive nationalism. An ethno-nationalist interpretation of Vijayakala’s apparent call for a resurgence of the LTTE might cause the Sinhalese to endorse Anunayaka’s counsel to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and the Tamils who fear a further entrenchment of forces against them to sympathize with Vijayakala. The statements reinforce each other, and they will take center stage in the political discourse as the country approaches its next election.

Vilifying Vijayakala and branding Gotabaya Rajapaksa as Hitler, are desperate acts of political opportunism that only serve to create fear.  If we really are concerned about the country sliding towards fascist rule under the LTTE or Hitler-style authoritarian regimes, we need to unravel and challenge the economic, cultural, and political underpinnings of the current excitement about the two statements.

The current government came to power by promising to restore law and order. After failing to do so, it is now hoping to remain in power by frightening the public about criminals whom it promises to catch when it forms the next government. Hardly anyone believes that the regime will catch politically powerful and popular members of the den of thieves, despite Minister Rajitha Senarathne’s proclamation that ‘2018 is a year of catching criminals’. Not only is the government complicit in thefts carried out by its own members, but there is also a widespread belief that the allegations of theft are important sources of political bargaining, which helps preserve a weak and unpopular government. As a result, the public is not swayed by the government’s claims that it is not interfering in legal proceedings against corruption, (as the previous government did) or the government’s plea for the public to be patient and should not expect an instant restoration of the judicial system.

Corruption has been normalized, and the legal system is struggling to overcome constraints so that it can carry out its duties. Criminals that the government promised to catch are fast becoming national heroes who could potentially form the next government. The president and the prime minister seem to blame each other for their failure to bring these criminals to justice. Yet, for most voters, corruption is simply not a matter of high priority when faced with other impending material problems. Even the JVP is not an option for the people to end corruption.  Most people do not vote for the JVP, even if they welcome its persistence in exposing corruption. Under these circumstances, people would even vote for extremely corrupt persons, especially when allegations of corruption against them remain unproven, so long as their campaign policies promise to make real change on the ground.

The frustrations of the Tamil minority with the government run as high frustrations of the majority Sinhalese. The progress the government has made in relation to certain minority issues—progress that has been acknowledged by Vijayakala herself—is not reason enough for minorities to be complacent about the status quo. The much-anticipated constitutional changes allowing for devolution of power are unlikely in the near future if supposed fears of resurgence of the LTTE and of anti-minority sentiments occupy a central place in the coming election campaigns. 

Legal experts working on constitutional reforms for devolution are ignorant about how their own thinking and efforts are conditioned by the intersection of law, economics and politics of the country. Some Tamils fear that the time legal experts take to get through legal reforms as giving ample time and space for the entrenchment of those forces that are opposed to devolution as well as transitional justice. For those Tamils critical of their political leaders, these legal reforms cannot address the issues they face on a daily basis.  For example, many doubt that the government is able to prevent the spread of incidents of rape, murder, alcoholism, gang activity, drug abuse, and other criminal activity, which have spread not only in the north and east since the end of the war but also throughout the country. For minorities, meaningful reconciliation and transitional justice remain an elusive dream at a time when the political parties are failing to move beyond narrow and often racist nationalist identity politics in responding to minority concerns.

Under these circumstances, demands for fascist regimes should not be construed as calls for another separatist war or for policies similar to those of the Nazis. Such demands are common to Sinhala and Tamil communities who believe that national problems can be solved only by regimes that can instill the fear of punishment in the wrongdoers. Public desperation is an inevitable product of nation building in Sri Lanka under the mutually reinforcing workings of neoliberal development projects and ethno-religious nationalist projects. The global success of these two projects is predicated on inequality, injustice, oppression, and domination, and, as certain trends in international politics show, the survival of such projects can open the door to fascism.

If our consciousness is formed in the image of these two projects, our ability to think critically and independently is taken away, and our humanity is robbed from us. Only by unraveling the economic, political and cultural underpinnings of these projects can we regain our intellectual freedom and our humanity, and make proper sense of Vijayakala’s and Anunayaka’s statements and of the public response to them.

Every government since 1977 has continued to pursue neoliberal economic policies centered on the notion that economic wellbeing and democratic freedoms and rights, and ecological sustainability can be derived from the capitalist market place. Therein the primary responsibility of the government is to discipline the society to function according to the dictates of the market.  In crude terms, the underlying logic of such policies is to sell anything and everything to the highest bidder as long as that bidder brings investment to the country. These transactions are done regardless of the bidder’s transparency, accountability and the social and environmental consequences of their investments. The priority here is not the wellbeing of the people, but economic growth, which in essence means opportunities for capitalist profit, by adjusting the national economy to the dictates of the world market. 

Inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic inequalities are increasing, and social safety networks are either disappearing or are being subject to the logic of the market. The country is being dispossessed of its resources, and such dispossession is disproportionately borne by the most vulnerable social groups. Future generations will inherit an irredeemable debt trap, and the country is rapidly losing its economic and political sovereignty. The neoliberal institutions and their economists, however, have indoctrinated society with the belief that “good governance,” structured exclusively within the confines of neoliberal rationality, is the only option available for improving the quality of our lives and the natural environment.

Neoliberal economic hegemony offers only two options to any government. The first is to be aggressive in implementing neoliberal policies, using ideological consensus and coercion to suppress and distract any form of protest against the inequalities and injustices that inevitably arise from such policies. Governments find it easy to adhere to neoliberal doctrine when the society itself has internalized the neoliberal promise of prosperity and when there is no critical thinking or opposition to that myth encouraged by the education system, by the religious establishment, or by civil society. Such manufactured gullibility is reinforced when people are made so naïve as to believe that changes in the political leadership will result in a new determination to combat injustice and inequalities of the neoliberal economic policies.

In contrast to the popular perception of the present government as one without clear purpose, direction and firm leadership, there is a growing consensus among the public that those who ended the war against the LTTE are capable of leading the country towards a better future because they possess the coherent narrative and will it takes to guide both the economy and the nation. Such consensus, certainly, are not built on facts, but on the failures of the current government on issues that matters most for the general public. The attempts by some politicians and civil society members, even with good intentions, to use Anunayaka’s statement to instill fear of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa becoming the next president has backfired and are  making Gotabhaya even more popular among his supporters. 

The second option offered by neoliberal hegemony is that governments frame their policies in ethno-nationalist terms, thereby distracting public attention from neoliberal economic policies. Such framing is not a difficult task in countries in which the educational, religious, and political establishments have conditioned the vast majority of people to interpret the benefits of economic policies in ethno-nationalist terms. Ethno-nationalist responses to Vijayakala’s statement provide an excuse for a type of political leadership that would invest in a security apparatus that could eventually be used to suppress all forms of political dissent, in particular, dissent against neoliberal policies. Ethno-nationalism disguises the economic logic behind militarization, thereby providing security and stability for transnational capital.   

Minority political parties, being complicit with neoliberalism, dare not challenge such politics or mobilize their constituencies against them. None of the Tamil parties have articulated a political vision that would address the issues resulting from neoliberalism and ethno-nationalism, because they have neither the ideological inclination nor the social capital to do so. The dominance of identity politics, at the expense of economic analysis, in Tamil political discourse is reinforced by a disappointment about the progress that has been made in transitional justice after the war and by an entrenchment of anti-minority sentiments evident in the recent anti-Muslim riots. As a result, when neoliberal policies dispossess minorities of their land and resources, thereby increasing their political vulnerability, minorities are left with having to solely articulate their grievances and organize their dissent along the lines of their ethnic identity. 

Vijayakala’s and Anunayaka’s statements appeal to those who are ideologically conditioned to think that having political control over their land and resources, even under the LTTE or a fascist regime, is the answer to the economic as well as political problems of their respective communities. Neoliberalism thrives on the radicalizing of inequality and dispossession. People become oblivious to inequalities within their own communities and project their anger and dissent towards the economy onto vulnerable communities, which in turn undermines inter-ethnic solidarity against the common denominator of inequality and dispossession. 

The public and political responses to the two statements are indicative of continuing polarization along ethno-religious lines and also of a lack of will among mainstream political parties to move beyond narrow identity politics that legitimize their political agendas. In these responses Vijyakala’s statement received a literal interpretation, whereas Annunayaka’s statement received a metaphorical interpretation. 

At the time of she made the controversial statement, Vijayakala, a Tamil female State Minister of the Government of Sri Lanka, had worked closely with the government on various projects on post-war reconciliation and peace-building.  Her husband was assassinated by the LTTE and she has witnessed decades of failure of all governments to fulfill their promises to minority Tamils.  Her controversial statement was obviously an ill-thought out statement made in a context of increasing reports on sexual violence in the North and East. Why did she make the statement now? And why is she being singled out for punishment, when many other Tamil and Sinhala politicians and members of the general public have made similar statements that violate the constitution, and are ostensibly punishable under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA)? 

Vijayakala’s statement was a part of a politically charged speech she made in response to a lack of justice for the rape and murder of a child, her friend’s daughter. Is it possible that Vijayakala, being an acolyte of the UNP, was trying to make political capital by calling for a resurgence of the LTTE? Would Vijayakala’s critics treat her differently had she not been a member of the UNP but an ally of Karuna or Pilliyan (former members of the LTTE responsible for mass murder and after the war held ministerial portfolios under the previous government)? The critics of Vijayakala ignored this complicated context in which the statement was made and have been unwilling to give the benefit of the doubt to Vijayakala’s claim that she did not intend to appeal for a resurgence of the LTTE. 

The parliament and the media did not get animated about Anunayaka’s statement, in the same way they did about Vijayakala’s. No one raised doubts about his clarification of his statement, that “he did not advocate a Hitler-like military rule”, rather he meant “the need for someone who can make strong decisions.” It was accepted without raising any doubts about it or raising questions about the consequences of such a statement on inter-ethnic relations. Obviously, Vijayakala cannot in good consciousness defend the LTTE, with its record of forcibly recruiting women and children to the war, as a protector of women and children, but she could certainly say that there was no rape and sexual abuse during its regime. If we equally treat both Vijayakala’s and the Anunayaka’s statements, then we should give the benefit of the doubt to Vijayakala that she did not endorse the violent past of the LTTE rather she, as the Anunayaka did  meant the need for a regime that would make firm decisions to prevent further sexual assaults.  

Those in parliament who vilified Vijayakala using inappropriate language and who demanded immediate legal action against her have been silent about the allegations made against those Sinhala politicians who provided finances to the LTTE and who made former LTTE cadres accused of murder into government ministers—acts that are prohibited by the PTA. My point is not that one wrong justifies another but that politicians of the majority community enjoy a degree of privilege not extended to those representing vulnerable minorities.

The UNP did the right thing in appointing a committee of inquiry and letting the legal process handle Vijayakala’s statement, rather than immediately arresting her. However, the UNP is not going to challenge the racism that underlies the hypocrisies of Vijayakala’s critics. The reaction of some UNP members to Vijayakala’s statement implies that its intention was to prove to the public that it was far more proactive in condemning Vijayakala than were the opposition politicians.

People are so busy looking after their own welfare that they lack the time, resources, and moral inclination to become responsible citizens. Instead, they expect politicians to work for the common good. Even some religious leaders see the LTTE and fascist movements as role models for our political leaders because those religious leaders themselves draw their popularity, legitimacy, and economic substance from ethno-religious nationalism and the neoliberalism that underpins it.

As long as the government is committed to neoliberal policies and maintain ethno-nationalism as the ideological basis for nation-building, it will fail to restore and maintain law and order, to end corruption, to create a viable path toward transitional justice for communities affected by war, to address increasing economic inequality, the dispossession of the country’s land and resources, and to prevent the subjugation of the country to the demands of neoliberal institutions. Those who vilify Vijayakala and brand Gotabhaya as Hitler to create fear in the society themselves are complicit with the same economic and nation-building projects.   

It is not enough to simply be angry at the status quo. What we need is to accept the realities of our predicament with equanimity and to do our best to confront those realities. First. We need to accept the harsh realities of neoliberal development project and ethnonationalist nation-building projects. Secondly, we need to unite across ethnic divides to confront the challenges and consequences of such projects without allowing politicians on either side to obscure these consequences in a shroud of narrow and opportunistic identity politics.

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Latest comments

  • 10
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    I am not sure if she said” “…our main “intention” is to bring back the LTTE…” ” its taken out of context.

    But lets assume she did say that.

    what does that mean. she meant that there is no law and order in the NE. The Tamils in the NE are happy to have LTTE back as a policing unit to stamp out rape, drug pedalling , stop murder stop burglary etc etc..

    During the LTTE time these crimes did not take place.

    the present Sinhala police and the Sinhala army are not interested in maintaining law and order in the NE ..in fact they are promoting the opposite…they are in the NE to” put the Tamils in their place” a strangle hold on the Tamils.

    Now compare that with the call for a Hitler in the South.

    According to the Thero Sinhala people in the South need a Hitler

    Sri Lanka is the only country in the world endorsing and promoting Hitlerism

    Why do the Sinhala people need a Hitler?

    SWRD’s Sinhala only policy, the strong and unchecked powers of men in saffron, the political strangle hold of the Sangha, choking the Sinhala people with Sinhala Sri Lanka Buddhism..is the Sinhala people really happy.

    Now they want a Hitler to control the Sinhala South …while the army is choking the Tamil North.

    For Gods sake Hitler is now an acceptable vocabulary in the Sinhala Sri Lanka…this shows where the country is going

    Why do the Sinhala people sleep walking to a Hitler regime

    The Sinhala people only have the courage to attack innocent minorities under the patronage of the law enforces and men in robe

    The Sinhala people don’t have any guts or courage to challenge the establishment

    • 6
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      Rajash

      The Sinhala/Buddhist fascists always complained and the first to mention the Tamils have never been part of any national party and are tribal.

      Now look at them, they are the first one to hound Vijayakala Maheswaran out her office, out of parliament and out of the party while Wimal wanting to bomb the parliament treated as one of his usual rant.

      Will Sirisena, Ranil, ………………….Navin (Parliamentary puritan) Nayake, ………………. deal with the practice of double standard and throw the ranting racist Wimal out of parliament and into a prison.

      • 14
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        Unlike never before in recent history ……….. the Rajapakses are the sword of Damocles hanging over the nations head …………. they have corrupted the national/social fabric of the entire nation like no other political entity in the country’s history

        Prabakarans’s destruction of his own community and the nation was on the surface “out there” for everyone to see ………… Rajapakses’ destruction of the country/society is insidious, underhand and beneath the surface; not many people see it …………. and some even think they are the best thing since slice bread ……..

      • 7
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        Native Vedda – the 12 boys and their foot ball coach who were trapped inside a cave in Thailand were all successfully brought our of the cave. It took 5 hours bring each of them through the cave filled with waters. A successful international operation. All the 12 boys survived 17 days inside the cave but they were found to be in a cool and calm and mentally stable . Tmhe credit for that goes to their foot ball coach. He used to be a Buddhist monk. He used the principles of Buddhist meditation and what he learnt as a monk and taught 12 boys to meditate to keep them spiritually and mentally alert.

        In Sri Lanka the Buddhist monks are preaching and teaching Hilterism….what a fing shame

        • 5
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          What a racist generalization. All Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka are not preaching Hitlerism. All Thai monks are not practicing meditation. There are noble and rotten monks everywhere, just as there are noble and rotten Tamils.

          • 2
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            Paul: All Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka are not preaching Hitlerism”

            There was no condemnation from the two Sangha’s or from the Mahanayakes or condemning the Hitler statement by one of their thero in saffron robe.

            so they are infact condoning indirectly preaching …..

          • 2
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            Paul

            “There are noble and rotten monks everywhere, just as there are noble and rotten Tamils.”

            If you have met noble monks why haven’t they invited another noble month Dalai Lama to visit this noble land?

            Nobility alone is not a sufficient attribute however they should be able to assert themselves for good courses stand up against, tyranny, corruption, nepotism, violence, ………………………….

            • 0
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              Native, ‘If you have met noble monks why haven’t they invited another noble month Dalai Lama to visit this noble land?’

              That is the prerogative of the Government, not the monks. Of course you know this yourself, but are misleading others.

    • 1
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      Well, sure Sinhalese has no courage but do you mean the Tamils had the courage to fight the barbarism of the LTTE even when they were killing your own leaders!

      • 2
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        Who are these “Own Leaders” you are referring to?
        Based on what investigation did you come to the conclusion LTTE killed them?

        We know Maheswaran’s security was reduced from 9 to 2 and was killed after the budget vote.
        We know Kadirgama’s assassins escaped without a hitch from a high security area.
        We have a general idea of Lasantha’s assassins.
        We know that the govt story on Thajuddin was not true.

        So Prabakaran was fighting the barbarians on behalf of the Tamils.

  • 2
    1

    This comment was removed by edwin rodrigo because it abides by CT Comment policy. For more detail see our Comment policy https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/comments-policy-2/

  • 6
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    The article is written in good faith. The writer is clearly concerned about the direction the country is taking and the possible fallout on all communities. But unfortunately he doesn’t provide any new insights into the causes or any remedies. Substitute his terms as follows to reflect what he actually means:
    .
    neoliberal development project = capitalism
    .
    ethnonationalist nation-building projects = Sinhala & Tamil Nationalisms in conflict
    .
    So what we have is the same old classical Marxist analysis and solution. According to the writer all our problems stem from the twin evils of capitalism and nationalism. And the solution of course is to bury our ethno/religious/linguistic differences, unite on the basis of our class affiliations, wage a class war, stage a revolution, and overthrow capitalism. All our problems and conflicts over ethnicity and nationality would simply disappear in a socialist society.
    .
    I wish the world is so simple and logical. In my everyday social interaction I don’t see any bourgeoisie, petite bourgeoisie or the proletariat. All what I see are Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Burghers, Malays, and a minuscule, endangered species called the Marxists.

  • 11
    2

    Sinhalese Buddhist mentality at play. Vijayakala is hounded for inviting Prabhakaran to come back Ven Upali thero goes scot free after inviting Hitler to make a come back thousand times worse than Prabhakaran. If Vijayakala is punished Ven. Upali should be disrobed.

    • 0
      1

      There is another dangerous guy from Teachers Union. His Name is Stalin. Now we have GOTA, HITLER and STALIN to be taken note of

  • 9
    0

    All this are dirty politics..
    SL; suffers from political turmoil since 1948?
    No leader wants to see true peace in SL.

  • 6
    2

    Dear Author,
    From the time Ceylon got independence the Country never ceased oppressing Tamils and till today justice never got served to victims. There are victims of the Government forces from the 70s, 80s, 90s and 20s in all major and minor communities. What the Sri Lankan politicians do every time to overcome humiliation from the rest of the world is to get the minority leaders to agree with them for bypassing the remedial measures necessary for the benefit of all communities. When the right remedy and justice not served promptly the integrity of the whole Country is lost. Once you get humiliated and proper measure to overcome is avoided you lose your place where you were once before. But for Sri Lankan politicians because of the humility the majority Sinhalese faced during the British rule it has become habitual to use oppression of Tamils as the weapon to win election and get the power. The situation of the Country was never a criteria for the campaign platform. Even after January 2015 change of Government it is very obvious there is not going to be any justice for the deserving. It is the usual going round the mulberry bush. The story of politicians as you point out is the usual story and who will bear the fruits of these politicians behaving like actors and kids with no concern for the future?

    • 0
      0

      Ricahrd,

      ‘From the time Ceylon got independence the Country never ceased oppressing Tamils ‘

      Really? How many Tamil ministers, MPs etc have there been since 1948?

  • 1
    2

    “Her husband was assassinated by the LTTE and she has witnessed ……….”
    That is surprising. I always believed it was the EPDP that assassinated Maheswaran.
    If her husband had been ‘bumped off’ by the LTTE would she express a desire for the return of that dreaded outfit?

    • 5
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      Her husband was assassinated by the EPDP and not the LTTE

      • 3
        4

        Thank you for the investigation Rohan from the FBI.

        • 1
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          Rtd. Lt. Reginald Shamal Perera; I detect a hint of sarcasm in your comment.
          I am sure you know better that her husband was not assassinated by the EPDP or the LTTE….but by the army

          • 2
            1

            Rajash,

            Thanks for the additional investigation and expert analysis. You should join the CIA or the FBI along with Rohan.

            • 1
              1

              sorry mate but MI5 refused to release me

        • 2
          1

          Retarded loony Reginald Shameless women sniffing Perera

          “Thank you for the investigation Rohan from the FBI.”

          It was well known among her relatives that it was not LTTE which killed him but a paramilitary group that had all the reason to assassinate him. He was going to name the group as the suspect in many killings.

          Retard you should fact check before typing in this forum.

    • 1
      1

      EPDP, LTTE, EPF, W&OP who cares? They were all Tamils. All Tamils may not be terrorists but all Terrorists are Tamils. They killed more Tamil civilians than all other parties combined.
      .
      And my boss says they killed 541 Muslims in Kattankudy mosque while at prayer. Imagine that!

      • 1
        1

        Thank you Ogirdor Niwde.

  • 5
    5

    The 100% Sinhalese armed forces and 99% Sinhalese police in the north and east are not stationed there to help the Tamils . maintain order or for development but the contrary they are to create chaos ,oppress , keep tabs and prevent genuine development. This is why lands and homes were confiscated , so that people cannot make a living . Now many of them especially around Vavuniya and Mullaithevu are being distributed to southern Sinhalee settlers, especially along the border areas and where the east and north meet to break up the continuity of the Tamil north and east. The so called development was never for the benefit of the Tamils but for the benefit of the armed forces, so that can reach all areas of the north very fast. People are not stupid. Sinhalese extremist or pseudo liberal do not want to acknowledge this truth. It is not the fault of the Tamil people or Tamil parties that they can envisage any vision for the future , as the majority of the Sinhalese and Sinhalese political parties that have been ruling the island from independence will never allow this or entertain this , as all they want is Sinhalese Buddhist supremacy. Everything Tamil is being systematically destroyed. Ancient archaeological sites/finds. Places of worship converted from Hindu to Buddhist like Kathirkammam. Tamils lands ethnically cleansed and settled with Sinhalese and place names changed from Tamil to Sinhalese. All you have to do is take a map of island before independence and check. All place names in the north east and along the north west coast are Tamil. Every city town village river hill. Now 30-40% of these have been Sinhalised. Aruvi Ary to Malwathu Oya. Pattipallai to Galoya . Manalary to Welioya. Amparai to Ampara, Kantalai, to Kantale. Venappu to Wenappuwa. Aandi Ambalam to Aandi Ambalama, Vilankulam to Divuluwewa but the Kandyan Radala family from this area still retain the old Tamil derived name Bulankulame. The list goes on.

    • 4
      4

      Real Siva Sankaran Sharma,
      The cradle of Sinhala civilization was in North and Eastern part of Sinhale. Where was Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa Kingdoms? In this part of the country Sinhalayo developed one of the most advanced hydraulic civilization based on an extensive irrigation system. Invaders from Hindusthan massacred Sinhala people; killed Buddhist monks; vandalized the irrigation system; destroyed temples and burnt down libraries. As a consequence of these despicable acts of invaders, Sinhala kingdoms moved to the South. All the archeological sites in North and East provide solid evidences for the Sinhala Buddhist civilization existed in that part of the country. Chelvanayakam started a project to distort history of Sinhale and establish the notion that North East is the traditional homeland of Demalu which has no solid evidences.

      • 3
        4

        Eagle Blind the cradle of Sinhala civilisation was in the north and east of Sinhale! There is no record of lion bloods roaming around these areas. Only deer leopards bears, foxes and elephants. The word Sinhala is a Pali corruption of ancient Tamil word for the island Chingkallam. meaning the land of copper/cooper coloured or red. and the ancient Tamil or Elu speaking Naga and Yakka tribes living in this island were called Chingkallavar. Whit the arrival of Buddhism and the large scale conversion of the population in the south of the island , to this new religion, a new language and identity gradually started to evolve over the centuries , when the population started to mix their local Tamil dialect( Elu) with the Pali and Sanskrit of Buddhism. This was also encouraged by the Buddhist monks , as they wanted to create a new identity/language for the converted Tamil Buddhists, to keep them apart from the huge sea of Hindu Tamils across the sea and in the north and east, that hardly converted. This new language and identity took the name of the land and identity from where it evolved and Tamil Chingkallam/Chinkgkallaver became Pali Sinhala . Another ancient Tamil name for the island is Eezham/Eelam meaning the land of metal or toddy. May be this was the reason the ancient Tamil dialect in the country was called Chingkallam or Elu as it belonged to the region. Elu+ Magadhi Prakrit( Pali) = Hela or old Sinhalese. Sinhalese never existed in the north and east .It was the land of the Tamils from ancient times. They were in the north central parts but never in the north or east. Lastly Polonarruwa was not founded by the Sinhalese but by the Tamil Cholas and all those magnificent ancient Hindu and Buddhist ruins there were built by them. Now the Sinhalese are falsely portraying this to the world as the wonders of ancient Sinhalese civilisation.

        • 2
          2

          Real Siva Sankaran Sharma (Goebble reborn)
          Keep on trying and see whether Goebble’s theory will work.

        • 2
          1

          A Comparison of Sinhala & Tamil Languages: Tamil is not on par with the Sinhala language. On a scale of 0 to 10 Tamil scores around 6 and Sinhala as 9 according to linguistic experts. It may be older, but not better. Unlike wine, one cannot judge a language by considering how old it is. For instance, the monkey gutturals are much older than Tamil but even the most patriotic monkey would agree that Tamil is a more advanced language than monkey language.
          .
          Vowels are important in a language. Sinhala has එයන්න and ඒයන්න which are not found in the Tamil alphabet. In Tamil we have ana and avanna but no ena and evanna. Thus, we have the cornered Tiger leader, Prabha’s shouting Meeta Passe Shingala Muniya maranne NE being misinterpreted by SLA Pvt Nimal Maharage (GCR OL 5 A + 3S) as Shingala Muniya Inne maranna NE. The AK47 spoke a different language and you know the rest…
          .
          The Indian Tamils and other Dravidians have the same problems but on a bigger scale. The other day I went to a small grocery here in Bahrain and found them taking stocks of the goods. One Dravidian was taking a count of items and the other recording it. “230 yeggs (eggs). 13 cans Cookkeda Hum (Cooked Ham), 15 cans Bakeda Beans (Baked Beans)”… and so on. Then seeing me one said, ‘you need yenithing?” I told him “ You got any eggs?”. He said, “what…”. I shouted “eggs”. He said “Why you yell my friend”. Probably the first correct ‘Yell’ he pronounced on the day. He said winking at his friend “Oh…. You mean yeggs?” and gave me the yeggs.

    • 1
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      Bulankulames are not Kandyan. They are from Anuradhapura. I know P.B Bulankulame, Patchy and even Anura Bulankulame. Great Cricketers. But from A’pura.

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        Bulankulames are from Tamil Nadu. They came to fight for Sinhala kings and then settled down around Anuradhapura. Their original name was Puliyankulam and subsequently they changed their name to Bulankulame.

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        They are a Kandyan family from the Anuradhapura area, as this was part of the Kandyan kingdom. You say that you are from a Kandyan family ( Mollamure/Molligoda , who changed his name to Perera ( sic) ) but do not know the fact these people are Kandyans. Many of their members have married into the Ratwatte, Hurulle , Rambukwelle , Pannabokke, Seniviratne families, All Kandyan families. The word Bulankulame or kulam is a corruption of the original Tamil name for the village Vilankulam ( the tank/pond with the woodapple grove ) now Sinhalese racists have changed it to Divuluwewa , to erase any traces of the original Tamil name for this area, like many other ancient Tamil place names in the North Central province. Now the department of archeology is busy doing the same in north. Instead of trying to preserve the ancient Tamil Hindu and Buddhist heritage of the north , it is busy destroying every trace of this and planting Sinhalese Buddhist artifacts from the south.

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    People think that Bhikkus should not speak any thing that helps Sri lanka. I heard one LEading bhikku in Sri lanka was assasinated and not died naturally because Muslim UALAMA or a Mullah di dnot not like what he said. That is the freedomw in Sri lanka for Bhikkus.

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      Jim softy Dimwit

      .”People think that Bhikkus should not speak any thing that helps Sri lanka.”

      People want to hear them talk Buddhism, practice Buddha’s teaching, think compassionate living, meditate, make peace with themselves and rest of the wold ……………….. not your garbage.

      Was the bhikku in Sri lanka actually die?
      Are you saying UALAMA or a Mullah assassinated him?

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        May be a Kalaveddah disguised as Mullah did it. There is no reason why Muslims should do such stupid a thing.

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      Jim Softy.

      Ulama or Mullah did not like what he said.
      Ass.. ole what the hell is wrong with you.

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      Why he monk is thinking speaking of Hitler. be like a Hitler

      this is a provocation advice.

      The supreme art of conflict is to subdue the contender without hurting.

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      Jim the Dimwit:
      Where is this Mullah? Can I at least send a card as a token of appreciation.

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    Srilanka does not need a Hitler, Prabakaran, Polpot , Idiamin , Gaddafi , Suharto, Marcos or Gotler.

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    Sounds like a good description of the Weimar republic and the post-Versailles German mood especially during the Depression. None of which justifies fascism! Just because there is a mass psychology behind it, it doesn’t mean you don’t call it what it is and fight it! Hence Wilhelm Reich’s ‘Mass Psychology of Fascism’.

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      Dr Dayan Jayatilleka

      “None of which justifies fascism!”

      True, then why have you been carrying MR’s b***s all these years and continue to support the national hangman?
      Before we go further could anyone define fascism for you, the Sri Lankan variety.

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    . It is a well known fact that Prabharan and other leaders were killed in 2009. Even last year when Buddhist Sinhalese created a story about birth control chemicals mixed with food to eradicate Sinhalese and created a violence against Muslims, then many Muslims felt the need of LTTE. During the period of LTT there was no riots against minorities for 30 years but immediately after the end of war it reemerged. We are now gone back to the period before the emergence of LTTE. The number of people killed by Military is much more than the people killed by LTTE. The number journalists killed by LTTE is much less than journalists killed by Sinhalese military.
    Most of us forgot that there is a political party in the name of liberation tigers in Srilanka. It is formed by former Minister Vinayagamoorthy who was the former vice president of SLFP under Mahinda presidency. If it is a crime recall LTTE, how did we allow a political party in the name of Liberation Tigers. Viyayakala did not call LTTE for violence, fight for separation or even for devolution but her call was to stop crimes. Sinhalese police and military completely failed to stop violence or crimes. Why should we have a 99% Sinhalese only police and military in the North where 99% of Tamils live?

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      Spot on Ajith.

      Simply brilliant. All these punnakku eating Sinkhala Buddhist morons are a shame to peace loving society.

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      Ajith, the lies of your diaspora are only matched by the lies of the Government.

      ‘then many Muslims felt the need of LTTE.’

      Ha ha ha name one such Muslim.

      ‘During the period of LTTE there was no riots against minorities’

      despite VP’s best efforts to start them, by massacring Sinhala villagers.

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    Just nine years before Sinhalese lead by King Mahinda celebrated war victory claiming they have eliminated LTTE and all the LTTE leaders. After six years King Mahinda lost his kingdom and within three years he is warning Sinhalese of LTTE lead by Prabharan has already there to fight against war won military and kill all Sinhalese. So Prabhaharan already there, So Mahinda and Gota has to come back to lead the military in to another war victory to celebrate again in 2019. What a wonderful Srilanka and Sinhalese? Do you have a question? Don’t ask how dead Prabharan came alive? It is a crime if you ask this question in our constitution!

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    Ajith,

    Sri Lankan Armed forces mainly to prevent threat from internally and externally and it will be stationed strategically all over the country.

    Sri Lanka Police is to control, prevent, or eliminate crimes. Yes, I agree with you that crime incident are on the rise in the entire Sri Lanka and proportionately more in the other areas than Jaffna.

    Where is the logic in your analysis?

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    Ajith,

    Sri Lankan Armed forces mainly to prevent threat from internally and externally and it will be stationed strategically all over the country.

    Sri Lanka Police is to control, prevent, or eliminate crimes. Yes, I agree with you that crime incident are on the rise in the entire Sri Lanka and proportionately more in the other areas than Jaffna.

    Why cannot you look at the problems in Sri Lankan perspective. Crime ratio is a serious problem all over the country and it will be tackled by Police and not by LTTE. You accept or not, LTTE is a proscribed organization world over and so as in Sri Lanka and nobody can ask for resurrection or similar under any circumstances as it is against the prevailing law of the land. Besides, it is too serious for a legislator who has to uphold the constitution more than anybody else.

    Where is the logic in your analysis?

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      Nimal
      Srilankan armed forces never prevented external threats but LTTE is the only force fought against internal and external threats. When LTTE fought with India, Srilanka government gave arms and ammunitions to LTTE to fight Indian army but Srilankan army kept inside the barracks. When Indian Army illegally dropped food in 1987, Srilankan army did not prevent or stop from entering the borders. Even now if Indian army comes in Srilankan army will not prevent it.
      Even after the defeat of LTTE, Srilanka continued to keep more than 75% of the military in the North East. They occupy large scale of agricultural land owned by people and they cultivate those land and it has impact on farming communities. It is not a secret that military involvement during the elections and there are enough evidence that involved in crimes. You did n’t answer why 99% of the Police force in the North coming from Sinhalese only. It is a common sense that police should communicate with the people to understand their problems and eliminate crimes. As far as I have witnessed they mostly spend their time making money. A good example: When I last time, travelled by a van with family, they stopped our van ans asked to stop. He checked the drivers licence and other documents. Everything was Ok then he came around the van and told the driver something wrong with the antenna and asked him to come away from the van. The driver realised what was his motive and gave him Rs. 500 and came back. Then he said there is no other way as he is a Tamil.
      Everybody knows LTTE is a proscribed organization in some countries and Srilanka. You should know your government had a peace talks with LTTE in those countries proscribed organization for nearly a decade. Why did your government has to talk about solving the national problem?

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      Nimal Wijetunga, the problem with Sri Lanka armed forces is that they are 99% Sinhala and therefore are acting partially, one way in Sinhala areas and another manner in Tamil areas. In addition they have been accused internationally as to have committed crimes, and Tamils consider them as racist terrorists. It is an open secret that armed forces in the north are responsible for crimes including smuggling and drug peddling. Police also being 90% Sinhalese are also partial and are not helpful in winning hearts and minds of Tamil. LTTE may be a proscribed outfit in Sri Lanka but not in some parts of the world. European countries had banned only violent activities and are permitting LTTE to continue their political activity. Recently courts in Switzerland said that LTTE is a liberation organisation. The necessity now is the liberation of Tamils from the clutches of Sinhala terrorists, not only armed forces but also civilians imposing legislative and executive terrorism on Tamils. LTTE will not be resurrected in Sri Lanka as Tamils are not in any mood to support it at present. Have you heard the saying that history repeats itself, and next time it will be from outside the shores of Sri Lanka over which the government or Sinhala people will have no control. Forget about your constitution, when it is blatantly violated in refusing to devolve police and land powers to provincial councils. By selectively imposing justice, you become an outright racist.

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    Jude you have given a perfect analysis of the two statements.This is a typical example of double standard ingrained in low bred individuals. Our nation should hang our heads in shame. The two individuals have echoed the identical message for deliverance from present day evil in the country suggesting terror tactics but the two perpetrators are poles apart in the history of humanity. We have yet to hear from deceptive pseudo communists types in the parliament about the Anunayaka thero’s invitation to GR. Venerable Thero’s diluted explanation does not hold water, and Vejayakala is surrounded by National fanatics to stone her. Whither Justice.

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    Vijayakala stands representing the Northern voters in the LG election, the one pass in February. February election stands as good lesson for political students to understand the voting of common minds of North. We wrote here, during 2015 election time, to Sampanthar not to go behind Ranil, the greatest Fox of 21st Century, because he would tear off TNA and thus will split the Tamils. He wouldn’t heed. Last LG election was highly engineered by Ranil. With the PR-FPTP system, he planned to achieve higher control. He selected the election date to teach lesson to UNHRC. He used Sumanthiran to tear off TNA and strip it to one Party- FP. Then he called the election to see if anything was left with Sampanthar. Further, interesting is, Ranil or his ministers did not counter at one stage in the South when the Old Royals were campaigning that if the UNP cooperate to constitutional change, the country will be cut in to two. But Ranil didn’t forget to preach to American Ambassador why America should not move its Israeli embassy.
    North voted, in the last LG election, to everyone else but not to TNA. The spectrum travel through to the extreme poles, skipping TNA. It even voted in higher numbers to murderous Paramilitaries like EPDP, Rapist Army Party rep. Ramanathan, the cheaters’ party UNP, extremist TPNF…but not to TNA. Vijayakala is also just one in the voters of North. By her statement, she has explained why North had voted against TNA in the last election. She just echoed the mind of the Northern Tamils in the last election. She may not learned that much. But learned, sage look posing, convoluting pundits can degrade her to any extent. “ She is a typical Tamil from North ” Accept the truth or label the caring mother as “Tiger mom”. UP to you & Over to you!

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    What is called ‘National Question’ in this country is a result of irrational thinking of Demalu. Tamil Nadu where about 70 million Tamils live is the real homeland of Tamils. But Tamils do not have guts to declare Tamil Nadu as a separate state because they know very well that the reaction from New Delhi for such a move will be harsh. So Demalu are trying to create a separate state called Elaam in Sri Lanka by grabbing a part of the country that was inhabited by Sinhalayo for thousands of years.
    30% of LTTE cadres were Tamil mercenaries from Tamil Nadu. Instead of coming to Sri Lanka and fighting for a separate state, they should have fought for a separate state in India.

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    Now we remember how we lived before May 18, 2009. In the present conditions our main intention is to bring back the LTTE if we want to live, if we want to walk freely, if we need our children to attend schools and return back.—Vijayakala Maheswaran
    ——————————————-
    Vijayakala made a mistake. She should have told: Now we remember how we lived before 8 January 2015.
    Before 18 May 2009, there was no peace. LTTE grabbed children from parents and recruited as child soldiers. Imagine the fear that may have prevailed among parents and children. That fear was removed by Rajapakse Government and since then normal situation prevailed. There were no gangs running around with swords. Law and Order situation started to deteriorate after ‘Yahapalana’ Government in which she was a Minister came to power. Day by day the Law and Order situation is deteriorating not only in the North but in whole country. Women in the South have stopped wearing gold jewelry because motor cyclists grab them. Most of these incidences are going unreported.

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      Hey Blind Eye,
      Read your proudness direct from a NGO helps victims of touring. They claim Lankawe is not just Wonder of Asia, but number one in the world for last Seven years. So everything is after 2009. Isn’t it worth for Tamils to follow Vijayakala?

      https://www.freedomfromtorture.org/page/where_does_torture_happen

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    Jude Fernando
    The world today is very much media driven. Vijeyakala’s call (not quite sure as to what she actually said) is inappropriate. She apologised, resigned and may get the sack.
    The Gotler brigade call (confirmed) is very serious. No comment from any responsible leaders. But Vijeyakala is being roasted.
    .
    Behind all this is a diabolical plot to mask the corruption/nepotism/impunity bane which turned mega going on to giga. Do ‘they’ ever plan for depreciation of the rupee? No ‘they’ blame each other!
    .
    The Vijeyakala issue and the Gotler issue will be used to fuel the language/religion-divide. This ‘divide’ is the one and only immorality we fail to discern.

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    “Valavanukku Vallavan Oruvan Vantha Paathukkaiya” .

    In Ratnapura A Hitler’s acolytes- Podi Ayatollah – killed a Rapist Ralahamy!
    Bravo! Long Live SinhaLE Wildlife Sanctuary Lankawe!

    Champion is the monk. Rapist Police lost!

    Sampanthar called Vijayakala extremist. But if he talks about Ratnapura incident in the parliament, All 8th graders will kick him out of the Diyawanna Lake Palace.

    ( “ No Leader, No Commander, No Soldier will be Prosecuted” ) 2015 Yahapalanaya Election Slogan.

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    They say Vijayakala tried to escape a murderer and rapist suspect.

    Their were sex scandals during LTTE regime too. A former University VC and a senior lecturer in the Jaffna University were not punished for their scandals

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    Dear Jude “The timing of these two, ill-thought-out and irresponsible, or perhaps, misspoken statements, and the stark difference between the public and political responses to them, are evidence of the harsh and uncomfortable realities of this country”…..you have described our fate as a nation in one sentence…the article/content as a whole need to be explained to every citizen in their own language at ground level and make them realise their respnsibilities to take ownership of their nation is of a paramount importance now more than ever as the noose is tightening around us all before we become a “100% failed nation”. There has never been a “National Question” but this has always been a “Law and Order” issue since independence from North to South and East to West where all the “morons” with their own political agendas (any thing other than the Nation Building/Social & Economic reform to shape our paradise of a land for her subjects dignified existence) resulted into creating a vacuum for the geo political “monsters” to move in to rape her. Anyone who was not a “moron” and a patriot/nationalist all have been killed off by our own children (misguided/mis used) to create the vaccum so “they and their foreign alliances/plc” can sit in their respective “power houses up north and down south”…..hence we have hard line/moderate Tamil and Sinhala masters sitting in their own kingdoms up north and down south while the nation is being raped/bleed to death……please do not ask me how the mandate was given for this rape for the past 70 years “by us all” under the disguise of democracy…..evidence speak for itself. The crime investigations should be “Tamil on Tamils” and “Sinhala on Sinhala” and “International State sponsored Crime on Sri Lanka” will reveal why we do not need a “Tamil vs Sinhala” crime investigations for a brighter future nor do we require a constitutional assembly.

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