{"id":246078,"date":"2026-02-24T00:04:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T18:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=246078"},"modified":"2026-03-03T06:58:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T01:28:24","slug":"alive-dying-or-dead-racism-in-the-crosshairs-of-anura","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/alive-dying-or-dead-racism-in-the-crosshairs-of-anura\/","title":{"rendered":"Alive, Dying Or Dead? Racism In The Crosshairs Of Anura"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Mass L. Usuf<\/a> –<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Mass Usuf<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cPay less attention to what men say.Just watch what they do.\u201d ~ <\/i>Dale Carnegie<\/p>\n

As citizens, we must realise that this country will never develop into a state of peace and prosperity so long as the evil of racism and racist attitudes persist among the people.\u00a0Sociological and anthropological studies show that prejudice against \u201cothers\u201d is an innate human trait in its crude form. <\/span>Therefore, to single out the Sinhala people alone as racists will be unfair because these attitudes are prevalent even among the Tamils and Muslims. The difference is the scope and extent of such attitudes appear more pronounced within certain segments of the Sinhalese people.\u00a0 <\/span>Unlike the crude form, modern day racism is different as it is built on power, inequalities, domination and discrimination. <\/span>The reasons are multiple and interrelated.\u00a0 <\/span>These include the Sinhalese population being in the majority, Sinhalese ethno-nationalism, the \u201cSinhala Buddhist\u201d narrative, competing \u201chistorical\u201d claims made by them, the use and abuse of monks and temples, the servile political mindset.<\/p>\n

Anura\u2019s Pledge<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

President Anura Dissanayake\u2019s speeches on racism before and after elections is beyond reproach.\u00a0 <\/span>We believe in his sincere desire to take the bull by the horn – a cancer that has retrogressed this nation by several decades.\u00a0 <\/span>However, mere speeches and sincerity alone will not suffice.\u00a0 <\/span>These have to be backed by measurable affirmative action and consistent enforcement to feel the change.<\/p>\n

The prevalence of racism and racist attitudes is not unique to Sri Lanka. Racism in its different variations have been seen in the United States, Europe, Australia and in the Asian continent \u2013 particularly, worst in India. The evil precursors were the institutionalised slavery and segregation in the United States, apartheid era in South Africa and racial hierarchies created by the colonialist British empire.\u00a0 <\/span>In the local context, these dynamics evolved into the Sinhala Buddhist majority religio-political thought reinforced by the 1972 and 1978 constitutional provisions granting Buddhism the foremost place and State protection. Dr Nihal Jayawickrema wrote: \u201cBy explicitly creating a special status for Buddhism, the constitution has produced the category of \u2018The Other\u2019. The creation of this distinction has a potential to discriminate in a pluralistic society and to undermine the fundamental principle of equality.<\/i> He continued to note that there was room for conflict when the State proceed to afford such special place for Buddhism in practice. (Reflections on the Making and the Content of the 1972 Constitution: An Insider\u2019s Perspective).<\/p>\n

Will NPP Abolish Article 9?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

This Article enshrined in the Constitution gives legal validity to majoritarian nationalism and administrative bias against the minority citizens. As a first step, will the present NPP<\/a><\/span> government consider abolishing Article 9 of the present Constitution, to bring about equality amongst the citizens. By its own confession, it seems a far cry. In 2016, when the whole House was converted into a Constitutional Assembly by the then government, to make a new constitution, Article 9 was considered. Submissions were made by all parties and civil organisations regarding this. Though the JVP supports a secular constitution and the policy that there should not be state patronage for any religion, it did not make any proposal regarding Article 9.\u00a0<\/span>Interestingly, JVP MP Bimal Ratnayake at the debate said that the government or any party in power would not risk its political stability by altering Article 9. (Constitutional Assembly (Official Report, 30 Oct 2017), 83-84).<\/p>\n

The result of the opportunistic and chauvinist policy of the Sinhalese politicians who created this abyss of Article 9 is that any government in power is constantly intimidated by politically motivated racist monks. In November 2025 the removal by Police of a Buddha statue in Trincomalee placed in violation of the Coastal Conservation Laws created a significant communal tension. The arrest and detention of some monks were condemned by the higher clergy. This incident highlights the fact that when the rule of law is established and if it involves monks, they want special treatment on the basis of Article 9. They provide an extended interpretation of this Article and wish for privileges above the law.<\/p>\n

Is the President Aware?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Thus, with no hope for a change in Article 9, what can those who voted the government to power and the citizens in general expect President Dissanayake to do in this regard? At least the hope is that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake<\/a><\/span> is aware of what he is talking about. We do not doubt his sincerity when he says, \u201cWe will never allow racism in any form to raise its head again.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0 <\/span>The fact is that racism can never be eradicated but it can only be significantly reduced.<\/p>\n

Achieving meaningful progress requires sustained intervention at multiple levels: coherent governmental policy reform, institutional restructuring to ensure inclusivity, consistent enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, and educational reforms that promote pluralism while critically re-examining exclusionary historical narratives. In the Sri Lankan context, while certain legal and constitutional guarantees of equality exist, the extent to which these commitments have been implemented in a systematic and structurally transformative manner remains open to scrutiny. Symbolic rhetoric against racism, or the suppression of isolated incidents of ethnic hostility, cannot substitute for deep institutional change and long-term policy consistency.<\/p>\n

Disparaties Continue<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

What is experienced is disparities in education, health and employment, ethnic profiling in matters of security policies, marginalising the minority in political representation and governance matters.<\/p>\n

Some of the main drivers of racism can be classified into:<\/p>\n

Politics \u2013 by structuring minorities into demographic, cultural, or as security threat. This helps to polarise ethnic groups.<\/p>\n

Economics \u2013 Create a threat perception that certain minorities dominate the trade sectors, substituting competition with boycotting. Aimed at \u2018othering\u2019 the minority community.\u00a0 <\/span>Ignoring the contribution made by the minority to the economy.<\/p>\n

Monks \u2013 Opportunistic radical Buddhist monks acting on their own or at the behest of somebody. A potent manifestation of power and dominance enjoyed by the monks arising from misplaced blind allegiance to the saffron cloth they wear.<\/p>\n

Religion \u2013 The entrenched Article 9 constitutionally elevates Buddhism to a privileged status. Effectively, relegating other religious beliefs to a secondary level.\u00a0 <\/span>The phrase \u201cprotect and foster\u201d is open-ended.\u00a0 <\/span>It paves the way for manipulative and deceitful interpretation of the Article favouring the belligerents.<\/p>\n

Cultural \u2013 the negative portrayal of symbols associated with dress, food, places of worship aimed at fostering irrational and prejudicial denial.<\/p>\n

Social media \u2013 Digital platforms accelerate spread of misinformation, hate speech and echo chambers foster polarisation and extremism.<\/p>\n

It is clear that racism is neither dead nor dying in this land where both the laity and clergy boasts of the Dhamma.\u00a0 <\/span>Ironically, it is alive and kicking with certain notorious groups of monks identified as the perpetrators. Racism can be experienced on a daily basis one way or the other \u2013 covertly or overtly, loudly or in whispers, subtly or obviously and disparities do exist.\u00a0 <\/span>Law cannot eliminate prejudice because the latter is more of mental attitude.\u00a0 <\/span>Therefore, initiatives that will reform behavioural patterns like outlook, perception, belief and stereotyping have to be adopted.<\/p>\n

We are waiting, Mr. President.<\/p>\n

*Mass L. Usuf, LL. B (Hons) U.K., Attorney at Law (<\/i><\/b>Ex-Corporate and Legal Advisor) <\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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