{"id":70232,"date":"2013-01-19T19:20:48","date_gmt":"2013-01-19T19:20:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=70232"},"modified":"2013-01-21T21:50:17","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T21:50:17","slug":"law-entrance-issue-and-the-politics-of-silence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/law-entrance-issue-and-the-politics-of-silence\/","title":{"rendered":"Law Entrance Issue And The Politics Of Silence"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Malinda Seneviratne<\/a><\/span> –<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Malinda Seneviratne<\/p><\/div>\n

When any news on Sri Lanka in the \u2018world press\u2019 comes with a caveat such as \u2018Sinhalese who are mostly Buddhist and Tamils who are mostly Hindu\u2019, communalism becomes painted in lines bolder than reality on things political.\u00a0 There is a communal reality of course, but when it is used as a marker, nuance is lost.\u00a0 It is a phenomenon that communalists don\u2019t necessarily object to for there\u2019s a lot of political mileage to be gained by coming under spotlight.<\/p>\n

It is not uncommon therefore for \u2018ethnic\u2019 and \u2018religious\u2019 to be painted on things that are not necessarily ethnic or religious.\u00a0 One of the outcomes of this state of affairs, interestingly, is a marked aversion by some to point the ethnic or religious of ethnic and religious things respectively.\u00a0 Indeed when the ethnic and\/or religious does assert itself\/themselves they are downplayed or ignored altogether.\u00a0 There are holy ethnic cows and holy religious cows, apparently.<\/p>\n

Now it can be argued that such things are left alone because there\u2019s been so much fire that adding more fuel cannot help douse.\u00a0 If that were the case, then it would be hands-off for all communities, all faiths, all ethnicities.\u00a0 There are people who are like that, i.e. those who don\u2019t feed the rabble-rouser and who, even if reference to identity cannot be avoided will employ reason and responsibility so that the rabble-rouser will not benefit but the public will be better informed.<\/p>\n

The politics of selectivity in these matters is interesting in and of itself.\u00a0 Take the fiasco regarding the Law Entrance Examination (LEE).\u00a0 Statistics show a steady increase in the intake of Muslim students.\u00a0 Does that indicate a \u2018Muslim Hand\u2019?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 We cannot conclude this.\u00a0\u00a0 It can be argued that Muslim candidates have got more serious about exam preparation than Muslims of an earlier generation.\u00a0 Nothing wrong there.\u00a0 This year\u2019s intake shows Muslin-intake not as \u2018improvement\u2019 following recent pattern but a veritable jump.\u00a0 \u2018Muslim-hand\u2019?\u00a0 No evidence, as of now.\u00a0 Better to presume \u2018none\u2019.<\/p>\n

What is being questioned is the integrity of the entire process.\u00a0 There are allegations of \u2018leak\u2019 as far as the Tamil Medium papers are concerned.\u00a0 The Law College, Ministry of Justice (Rauff Hakeem<\/a><\/span>, a Muslim who is a leader of a \u2018Muslim\u2019 party, is the subject minister, but that could be coincidence) and the Examinations Department are playing toss-the-ball.\u00a0 That\u2019s not a \u2018Muslim thing\u2019 but a general response to problem common to all departments and ministries.\u00a0 The \u2018Muslim-hand\u2019 allegations come with reference to the ports recruiting Muslims in numbers not corresponding to ethnic percentages when a Muslim was subject minister and the foreign service likewise being \u2018Muslim-loaded\u2019 under A.C.S. Hameed.\u00a0 Relevant? No.\u00a0 Separate issues.<\/p>\n

If the Tamil language paper has leaked and if the majority of Muslims took the Tamil version, then it is natural that they would perform better.\u00a0 If this was the case it could be because whoever was guilty of leaking wanted Muslim candidates to perform better (the \u2018leaker\u2019 could have been a Muslim) or because the \u2018leaker\u2019 wanted to make a fast buck (in which case his\/her ethnicity, religious faith etc., is irrelevant).<\/p>\n

The jury is out on all these matters and as long as the jury remains out, those who want to pain ethnicity to the story will only become stronger.\u00a0\u00a0 From a purely rights point of view, it is a serious matter, especially since it is all about the law, law students and lawyers.\u00a0 We can envisage a situation several decades down the line where some (let\u2019s say \u2018deserving\u2019) individual is made Chief Justice<\/a><\/span> but is found to have entered Law College after sitting an examination that remains under cloud.\u00a0 That individual need not be a Muslim, let us remember.\u00a0 This is not an O\/L paper leak.\u00a0 It is a competitive exam and far more important than competitive examinations such as the Grade 5 Scholarship exam.\u00a0 Foot-dragging is not just unfair for the candidates (including those who \u2018passed\u2019) but dangerous for post-conflict harmony among communities.<\/p>\n

Be that as it may, what is strange is the total silence on the part of many who treat even the slightest error on the part of exam-holders as though it were a national calamity.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Is this issue a touch-me-not because there is suspicion that some group other than Sinhalese or Buddhists might be up to hanky-panky?\u00a0 Is it a fear that calling out minority groups would make the callers-out being identified with those who are routinely called \u2018Sinhala Buddhist Extremists\u2019?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Is it a similar \u2018fear\u2019 that stops the otherwise vociferous political commentariat from saying anything negative about the Saudis even as they lambast the Foreign Employment Bureau and the regime over Rizana\u2019s execution?<\/p>\n

Ravaya has been silent for the most part.\u00a0 Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu<\/a><\/span>, Jehan Perera<\/a><\/span>, J.C. Weliamuna<\/a><\/span> and other anti-regime hawks haven\u2019t found this juicy enough an issue to chew on.\u00a0 Such people focus on the protests led by Buddhist organizations.\u00a0 That\u2019s fair enough, but it doesn\u2019t warrant silence on what appears to be serious flaws in the process as evidenced by contradictory and vague statements issued by the relevant authorities of the relevant institutions.<\/p>\n

Standing for minority rights does not mean giving minorities a blank cheque. Neither does it warrant silence when minorities benefit from error, simply because they happen to be a minority.\u00a0 Whenever foul mouthed people calling themselves \u2018Buddhists\u2019 or racist Sinhalese indulge in racism, there are many (mostly non-Sinhalese and non-Buddhists) crying foul, as they should. If they are asked \u2018Are all non-Buddhists and non-Sinhalese saints?\u2019 or \u2018Would you ever or have you ever criticized racism on the part of non-Sinhalese or fundamentalism on the part of non-Buddhists?\u2019 they are silent.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s something wrong here and it doesn\u2019t help.\u00a0 There\u2019s a monster waiting to get out of a box.\u00a0 There are errors of commission and errors of omission.\u00a0 We are seeing both.\u00a0 From all quarters.<\/p>\n

*Malinda Seneviratne is the Chief Editor of \u2018The Nation<\/a>\u00a0and his articles can be found at\u00a0www.malindawords.blogspot.com<\/a>\u00a0.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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