Hail Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, but prevention is better than cure

Today's The Island newspaper reported in its lead news that the government had decided to rebuild the property in Beruwala electorate damaged in communal violence mid June.

According to reports, the government has allocated Rs. 200 million public money for this and Army is to provide labor free of charge.

Yesterday's reports said that the Army had already stationed in Aluthgama to start work today. 

Here are some interesting excerpts from The Island story:

"Racial violence would only strengthen the hands of those conspirators who had been pushing for war crimes probe targeting the country, he added.

Anyone with an iota of love for the country, wouldn’t attack another community, the Defence Secretary said..................

......................... "Give me just one reason why we should cause chaos as the country is heading for national elections. Having won every election, except the first Northern Provincial Council polls last September, there is absolutely no reason for the government to dig its own grave," the Defence Secretary said. "Give me one reason why the government wants to antagonize its coalition partners." 

In fact, the Defense Secretaries views are laudable although they came late. He must know that the racists that incited communal disharmony at Aluthgama have used his name to cover. Media alleged that the Defense Secretary was behind them. Be it right or wrong, the Bodu Bala Sena manipulates it for its safety. No action seems pending against the organization despite loads of complaints against it about hate speech and violence.

Ruling a country is not only trying to remedy the problems after they worsened, perhaps thanks to pressure. Wise politicians stem problems at the root. Prevention is better than cure.

The Rs. 200 million hard earned public money could be used to improve infrastructure in these areas if mobs had failed. Unfortunately, the racists were successful.

Sri Lanka Buddhist extremists incite communal violence between Sinhalese and Muslims in Beruwala

Communal violence took place in Sri Lanka between Muslims and Sinhala Buddhists in the evening of June 15th in Sri Lanka's Beruwala multi ethnic electorate.

Reports say that two shops and a van was set fire in Muslim dominated Dharga Town. Police curfew has been imposed in the Beruwala and Aluthgama police areas.

 A tense situation prevailed in the area since three days as a Muslim man allegedly attacked a Buddhist monk. The Sinhalese Buddhists of Aluthgama town protested the police blocking Galle Road two days ago for failing to arrest the persons who assaulted the monk. Police later arrested the suspects and remanded them.

On June 15,  Buddhist extremist Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) held a rally at Aluthgama town. Ground reports said that they had planned to demonstrate across Dharga Town upto the temple of the monk who was attacked. Muslims are accused of pelting stones at the motorcade.

When we visited the area in the evening today, police and Special Task Force were guarding the Muslim town. Muslim shops in Dharga town were closed. large number of people had gathered in the mosque. The gates of the mosque were locked and police were guarding the main road in the town. Buddhists had decorated the road to the temple of the attacked monk at a corner of the town with Buddhist flags. Ground reports said that the BBS had planned to hold a demonstration across Dharga town taking the attacked monk in a procession to the temple he resided after the rally held in Aluthgama town.

BBS leader, Buddhist monk Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero has allegedly delivered a fiery speech inciting communal violence at the BBS seminar held yesterday at Aluthgama.

Addressing the cheering crowd in the tension-stricken town, the monk said that if a moor set hand on any Sinhalese, not Buddhist monks, it would be the end of all the moors.

He publicly exclaimed that he was a racist and religious extremist.

He questioned why the police was providing so much security to Dharga Town and said that the police and Army of Sri Lanka were still Sinhala. He said pointing the guns to them was wrong.

The monk also blamed some Ministers who criticized them as racists and named them as toilet washers.

He pointed out he had made aware even the President regarding the problems the Sinhalese were facing but for no avail.

The monks speech is on You Tube and can be viewed below.

Communal violence caused carnage in Muslim dominated Dharga Town after this rally. 

Mahinda picking Muslims individually while Gota helping to genaralize hatred against Muslims

President Mahinda Rajapaksa during his tour of Kataragama visited the mosque situated in the Kataragama Sacred City on April 15. Having been welcomed by the Moulavi of the mosque, the President participated in religious observations and received his blessings. Uva Chief Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa, Indigenous Medicine Minister Salinda Dissanayake and Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa accompanied the President during his visit.
Picture by Nalin Hewapathirana (Daily News)

This happens in a time the President's all powerful defense secretary brother is openly supporting the Buddhist extremist Bodu Bala Sena (BBS).

The BBS succeeded in forcing Muslims to stop issue of Halal certificates for the benefit of devout Islam followers. Halal protest was against charging money from all consumers for a certification which was only  for a section of the society.

Can anybody protest any such certificate issued free of charge displayed on products for the benefit of Muslims? One can refrain from buying such products based on personal dislike to it and to Muslims. But no one has ethical or moral right to protest it.

But, see what is happening now. I found this banner and a link to a related blog post in Facebook where hate campaigns freely go on with no control of BBS or whatever. One may perceive this as the online stuff is spilling to society but what actually happens is the reversal.

How can we understand what the government  is doing in ethnic front, in this backdrop? The government is generalizing hatred against Muslims and Islam while individually picking up Muslim leaders before media cameras. Personal relationships of the Muslim leaders with the President prevents them leading the masses against the injustices caused against them.

This approach not only marginalizes Muslims in Lankan society but also liquidates their protests and weakens their efforts to stand as equal citizens. This further appeases the Muslim countries that may worry about the fate of the Muslims in the country. Remember, the government also summoned the Colombo diplomats of the Muslim countries with the hope of continuing their support in the following day the above photograph was taken.

Muslims should be very careful about this racist approach of the government.

-Ajith Parakum Jayasinghe

Electoral reforms or state reforms? Listen to minority communities of Sri Lanka

(July 17, 2010, Colombo - Lanka Polity)A dialogue is underway between the President and the major opposition United National Party (UNP) regarding the constitutional reforms.

This dialogue can at least have an impact on the President Mahinda Rajapaksa's possible backward moves to guarantee a royal future for his son Namal Rajapaksa as his uncontested successor.

Opposition can push the President for more democratic reforms even in the context the President may try to achieve his ulterior goals. The President's plans to remove the two-term limit of Presidential terms have been challenged indirectly by his party stalwarts as well as his family. He cannot push Namal into the throne so easily in this backdrop.

Now, the President indicates that he is ready to extend this dialogue even to get the National Democratic Alliance (DNA) that comprises of his arch rival ex-Army Comander and defeated Presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka and the Marxist People's Liberation Front (JVP) involved in it.

But still there are no indications that he is going to have a proper dialogue with the representatives of the minority communities of Sri Lanka at least regarding electoral reforms.

In the Presidential campaigns of both opposition and government candidates in the election 2010, both candidates promised to abolish the executive presidency. Mahinda Rajapaksa promised in 2005 to abolish this draconian power within his first tenure itself. Still he has time until November in which he has planned to swear in for the second term.

Ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has a long history of promising to abolish executive Presidency. In 1994, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumarathunga promised to do so but remained clinging in the power for two terms and passed the hat to the next President.

The proportional representation system has also come under severe criticism in the majority Sinhala community. They try to project their need for change as a common need of the entire polity undermining contradictory views or reservations of the minority communities.

After all, while all were in a verbal war regarding the constitutional reforms, the Tamils in Northern and Eastern Provinces fought a bitter battle for state reforms. They experimented in state formation as well through the Tamil Tigers' state within the state.

Therefore, they are the people that should be consulted somehow if the government really want a sustainable peace through whatever the reforms they are going to propose. But the moves in this regard must be beyond simple electoral reforms. Their demand for a state reform is still valid although the Tamil Tigers' armed struggle was defeated. Tamil struggle has not ended although their armed fight has been defeated.

Meanwhile, the minorities living among the majority community are in fear of losing whatever representation they now enjoy through the electoral reforms.

'The issue of electoral reforms are very fundamental for the Tamil and Muslim minorities live in the southern districts than their counterparts in the northern and eastern provinces. President and leader of opposition should take the Tamil speaking minorities into confidence when dealing with this issue,' said Democratic People's Front (DPF) leader Mano Ganesan in a release issued by the DPF media office.

Ganesan says further in the release, "The national consensus today is for a mixed electoral system encompassing positive features of both first past the post (FPP) and Proportional representation (PR) systems. We endorse this consensus and subsequent national search for an appropriate system. The established apprehension along the line of search is that complete doing away with the PR system would cut down the representations of the minorities inappropriately.

"It should be understood that if any unfair system is implemented, the numerical minority Tamils and Muslims living in the southern districts will be the most affected than their counterparts in the northern and eastern provinces. This is being one of the major core issues being debated over the years in respect of the electoral reforms subject. The fear of the numerical minorities should not be under estimated."

We would like to highlight the following part that clearly portrays the danger of the electoral reforms that does not parallel with state reforms. "Even the mixed system, which is being projected is also has sent an impression of distrust amidst the minority political parties representing the Tamil speaking people live in the southern districts outside north and east. It is essential that all possible avenues must be tried to arrive at the most suitable electoral system. The suitability is to ensure fair minority representation while accommodating positives features of both PR and FPP systems. Disfranchisement and violent denials of voting rights of the Tamil people to elect their democratic representatives have led to turmoil in the past. DPF calls upon the president and leader of opposition to take the minorities into confidence by being mindful of the fear."

This enfranchisement of minority communities in certain districts has already taken place. For instance, the Muslims of Kaluthara district have lost their long lasted parliamentary representation that was guaranteed before the PR system was introduced via Beruwala muti-seat electorate. The sizable community of Indian-origin Tamils that live in this district do not have representation at least in the Western Provincial Council.

These are only two examples. We have just come out of a bloody ethnic war and what now we are in dire need is the reconciliation. among ethnic communities For that, the minority communities are needed to be empowered politically so that they can use their franchise for the development of their community.

For this, we need a state reform plus electoral reforms. These two are like the two wheels of a bullock cart. If one is oversize or under-sized we will not go forward. Instead we will come to the same place after some time.


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