For A Secular, Devolutionary, Parliamentary Constitution: A Commonsense Approach To 13A
By Kumar David -November 3, 2012
Prof. Kumar David
Bigotry and prejudice are common to the human condition in all lands; perhaps it afflicts a majority in both Sinhalese and Tamil communities (the Muslims seem to be a trifle better), but if not a majority, a sizable portion are racist and averse to pluralism. Such is my unflattering perception of my countrymen. The Thirteenth Amendment is a case in point. The revulsion of most Sinhalese is visceral and stems from two readings; it is seen as an imposition by loathed India, which is true, and it is seen as a concession to the Dehemalas, which, in practice, is not true. The Sinhalese man in the street does not know what 13A contains but has acquired a conditioned reflex to detest it; I do not have any illusion that anybody can change that.
The Tamils see in 13A a promised land way out in the distance. It is typical of Lanka that a constitutional provision introduced to grant the Tamils a degree of autonomy has done everything except that! Every province in the country sports an elected provincial council except the Tamil Northern Province which never really had one. The irony is quite wasted on the Sinhalese community which does not so much as give the time of day to Tamils and their snivelling. The LTTE rejected 13A outright, like the Sinhala chauvinists, for reasons partly similar (Indian edict) and partly contrary (to expedite Eelam, not settlement). The TNA and the Tamils see Jerusalem afar, on the other side of Delhi, and cherish fond illusions that Sonia-Singh, or their successors, will one day arm-twist the Rajapakses, or their successors, into giving the Tamils what the Sinhalese abhor, the space to govern their own affairs. As the poet said, 13A was “dead yesterday, unborn tomorrow”.
Strangely however the curators of the Sinhala State, from JR to Mahinda, dare not repeal 13A, and that seems to be the case despite Gothabahaya, Wimal, the JHU, Dinesh and a bunch of other racists baying at the moon. It is a case of good cop-bad cop; Mahinda and GL play the accordion in Delhi and Geneva, the other lot play the double bass at home, resonating in calculated dissonance. It is not cacophony, it is counterpoint, and so things will remain till the swindler is made to lay down his Executive baton by a forward charge of the people. To put it in a nut shell, I have come to the evidence based conclusion from 35 years observation of this charade, that 13A (plus, minus, divided or multiplied) will not be implemented, neither will it be repealed; it is like a patient who is permanently terminal! (My intention is not to discourage those who are striving to have 13A implemented, but that’s a separate matter).
