Trouble Up Ahead: The TNA’s Election Manifesto
Prof Savitri Goonesekere
A
delegation of the Friday Forum met recently with the Commissioner of
Elections Mr Mahinda Deshapriya with a view to initiating a constructive
exchange of views on measures taken by him to ensure free and fair
provincial elections. Mr. Deshapriya emphasised the responsibilities of
the public and the voters in these elections to be vigilant and to make
their own contribution to a free and fair electoral process. In light
of these discussions and the Friday Forum’s commitment to democratic and
free and fair elections, we wish to place the following concerns before
the public.The changes in election procedures over a period of time,
and public disillusionment with regard to the electoral process, have
created an unfortunate environment where there is some public apathy in
regard to our rights and responsibilities as voters. The forthcoming
Provincial Council elections in the Northern Province, North Western
Province and Central Province are important for democratic and
accountable governance in those provinces. Yet it is critically
important that voters in these provinces go to the polls and exercise
their voting rights, and these voters and the public are engaged with
the electoral process. The politicisation of institutions, misuse of
state resources, election violence, and the deterioration of our
political culture have been the subject of frequent public comment. The
current election process is an opportunity to address those concerns and
pro-actively work towards holding the government accountable to ensure
free and fair elections. A free and fair election process is the very
foundation of democracy and must be considered an essential aspect of
accountable governance.
Agnes Thambynayagam
I am writing this in response to the articles published in the Colombo Telegraph by Professors Charles Sarvan and Michael Roberts regarding the meaning of the word ‘Para’ used amongst the various ethnic communities in Sri Lanka.
Amongst the Tamils the word Para is commonly used in the context of
demeaning gesture. According to Prof. Charles Sarvan his Sinhalese
classmates in Colombo called him ‘Para Dhemmala’.
The meaning of the word ‘Para’, when used in such a context, originates
from the word ‘Parayan’. This meaning of the word, however, is
diagonally opposite to the meaning derived from the words Paranghi,
Para-Rajasingham and Parama Pitha.
The word Faranghi in Portuguese means foreigner. Tamil language does not
have the sound for ‘F’. Therefore, the letter ‘P’ was used in place of
the letter ‘F’ and consequently, ‘Paranghi’ was adopted in the Tamil
vocabulary for foreigners in the sixteenth century. In the name
Para-Rajasingam, the word Para means Noble or Lord. Parama- Pitha is the
God of the Universe where the word Param means the Universe in Tamil.
The word ‘Para’ that originated from Parayan (Parayar in plural) meant
messenger before the twentieth century. Parayar were the group of people
who went from village to village, beating the drum proclaiming the
messages of the governors. In the twentieth century, the necessity for
such a method of conveyance of messages became redundant, especially due
to the arrival of the postal services. The traditional occupation of
the Parayar was gradually eroded. The market force created a new
occupation for the unemployed group of Parayar to fulfill a necessary
need of the local municipalities. Sadly, in marked contrast to their
previous occupation, the Parayar had to settle for the job of collecting
and disposing of the human waste. In Sri Lanka the people who performed
such a task were viewed at low esteem and the word Para is commonly
used in a demeaning context.
*Agnes Thambynayagam has
conducted extensive research into Sri Lankan history between 1498 and
1833. A significant portion of her research was conducted during her
tenure at St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford, England in
2003-2007.
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