IT’s now a “Sinhala-Buddhist” Theocratic State

 7 June 2019 

“Today (June 3) is the most wretched day after Prime Minister Bandaranaike tore the B-C Pact on April 9, 1958 giving into pressure from a few extremist Buddhist monks,” Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera was reported as having said when all Muslim Ministers, Deputy and State Ministers in the present UNP Government resigned en bloc from their posts.   He is also reported as having said, “PM Bandaranaike did not have a spine. We have seen the disaster that brought on us. Our leaders today, also don’t have a spine. It is extremely dangerous when political power is usurped by religious leaders.” (theleader.lk)   
There is yet a marked political difference between Bandaranaike giving into Sinhala Buddhist pressure in 1958 and this government compromising with rabid anti-Muslim vagrancy.   
That political difference goes beyond Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith visiting Rathana Thera with a few Bishops and the clergy, trying to reduce it to a call for independent investigations into the Easter Sunday tragedy, when that is not what this whole anti-Muslim campaign is about.

It goes beyond Bandaranaike giving into pressure against Tamil political demands and this government trying to please Sinhala Buddhist demands on an anti-Muslim platform.   
The major difference is, the 1956 election campaign of the MEP was solely based on promises made exclusively for the Sinhala Buddhists by Bandaranaike.   
When the report of the ‘Buddhist Commission’ was presented on February 4, 1956 to the Maha Sangha, Bandaranaike made a public declaration he would implement all recommendations of the Buddhist Commission, if his MEP was elected to power at the April elections.   
His next promise was to make Sinhala the only official language of the country. Rest remained petty election promises.

"Govt’s inactivity compelled Muslim leaders to resign from their posts"

The 1956 election victory of Bandaranaike was thus a victory of the Sinhala Buddhist ideology though his MEP polled only 39.5 per cent of the votes, blessed with a majority 51 seats out of the elected 95 members in Parliament. The UNP was reduced to eight seats though they polled 27.9 per cent while the LSSP won 14 seats with 10.4 per cent of the votes and held the leader of the opposition post. Although the representation of elected members to Parliament was wholly warped, Bandaranaike was obliged to honour the promises he gave the Sinhala Buddhist constituency to retain those votes for the next election. Therefore, the B-C Pact was torn in front of protesting Buddhist monks.  
The UNP during the January 2015 presidential election campaign with the JVP and other Tamil and Muslim political parties in alliance with common candidate Maithripala Sirisena, was not into such extreme Sinhala Buddhist demands in their election campaign.   
With the TNA and other Muslim political parties, they were restricted to mega anti-corruption issues with loud promises to clean up the stable and have it neat and tidy with ‘Good Governance.’  

Once in government, the UNP leadership kept away from directly getting involved in Sinhala Buddhist politics but made sure compromises were possible with Sinhala Buddhist demands on the UNHRC resolution while staying away from North and East Tamil demands.
This neither here nor there politics of the UNP leadership in government did not have the advantage of a countering Left force led by the LSSP that the Bandaranaikes faced in the ’50s and the ’60s.  Moderate Sinhala Buddhist politics of SLFP-led governments from 1956 to 1965 were challenged not only by the Federal Party in the North-East but by the Left forces in Colombo and within the Sinhala constituency in the South as well.  A strong trade union base with LSSP and the CP too then played a role against Sinhala Buddhist racism of the Bandaranaikes.   

"MS allegedly says he will back a new leader from UNP as presidential candidate"

The absence of such an ideologically strong third force in Southern politics, leaves space at present for Sinhala Buddhist politics led by Buddhist monks to play the role of the opposition against this UNP Government that does not say where they actually stand on these issues.  
It is that Sinhala Buddhist politics the mainstream political parties keep adopting and accommodating in their bid to be valid with the majority Sinhala constituency that compromises at every turn, and reached a stage where Rathana Thera lifted the anti-Muslim campaign to an extreme level with a fast unto death.  
Although with much less credibility than Thileepan in October 1987, Rathana Thera still an Advisor to President Sirisena, enjoyed the increasing heat against Muslim political leaders to launch his protest, and Gnanasara Thera gave the President and the government time till Monday noon to respond to the demands.   
President Sirisena wriggled out of the dilemma by accepting resignations from the two Muslim Governors on Monday afternoon. It was evident the anti-Muslim campaign brought to the streets was deciding not only the politics of this government but was also forcing decisions on the government.   

Worst still is that this UNP Government does not want to challenge this extremely-dangerous usurping of political power that Minister Mangala Samaraweera is challenging on his own.   
That inactivity on the part of the government compelled Muslim political leaders to collectively respond and resign from their positions in the UNP Government and demand an end to trespassing on the executive power of the government by Buddhist monks-led mobs targeting the Muslim community.
That unexpected move saw high priests of Malwatte and Asgiriya chapters requesting Muslim political leaders to get back to their ministerial positions and calm down the situation.   
That also saw Gnanasara Thera making an about turn within 48 hours.   
He told a press conference, Rathana Thera had confused the whole campaign for his selfish gains. He said: “It was traditional Muslim people who opposed Zahran and gave all details against him. They were the people who rallied against Islamic extremism.” While saying this protest could push the traditional Muslim people also to extremism and it is a crime to do so, he also said, “This protest targeted just three Muslim politicians. Our politicians are no different. Aren’t our Sinhala politicians in contact with the underworld? With drug dealers? With smugglers? Then they should also be opposed.”   

"Gnanasara Thera says SL now under a united Bikkhu leadership"

He was prophetic in saying: “Let me tell you now, this way we would create a major Sinhala – Muslim conflict in the future.” Yet, reading between the lines, Gnanasara Thera’s politics is not that democratic and inclusive as he pretends.   
He wants the leadership of Sinhala Buddhist campaigns unto him.   
“Therefore, we will not allow anybody to handle extremism in the country. This should be conducted under one leadership,” the DM reported on June 4.   
His political line was quite compatible with Mahinda Rajapaksa’s often repeated statement, this government was incapable of ruling the country and therefore should leave.   “We urge politicians who do not agree with the national agenda to pack their baggage and go home. Because the country had been awakened and Buddhist monks are now united,” the DM reported him saying.   

His national agenda is very plainly a Sinhala Buddhist ‘Supremacist Agenda’ backed by violent anti-Muslim protests. His veiled warning, he would: “Not allow anybody to handle extremism in the country. This should be conducted under one leadership,” means plainly, him only. His threatening warning for politicians who do not agree with his yet to be clearly defined national agenda “to pack their baggage and go home” obviously is for the ruling party. The joint opposition (JO) including the SLPP with Mahinda Rajapaksa is there with him, or rather, he is with them as their proxy.   
All these hints at another street campaign that would demand to dissolve Parliament way before presidential elections.  With news making rounds that Gotabaya was finally told by his elder brother Mahinda, that Gotabaya would not be the SLPP candidate, and then his departure to Singapore for a medical check-up leading to an unexpected cardiac surgery, parliamentary elections before the presidential election in late November or December, now suits ideal for the Rajapaksas.  For some in the UNP too, that would make their presence in the next Parliament more certain, than contesting parliamentary elections after an imminent major defeat at the presidential election.

"The fate of the country? As posters that have come up in the city and suburbs indicate, it would be a ruthless campaign in establishing a strictly Sinhala Buddhist ‘Theocratic State’. Perhaps, the first of its kind on this planet Earth"

With Gnanasara Thera taking a new line that suits Rajapaksa more than President Sirisena, wires have crossed again at the helm. Feeling betrayed by Gnanasara Thera and thus forgetting how he engineered Mahinda Rajapaksa to be sworn in as PM only eight months ago, President Sirisena is reported as having told the Cabinet of Ministers, he would not leave room for a Rajapaksa return, and would back a reasonably established new leader from UNP as a presidential candidate. The Muslim community as a collective factor and Sinhala Buddhist leadership Gnanasara Thera says is now firmly under a united Bhikkhu leadership, would thus decide politics in the next few months. Political ‘leaders’ will be mere ‘followers’ running after hard-line Sinhala Buddhist campaigns, while Rajapaksa would remain their ‘popular leader.’   
The fate of the country?   
As posters that have come up in the city and suburbs indicate, it would be a ruthless campaign in establishing a strictly Sinhala Buddhist ‘Theocratic State.’ Perhaps, the first of its kind on this planet Earth.

Identity Politics & Intelligent Democracy

By Waseem Hameed –JUNE 6, 2019

Waseem Hameed

We, the homosapiens, have individual elements and collective elements. Individual elements are the characteristics an individual possess which are relevant and necessary to interact with another homosapien to establish peace and carry on with the noble meaningful functional purposes that may fit for your life or, simply respecting individual sovereignty. The collective elements are the identities that could manifest within you so that you may belong to a group. You can belong to so many groups such as age, religion, social class or caste, culture, deaf hood, dialect, disability, education, ethnicity, language, nationality, sex, gender identity, generation, occupation, profession, race, political party affiliation, sexual orientation, settlement, urban and rural habitation, and veteran status. Identity politics refers to the tendency of sharing identity political alliance instead of traditional party based politics.

Then there is the radical collectivists. Radicals based on identity politics as both recent and past historical evidence indicates that they are dangerous to any society. Everyone is entitled for their beliefs, but no one has the right to impose their beliefs on someone else forcefully. That is just a Na! Certainly no one has the right to take authority in to their own hands. This is what radicals do and not forgetting that they represent a fraction of the community. They are people with anger and full of ignorance who doesn’t understand the long term implications their actions may cause. They should be stopped! They say it is for the development and progress of the country but it has been nothing but power maneuver of the hierarchies to occupy a place for dominance.

If you are a feminist, you could interpret a scripture to support your claim. If you are a misogynist, you could interpret the same verse to support your claim. Likewise the violence you interpret in a religion is solely because you are a blood thirsty, revengeful and filled with idiotic, imbecile, outdated ideologies. We should not tolerate such stupidity! Especially when it is obvious that these radicals represent only a fraction of it and all they are is a mouth piece to their identity trying to gain a place for dominance in the society. This is why ignorant, hate filled and evil leaders get corrupted. What amuse me the most is that how as a society of religious fundamentals could let such fraction of bacteria to cause so much disrupt to the entire country?

This is where intelligent democracy comes in. A research, led by David Dunning, a psychologist at Cornell University, shows that incompetent people are inherently unable to judge the competence of other people, or the quality of those people’s ideas. This is the prime reason for the incompetent individuals occupying position of power and dominance. But how do they occupy such positions of power?

They occupy such power of positions when the voters don’t understand the importance of intelligent democracy or doesn’t possess the skills to judge competence. This is what the ancient philosopher Socrates argued about the flaws of democracy by comparing the society to a ship. The book narrates further that he questioned Adeimantus that if he would select randomly anyone or someone with competence in seafaring to run the ship. He further argued why do we think that any old person would fit to run a country? Obviously this is what’s happening in Sri Lanka. Older incompetent people with outdated ideas are running the show. The power hunger greed has taken over the souls they’ve had and they genuinely do not care for the citizens of Sri Lanka. Power is bad when it is in the hands of a person who needs to reevaluate their moral character.

See, it is obvious that whoever gets the power can possibly get corrupted. People who represent themselves as saints could also get corrupted once the positions of dominance are acquired. Fighting for the power and dominance is not new and it has been there since ancient history and not just with humans but also with every living creature. But moral values differentiate us from animals.

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De-bureaucratise bureaucracy – Combat soft terrorism for growth!

Perfect filing! What is missing…?

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Thursday, 6 June 2019

I know this can be a difficult topic and a difficult set of words to digest but I believe that this is an imperative tool if we are to move ahead in this island of ours. Cost of inefficiency has to be turned around for opportunity through action.


After the earlier article titled ‘Depoliticise politics,’ I had a reader reaction on this and thought that I should follow up with the second imperative. There is also the third, which I will take up next!

It is on record by the highest office that we do have a significant number of public servants but of poor productivity and our public service is one that perhaps holds a world record in terms of per capita engagement. I exactly do not have the number engaged to serve the 21 million population, but generally the ratio may be one person for 19 people – an interesting number to benchmark (this is calculated excluding those in armed forces).

Serving 19 by one should not be such a daunting task and in this day and age with available technologies, the issue is a no brainer. Unfortunately the reality is far from such easy mathematics and hence the choice of the word soft terrorism!

Bureaucratic theory of management principles

It was Max Weber the sociologist who came up with the bureaucratic theory of management principles. From the subsequent experiences and those who are enduring their stay in institutions and expecting services from institutions in many an environment not only confined to Sri Lanka, probably not many have experienced the Weberian theories.

I am sure Max Weber must be tired of turning in his grave when witnessing what is happening around. It’s almost unbelievable to us today but Max literally believed that was bureaucracy the most efficient way to setup and run organisations.

As per his theory, in a bureaucratic organisation everyone is treated and managed equally and clear job descriptions run lives. Applying the Weberian theory, organisations will have clear rules, standardised processes, excellent division of labour, clear ways of engagement, etc. The validity of such is clear when one considers smooth performance of many global organisations. Then how can chaos reign and the use of the term soft terror be justified?

Consider how Weber defined that in a bureaucratic organisations, all appointments to positions should take place on the basis of technical qualifications. Therein lies a first and a very important deviation. The next is in execution taken as a responsibility and also taken in accountability.

When one is sent from pillar to post and documents submitted become permanent deposits in files or disappear altogether, the events that are unfortunately considered as standard menu in many places, the very process of engagement strikes terror into hearts of all those queue up with expectations of service.

We truly must acknowledge our default expectations are mostly based on such performances. I hasten to admit that there are some significant exemptions and quite a few gems in the service of the public!

As results are searched for in vain and delays cannot be just accepted, corruption seeps in from all angles and the situation only worsens. Under bureaucratic theory, official activities are the regular action in an institute, which in turn get affected by illegal or imperfect mechanisms, which then taint the theory to the status that we accept and understand.

We may understand and value how to have the perfect file even when all the background activities are imperfect. It is easy to see where they have gone wrong when priorities have shifted. It is this present status of exponential decay of values that we deride today by the use of the word bureaucracy. Quite unfortunate for Max who wanted a complete different outcome from the application of his theory. He was looking at efficient and economically effective organisations.

Situation today is the opposite

One must not forget that Weber theory was envisaging impersonal relationships between employees whereas today the situation is quite the opposite. It is the complete opposite and there are excessive personal relationships between parties, definitely clouding proper decision making.

We live in a society where the reaction to any situation is who should be contacted, how to connect to the one at the top etc. The lines of decision making have been made quite shaky as a call from somewhere can input rational and professional behaviour in an instant. Hence it is clear what is meant by soft terror.

A larger-than-necessary bureaucracy was never intended in an efficient organisation. Due to various influences, our public organisations are made to act like sponges for human labour with lot less of the qualities asked for. Thus the nation is risked at the expense of the State!

Reversing this dangerous trend

The simple steps of industrial engineering can be easily applied in reversing this dangerous trend. We thrive on accepting complicated documents, which ask for about five to 10 signatures before anything meaningful happens. The crafting of such documents is a great past-time.

Interesting, the outcome of such documents is that everybody is kept quite busy and intermediate transfers from one table to another takes aeons with speed depending on extra incentives. There is always the risk of submergence among a thousand other peaks. If files can tell stories in Sri Lanka, I am sure multiple literary awards are definitely within grabs.

Our recent witnessing of the filing of intelligence information presents an interesting example of the way our bureaucracy acts even when the consequences of inaction are potential devastation. In our democracy the file lives on and lives get sadly affected.

The way forward

Can we restore sanity? Though not exactly calculated, we must accept that this state of bureaucratic affairs is taking a heavy toll on the economy. We are aware of the cost though we never speak in terms of quantity. Add millions of dissatisfied customers and citizens and it is easy to understand the cost.

The way forward – public sector service innovation. Sri Lanka can only be happy to the extent that this malaise is not just one of our specials but something quite common in all developing states. Underdevelopment is a result rather than the reason and therefore action must be taken to address this obvious impediment.

Action-oriented decision making should replace the usually prevalent inaction-oriented decision making as it is quite frequent to hear the complaint that the usual answer that we all receive is, “No, this cannot be done!”

If we switch this behaviour and take the extra step of thinking how a decent, justified solution could be provided, just think of the enormous change that could be brought in. Remember soft terrorism is not just towards outsiders; there is soft terrorism unleashed internally as well – divisions fighting each other, etc.

Work 4.0

Interestingly, while we hype only on Industry 4.0 – the new emerging cyber-physical world –there is also a new working world – Work 4.0! Work 4.0 definitely brings forth technologies and new soft behaviours in fact are called for.

The new work is characterised by flexibility and innovation. It is interesting to see the factors that will be radically addressed in Work 4.0 – knowledge, qualifications, leadership, cooperation, working hours, work places, etc. Rigid hierarchies and structures will be no more. This implies, after witnessing distress from bureaucracy, the future is definitely not about restoring Weber theories.

Working hours and places with flexibility added implies a worker enjoying flexibility in both time and space. I may be wearing a chip with all information built in plus the ability to open up the office door. Just think how many mundane jobs and jobs in monitoring are going to be affected. Still one should not shed any tears, as we know those jobs literally did not deliver much. These are the levels that have got proliferated in recent times in our institutes as they are the jobs that can be abused with additions with much less regard for technical qualifications.

Considering that pace of change of technology is rapid and also the youngsters entering are much more savvy with new developments, the usual approaches of induction may not work. Hence Work 4.0 may actually ask for reverse mentoring in organisations – the young sit with the old and mentor the old. Their age-old experience is irrelevant and in pursuing careers, reverse mentoring appears to be mandatory. One may actually bring in interns not for their training but to realise some retraining of the in-house workforce.

Work 4.0 critically relies on digitalisation and this is the big change. How many times have we decided on email communications and how many times do you have to crawl with snail mail? Other sector just races on while the important public sector understands the cloud for what it naturally is! I hope it is easy to understand how Work 4.0 is different from what we know and have gotten used to.

Bring in Work 4.0 concepts, change through simple implementations of industrial engineering, understand the issues that we are subjecting others and even ourselves to in the name of institutional management, be concerned with costs of inefficiencies and the multiple damages as a result of ineffectiveness are some of the salient aspects to be understood and changed.

With the 1.1 million public and semi-public sector workforce taking on a million opportunities to change even in small steps, the cumulative impact is definitely going to be significant. This is indeed a situation where tiny improvements matter!

Reactions to the presidential pardon of Sri Lankan rightwing religious leader

Reactions to the presidential pardon of Sri Lankan rightwing religious leader

Venerable Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero. Screenshot from YouTube via Hiru TV Salakuna

Presidential pardon of right-wing Sri Lankan monk draws controversy

7 June 2019

This post originally appeared on Groundviews, an award-winning citizen journalism website in Sri Lanka. An edited version is published below as part of a content sharing agreement with Global Voices.

The photos, depicting a saffron-robed Gnanasara Thero, received thousands of reactions on Facebook. “He has been freed” they read. Others were messages with Buddhist religious greetings like “Budu saranai” (May you be protected by the noble power of Lord Buddha) and “Theruwan saranai” (May you be protected by triple gem)  which were posted on the Facebook Pages of mainstream media outlets like Neth FMand Hiru News.

On May 23, the General Secretary of the right-wing nationalist organisation Bodu Bala Sena Galagod Aththe Gnanasara Thero received a Presidential pardon and was released from Welikada prison after serving 9 months of a 6-year sentence.  In August 2018, the monk was charged with contempt of court for shouting at a judge presiding over the case of missing journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda and then threatening the journalist's wife.

Gnanasara is well known for his provocative rhetoric which can be seen in a video from a BBS rally in Aluthgama in 2014. Some feel that there are correlations between the speech he gave and the violence that ensued shortly after in which at least four people were killed in riots targeting the Muslim community.

Groundviews spoke to lawyers and members of civil society on the implications of the Presidential pardon.

Human rights activist and wife of missing journalist Sandhya Eknaligoda commented on Gnanasara release:

Gnanasara was imprisoned for contempt of court, for threatening me at the Homagama town Magistrate. It is the Executive’s responsibility to protect the independence of the judiciary. This is a disrespect to the judiciary and to the rule of law. The President is setting an example that any individual can do anything they want in court, and get away with it through a pardon. This sets a bad example for future cases.

Speaking on the legal implications of the pardon, lecturer in Public Law at the University of Edinburgh Dr. Asanga Welikala noted that Gnanasara Thero was convicted and given a custodial sentence for contempt of court after displaying behaviour “so egregious within the court premises, and well beyond the respectful behaviour expected of ordinary citizens before the courts, that it would have been a threat to the Rule of Law itself to let him go unpunished.” In this context, he said, the presidential pardon raised a number of very serious questions.

Dr. Welikala also noted that the appeal against the conviction is still in the courts and have yet to be decided on:

In this context, would a pardon serve to interfere in the due process of law? It is not only the President but also the relevant Minister who has endorsed the requests by third parties to pardon the Thero. The government as a whole, therefore, will need to justify, with stated reasons, why the grant of a pardon, in this case, will not be inconsistent with the Constitution, the Rule of Law, and the administration of justice. Anything less will directly undermine the legitimacy of Sri Lanka’s constitutional democracy.

Attorney J C Weliamuna added that under the Witness Protection Act, a pardon usually isn’t given without consultation with the witness or affected party. Speaking with Groundviews shortly after the monk’s release, Weliamuna said:

I am not sure if the Magistrate was given notice. I know Mrs. Eknaligoda has written to the President objecting to Gnanasara’s release 2 months ago. We still don’t know if the views of the Attorney General’s Department, the Ministry of Justice and the judges who convicted him were obtained. Strictly speaking, there is no constitutional requirement to do so, but this is the pardoning of a suspect who has a history of conviction.

Weliamuna also noted the wider implications of the Presidential pardon, given the Thero’s influential position.

Human rights law researcher at the University of Oxford Gehan Gunatilleke said that the pardon was reflective of a new and disturbing nexus between mainstream politics and “militant nationalism”.

Human rights activist and founder member of the Mannar Women’s Development Federation (MWDF) Shreen Saroor termed the pardon an insult to Sandhya’s long fight for justice.

Legal and Advocacy Coordinator of the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) Yamini Ravindran added that given Gnanasara’s past record of hateful speech, the Presidential pardon amounted to disrespect to all those who had suffered religious freedom violations in Sri Lanka.

Doctoral student at the University of Oxford Shamara Wettimuny had similar sentiments, noting that it appeared that the Government was not serious about addressing ethnoreligious violence.

Despite criticism from the legal fraternity and civil society, there was undeniable support for Gnanasara Thero’s release, as evidenced by the positive reactions on Facebook. Although the President met with Gnanasara and his mother on the day of his release, the UNP has maintained a stoic silence on the issue, which has been met with criticism from TNA MP M A Sumanthiran. This points to continued fractures within the coalition government – fractures which have had devastating and fatal consequences.

The official Presidential pardon document has not yet been made public.

Let’s unite to rebuild this nation!

 7 June 2019

Sri Lanka’s nation-building process is being dealt blow after blow in the wake of the April 21 Easter Sunday attacks. The horrendous crime that took the lives of more than 250 people is an irrefutable statement that we had neither reached the highest level of nation building nor have we attained the moral progress required of us as humans. 
Nation-building is synonymous with national integration. It is a structural process in which development is seen not only as economic growth but within a wider definition of a comprehensive process. In this all-inclusive process, development or nation building means social, economic, political and spiritual development.  If a nation concentrates only on economic development, neglecting social, political, cultural and spiritual developments, that nation is doomed. 
In a multiethnic country, nation building also involves developing a common identity.  Progressive nations such as Singapore and Canada have made the best use of their multiethnic character in their nation building processes.  

If a country and its people move in the opposite direction, displaying narrow-mindedness and giving priority to  parochial identities instead of displaying broad-mindedness and embracing an all-inclusive national identity, then that nation is triggering national disintegration, which may bring in its wake conflicts and a complete breakdown of the nation’s socioeconomic and political institutions.
Post-April 21 violent incidents and political moves indicate that our political leaders and a majority of Sri Lankans do not fully realise this danger and the importance of nation-building with an all-inclusive approach. 
Nation-building is not only government-driven, but also people-driven.  In Sri Lanka, it appears, both these processes are now on reverse gears.  Sri Lanka being a multicultural state, government leaders are expected to pursue progressive policies aimed at bringing a less assimilated group into the mainstream.  
With nation-building being the topmost priority of any state serious of achieving comprehensive development, Sri Lanka’s leaders need to turn the searchlight inwards and find out why they cannot act in good faith to achieve nation-building goals.

Sadly, the government, the main opposition, the law enforcement authorities, the clergy and the media have failed this nation and its people, in one way or another, in responding to the urgent need of nation-building and national integration in the wake of the Easter Sunday blasts that devastated the social fabric of this nation.  
Instead of coming together with the determination to rebuild this nation from the ruins of the carnage, they have allowed the emergence of racism and racist politics. 
In Sri Lanka, we did not see a leader like New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden, who a month before the Easter Sunday terror attacks, showed the world how a government should respond to a national crisis. She gave the topmost priority to the more important task of national integration and nation building, while taking steps to deal with white supremacist terrorism.  But in Sri Lanka, most social and political institution failed, displaying their inaction, deliberately or otherwise, or adopting silence, deliberately or otherwise.
As a result, as a nation, we are backward marching towards what the 17th century English philosopher Thomas Hobbes called the state of nature, in which life is ‘nasty, brutish and short’ with every man against every man. 

As reprehensive as the failure to avert the Easter Sunday calamity is the government’s failure to avert the violence unleashed by racist elements against the country’s Muslim community. 
With the President, under whom police and security affairs come, rushing to China to kowtow before President Xi Jinping, with the Prime Minister being powerless to issue instruction to security forces, and with the main opposition concentrating more on a plan to win the next elections solely on Sinhala votes, Sri Lanka has been plunged into virtual anarchy since April 21. Playing havoc in this vacuum are political monks who with their inflammatory speeches incite racist elements, rather than underscoring the four sublime states of mind – metta, karuna, upekka and mudita – as preached by the Buddha.

In the post-April-21 period, democracy has been undermined, while mobocracy and monkocracy achieve whatever they want through intimidation and ultimatums to the government, making worthless the franchise the people exercised to elect this government in the hope that it would govern the nation in a just and fair manner.
The people power concept is an encouraging feature in any democracy, but if racism becomes the driving force of any people power campaign, then it is fascism and the government should take all measures to crush it. There is a mark difference between France’s Yellow Vest campaign and the white supremacists’ rally at Charlottesville in Virginia, in August 2017.  We condone the former, and condemn the latter.

The clergy form a key social institution in any country. They play a positive role in the nation-building process. Colombo’s Archbishop won the hearts of the people when he, in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday massacres, underscored the Christ’s message forgiveness and love in averting a backlash against the Muslims. Similarly, the mahanayake thera’s appeal to Muslim ministers on Wednesday is a welcome move. 
However, the people expect religious leaders to uphold the nation-building spirit to stem the inevitability -- the polarisation of society.  After 30 years of civil war, we have restored the territorial integrity of this country. But we have only united the landmass; sadly at people-to-people level, we are not united yet.
Driven by the greed for power, our politicians appear to be thriving in racism. What contribution has the Joint Opposition made to prevail over the racist mobs, a majority of whom constitute its vote base?

The Prime Minister on Tuesday said racism should not be allowed to raise its ugly head again. But the President and he seem to endorse racists’ violence by not dealing with the troublemakers in a tough manner. 
The Police, meanwhile, probably in the absence of proper guidance from a weak government, are literally taking the law into their hands. It is alleged suspects are being arrested and charged under draconian provisions of the ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) Act or detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, though the crimes they allegedly committed are not connected to terrorism.  For instance, a pregnant Muslim woman who tried to vomit was arrested and detained, because the people thought she was trying to blast herself. A woman who wore a kaftan that carried the pictures of a ship’s steering wheel was arrested and charged under the ICCPR.  But the suspects arrested for taking part in anti-Muslim violence were released on police bail or charged under the normal law of the country.  

These alleged double standards raise the question whether the Police are also working on a racist agenda. If so, they are doing a grave damage to the country’s social fabric and pushing angry Muslim youths towards extremism. 
Also in the racists’ bandwagon are sections of the media. They compete with each other to cultivate racism. It may be business for them, but their irresponsible journalism, does in no way, contribute towards nation-building.
With the government unable to act decisively, the forces of disintegration run or ruin this country. Whither nation-building in Sri Lanka?

The Saddest Ever National Sign of Contradiction

Sri Lanka’s Easter Tragedy 2019 

By Rev. Fr. Leopold Ratnasekera OMI-June 5, 2019, 7:48 pm

Brazen contradictions both in national politics and the exercise of franchise as well as in civic life have marked the tragic national history of the Sri Lankan nation with vengeance during the last post-Independence 70-year span. The hartals of the late fifties with the Sinhala Only policy brought in the first taste of modern ethnic tensions. Then came the unsteady political situations of the sixties prefaced by nationalizing policies, the take over all denominational schools in 1960 creating a lot of difficulties especially to the educational institutions run by the Christians. A sad economic down-turn plunged the nation in chaos .in the seventies though a new Constitution was hailed in 1972 in fulfillment of an election pledge, Youth dissatisfaction and anger at discrimination in education and employment opportunities especially for the poor rural youth ignited a disturbing insurrection at the dawn of the seventies. The eighties brought in a new wave of politics with an open economy of free trade zones and a new constitution that introduced an Executive Presidential system of democracy to the country. Some political analysts see in this a great bane to the nation’s journey into the future. Factions breaking up within the major political parties and a series of assassinations took place followed by a disastrous ethnic war soaking the island with a blood-bath for three long decades until 2009. The terrorist rebels desired an independent area of land for themselves with right of autonomous rule plus equal opportunities in education and employment. Ethnic ideology rippled also into a diaspora overseas which still is very much alive in their demands for autonomy. They were decrying the slow pace of development in their part of the country. The thirty-year war was a great national tragedy second only to the colonial invasions of the pre-independence era

Signs of contradiction

appear unabated

Except for very brief periods of relative peace, calm and harmony as well as moments of economic prosperity, the story of Sri Lanka simply leaves much to be desired. Was it a never-ending series of signs of contradiction swinging the country and its hoi-polloi between democracy and oligarchy, prosperity and adversity, war and peace, tension and calm! In between these episodes, ethnic tensions have often marked the instability of the nation while all the way, despite grandiose development projects buttressed by huge borrowings from monetary agencies and donor nations, the country has been pinned down in the dumps of national and international debt going into billions of dollars! As to when will we ever be liberated from the chains and shackles of these oppressive debts, is an anxious question that should worry all future leaders at the helm in this country. Though apparently on the way to political stability and economic prosperity, the nation now faces another frightening wave of terrorism which appears religiously extremist oozing from radical Islamic terrorism which indeed is global. The Easter suicide bombings of terror that desecrated three churches killing in cold blood hundreds of innocent lives of worshippers and dealing death to foreigners in three tourist hotels came as bolt from the blue to this pearl of the Indies, which was once the island of serendipity to the trading Arabs along the silk-route of Asia.

As far as the catholic community is concerned the barbaric acts of terror, which killed innocents were perpetrated in two churches dedicated to two most popularly venerated saints of the country: St. Anthony and St. Sebastian. The shrine in Kochchikadē in Colombo is frequented not only by Catholics but religionists of other faiths as well such as Hindus and Buddhists. They flock there to plead with the saints for material and spiritual favors. How could such a shrine sacred to both Catholics and non-Catholics go up in flames becoming in an instant a place of horror, a cold-blooded murder scene in a Church ignited by a deranged and misguided religious youth? Yet, it was possible! The Church at Katuwapitiya saw another devout Catholic community of worshippers who had gathered to celebrate the most important Christian festival of Easter, the feast of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ. That Easter morn had by contrast turned the clock back into the gloom, pain, suffering and death of Good Friday: a veritable Golgotha. The crucifixion of the Redeemer took place again in the heart of a congregation. It was the followers of the Risen Lord who were thus sacrificed near the altar while they were sitting in devout contemplation and prayer as the morning service was about to end. So was the sign of contradiction in another Community in worship. We do not forget the helpless tourists in the three hotels who were dreaming of basking in the beautiful beaches of Sri Lanka, enjoy the salubrious mountains of the hill-country, taste local menus and admire the ancient ruins that tell the glorious tale of the island’s history. They spilled their blood too on our soil.

Signs of Hope and Optimism

In the past post-independence era of our beloved country, there had been many good things to be proud of such as the democratic way of life we have lived, the colossal feats of economic achievement in agriculture, roads and transport and the flowering of our religious values in the various living religious traditions we possess amongst our citizens. There are so many beautiful cultural traits in our family traditions, inter-cultural harmony, the plethora of fine arts and architecture and the immense wealth of talent in various fields. We have free education and free health-care and the freedom to practice our religions, the freedom to hold different political views, the typical sense of Sri Lankan hospitality and friendliness, hard work of our tea-estate workers, of rural populations, the farmers, craftsmen and migrant workers in Europe and in the Middle-East. Of these we can be legitimately proud. They are dynamic signs of the goodness and beauty of our island’s landscape: gems in our crown. But, much to our regret, they are often barred and blackened by signs of contradiction which cannot be compounded at all with the best of ideas that we profess and the profundity of our ethics and ethos. And so, violence had stalked our land in despicable ways due to various socio-cultural and political reasons: issues that still beg for definitive and clear responses.

Conclusion

With periodic short spells of peace and quiet, the trail of violence has gone unabated erupting in hartals, trade union strikes, religious and ethnic tensions, youth insurrections, demonstrations by university students, thirty-year terrorist ethnic war and now the fact of having to live with global terrorism that has taken us all by shock and surprise. A disgraceful and greedy scramble for political power has dirtied the noble ideals of democracy and good governance. Vested interests have produced politicians who by all standards fail to measure up to the noble stature of statesmen and servants of the people. As a result of extremisms of ethnic and religious nature that is a travesty of patriotism, many a calamity has fallen on the poor citizens who see trust being betrayed and breached by the highest echelons of society and government. There is the loss of credibility in democratic institutions. Rampant bribery and corruption have ruined our political culture. These are some of sad facets of our recent history from which we as a nation are still slow and unable to learn changing course for the better. It is hoped that these signs of contradiction would soon be transformed into emblems of hope, transparency and good fortune based on truth and justice and that the nation could well look forward beyond these tragedies however regrettable and sad they are, to an era of prosperity, national unity and peace. This sense of optimism could still trust and rely on the silver lining that paradoxically graces the dark clouds over our horizons at the moment.

Post Easter Attacks: Conspiracy To Demonise & Alienate Muslims – Toxic!

By Mohamed Harees –JUNE 6, 2019

Lukman Harees

The drama and media circus which surrounded the ‘fast unto death’ campaign of Ven Athuraliye Rathana Thero, the robed UNP MP, outside the Sri Dalada Maligawa, demanding the removal of Minister Rishard Bathiudeen, and two Governors was interesting in many counts, apart from causing grave concern for the  besieged Muslim community. Interesting, because Ven. Thero has shown up after a long silence in the political field; he was in deep slumber, even when the country was engulfed in an existential (constitutional) crisis last year. Interesting that the Thero did not decide to fast unto death if the both the President and his government did not resign and/or answer for the clear lapses in security and failure to take preventive action after receiving precise prior warning of the terror attacks. Interesting, because his political project to exploit the Post-21-04 sensitivities to gain political prominence was clear as Emperor’s clothes to everyone except those who feign sleep. It was none other than his erstwhile Sangha colleague Ven Galagoda Atte Gnanasara who chose to expose him as such, at a subsequent BBS media conference after making a media circus earlier at the site, threatening to cause mayhem and ignite fireworks across the country if Ven. Rathana’s demands were not met. So, is it a battle for ‘Sangha Raju’ title among the grass root Sinhala population? One may ask! Interesting that Ven Gnanasara chose to make his demands on the person who pardoned him arbitrarily (Sirisena) against all legal norms and also seeking the resignation of Governor Salley who visited him regularly and agitated for his release. Interestingly, none of the main political leaders from both sides of the political divide appeared to visit the fasting monk. Interesting that the govt. did not want to use emergency regulations powers to disperse thousands of an emotionally charged crowds with a clear anti-Muslim and Islamophobia agenda in mind. 

To my mind, the joint decision of the Muslim Ministers and both Governors to resign from their posts in the best interests of the country and considering the security of the Muslims, was praiseworthy and was a smart stroke taking the wind off the sails of the political conspirators. It will provide an opportunity to undertake any investigations in the light of many wild allegations being thrown at some of them. The Parliament through a NCM cannot investigate or decide on anyone’s culpability; the law enforcement can. Even Bathiurdeen in a well delivered speech in Parliament, indicated that he is prepared even to face a death sentence if proved guilty, and asked those who are calling for his blood not to kill the dignity of his community in the public domain. Although the opinion about the Muslim political parties and politicians has been by and large adverse, this joint decision earned much praise from within the community. Even the decision of the Muslim political parties to keep away from shady corrupt deals during the October 2108 Constitutional crisis too was admired. Whatever it may be, in these nasty political games, the Muslims are being used as a football, demonised and alienated for the inhuman acts of a fringe group they condemned and disowned at every turn. This approach is risky business for a country attempting to recover from the wounds of a 30-year-old war and recently from a terrible terror tragedy and hate attacks which have been posing immense challenges for national reconciliation and to build an inclusive Sri Lanka. 

In the Britain’s context, Lady Warsi, a former Conservative party chairperson, in 2011 said; ‘Islamophobia has “passed the dinner-table test” and become widely socially acceptable in Britain. Terrorist offences committed by a small number of Muslims should not be used to condemn all who follow Islam. Those who commit criminal acts of terrorism in our country need to be dealt with not just by the full force of the law. They also should face social rejection and alienation across society and their acts must not be used as an opportunity to tar all Muslims. Islamophobia is Britain’s bigotry blind-spot’. Does it ring a bell in Sri Lanka too?

When the ISIS wreaked havoc on innocent people hiding behind religious labels, they had a clear plan in mind. As Arie Kruglanski, a professor of psychology at the University of Maryland who studies how people become terrorists, says,’ to provoke communities to commit actions against Muslims. Then ISIS will be able to say, ‘I told you so. These are your enemies, and the enemies of Islam.’ Extremist groups feed off of alienation, some counterterrorism experts say, and Islamist militants deliberately aim to make Muslims in the West feel isolated and turn against their own communities.’. In the Western context, Jocelyn Bélanger, a psychology professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal who collaborated with Kruglanski says, ‘When people feel a loss of significance, when they are humiliated, that propels them to join a radical group. Attacks escalate tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims. They already lead to some anti-Muslim activity and probably provoke more. Not only will these events make Muslims in the West feel marginalized, but they will also provide extremist propagandists with examples of Western oppression. As a society if we are to move forward, we will have to stay united. If we become more self-centered, if we exclude and alienate minorities, we play right into their hands.”. Again how relevant indeed to our local scenario?; if  only the rulers wake up and reflect! 

Sectarian violence is not new in Sri Lanka. Former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew said in his book, From Third World to First: ‘In 1965, we had 20 years of examples of FAILED states. So, we knew what to avoid – racial conflict, linguistic strife, religious conflict. We saw Ceylon. SWRD Bandaranaike’s promise to make Sinhalese the national language and Buddhism the national religion was the start of the UNRAVELLING of Ceylon.I was surprised when, three years later, he was assassinated by a Buddhist monk. I thought it ironic that a Buddhist monk, dissatisfied with the country’s slow rate of progress in making Buddhism the national religion, should have done it.Over the years, I watched a promising country go to waste. Sri-Lanka has failed because it had weak or wrong leaders’.

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