Not long ago, when I was passing through the Narahenpita Road, I saw some brand new counter terrorist vehicles with water cannons, parked by the road side opposite to the Police vehicle depot. These vehicles looked impressive but frightening and demonic. When I saw them I thought to myself that these vehicles will one day be used to suppress the people when they rise up in protest to demand for their basic rights. I shared my thought with the three wheel driver who was taking me home. On the following day, I read in the papers a statement by a government official saying that these counter-terrorist vehicles have been bought to defend the country from LTTE attacks which we are experiencing now. Furthermore, it went on to say that it is the right and the duty of the government to protect its citizens and preserve the internal/national security, territorial integrity and the unitary character of the State. Of course, the mood in the South at that time was to give all the support to the government to wipe out the LTTE by any means and therefore except for few dissenting voices, by and large the majority supported the government’s moves and did not question the intention or the sincerity of the government. In fact, the main slogan of the government was “do not ask for any economic benefits for oneself till we get rid of the terrorist menace!” Therefore, the people, including the poor did not ask questions like: is it right or morally justified to invest money on weapons of destruction when so many are starving and dying of malnutrition?
My gut level feeling which I shared with the three wheel driver at that time and later on with a few of my close friends have unfortunately come true. That is exactly what we saw happened in front of the Hultsdorf Courts on the day people went to see the release of General Sarath Fonseka. It was a brutal scene where the police were using batons, tear gas, water cannons and large vehicles to terrorize unarmed innocent civilians and to drive them away without allowing them to stage a peaceful demonstration for the release of General Sarath Fonseka. In fact these were the vehicles which I saw lined up in Narahenpita some months before to which I made a reference earlier in the article. What is more interesting is that while the police were driving away innocent unarmed civilians they were at the same time shielding and protecting the armed thugs and goons sent by the politicians to assist the police or to disrupt the crowd crying for the release of General Fonseka who had been illegally arrested and detained. The cry of the peaceful demonstrators was a cry for justice, democracy and for a fair and free judiciary. That cry was suppressed and brutally crushed by the state machinery using the police. On the same day a similar incident took place in Maharagama, a city outside the capital Colombo. In Maharagama, police were so brutal that they even dragged a Buddhist monk by his yellow robe and assaulted him. The pictures of these incidents were shown on the internet.
I am also reminded of similar situations when the late President J.R. Jayawardhane was in power. When he first introduced the Prevention of Terrorist Act (PTA) he used the same deceptive language to get it approved by the parliament and to get the consensus of the people, especially those who lived in the South of the country. He said in order to defeat the LTTE we need the PTA and at that time it was introduced to be implemented only in the North. People in the South, once again, endorsed it because it was to arrest and detain the so called Tamil terrorists. But, after some time it became applicable to the whole country and it is one of the oppressive and draconian laws used by the security forces and the police even today to arrest, detain and interrogate people. We also know that during these interrogations torture is used to get confessions and several of those arrested have died in custody. I know very well of this law because when I was in the South during the late 80s this law was used effectively by the security forces and the police to arrest, detain and torture the youth in the South who rose against the government at that time.
We also know that thousands disappeared or were killed during the Sothern uprising in the 80s. I was an eye witness to several mutilated bodies, bodies burning by the road side and bodies piled up in army camps and police stations. The PTA and the emergency law allowed the security forces and the police to have a field day with suspected so called terrorists. But, we know now how many innocent people were killed or disappeared during the 80s in the South of Sri Lanka. Can you imagine how many innocent young and old would have died in the North and East in the name of terrorists! Their cries and the cries of their loved ones will haunt Sri Lanka which is the home for four major religious communities which pride themselves saying that they stand for peace, compassion, mercy, love, and justice.
Furthermore, when we go around the country we see religious statues erected by different religious communities almost every hundred yards of the road. This is a scene one sees in Colombo and suburbs of Colombo. To an outsider it gives an impression that one is enterring a holy city! Another common scene we observe in Sri Lanka is that in the hands of the majority of our people there is a sacred or holy yellow or white tread tied seeking protection from harm and danger through the mediation of Lord Buddha or God. We see these threads tied around the hands of politicians, people serving the security forces or the police. Although they seek protection from harm and danger they use those hands which the sacred thread is tied to harm, torture and kill innocent people. It is here we see how religions get abused by the people in power. In a sense, most established religions in Sri Lanka have been co-opted by the State and therefore they have been silenced or have become subservient to the political establishment of the day.
It is a fact that the majority in Sri Lanka are Buddhists. The history books in Sri Lanka record that its history goes way back and Buddhism has been influential in the formation of Sri Lankan culture and way of life. At the same time Buddhist monks are a powerful moral and a political force in Sri Lanka, and if they come together and take a stand for justice, peace and for a corrupt free Sri Lanka the whole nation will tremble and their stand will be like a ritual of exorcism! It will be an exorcism to purify established religions and to drive away the demons of corruption, greed, nepotism, deception and violence. It will be an exorcism to free the political arena from corrupt leaders and state officials. On the other hand, if the representatives of all four religions can come together with a common mind to a common platform and take a stand for justice, democracy and peace and for a corrupt free nation, politicians will stop the games they play now and stop deceiving the masses. It is not a dream or wishful thinking. It can happen if we can overcome our petty religious divisions which keep us separated and bound to old prejudices and historical errors. These bonds between and among religious communities are already taking place and the block is among the religious hierarchy. Let us hope that for the sake of the nation and for the sake of the people these barriers will be overcome by the religious hierarchy.
On February 11 a letter signed by the Heads of most powerful 3 Buddhist Nikayas (Sectors) was sent to His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka. As religious leaders they made an appeal to the President to release General Fonseka whose arrest is illegal. The available information is that the appeal of the monks was ignored by the President. Then they decided to summon a meeting of the Buddhist monks from all over the country to discuss the situation which is unhealthy for the progress and healing of the nation. When I read that announcement I was happy and I thought to myself that I am able to see the true marks of enlightened Buddhism being practiced by the Buddhist leaders. But, the government moved all powers to stop that meeting and to my surprise they succeeded in that move to block the meting of the monks. To this day I do not know what happened to that planned meeting. How did the government succeed to convert the enlighten monks to follow them than the other way around? My argument is that if the four leading prelates who signed that letter stood their ground firmly and insisted that the President to carry out what they had demanded it would have been almost impossible for him to say no and stay in power. On the other hand government could not have been able do anything to harm the monks or to harm the established religious institution like Buddhism. Did Buddhism betray the call and the need of the hour?
It is not only the religious monks and the established religions which have betrayed its adherents. It is also true to say that all established political parties and all who have ruled the country since independence are guilty of using particular sensitive issues to divide and rule the country, even at the expense of marginalizing those who belonged to minority groups. In this regard even the JVP and LTTE are guilty of narrow opportunistic politics. We the citizens, along with established political parties like the SLFP, UNP, LSSP or MEP in the south and TULF and others in the North and East and for that matter Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Muslims are all guilty and must take the responsibility for the plight we are in today. It is a time to repent for the sins of the past, especially for the sin where we have allowed the politicians to lead us by the nose and for accepting their lies as truth and casting our votes over and over again over the years to keep them in power or to bring them into power. The time has come to say no to falsehood and yes to truth and justice to all. The time has come for us to use our precious vote intelligently and in a decisive manner.
The deception of the rulers and the ignorance of the ruled
For the last thirty years or more we were told by the rulers that when the LTTE is defeated a new day will dawn and Sri Lanka will again become the paradise that many long for and dream of. A large majority of people believe in this type of political propaganda and that is one of the reasons why the people in the South gave almost a free hand to the government to defeat the LTTE. In fact when the success of the military was broadcast through the television and radio majority of people in the South rejoiced, and when they announced the capture of Prabakaran, the leader of the LTTE, there was jubilation in the South. In a sense it is understandable as the people in the South were tired of bombs and suicide bombers.
I happened to be in Colombo that day and the people were glued to the television to see the dead and mutilated bodies of Prabakaran and some of his military wing leaders, including his elder son. It was almost an appeasement to the people in the South and the government used the military victory over the LTTE to build up their popularity. Furthermore, an early Presidential election was called to use that popularity to gain victory and that victory was achieved at the election held in February.
There were a few critics or skeptics within religious communities, NGOs, civil societies, media etc who were not willing to celebrate or to swim with the culture of the day when the LTTE was militarily crushed. In fact they were the conscience of the nation. Although a few in number, most of them spoke against or refused to accept the terror of the State or to go along with the violence against the ethnic minority who are also Sri Lankans. But, some of them were quickly silenced by the powers that be and branded as traitors, agents of the west or unpatriotic elements in society. Some who wrote or spoke out paid the ultimate price of being abducted and taken for a ride in the famous white van never to return to the land of the living!
The people in power were able to tell the nation and convince the majority that in a time of war, especially when they are fighting a terrorist organization like the LTTE, there is no room for criticism or counter opinion. On that count media became the first casualty and to this day media has become subservient to the state and those who refuse to fall in line with the State censorship are persecuted, intimidated or killed.
The next casualty in Sri Lanka has been the NGOs, Civil Society Groups, intellectuals and leaders in religious Communities. Some of the INGOs were expelled and international journalists were either threatened or their licenses were not renewed.
In the name of fighting terrorism police and the security forces are given wide ranging of powers and also elevated the status of guardians of the state and they have became a sacred cult in Sri Lankan society today. To speak against the security forces or the police is also looked upon as an unpatriotic gesture or branded as enemies of the state.
We have seen incidents, very serious incidents, where the judiciary has been belittled and judgments of the Supreme Court were not carried out because of the interference of the executive presidency.
If one were to look at the parliamentary discussions or read the papers which come out after parliamentary debates we discover that there is hardly an enlightening discussion on nation building or the concerns of the people on whose backs politician have come to parliament. It is very much a scene of hooliganism where they shout and disrupt people who express different points of view. Unfortunately, majority of the parliamentarians are mostly concerned about their own benefits and the benefits for their kit and kin. To what a state a sacred place like the parliament has fallen into. Again we the people who exercise the vote to elect people to parliament should take the blame for the state of the parliament and the parliamentarians who represent us. Is it not a fact that we are the ones who elect as our representatives robbers, rapists, thugs, drug lords, murders and gangsters? Where are the cultured and civilized people? Why aren’t they coming forward to represent us and why aren’t we electing them to represent us.
It is sad to say that we have never had true democratic forms of governance in Sri Lanka. We are a class conscious feudalistic society and in spite of independence we have allowed the feudal class to govern and rule over us. Although the word democracy is freely used in Sri Lanka what we see is only some ingredients of democracy poured over the structures of feudalism which is in tact up to date. One of the ingredients of democracy we see in our country is the elections taking place once in five or six years. Is that democracy when we see the way elections are fought in Sri Lanka and won and the role played by the Commissioner of Elections? I have serious doubts. I do not want to make an analysis of the elections in Sri Lanka as you know what happens at these elections.
Democracy, which derives from the Greek word “demos” or “people” is defined, basically, as government in which the supreme power is vested in the people. In some forms, democracy can be exercised directly by the people; in large. Or, in the memorable phrase of President Abraham Lincoln, democracy is government “of people, by the people, and for the people.” In other words, people are the sovereign and they decide who will represent them in parliament, and who will head the government at the national and local levels. Power flows from the people to the leaders of the government, who hold power temporarily. Laws and policies require majority in parliament, but the rights of the minorities are protected in various ways. In a true democracy people are free to criticize their elected leaders or representatives, and to observe how they conduct the business of government. These are some of the basic marks of a democratically governed nation or society. It is sad that in spite of our boast of a civilized nation, nation of educated people, nation blessed by the presence of four major religions we are almost at the kindergarten stage of democracy in Sri Lanka. The plight and the downward trend in democracy was detected by one of the Sri Lankans as far back in 1974 and he wrote the following obituary and published in one of the leading news papers in Sri Lanka. It created an uproar in Sri Lanka but he wrote the truth and this is what he wrote:
O’Cracy- The death occurred under tragic circumstances of D.E.M. O’CRACY. Beloved husband of T. Ruth, loving father of L.I Bertie, brother of Faith, Hope and Justitia. Interred on Saturday, 20th inst- Araliya Medura, Panagiyawatte, Anduruwala. ( Appeared in Ceylon Daily News of 24 April, 1974)
What I have stated above regarding democracy did not happen over night but it happened in a systematic way over the years. We who are the voters, all political parties including the opposition and all religious leaders must take responsibility for what our nation has become and path it is trying to tread. Is it a path leading to a state of parliamentary dictatorship like what we see in Myanmar, Vietnam or some of the African countries? These forms of governance existed until very recently is some of the South American counties like Chile, Argentina, Peru etc. But, after decades and decades of struggles and blood shed they have managed to put their countries back in to democratic tracts. But, we are moving into a one party state where the opposition will remain a mere opposition without clout or teeth! What the present rulers want is an obedient society where there is no room for questions, disagreements, opposition and dissent. They merely want to rule over us! They want us to be puppets and “yes” women and men. Will they succeed their attempt by getting a 2/3 victory at the forthcoming parliament elections in April? That day will be the day where we surrender to a dynasty or liberate ourselves from a rule of tyranny.
Is it possible to bring back the basic ingredients of democracy we had until recent times and build our country to become a true democracy in Asia?
A few weeks ago we saw on television and on the front page of several news papers Ms.Anoma Fonseka crying for her husband’s release from custody. We also know that Ms. Sandiya Eknaliyagoda is shedding tears over her disappeared husband and Ms. Hemalie Abeyaratne until recently shed tears because her husband was detained illegally. Many more shed tears in the South either for their loved ones who are no more or for loved ones who have gone missing, maimed, tortured or illegally detained in army barracks, police stations or remand prisons.
The tears of these three women, specially the tears of Ms. Fonseka have shaken the nation, and many have been moved by these tears to come forward to cry for democracy, freedom and justice. Tears are powerful and they are powerful because no one, whether the police or military, can stop people shedding tears. We also notice that people in authority and those who abuse power and oppress people are frightened of the tears of people. Tears of people have the capacity to gather people, to forge alliances and march together until the mighty are brought down and people are freed from captivity. Tears also have the capacity to soften the hard hearted and to lift up and gather people to see beyond class, caste, race, religious and ideological barriers to forge alliances for freedom, justice and positive transformation of society. May be the time has come for Sri Lanka to start a Tear Revolution.
Is there a difference between the tears of the people in the South and the North and East?
According to my observation there has been a difference in the context of Sri Lanka. Before the three women mentioned above began to shed tears for their disappeared or imprisoned loved ones, thousands and thousands of people, especially the Tamils and the Muslims women in the North and East have shed tears for more than three decades. The only difference is that they happened to be Tamils or Muslims. I remember when a few voices in the South began to raise critical questions about the people trapped and suffering in the North and East and their cries for their loved ones, they were dismissed by the Southern chauvinists, nationalists and extremist as LTTE sympathizers and accused such concerned people of being unpatriotic. I remember seeing the pictures of women, men and children looking at mutilated bodies and weeping as they were no more. Of course, because of the media censorship and the threats against the media some these pictures did not hit the front pages of daily newspapers as pictures of the mutilated bodies of LTTE leadership appeared for days and weeks. However, one cannot say that all the people in the South were in total ignorance of what was going on in the North and East. A lot of these horrifying pictures have been and are circulated via the internet. The point I want to emphasize is that the majority of those who knew the truth about the North and East in the South either was silent or dismissed them as propaganda of the LTTE or LTTE sympathizers. But, the most unfortunate thing is the silence of the majority of religious leaders and the so called enlightened intellectuals in our country. Were they silent because of their fear of the brutal State machinery? Were they silent because of their captivity to the propaganda of the state media and the bias reporting by the agents of the State? Were they silent because they were out and out racists? The issue which comes up over and over again in conversations is: are the Sinhalese racists? Or they were not concerned about what went on in the North and East as long as it did not affect them? But, the question whether Sinhalese are racist or not is some thing which cannot be dismissed easily. It is a soul searching question and as a nation all ethnic communities should deal with it before we think of reconciliation and nation building.
The situation which we refused to accept or ignored, especially the violence of the State inflicted on the people in the North and East has come to haunt the South! The same machinery is used to suppress the people in the South. Even the General Fonseka who used it effectively or endorsed the use of it against the Tamils has become a victim to it! What a tragedy and a hilarious situation. I am reminded of the poem written by a German priest called Nimolle during the Nazi oppression. He wrote:
First they came for the Jews and I did not say anything as I was not a Jew
Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Trade Unionists and I did not speak because I was not a Trade Unionist
Then they came for the Catholics and I did not speak because I was not a Catholic
But, when they came for me there was no one to speak for me
Is it not what is happening in Sri Lanka right now?
The temptation now for the Tamils in the North and East and also for the Muslims is to turn their backs on the South and enjoy a little bit of sweet revenge. In fact the Sinhalese also accuse the Tamils that when the youth in the south were slaughtered by the security forces and the police in the 70s and 80s they did nothing to show their protest against the violence of the State. This type of blaming each other goes on all the time in our society. This shows, although we live in a tiny island we are separated by ideology, party politics, religion and ethnicity. These divisions are so entrenched that we have not been able to rise above them and forge alliances for the common good of the nation and see the other as a brother or a sister. We have not been able to see the common humanity which transcends these divisions and to work in solidarity. Politicians, so called intellectuals and even some religious leaders have often used these divisions to mislead the people and to capture power or to remain in power.
I am of the view that:
• The time has come for all the victims of violence and the oppressed to transcend all divisions which keep them apart and come together, march together and act together to expose the corrupt politicians and free this nations from the grip of nepotisms, feudalism, violence, corruption etc.
• The time has come for us to go beyond politics of slogan shouting and being stooges to politicians who try to buy us with their money and ignore us when they come to power.
• The time has come to for us to realize that the power is with the people and that power should be used to elect people to govern us who are the servants of the people and not the thugs who use the corrupt State machinery like the police and the security forces to harass and torture people.
• The time has come to elect people to the parliament who are accountable to their constituencies and who will not switch parties because they want to be in power and make money.
• The time has come to protect judiciary which will be free from political influence but only committed to uphold justice and serve the people.
I also believe that this is not a time to take revenge from the other and weaken the alliances of solidarity. Right now we have to come together, irrespective of our differences, to save our country becoming another Myanmar. We need to come together and make this country a place where people will have the freedom to think, to write, to move freely and to practice ones religious beliefs. This is something enshrined in the UN Charter and also in our Constitution. We need to take that freedom into our own hands and free it from being abused by politicians who are drunk with abusive power.
The time also has come for us to confess and repent for the sins we have committed against one another and also repent for being silent and inactive when we should have been vocal and outrageous of the violence of the State. Some of us in the South knew what the government was doing in the North and in the Wanni to liberate it from the control of the LTTE. We did not know the exact amount of bombs being dropped in the North to defeat the LTTE. We knew it was more than hundred or two hundred. To capture Prabakaran how many innocent women, children and men had to be sacrificed? Are the Security forces and the police guilty of extra judiciary killings? Is the present government guilty of crimes against its own people? How long can we conceal the truth and live as nothing has happened? What are the after effects or side effects of these bombs? How many children will be born with birth defects and for how many years to come? How many will die of cancer and other forms of diseases? I do not have an answer to the questions I have raised. The government, media and other State run institutions still use the language of patriotism and nationalism to hide the truth and to persecute those who ask questions about the truth. The religious leaders often use the language of reconciliation and peace to hide the truth and call the people to move on. However, the present government, security forces, including the most revered General Fonseka and the silent majority like us is answerable to these crimes against the innocent Tamil and Muslim civilians.
Until this is faced up to and dealt with Sri Lanka will never be a healed nation and experience the healing of the body, mind and spirit. My hope and dream is that the religious leaders and enlightened civil society groups in Sri Lanka should have the courage to risk their own lives and raise these critical questions so that the whole country will wrestle with them for the sake of national and individual healing. It is in this context that the liberating spiritualities which flow from the four religions in Sri Lanka must call the nation to repent. The religious leaders who are the custodians of these religions should remind themselves and the adherents of their respective religious communities to live by the teachings of the founders of their religions rather than subject the Eternal Dhamma which is at the core of their religions to conform to the principalities and powers of the ruling class. I hope that not only Buddhism but all four religions, including the Bahai faith will not betray its founders at this hour where a new Sri Lanka is struggling to be born to usher an era of freedom, justice for all, democracy, prosperity, unity and harmony.
