Lanka's deepest tragedy
For us Christians, each individual person or community
is God's own blessing. The Bible speaks of the essential and unassailable
dignity of men, of each single individual, which springs from the fact
that God created man "in His own image and likeness."
By extension, the differences he brings with him as an individual and
as a member of a given community are all to be respected. Differences make
us unite. If all of us look alike how odd it would be or if all the trees
or flowers are of a singular type. Thus nowhere can we visualise a society
which is mono-cultural. In Sri Lanka too that is our reality. We are a
pluri-cultural nation of different languages, races, religions and ideologies.
Let us be happy and proud about it.
One of the key elements of our diversity is our spirituality. Sri Lanka
is the proud home of the four major religions of our planet - Buddhism,
Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. It is so nice to see a church or kovil
standing next to a temple or a mosque in many towns and villages in this
land. There are thousands of them. It is a sign of our spiritual and cultural
maturity that we are conscious of our call to transcendence.
Yet, sadly for us, this land that boasts of a very high rate of religious
allegiance has been gradually sliding into suspicion, hate, division, violence
and civil war especially in the years after Independence. The present crisis
has become like a cancer eating into every area of public and private life
and crippling the nation.
When looters in their thousands descended on the streets of Colombo
and other towns murdering, burning and looting persons and property belonging
to members of the Tamil community that black July 1983, the then President
of Sri Lanka called it a "crisis of civilisation." Similarly, attacks on
members of the Buddhist clergy, innocent Sinhala or Muslim villagers, attacks
on places of worship and explosions of bombs at certain locations carried
out by extremist Tamil groups cannot be classified as anything less brutal.
The crisis seems to be worsening by the day. Sri Lanka is bleeding to death.
No light is visible at the end of the tunnel. What has happened to us and
why did differences, which should have helped us to unite, become cause
for suspicion, hate, violence and civil war?
In my opinion what has happened is not merely a crisis of civilisation
but a crisis of religiosity as a whole. It is true that most of us do attend
religious services and rituals. Yet the noble values of the religions we
profess are not seen to be reflected in the daily moral and ethical choices
we make. There seems to be a definite and wide gap between what we believe
and what we practise. In other words, we as a nation, are experiencing
a crisis of religious authenticity and credibility.
The worse consequence of this crisis of spirituality and religion is
our radical inability to rise above our limitations, suspicions and sense
of hate and work out a dignified solution to the civil war presently engulfing
us. In the practical field there seems to be hardly any leader today capable
of and courageous enough to reach out even to one's political opponents
and seek a way out of this crisis. All along these fifty one years since
Independence, it has been a game of hide and seek between those in government
and those in the opposition.
Rather it has been like snakes and ladders. Each time a government tries
out a solution the opposition sabotages. Heroism which places the country
above self was and seems to be a rare quality to come by. What a tragedy.
These political leaders too profess religious principles and attend religious
ceremonies. Yet the nobler values of such religious orientations seem not
to challenge or touch them.
Still worse is the situation with regard to our religious leaders. We
as a group have failed miserably to render witness to the teachings of
our founders, teachings we loudly proclaim, before our laity. For someone
who not only professes but also proclaims the teachings of the great founders,
it is not possible not to work for peace. How sad it is then, to note so
many religious leaders showing even open sympathy to "their own side" in
the conflict and at times even agitating for the violent way. This I feel
is Mother Lanka's deepest tragedy.
Bishop Malcolm Ranjith
Bishop of Ratnapura
Shame on you, teacher
Very recently an year one child of a leading school
in Gampaha was five minutes late for the class, for no fault of hers. It
was her third day in school.
The class teacher punished the innocent child and made her to stand
in front of the class. Just imagine the mental reaction of the child.
"Punctuality is a must", but, is this the child psychology our primary
school teachers practise in the class-rooms.
A retired teacher
Gampaha.
This is first grade discrimination
On the morning of January 10, I witnessed a demonstration
with a difference. At about 11.00 a.m. a large number of Christians (Catholics)
walked along the streets of Kandy carrying some placards. What aroused
my curiosity was their peaceful walk chanting some prayers. Suspecting
that the peaceful walk would be the prelude to a violent demonstration
(calm before the storm), I too quietly went towards their final destination
which was the Central Province Education Office, where there was a very
large crowd displaying several placards.
Thereafter, they chanted some prayers and by 12.00 noon the demonstration
was over. There were no slogan shouting, no threats, no hooting, no jeering.
It was a demonstration with a difference - a disciplined one which is an
example to all of us. As I was very impressed by their peaceful demonstration,
I spoke to one of them who briefly told me about their problems. According
to him, many Catholic children of the Central Province who applied for
admission to year 1 in 1999 have been denied admission purely because they
are Catholics. Explaining this injustice further, he said that St. Anthony's
College, Katugastota (Which was once a school run by the Catholic Church
and later handed over to the Government) allocated only about 25% of the
vacancies to Catholic children. Although the present Principal is a Catholic
Priest, the Department of Education does not allow him to take in Catholic
boys exceeding the 25% allocation. As if to rub salt on the wound the other
government, schools such as Vidyartha and Dharmaraja do not take in Catholic
boys because Catholic region is not taught in these schools. If by chance
these schools admit Catholic boys they are forced to study Buddhism. However,
at St. Anthony's College and also at the Good Shepherd Convent (which is
a private school run by the Catholic Church) Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam
are taught!
Isn't this first grade discrimination against a religious minority?
Though being a Buddhist, I thought of writing this letter as I was ashamed
to hear about this grave injustice and also because I wanted to commend
their disciplined and peaceful demonstration.
Their appeal to the higher authorities in the Department of Education
have gone unanswered. Therefore, they have sent a petition to the President
hoping that at least she who has correctly realized the multi-ethnic and
multi-religious reality of this country and who is trying her best to build
a united Sri Lanka, will take immediate steps to solve their problems.
H. Gannoruwa
Kandy
There's crime but no one cares
I am a foreign resident of Mount Lavinia and the statement
of the police that there is no increase of crime in our area is totally
wrong. They are fully aware of what is going on, but there is no action
taken to curb this crime wave, for various reasons.
Whenever you call the Mount Lavinia police and ask for help, you do
not get it. Their answer is no petrol for the car or no car at all or no
staff etc.
The dark elements on Mount Lavinia beach have long been identified,
but are not arrested by the police.
The stalls on the beach provide everything from drugs, young girls,
young boys to alcohol. They have no licence to sell, no licences to be
there but no action is taken. I can understand some police officers for
not doing anything. As soon as they apprehend a suspect, politicians and
businessmen get involved and by threatening the police they get their man
free. So, why should a policeman do his job, when he can end up transferred
to the operational areas? His life and that of his family is more important
to him than his job. On the other hand he then should not be a policeman.
But these days there's no respect for the law by the citizens of Sri
Lanka and it is difficult to reverse this attitude. This attitude shows
in all aspects of life.
As long these elected officials only looking for the power and the privileges
which go with the job, nothing will change.
As long as the politicians are working together with criminals to intimidate
people nothing will change.
This goes also for the Mount Lavinia MC. The roads are deteriorating
and garbage is not collected. The Mayor started with a big bang but what
has happened now?
Concerned Resident
Mt. Lavinia.
Where all was bright and only man was vile
Under the bright summer skies in the Adelaide Oval
where seagulls swarm in flocks, every prospect seemed bright but only man
was vile. The villainy of the re-emergence of Ross Emerson, the Australian
umpire, this time around, challenged the ICC itself when he no-balled Muralitharan
in the Carlton and United World series match on Satuarday, January 23.
Murali's tormentors in the 1996 Sri Lankan cricket tour of Australia
were umpires, Emerson and Hair. And here, was Emerson at it again despite
the ICC having declared Murali's bowling action as legitimate. What is
strange is that it is only in Australia that his action is suspect. Does
the southern sun give them a sight so penetrating as to see what other
umpires elsewhere in the world do not see? Why can't they be gentlemen
and concede what they did in 1996 was not quite correct and put the whole
thing behind them?
Murali was called in the 18th over in the match between Sri Lanka and
England, "It was one man's moment of glory and a disaster for the game
of cricket "was how a commentator described the incident, Arjuna with 179
One Day Internationals and Murali with 200 test wickets are not green-horns
in the game of cricket. The Lankan skipper in his usual unruffled composure
confronted the tragi-comedy enacted by Emerson. What a scene it was! The
lion in Arjuna was aroused, and the millions of viewers saw a befuddled
wallaby before a roaring lion.
Meanness and machinations are often counterproductive. This was proved
that day. A revitalised Sri Lankan team fielded and batted well to overhaul
the massive target set for them by the Englishmen.
D.J. Sirimanne
Matale
Private sector must participate in road safety
The rapid increase of motor vehicle ownership in Sri
Lanka over the last two decades due to liberalised economic policies of
successive governments has placed considerable pressures on the road network,
and its traffic control devices, many of which were never designed for
the traffic volumes now using them.
The benefit and convenience offered by the ownership of the private
vehicle is so attractive that most individuals aspire to owning one as
soon as they could afford. Motorised vehicles include motor cycles and
mopeds as these are often the first affordable motorised vehicles-especially
to people in developing countries.
Constraints, to the improvement of road safety are:
(A) Fragmentation of responsibility of safety issues.
(B) Inadequate action to co-ordinate and implement safety counter measures.
(C) Absence of safety-conscious planning and design of roads.
(D) Inadequacies in technical and financial resources available for
action.
While it is the responsibility of the government and Provincial Councils
for funding road safety, the private sector especially could play a dominant
role in the affairs of road safety.
The insurance agencies in Sri Lanka are mostly committed to the post
accident stage spending vast amounts as compensation and not much thought
or financing is directed at accident prevention. The insurance organisations
can participate both via funding and by sharing its business at marketing
skills to assist the government and its agencies in tackling the problem.
Camillus Abeygoonawardena
(Deputy Inspector General, Director Traffic Police and Road Safety)
May your bold remark open their eyes
"Sri Lankan Buddhists are only nominal Buddhists.
Gambling and drinking is rampant in the country. To call it a Buddhist
country the Buddhists must live according to the principles of Buddhism."
Though this remark of Mr. Ashraff is not altogether correct as there are
millions of good Buddhists here, I welcome his observation at a time like
this. One may object to him and say "You mind your religion and we mind
ours." But, I disagree because Buddhism in not a closed religion as many
other religions are. It is open like the gates of heaven are open to the
righteous.
It is worth noting here that Buddhism has no commandments. It only shows
the way to make oneself one's own master to be achieved through self-reliance
without depending on any external being. A good Buddhist fears no god,
ghost or demon because the gods are at the service of man who follow the
five precepts, at least.
To confirm what Mr. Ashraff says, alcoholism is the shame of this land
and the number one enemy of our people. It is the main cause of economic
and moral poverty in Sri Lanka. Since this reality has fallen on deaf ears
of many, you have opened their eyes with a characteristic bold remark.
Since Buddhism does not forbid consumption of liquor, it is relevant
here to lay down the Buddhist stand-point in this regard. A Buddhist is
expected to observe on his free will, the precept of abstaining from consumption
of intoxicating drinks for several reasons and not because of a command.
Its consumption is referred to as an institute for sin because it (1) incites
quarrel, (2) acts as an agent for disease, (3) makes one disgraceful, (4)
causes impudence, (5) diminishes wealth and (6) weakens wisdom. And, that
is why one should abstain from taking liquor the production and sale of
which are undertaken by those who are unmindful or unconcerned of these
consequences.
Incidentally, one may say how can Sri Lanka a Buddhist country witness
so much of crimes and violence. This has a two way answer. It means it
does not matter if there is violence in a non-Buddhist country. It matters
only when it happens in a Buddhist country. Why? Buddhism exudes compassion
unparalleled in any other religion, extending even to animals making all
living beings one whole family. So it is unimaginable to witness the occurrence
of terror and violence in a country imbibed in the spirit of Buddhism.
On the other hand, only when it is fitting to denounce this country for
any lapses or mishaps it is considered a Buddhist country and not otherwise.
Then it is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-linguist country. Within
this context, how can this country for instance reconcile itself with the
concept of holy war recognised in Islam, and Christianity. With the unequivocal
commitment to compassion in Buddhism, animal slaughter and temperance too,
is the same.
E. M. G. Edirisinghe
Dehiwela.
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