Let's take charge of our destiny Sri Lanka, its time

Opinion

The violence unleashed on unsuspecting and unarmed people in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday this year, was apparently a “terrorist attack” – or was it? The suicide bombers were affluent, educated, capable young Muslim men and women of Sri Lanka.

By Y. Fernando, Kandy

They apparently wanted to unite with their God in heaven in lieu of dying while killing “infidels”. Did they all really die? Further, they chose to test the tolerance and respect shown to all by the majority Sinhala Buddhists by blaming their reason for the catastrophe to be radical Buddhists, marginalizing them and stealing their opportunities, leaving behind a deep mistrust in anything or anyone “Muslim” in Sri Lanka in the aftermath.

Adding to this conundrum was the emergence of swords, knives, guns and ammunition and more explosives in places of worship, households, business premises, open fields, farms and in vehicles of “Muslims” etc. It seemed like there was a preparedness for hand to hand combat by the average Muslim folk who were expecting a communal backlash. Ironically, the authorities managed to apprehend culprits thus prepared due to the Muslims themselves providing relevant information.

Thanks to a few factors such as the Ven. Cardinal, Malcolm Ranjith beseeching the public to not react, and the President, albeit reluctantly, enforcing emergency status, saved the nation from more blood-shed. Empowering the Sri Lankan military to support the Police in mitigating the situation and the immense respect and trust the average folks of this country have towards the Military to safeguard the nation from all threats, allayed the expected outcome of an all-out battle on the streets.

Many propagated efforts followed to instigate hate and anger among the innocent average folk of the different communities and thereby promote the unleashing of violence everywhere, AS IF ON CUE. However, the average Sri Lankan, battle weary from the LTTE days, did not succumb, as yet.

The government is hell bent on allowing all and sundry from outside Sri Lanka to dictate terms in pursuit of “economic dreams”. The Prime Minister and his cronies insist that the terrorist threat is over in spite of culprits being apprehended for being “militarily trained” and spreading “hatred”, merely days ago, over three months on.

All the while the “special commission” formed to “investigate” the attack, makes a mockery of the public services of Sri Lanka which they themselves forced in to ruin by politicizing the said services. The President keeps pointing fingers and blaming in long rambling speeches, with seemingly no capability to actually do something about it.

And the fact remains – who gains and what do they gain when Sri Lanka is unstable and every imaginable difference has been exploited to show that we should “divide” instead of unite? – gender, class, caste, race, religion, language, bank balance, profession, public vs private sector etc. The worst division of all is a cunningly devised plan to create a State of EELAM with an electric fence in the middle of the country under the guise of an “economic corridor” with a light railway line.

Then there is a demand to effect the 13th amendment with a referendum. It is an affront to the sensibilities of the average Sinhalese who lives side by side with all other citizens of this country. Their passions aroused, the Sinhalese will defeat the referendum and thereby enable the self-proclaimed “representatives” of the Tamil population and diaspora to establish “discrimination”. The fact that “their people” or all citizens of the country deserve to be able to call the entire island of Sri Lanka their home is not taken in to consideration. This defeat in the referendum will enable an UN intervention, world recognition of the newly declared “State of EELAM”, as in Timor most recently and in many countries around the world in the past.

China has invested heavily in Sri Lanka, enough to make sure the country progresses without a hindrance. The other regional powers stand to gain if Sri Lanka is stable and economically improving with trade and other aspects of economic interaction increasing concurrently. The Muslim nations too will gain if Sri Lanka continues on the path of progress with a rise in demand for oil and other resources.

If Buddhists were targeted by the “Islam Extremists” on Easter Sunday, the world would not react to this degree. Sri Lanka did not receive such publicity or empathy in support when Buddhist places of worship were attacked and whole villages with Sinhala Buddhists annihilated. Therefore, it can be deduced that targeting Catholics, Christians and tourists was the “announcement”. But what were they announcing?

Hot on the heels of this “crisis in the Indian Ocean” comes a statement from the Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, testifying before the Senate Armed Forces Committee in Washington DC, “urging Military cooperation between US and Sri Lanka to counter China” (Sunday Times of May 12, 2019 – front page).

Then comes the generous offer of a USD 480M compact “development” grant for 5 years while the country is still reeling from the devastation left in the wake of the attacks. A plan in the making for some years now, the Millennium Challenge Corporation decides, this is the right time to “invest” in Sri Lanka even though the US travel advisory cautions Americans, contradictorily, against traveling here and to “Exercise Increased Caution” at Level 2, even today.

Who tends to gain most with the country in turmoil and uncertainty in Sri Lanka? Certainly not ISIS or any other “Islam Extremist Groups” making an “announcement” to the world. It seems that this is a kind of “terrorism”, thus fed for the sake of geo-politics in relevant regions and continue unabated from centuries ago and commonly known then as IMPERIALISM.

With the claim of “tensions” between US and China, a US stronghold in the region will be opportune for the modern day “imperialists” or terrorists or surreptitious invaders. A destabilized Sri Lanka with a weak leadership, animosity and mistrust between races, economically at the lowest ebb and finally, starvation among people without resources, jobs and money, is easy pickings to establish a presence here in the guise of “support”.

The Sinhala Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka is a drop in the ocean in terms of numbers when considering other “indigenous ethnicities” in the rest of the world and isolated. But we may not be as easy to dilute and/or manipulate and bully as the Diego Garcians, Australian Aborigines, Native Americans, most of the African and South American nations. Therefore, all other aspects of our society seems to have been influenced to deteriorate, to cause a crumbling from within and divided to conquer.

Stand your ground and be united regardless of your political beliefs as we knew it from 71 years ago. Extremism and divisions in any form will only exacerbate the volatility of Sri Lanka. Be wise, patient and vigilant. Do not be misled by the machinations of such “supportive nations” and their local henchmen with many personal aspects to gain. Each political party whether blue, green, red, yellow or based on purported religious or ethnic requirement, right-wing, leftist, democratic etc. are possibly funded by these unscrupulous world “powers”. Therefore, they do not warrant your consideration!

We need a leadership that can stand steadfast for the nation in the long haul, who can walk the talk in terms of urgent economic, legal and social reforms and revamp intelligence gathering while establishing a stringent national security framework.

Your vote is powerful! Use it to support the emergence of a new, patriotic, honourable, professional and a capable leadership who can use these various external and internal manipulations and pressures to our advantage, command the respect of our Military and Police and safeguard our environment so we can breathe freely in our motherland, as we will also have to deal with the wrath of mother nature and many natural disasters in the future.

Lets stand our ground and choose one country, one law and a leadership that respects and believes in ALL OF US with our colourful diversity and lead us to become a force to be reckoned with! Lets take charge of our destiny, Sri Lanka! Only we can do it for ourselves! AND IT IS TIME TO USE YOUR VOTE WISELY for the future of our nation!