A good article explaining why the north needs to move on... THE SRI LANKAN SPRING - by Brin Nath I wish to express my congratulations to the newly elected President of Sri Lanka, Maithripala Sirisena. This election result is unprecedented in that it shows Sri Lanka has finally taken the high road in political life. The incumbent presidential candidate, Mahinda Rajapaksa, enjoyed majority support in 2010 because of his governments decisive victory over the LTTE the previous year. This garnered a landslide victory for his government in 2010 because he enjoyed majority Sinhalese support, despite strong opposition from the Tamil camp. So what has changed in 2015 to cause him to lose the recent election? Tamils claim credit for his election defeat due to their staunch opposition to his leadership. But this is not true. The Tamil community voted against Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2010, but he still won. The fact is the incumbent lost in 2015 because he no longer enjoyed solid Sinhalese support. This means that, despite his governments defeat of the LTTE in 2009, he did not retain the solid bedrock of support among Sinhalese in the 2015 election. This proves that Sinhalese are non-partisan and vote with other considerations in mind besides protection. The incumbent presidential candidate lost ground in the Sinhalese community because of corrupt practices like patronage appointments, nepotistic practices, graft and other forms of political corruption. This is heartening news because it means that the Sinhalese have turned a corner. They are now voting for democratic principles and righteous political values and have moved beyond partisan politics. Tamils need to learn from the Sinhalese example. In the past, the LTTE killed many innocent Sinhalese as well as Tamil activists and political leaders, all in the name of a separate homeland called Tamil Eelam. Yet Tamils maintained silence, despite the fact that the slaughter of their leaders has left them in a political vacuum. In the 1990s, the 80,000 strong Muslim minority living in the Tamil district of Jaffna were evicted. They had lived peacefully side by side with Tamils for generations and even spoke Tamil. Yet Tamils did not raise one voice in opposition. The Muslim minority were evicted with short notice. They were expelled with scant money in their pockets, and were forced to leave their property and possessions behind. The LTTE then divided the spoils of the Muslims seized property amongst Tamils. How hypocritical of Tamils is that? Tamils demand minority rights and speak up in protest when their rights are denied, but when other minorities are denied their rights, not one Tamil voice is raised in protest. That is an appalling record and shows how hypocritical and narrow-minded we Tamils can be. Despite the intolerable policies of the LTTE leadership, Tamils never expressed any dissent, but instead granted them their full support. Tamils supported the LTTE because they considered it their only voice, but in reality the LTTE killed off all alternative Tamil voices. Yet what have we seen with the Sinhalese in this election outcome? Despite the support Mahinda Rajapaksa previously enjoyed among Sinhalese, he lost this bedrock of support in this election as a result of political scandal. We Tamils need to learn from the Sinhalese example. We need to rise above our ethnic insularity and bias and observe how the Sinhalese have demonstrated a non-partisan position in this election. In the future, when a Tamil presidential candidate arrives on the scene, he must be Sri Lankan first and Tamil second. By showing this open attitude, in which a leader rises above partisan politics, such a Tamil statesman will win majority support among Tamils and Sinhalese and could take the next election in 2020. Cynics and sceptics will say its impossible. Is it? I dont think so. Take the example of America, where a leader emerged from the minority African-American community to become the President of the country. If it can happen in America, it can surely happen in Sri Lanka. Obama was groomed for the job to have an all encompassing All American attitude. Can a Tamil leader arrive on the scene with an all encompassing All Sri Lankan perspective? Why not? If it can happen in America, it can happen to us. Sri Lanka is just as democratic as the United States. So whats stopping us? The only barrier if there is one is attitude. A change in attitude is all that is required. Remember Obamas election slogan? WE ARE CHANGE! There you go.
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 08:26:19 +0000
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