Multiethnic Re-Colonization of North-East, the Only Solution – 1: Fearing a Myth
Posted on October 24th, 2009
Kumar Moses
The war has ended in victory to Sri Lanka but the Tamil Elam struggle continues. It is a struggle against logic, multiethnic coexistence and Sri Lanka, a nation made up of people belonging to various races. Clearly the Tamil Elam struggle is against all odds and therefore it needs support from some source which evades these odds. They created myths to overcome this. These myths were popularised vigorously.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Every Sri Lankan knows that colonization of the North and the East is the only practical solution, but for reasons that evade logial, they donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t wish to say so. Had we feared the LTTE, it would be still around. We didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t fear it but addressed it. A similar approach is required to resolve the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ethnicƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ problem.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The role of myths in the Tamil Elam struggle
Tamil Elam is nothing but a collection of myths. This mythical palace has a popular foundation which is the myth of Tamil traditional homelands in Sri Lanka. The next most popular myth was the invincibility of the LTTE. Whenever the Sri Lankan government, after exhausting all other avenues for peace, went for war, Tamil Elamists used myths to dissuade the war effort. The invincibility of the LTTE was a very powerful myth that permeated not only into the Sri Lankan society, but also into the international community as well.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The popularity of the myth kept away a large section of the people from openly supporting the war. Whoever supported it was called a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”war mongerƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. However, LTTE continued to engage in its continued war against Sri Lanka and her people which they called ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”peaceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. This myth was reinforced by exaggerated stories of temporary military debacles suffered by government troops. By 2005 this myth almost found legality in the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA). The CFA was signed in 2002 on the premise that LTTE cannot be beaten militarily.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ However, security forces busted this myth totally in 2009. Clumsiness of this myth became all too clear after security forces started an unnamed military operation in 2006 and step by step targeted the LTTEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s points of strengths according to a strict military plan, not a political plan.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ A similar myth has been created and circulated by Tamil Elamists about Sinhala and Muslim people living in the North and the East. According to the myth which borders racism, one root cause of the problem was the presence of Sinhalas and Muslims in the North! This myth served multiple purposes.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
- It helped Tamil Elamists to ethnically cleanse the North of Sinhalas and Muslims and made it Tamil only
- It justified the LTTEƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s cruel act of ethnic cleansing
- If the myth continues, the North will be Tamil only forever
- Tamil only areas are essential for a Tamil sole representative to survive as the Tamil only homogeneous vote base can be easily manipulated to promote separatism
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Re-colonization explained
This myth has been successful. A sizable number of Sinhalas believe that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-SinhalaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ colonization of the North is not a good thing to do. However, little that they know that there is nothing called ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-SinhalaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ colonization of Sri Lanka! It is the country of Sinhalas, Tamils and Muslims and they must be able to live and own land in any part of the country and if anyone has a problem with that, he should go jump in the lake.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Millions of Tamils over the years have come and settled down in what they call ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-SinhalaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ areas but nobody raised a finger. In fact it has been very good for the country when the society is multiethnic. It goes very well with the living, social and even eating preferences of all Sri Lankans. Then why make a big fuss about Sinhalas and Muslims owning land in the North?
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ A series of articles will appear on this subject explaining in excruciating detail why colonization can solve the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ethnic problemƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. Moreover, why colonization is the only way to solve the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ethnic problemƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The ethnic composition and the war in the North and East, especially in the North where the war was at its fiercest are no accidents. It was the mono ethnic nature of these areas to different degrees that created the war. If this remains unchanged, another war will emerge when the time is right.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Imagine a Sri Lanka where Sinhala, Muslim and Tamil people live in large enough numbers in the North and the East. Then how can anyone demand the North and the East to be made to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Tamil ElamƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚? It is going to be impossible. Elections in the North and the East will never produce people like Velupillai Chelvanayagam, Amirthalingam, Sampanthan, etc. who openly promoted Tamil separatism. In fact if there are sizable Sinhala and Muslim populations in the North and the East, these tribal political parties will vanish from the scene as they cannot win the election.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ A good example is Colombo. Although The Colombo district has the second highest number of Tamils, tribal Tamil parties like TNA, TULF, ITAK, etc. cannot win a seat. They can only win in areas where there are only Tamils.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ After a program of multiethnic colonization in the North and the East, people of all races will live in perfect harmony in war ravaged areas. This is a way of copying the peace that is in Colombo to places where coexistence and peace are needed most. If this is the end result all peace loving Sri Lankans want they must work towards that and urge the government to carryout this plan. There are no Tigers in the North and the East anymore and Tamil Sri Lankans there (not some racist politicians) are more than willing to welcome their Sinhala and Muslim brothers. There is plenty of land not owned by anyone and the climate is not harsher than the climate in most other parts of Sri Lanka. In fact these areas get more rainfall than the Hambantota District and parts of the Monaragala District. Government plans large military bases in the North to protect the peace that was won with many sacrifices so security wonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t be an issue even if dead tigers come from their graves!
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”But some Tamils are against itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢
Almost all the Tamils were against the war but it had to be done; and we did it. Now they too are greatly relieved. The reason for their resistance is not that they are against it, but they were bombarded with separatist propaganda by tribal Tamil political parties since 1947. If one were to carefully analyse the major political parties that won in the North and the East, it is clear they were all tribal political parties. There was not enough room for others! This is what brainwashed innocent peace loving Tamils to support a mono ethnic Tamil Elam. Details of elections and the biggest vote winner in the North and the East are given below. Note how tribal political parties always won. Imagine the tonnes of communal politics and propaganda they would have unloaded on a Tamil population who had not much choice.
- 1947 ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” All Ceylon Tamil Congress
- 1952 – ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ All Ceylon Tamil Congress, Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi
- 1956 -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi, All Ceylon Tamil Congress
- 1960 -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi, All Ceylon Tamil Congress
- 1965 -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi, All Ceylon Tamil Congress
- 1970 -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi, All Ceylon Tamil Congress
- 1977 -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Tamil United Liberation Front
- 1989 -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Tamil United Liberation Front
- 1994 -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Tamil United Liberation Front
- 2000 -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Tamil National Alliance
- 2001 -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Tamil National Alliance
- 2004 – Tamil National Alliance
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This is how racism totally dominated North-East politics as long as people can remember. Any group of population would be brainwashed by such continuous, relentless and dominant communal politics in 62 years!
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Also they know very well that they will lose the stranglehold on parliamentary seats they win from the North and the East is people of other races settle down there. These politicians are the only ones who totally neglected development since they were never interested in development. This further bred ill will, hatred and intolerance which were used the LTTE. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ How can re-colonisation resolve the ethnic problem?
Apart from the obvious, there are other ways colonization helps resolve the issue. Today the most active Tamil Elamists are in the LTTE Diaspora. They have money and power which they use to the detriment of Sri Lanka. Why? That is because they still see hope in North-East Sri Lanka to lay their rotten Tamil Elam eggs.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ But what would happen if their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Tamil ElamƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ turns to be a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Sinhala ElamƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ or a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Muslim ElamƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ or a multiethnic Elam? What hope will they have for Tamil Elam in that case? Absolutely nothing because once people are settled, they cannot be chased away.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Even if they managed to get any international meddler to interfere in Sri Lanka and get any form of autonomy for the North-East, there would not be a Tamil Elam because people of all races will be living in large enough numbers. For this reason they will give up on Sri Lanka and concentrate on another country.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ On the other hand, as long as the North remains mostly Tamil only, hope will spring in the hearts of Tamil Elamists. The solution is all about frustrating the Tamil Elam dream by making it impossible. There is nothing else, apart from colonisation, that can achive it.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ After large scale colonization, national political parties like the SLFP, UNP and JVP will start winning elections in the North and the East and that would be the last nail on the coffin of LTTE grandfathers like ACTC, ITAK and TULF. Then, where would be the ethnic problem?
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Of course the ethnic problwm will remain in the hearts of Tamil Elamists, but thatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s all. It will not affect Sri Lanka at all.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Once the benefits of harmony and coexistence start emerging, they too will have no choice but like it. The Tamil Diaspora will not be against it but the LTTE Diaspora will try hard to stop it as they can only tolerate their own race; nothing else. However, they have no voting right and their antics are simply meaningless for the peace and wellbeing of Sri Lanka. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is time Sri Lankans stop fearing the second myth that stands in the way to a peaceful, harmonious and prosperous Sri Lanka. If Sri Lankans run away fearing a myth, they donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t deserve the victory that was itself a myth-busting operation. Let us convert the mono-ethnic Tamil only North to a vibrant Sri Lankan North where Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people live as elsewhere. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ – Kumar Moses ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
October 25th, 2009 at 3:41 am
I commend this article to every peace-loving Sri Lankan.
October 25th, 2009 at 5:57 am
Very well said, sir! It is this sort of common sense that can help Sri Lanka get over its ‘Tamil problem’. I only wish that more of the writer’s compatriots share his broad minded (and realistic) views. At least, he has articulated the position and we can but hope that in so doing he has started a re-think among Tamils of their attitude which crafty politicians have for their own selfish purposes, cleverly manipulated for their own benefit.
October 27th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Tamil Ealam is not a myth. It is a big FRAUD. On top of all you say there is great danger to the security of all Sri Lankans by North being Tamil only. More and more Tamil Nadu Tamils will settle in North and East and agin a cycle of Ethnic cleansing will occur further pushing non Tamils out of N and E and beyond N & E. By the way Tamil Ealam(FRAUD) claims not only N & E but whole of SL.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
I admire your effort to come up with your solution. It is true that Tamils have created a lot of myth as an ethnic group born into myth creation. If you have some idea of Hinduism, their belief, I have no doubt you may figure out their behaviour with more clarity. But I must admit that I ignored my desire to read your article several times because your views are representative of English thinking and style follows the kind of arguments prevalent in English colonies. There is a world of difference between English who live in other’s land and Sinhala living in their own land from the time they lived in the wild, Sinhale’ that aliens call Lanka, Ceylon, Ila+m etc. associated with Sinhala identity and goes beyond the known history. Neither, you have done enough research as to why the Raja rata part of Sinhale’ reached the current fate that goes beyond the known history. For that matter, we should remember that the widely used Mahawansa, a Buddhist version of history is purely representative of their interests as an alien religious missionary group that undermined the local values, incorporated the best of what was held by locals and rewrote the prominent local identity with the help of half-alien monarchy that acted in its favour. It is also important to tell that they have merged most of the pre-Buddhist era civilisation as part of its own creation and identity over time. Look at what their followers tell today with reference to current events. If you have an independent view over current social environment, you may find that there are incidents where the merger of values has made us to believe something similar to that North and South mean the same direction. In more clear terms, Sinhala civilisation evolved around life and desire to live longer. The Buddhism, an offshoot of Hinduism that preaches animal worshipping, is a way of life that seeks death and hates being human among other things under illusive guises. There are many more interesting things for the review of the astute among us. The simple fact is that it is a Herculean task to sort things correctly. By adding English values on top, you may be proposing a more calamitous concept that may lead to more dire consequences.
The notion that Sinhala people have to colonise north and east is absurd as it is part of their land. The notion that they have to accept that they must share their future with those who settled down in their country such as Tamils, Muslims, Malaysians etc. under events beyond their consent is also naive. When we promote such ideas, we accept killing and grabbing land by others as ok. What happened to our right to do the same? As persons living in English colonies, our justification of such barbaric acts smacks on our faces. According to Sinhala way, land ownership remains virtual and not transferable though use may be tolerated.
You should not forget that life is not a one-term event for Sinhala people though it could be true for believers of such faiths. The continuity of life depends on who you share your life. As members of the western society, you have an immense opportunity to see the truth when you do the opposite of what Sinhala people have adopted as part of their civilisation. The ethnic mix up has left such a disease-ridden humanity with unimaginable defects, they now heavily rely on body parts borrowed from immigrants to keep them alive. Though you may be not aware, you too may end up being part suppliers like your predecessors that came before you. Is that what you want Sinhala people to go through against their wishes by adopting multi-ethnic concept, another suicidal concept among many developed by your host countries?
I like to suggest the following for your review. The current status is not a result of a dream unravelling on a rose bed. It came through barbaric means and the solution lies in reversing its effects. If some one kills and grab our land, we should do that to them to remain alive. It is the law of survival. If concerned, the best option is to resettle all this ethnics in their own patches of land that they originated using whatever means necessary. The land in the north is called Raja rata, because that part of country was the royal administration at a time before your version of history came to being. Until Vijay Kumar’s arrival, the monarchy was living in that part of the country. Even Kuweni met this criminal on a beach in the northwest called Thammanna, near Mannarama (Manu-na-arama). You can say, that part of land is holy in modern terminology. These Tamil vagabonds have gone crazy for desecration and are seeking death by various means. It is very stupid to reject age-old knowledge under the guise of modernism promoted by nobodies. Among other things, Sinhala people lost the lives in the north due to ethnic mixing under alien political and religious influences. Proposing an environment for continuity of such acts is a crime for me who loves life. Even among the same ethnic group, reproduction should be controlled according to Sinhala way because it is the only way to keep life lasting to the eternity. Anything short amounts to genocide under any guise. The best option we could have is amicable resettlement of ethnic groups in their own natural habitats where they could survive from what is available around their neighbourhood. This could be also the test of who owns what and the means to destroy myths. Historically, what is going to happen is not that, but the end of a despicable group of humans who bit the hand extended to help their survival. Unfortunately, all of us are not going to survive to the eternity without greater sacrifices. Those who fail have no place in the future no matter what we do. I am pretty sure you will see the desired change in Sinhale’ in the near future amid all this doom and gloom. We should not follow Genghis Khan or English, the modern version, to resolve our problems, as we will end up extinct.