Minds of the Anti-Sinhalese Racists Laid Bare Thanks to Another Odd Michael
Posted on May 7th, 2011
MahamahaRaja
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Michael Roberts is interested in Sri Lanka. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Tear asunderƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ the link that equates Sinhalese and Sri Lanka, he implores his followers. Go for the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Eelam you can getƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ by living and working in the south while having an autonomous culturally pure north, he says. And so ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-have your cake and eat itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ he exclaims (1).
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ At this point I’m sure you’re wondering ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Michael who?ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ I hadn’t heard of him either. His bio on the back cover says he studied at the University of Peradiniya, was a Rhodes scholar, and now lives in Australia. He has worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), and has written many articles on Sri Lanka for notorious anti-Sinhalese websites.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Most of the book’s pages are a transparent attempt at justifying Tamil terrorism against the Sinhalese. He praises Prabhakaran as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-the greatest military strategistƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ while covering up the reign of terror ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” suicide bombings, political assassinations, child soldiers, and machete hackings ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” he wrought against Sinhalese civilians for over three decades. It’s strange that Roberts would give such an accolade to the terror chieftain, whose strategy boiled down to hiding behind a human shield of his own Tamils, and then getting a hole blown in his head.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Roberts regurgitates the Tamils’ false ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-grievancesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and absurd ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-aspirationsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ as if they were legitimate. He hails Chelvanayagam’s racism, and justifies the incredibly evil document that was the 1976 Vadukoddai Resolution. In short, he engages in the most brazen anti-Sinhalese racism, in the guise of political analysis (2).
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He says the incontrovertible history of the Sinhalese origination on this island from Prince Vijaya’s landing is a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-myth,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and professes that there was already a Tamil ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-civilizationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ at the time. This flies in the face of all available evidence ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” historical, archaeological, demographical, and foreign records ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” and would be utterly nonsensical. Really what he is doing is what the Moon Panel has done: repeating Tamil terrorist lies to try and replace the truth he does not like with a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-conventional wisdomƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ which is convenient.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ One wonders why this person hates the Sinhalese so much. Look for his video on Groundviews, and the answers will be revealed. You see despite his name, he’s not English. And he’s neither Sinhalese nor Tamil. Rather, he’s one of a dying breed: the kalu suddhas, you know, the ones who got disenfranchised when an alien language which less than 6% of the population understood was demoted to its proportionate place in administration ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” at the bottom.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ No wonder he’s so angry. He even lets it slip in his book by saying the Sinhala Official Language Act was an attempt to demean Tamils. A supposed Rhodes scholar should realise that the 1956 Act was a godsend for the ordinary people of this country. Without it, the average Tamilian living in Sri Lanka would be in a far worse place today. It was this Act which guaranteed free education for all citizens, in their mother tongue.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He knows this of course. Roberts and others of his ilk raise the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Sinhala OnlyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ bogeyman as a key part of their campaign against the Sinhalese. Much like the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Tamil homelandƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ myth, this is just another example of turning the truth on its head in an attempt to build a case that the Sinhalese are unfit to rule this country, and that only foreign intervention ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” ie. re-colonisation ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” will solve the problem. He tries to hide that before foreign interference, the Sinhalese ruled this island without any problems, building a peaceful and prosperous civilization.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We must pity Roberts. Seeing that he physically wasn’t quite the Englishman he wished he was, and realising that he never could be, he decided to identify himself with the English language in place of the English genes which he didn’t have. This inculcated in him and many others an hallucinatory ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-superiorityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ complex versus the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-natives.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Ignorance is bliss, as they say. Then came 1956, revealing that the stooge ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-emperorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ wasn’t actually wearing any clothes, not even a figleaf to cover his communalist shame, and he has been vengeful against the Sinhalese ever since.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In reading what Roberts has written, it is clear now why so many ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-expertsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ on Sri Lanka raise the issue of 1956 like it was some cardinal sin. But when asked to prove how a law which enfranchised the population could be a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-grievanceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ against the state, they are silent. It was the 1956 awakening of the Sinhalese consciousness like a sleeping giant which Roberts has issues with. In all their writings and pronouncements, Roberts and the other meddlers seek to re-fight this battle. Sadly for them, they seem to think they can overturn a victory which was achieved over 50 years ago. It was at this point that the Sinhalese said an emphatic ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-noƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ to the apartheid disguised as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-democracyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ which had prevailed since 1948.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Roberts, like any other imperialist stooge, has no real connection to Sri Lanka. He was never Sri Lankan psychologically, being a racist who revelled in his role as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-English-speaking master.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Physically too, he is not Sri Lankan as he has been domiciled in Australia for many years. So one wonders why such people ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” including the Tamil expatriates ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” think they have any right to meddle and interfere with Sri Lanka and the Sinhalese. At the end of the day, they are nobodies.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Roberts is a most ungrateful little man. He had no complaints when the Sinhalese taxpayer was providing him with a free education, allowing him to get a job with the ABC. But now he uses that luxury to denigrate and destroy the very people who gave him his opportunities. Judging by the vitriol that international media like The Economist spews against the Sinhalese with worrying regularity, they each must have their very own ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Michael RobertsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ in their ranks.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The case being made against Sri Lanka internationally is really directed against the Sinhalese. Fortunately, every point the meddlers make can easily be countered by knowing the truth. The 1956 Act is a case in point. There is a mountain of evidence stacked in favour of the Sinhalese and weighing heavily against the Tamils. For those who want to brush up, Palitha M Senanayake’s Sri Lanka: the War Fuelled by ‘Peace’ is a great place to start.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I have news for Michael Roberts. Sri Lanka and the Sinhalese are one and the same. The Sinhalese quest to preserve and defend their noble civilization and the peaceful, prosperous and harmonious society which they built is righteous. It is an epic tale of resistance against foreign genocide, subjugation and occupation, and repeated victory in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. The struggles which were overcome and the successes that were achieved by the Sinhalese, combine with their language, history, culture and religion, to intertwine and enmesh with the story of the island that is Sri Lanka, their island.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I will repeat. Sri Lanka and the Sinhalese are one and the same. You cannot have one without the other, and even contemplating breaking this bond which has existed since time immemorial is stupidity itself. Many have tried, from greedy Tamil barbarians to powerful global colonial empires, but none have succeeded. Defeating Michael Roberts and the rest of the anti-Sinhalese brigade will be a piece of cake. It is their grand plan which will be torn asunder, by the wrath of the Sinhalese.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Endnotes
(1)This is already the case sadly, and enactment of the 13th Amendment will only formalize and institutionalize it. All the more reason to revoke this Indian imposition.
(2)Curtsey of Vijitha Yapa, his publisher. Boycott, anyone?
May 7th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
“Sri Lanka and the Sinhalese are one and the same.”
No. Sinhalese are just one part of SL. There are other SLs too.
In the same token, Tamil is not a nationality. Tamils are part of nations; not a nation in themselves.
May 7th, 2011 at 4:36 pm
Agree with Lorenzo
I know there are great Budhists like you Lorenzo unlike maha maha Raja who is a one way traffic like LTTE symphathaizers.
Good news is They are minority among civilized people
May 7th, 2011 at 5:56 pm
I am only interested in the sinhalese peasants who have withstood so much, they are mainly very poor and also very warm and loving people. They love Mahinda because he cared, supported the mothers of the disappeared, fought for them when no one else cared, there is a true story of love here if anyone would like to write it. Beautiful Sri Lanka has suffered so much but somehow they have become villains. Shame on the western world.
May 7th, 2011 at 7:24 pm
Shaz,
Only only Sinhalese but also of other communities too. But MR only cared about them until he won the war. Now he has forgotten them. He and his family will soon learn a bitter lesson. He cannot be always happy thinking that UNP and JVP are weak. They will soon become powerful unless the government start to think about ordinary folks.
May 7th, 2011 at 7:25 pm
I meant “Not only….”
May 8th, 2011 at 12:46 am
Michael Roberts is a fool if he says Piraba is a good stratagist. I disrepect him for that
You wrote this article nice but at the end you also write nonsensical when you say ““Sri Lanka and the Sinhalese are one and the same.”
May 8th, 2011 at 1:00 am
Shaz please do not call our underpriviledged and uncared for villagers “peasants”; it is a derogatory word coined by the well shod to look down upon the ones who toiled in their farms. Our villagers are very resourceful and intelligent, and given the right education and opportunity they have the capacity to reach the top. Just look deep into the roots of our national leaders.
Lorenzo I agree with your view that MR’s government has abandoned the people and those real heroes who cleared the country of the terrorrist vermin. Those who put stuck their heads out and fought, while today’s bragging politicians and cardboard heroes and usurpers were ducking their head under the parapet, are languishing in prisons as political prisoners. Those who were the murderers, plotters and mass killers and their logistic barons are dinning with the President, and rewarded with tracts of public land assets by the grace of the President.
This is “Abuddhassa Karlaya”. Wholly irrational phenomenon according to common sense, but in the Sri Lankan system of feudal system, camouflaged as a democracy. The handful that props up the President gets their rewards, even if they are enemies deepdown, and they would eventually topple the man at the top.
May 8th, 2011 at 8:02 am
I am proud of Kompitiye Suseela thero
What a great Budhist person he is ?
The more I hear and learn from Budhists I kind of respect this amazing religion
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2011/05/110508_buddhist_monks_tamil.shtml
May 8th, 2011 at 8:06 am
exception is Maha Maha Raja ( He writes great but at the end always show his Bigotry )
I am a christian and I am going to pray for maha maha raja to change his heart , make him pure
make him a good soul like Kompitiye Suseela Thero and become a good Budhist
May 8th, 2011 at 9:29 am
There is a certain Ms.Darshinie Ratnawalli amongst the LankaWeb Contributors who sometimes sross references Michael Roberts. without realising that he probably who he is described as here, unrelated to sublime perfection as a historian and analyst and I trust this will not miss her attention. Hopefully it will provoke her thoughts and jar her mind to view some of her related idealogies from the perspective he is being portrayed with notable comments posted by some here by some pointing to whom they see as a selfstyled analysts of bigotry and not necessarily kosher.
MR’s character assassination despite his intellect is perhaps deserving as he does sometimes overstep metes and bounds and loves to immerse himself in controversy despite his intellect!
May 9th, 2011 at 4:39 am
Minds of the Anti-Sinhalese Racists Laid Bare Thanks to Another Odd Michael
Posted on May 7th, 2011 by MahamahaRaja.
Indeed Mahamaharaja – very nice article but you were blinded like so many others and missed seeing the forest but for the trees!”Michael Roberts may sound very English indeed – but is nothing but a raw Tamil from Sri Lanka. Most of these “Roberts” were from the East coast of Sri Lanka; and most of them still are especially in Batticoloa. No the Roberts are not the so-called Batticoloa burghers. But the Roberts do act and their first or christian names imply burgher or English names and they like to assume burgher traits. But that’s neither here nor there and they are definitely Tamils at heart and in mind..
And as the saying goes Wolves in sheeps clothing. We should therefore be glad that now Michael Roberts, is now neither, a Tamil, nor a Sri Lankan, but is part of the great Bush in conglomorate Australia. In his loss of identity he has now turned to published in his nondescript writings just to come out into the limelight. It very rightly bears out the saying “A leopard never changes his spots” nor does a tiger change his stripes wherever in the World he may be.”
May 10th, 2011 at 6:46 am
Those who work with the bulk of people in Sri Lanka, which happens to be Sinhala people, will always prosper. Similarly, those who work with Tamils in Tamil Nadu will prosper. Such is the way of things.
We agree with Shaz that it is the Sinhala peasants who have taken the brunt of negative aspects of events in Lanka over the past 500 yrs or so, mostly due to Colonisation of Lanka . Conversely, most Tamil people prospered, especially under the ‘divide & rule’ policies of the Brits. Now the Sinhala peasant must prosper too.
Is Michael Roberts afraid of losing his position of importance in Lanka society that he makes such comments to rouse negative public feelings ? If he has indeed made such comments, we should all make note but ignore such comments by the likes of Roberts and now move forward together so that everyone can share in the new prosperity.