‘Sinhala Only’ was the right policy”-Endorsing the views of Hugh Karunanayake.
Posted on January 2nd, 2018
By M D P DISSANAYAKE
It is only Sri lanka that can protect and advance Sinhala language, its associated culture and heritage. India can look after Tamil language. Mr SWRD, though in power for relatively short period of time, made the change to place Sri Lanka at the highest place. Those who disagree with this policy, please go through the final examination results of BA. BSc. MSc. Phd., Chartered Accountants, Surveyors, Lawyers, Doctors., you can find for yourself until SWRD came into power, almost 85% of the lists of finalists were: Arsekularatnam, Argumugam, Annamuththu, Arunachalam,Balendran, Balachandran, Balakrishnan, Chenniah, Vigneswaran, etc. the endless lists from A to Z of Tamils.
Higher Education was confined to Tamils. Through systematic elimatination, those who progressed up the ladder were Tamils or those with Sinhala names, but puppets of Tamils or Muslims. Lets see the First Cabinet of Sri Lanka:
D S SENANAYAKE
H W AMARASURIYA
SWRD BANDARANAIKE
GEORGE E DE SILVA
A E GUNATILLEKE
SIR OLIVER GUNATILEKE
SENARAT GUNAWARDENE
T B JAYAH
J R JAYAWARDENE
JOHN KOTALAWELA
A E NUGAWELA
G G PONNAMBALAM
LALITHA RAJAPAKSE
A RATNAYAKE
DUDLEY SENANAYAKE
C SITTAMPALAM
C SUNDARALINGAM
EDWIN WIJERATNE
When SWRD formed MEP to make Sinhala Official Language, none of these upper class were his comrades.
The 1952 cabinet of Mr Dudley Senanayake continued with:
EDWIN WIJERARATNE
C SITTAMPALAM
G G PONNAMBALAM, but added:
- NADESAN
V NALLIAH
M C M KALEEL
Mr SWRD did not hesitate to eliminate Tamil domination from the Cabinet, he only had C A S Marikar, a Muslim as a minister., but brought in those who fought for Sri Lanka and Sinhala Language for the past several years, including Greats such as:
PHILIP GUNAWARDENE
P H WILLIAM DE SILVA
W DAHANAYAKE
T B ILLANGARATNE.
The foundation laid down by SWRD in 1956 had produced encouraging results, whereby boys and girls of schools and colleges throughout the island are not advancing to the University education. This disliked by Tamils such as Sambandam and Sinhala cronies like Ranil Wickremasinghe, Chandrika. Chandrika is already eliminated from the political map of Sri Lanka, other remaining anti Sri Lankan cronies will have their days numbered.
Sinhala and English ought to be Official Languages of Sri Lanka with National Language status for Tamil in North and East. This policy should be given highest priority in its implementation to ensure the pride of place for Sinhalese.
January 2nd, 2018 at 5:23 pm
I agree.
Only 4% of the population could speak English in 1956. It was ridiculous to continue English Only in 1956. All stable democracies recognise their majority’s language as the only (emphasised) official language. However, today, English is understood by more people and it deserves to be an official language.
Tamil Nadu language must be recognised as the sole language of the north and one of 3 languages in the east.
Sri Lanka is the only country that recognises Tamil Nadu language as an official language and Tamil as a disticnt ethnic group – a very dangerous combination.
January 2nd, 2018 at 5:47 pm
We;; well “Kohedha Yanne Nangi, Malli? Malle Pol”
Most of our Sinhala educated Nangis are slavering in Muslim countries and we barely live off the takings.
The Indian Colonial Parasites are becoming and has become wealthier since 1956.
Thanks to SWRG and his henchmen financed by Indian Colonial Parasite business men and women.
Most of the money the Nangis sent us end up in India on gold jewllery, sarees, three wheelers and Battas, building material, Thosai and Wades and of course on Vettis.
Why did this great cunning and shrewd man SWRD got his kids English educated while the masses were deprived of similar education?
Why did this man only nationalize Sinhala businesses?
January 2nd, 2018 at 5:49 pm
Another rare good one form MDP which I agree 100%.
The consequece of the first paragraph is “why TAMIL DO HATE SINGALAM Part 1 to part infinity”.
This is also called discrimination,…… to genocide.
Nothing more nothing less.
Please go back to the examination pass list names appeared before 1973, no need to go back to 1948. if form today the percentage of Tamil names appear is the same are pre 1974, then we have achieved RECONCILLATION (by whoever started to make in non-political).
Otherwise it will be GENOCIDE, until that list comes back again.
This is why, for 20 years we should have FONSEKA’s rule for the North ( as they voted him anyway). Then the real reconcilliation if possible.
January 2nd, 2018 at 8:10 pm
@Christie
Had English only continued, they may not even live or be working as prostitutes for Indians. Communist insurgents would have succeeded and Sri Lanka would have ended up like North Korea, Vietnam, Cuba or Burma (without their industries). Their first target for murder, nationalisation, confiscation, sexual assault, etc. would have been English fluent people.
JVP insurrections failed because most people found they could deal with the government despite failures. The governing ‘elite’ was not as alien as prior to 1956.
Don’t forget over 80% of the people voted for Sinhala Only (SLFP and UNP). Old communists that opposed it could not even find candidates to contest.
January 3rd, 2018 at 4:46 am
I know the people who benefited from the Sinhala only was the lower middle class of Sinhalese who had a standard of living above the majority of the other like lower level government servants. They knew a bit of Sinhala and bit of English and they made money doing translations .
As soon as Banda came in he stopped the Sinhala settlements in the Dry Zone and elsewhere. Most of the developments and Industrialization was stopped. Central schools were destroyed.
By the was Most some of our Nangis are prostitutes in the Middle East and they serve Male Indian workers from India. In doing so they end up loosing their kidneys .
Your great Sihala heros were funded by the Indian Cabal; Tamils, Keralayans, Paresis, Boras and Sindhis.
This Indian Cabal had particular members to paired to finance the Sinhala hero politicians.
Banda_ Hidarmains and Kundanmals
Illangaratne: Hidramanis. Guess who financed his Films?
Phillip – Gnanams
N M Perera- Captains
The whole SLFP is an Indian and Indian Colonial Parasites project. They decided the winning formula. Sinhala only was one of the elements.
Chandirika tells the story of her father. At least she is open about it.
Remember Dhanayaka contested with 100 candidates who was financed again by the Indian Colonial Parasites.
Communist insurgents the JVP is another Indian terrorist arm financed by India. It started with S D Bandaranayake with North Korea and was hijacked by Indian interests. Eswarans were a leadin financier. India managed to kill fair number of Sinhalese. Socialists like Shanmugadhasan, Bala Tampoe were the Gurus.
January 4th, 2018 at 2:24 am
“I know the people who benefited from the Sinhala only was the lower middle class of Sinhalese who had a standard of living above the majority of the other like lower level government servants. They knew a bit of Sinhala and bit of English and they made money doing translations .”
Do you know me better than myself ?
Thanks to Sinhala only Mrs. B’s very close relative studied in Ranil’s school had to depend on my maths, science teaching in Sinhala to pass O/L. I didn’t speak a word of English. You can find thousands of such cases. My family was lower than the lower level governement servants. My father gave Rs.2 to my mother as daily expenses ( 1968-70).
Banda may have done wrong things but without his ‘swabhasha’ policy Sinhalas could not have raised their heads and Tamil, Buhergers and muslims must have captured the whole of Sir Lanka by now.
January 4th, 2018 at 5:36 am
Thanks Senarath.
I am going back to late forties and fifties. At least your family had a regular income and by 1968-70 the damage had been done and our girls had started going to Middle East to slave away their lives.
If they had some English Language skills they would have been able to work in shops, hospitals and other similar institutions and would have been able to earn at least three times what they earn as domestic workers.
The then government lead by D S Senanayake and other including Banda built Central Schools. The standard of facilities were of world highest standard at that time. These schools were built in Villages with boarding facilities.. The poor were offered scholarships to attend these Central Colleges. Their facilities were as high as the Royal College in Ceylon or in Mauritius.
The medium of instruction in these colleges was English.
The Scholarships were offered at 5th standard from a completive examination. The precursor to the current one.
The scholarship winners from a poor background were given 20 rupees per month and clothing. Those who could not travel to school were able to stay in the hostels.
Those who got scholarships were the poorest of the poor. I think their family income per year had to be below 480 rupees per year, They had to get a letter from the Village Headman and had to make Statutory Declarations to the effect.
The Colleges had the best teachers and most of them went to the West to work after the Sinhala only.
If the medium of instruction continued to be English we will not have the current government which is subservient to India and Indian Colonial Parasites tha include Tamils.
January 4th, 2018 at 2:35 pm
Christie,
I didn’t know Madhya Maha Vidyalayas ( Central Colleges – for example Walalla Central , Sandalankawa Central or even Dehiwala Central) gave only English medium teaching. Let me verify that.
I don’t agree people in villages were poorest of the poor. Money is not everything. My wife is a village girl. Even until late 70s people there are much better off than struggling Colombians like us. I have friends 4-5 years older than me, came from very very rural areas further than Medamulana , less English ability, yet achieved so much thans to Swasbhasha. If there were such scolarships, surely some of them should have won them. One was 2nd in the island and could not even write “book is on the table” when entered Uni, who went up to phD , work overseas and came back to live in Sri Lanka. He had was extremely poor raised by a single parent. There are hundreds of thousnads of such Sinhalas who benifited.
I knwo only ONE Sinhalese family who hates Banda like you. There son comitted suicide, both other children divorced and dipressed, big UNP supporters but got their critical favours done using MR. No one in our generation hates Banda. You cannot win this battle, Christie. Give up.
January 4th, 2018 at 3:49 pm
W. SENANAYAKE Says;
I agree with the points raised by Mr P.A. Samaraweera in his article on the ’56 Sinhala Only policy.
Both Elmo De Silva & H L Seneviratna’s arguments touch only on one side of the coin. Basically, two important factors are to be considered here, how long it would have taken, had the same pre 56 policies continued, for the entire population to be on par as those of Colombo Elite? Did the country have enough resources then to implement such a wide education programme? Even after centuries of colonial occupation, only a handful were English educated, not the masses. It is almost impossible for the whole nation to be English educated within a short span of time. The Colombo Elite would have continued to enjoy their positions meanwhile, and would have seen to that remaining so. Therefore, the assumption that we would have had an English educated population by now that would have had equal opportunities is a myth.
Even if they succeeded by a miracle spreading English far and wide in the country, the Colombo elite discrimination would have continued against the country boy, English educated or not, because they were not pushed out. The 56 revolution gave the country boy that something special with which the elite could not compete with.
Then look at other nations who have followed the course that both EDS & HLS advocate, and learn what their position now is. English has taken over both Welsh & Gaelic languages, and only a small percentage of those ethnic people sadly speak their mother tongue now. Easily it would have happened to us if post 56 changes did not take place.
W. SENANAYAKE
January 4th, 2018 at 5:00 pm
To be fair, let me discuss the Singapore sucess with English.
Singapore has a very small area, comparable to Colombo District.
However it had its problems. Communist problem, Muslim problem, drugs problem so to speak.
Until around 1990 the Chinese educated were secretly discriminate by English educated. ‘Educated’ means Chinese schools and English schools. English proficiency of Chinese school goers were obviously poor. However, Chinese educated still excelled in business deals became very rich even though not educated. This kept the balance to a good extent.
By 1990 Lee Kuan Yew realised taht the country is loosing its identity, people were western oriented. He took some drastic measures. Allowed Chinese from China to come , introduced ‘Chinese Values Concept’ ( he used the word ‘Asian’) and then the speak Manderin campaign. Now, those who were only proficient in English are no more. Almost 99% of Chinese speak Manderin and English.
Malaysia is a differnet story. They had to go ‘racial’ or loose out to ethnic Chinese. They introduced ‘Malay only’ education. Every school ( unless you go to private Chinese schools) has only the education in Malay language (Bahasa Malayu). University places were based on racial percentage quota system even now. Every private company must have at least 1 malay director. That slowed down their progress compared to Singapore. Those could not neter Uni went to Singapore. Bright students were given scholarships by Singapore Unis. Some stayed in Singapore forever but some went back to Malaysia.