CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

The Sinhala People also have human rights.

By Charles Perera

There is a journalist writing to the Asian Tribune, who has a deep rooted dislike for the Sinhala Community. All her articles have always a reference to Sinhala Supremacists, or Sinhala Chauvinism. She tries to make herself look a fair minded political analyst. In Sri Lanka to-day one who speaks in defence of the Tamils or Muslims seems to be more acceptable. Jehan Perera, Kumar Rupasinghe or Viyangoda are often quoted references on the ethnic issue, by the foreign press.

However, it appears that it is unfortunate to be born a Sinhala in Sri Lanka. If you speak critically of the Tamils or the Muslims you are immediately suspected a racist, chauvinist or a supremacist. A Tamil, or a Muslim can on the other hand, call a Sinhala all types of names, and make various allegations but he is not taken to be a racist or a supremacist of any sort, because he belongs to a minority community, subjugated they say by the Sinhalayo, who keep all legal, and constitutional rights for themselves.

Every Association, Institution or Organisation in the world seems to be very active defending the human rights of the Tamils and the Muslims, to the exclusion of the Sinhalayo. The Sinhala are in the majority therefore, for them, they are the perpetrators of violations of human rights against the those of the minority communities. Therefore, the Sinhala people seems to have no human rights that they have to defend .

The Tamils and Muslims do not like the Sinhala because they happen to be the majority community. The minority communities presume that they have an equal right to enjoy all the rights and privileges enjoyed by the Sinhala people. But the Sinhala people have no special rights or privileges other than those the Tamil and Muslim communities enjoy.

Some of the Tamils and Muslims, who sit in their cosy comfort, watch the children of the Sinhalayo risking their lives to preserve their cosy comforts, are not even thankful to them. When the soldiers- mostly Sinhala Buddhist youth in a bloody war against the terrorists liberated the East from their clutches., a Muslim politician had only complained that the flag hoisted in the East does not represent the Muslims. The flag of the Sinhala people was mutilated to satisfy the Tamils and Muslims, who wanted to have colours added to it to represent them .

The soldiers- mostly Sinhala Buddhist youths gave their lives to liberate the East for the Muslims, and the liberal (if there are any) Tamils to live there in peace. But had there been any Muslim religious or other ceremony to thank those Soldiers who died in liberating the East? Did the Church bells ring in grateful memory of them ? Did the Kovils conduct prayer meetings ? No, there had been no such thing. Because, for them, the saving of the mother land is the duty of the Sinhala, only the rights to the liberated areas, political and civil liberties devolve on the minorities. If those rights are delayed in coming then the whole crowd of human rightists are there to accuse the Sinhala government of violation of human rights of the minorities.

These are factors not high lighted by the JVP or the UNP. They are more concerned with the political corruption, and watching into whose pockets go the money from the state coffers.. When Mahinda Rajapakse became the President, the Soldiers of the Sri Lanka army had ridiculously out dated guns and military equipment. To day the Sri Lanka Army is well equipped, and could match or out-match the terrorists who had been allowed to stockpile most modern military equipment, by the Ranil Wickramasinghe’s government, during the two years after his ill famous CFA.

The Sinhala people also have their human rights to protect. The Sinhala people in villages adjacent to Tamil villages in the East and North have the right to live without fear of being aggressed or massacred by the terrorists. The Sinhala people should have the right to live any where in Sri Lanka, North, East or the South, buy land and build houses, like the Tamils or the Muslims who have settled down in the South. They should have their own temples and schools any where in the Island. The Sinhala Buddhist villagers should have the right to live without being disturbed early in the mornings by the blaring of loud speakers calling the Muslims to morning prayers.

The Sinhala people have the human right to protect their religion- the Buddhism, and safe guard and protect the followers of the Buddha’s teaching from being converted to other religions by offer of money and gifts, specially by the Christian Missionaries. The ancient archaeological sites of the Buddhist civilization should not be destroyed to build villages for Muslims and Tamils.

The rights of the Sinhala people have been violated by the successive colonial governments. Therefore, they now have the right to re-establish their lost values. The Sinhala people have a right to protect the ancient places of Buddhist worship, where ever they are. It is wrong to say the Sinhala people are chauvinists or supremacists, because the Sinhala people are friendly accommodating and ready to forget and forgive. They are not racists. They have not violated the human rights of any minority community. If it had happened it was instigated by politicians, calling for federalism and fifty- fifty demands.

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