As a nation we are facing multiple problems. We are in trouble.  The ISIS inspired Jihadists are not just knocking at the door but are well within our homes. We seem to be at war within the nation, between and among all the ethnic groups. The state of our economy is worrying even as the security concerns and the law and order situation in the country are in disarray.  We present a poor profile to the world.  Do we seek a way out of this mayhem or do we need scapegoats to merely gloss over the situation for the moment? The most imminent issues that has become major problems are, one, the Muslim terrorist issue and two, that of the response of some members of the Buddhist clergy drawn from extremists group, desirous of narrowing the concept of nationhood to mean only the Sinhalese.

 Without a doubt, the immediate problem in hand is the need to look for a way of resolving the unease related to the Easter Sunday disaster. It is vital that we look upon the outrageous, unprovoked attack on the Christian minority and try and make sense out of it all.  What needs to be asked is why did it happen? What indeed was the provocation to have so many involved in this terrorist bravado? What made those involved in the attack to choose death over life, abandoning, in the case of many, a life of affluence and learning?

Sri Lanka is a beautiful country.  The Lonely Planet had endorsed this viewpoint too; on the strength of the endorsement from this popular travel directory, Sri Lankans were awaiting loads of visitors to come pouring into the country, spiriting up our tourism industry and filling our country’s coffers as well. Sadly, events did not take off as expected. Instead terrorists brought death and destruction among the churchgoers on Easter Sunday and the tourists took flight out of fear.

The timely response of the Cardinal calling for forgiveness for the perpetrators prevented a possible bloodbath, in retaliation. Even if it be a late addendum the government offered financial reprieve to those in need although it can never be for lives lost or injuries sustained in the attack.

Sinhala Parliament? Theocracy in the making?

One would think we can now limp back to our routine life style.  But no, Sri Lankans are not so fortunate.  We have to twist ourselves into mangled thought processes which transport us into a world of conflict and insecurities. I, personally, have not been able to fathom why Easter Sunday churchgoers were targeted for the attack by the Muslim terrorist groups. However, what followed is as baffling as the bombing scenario.  The dialogue that should have been between the Muslim terrorists and the Christians got inverted, so to say, between the Sinhala Buddhists and the entirety of the Muslims population. It has since snowballed to make it a majority- minority concern even going to the extent of questioning the pillars on which the Sri Lankan democracy rests, moving the probe further into the future, so as to map out a course for the system to develop into.  

The events that followed is a typical Sri Lankan narrative. The extremist Sinhala Buddhist clergy entered the fray braying for a Sri Lankan State confined only to Sinhala Buddhists much like how a theocracy would operate. Pronto the situation evolves into two competing forces, the Sinhala Buddhist community and the entirety of the Muslim community. This is regardless of how vocal sections of the Muslim community have been in declaring their empathy with the rest of the ethnic communities living in the country. They claim to remain definitely out of synch with extremists from their country as much as with the internationally connected extremist Muslims.

Is Sri Lankan culture an exclusive of the Sinhalese or the property of the Nation?

For inexplicable reasons the call to the cultural heritage of the country becomes the prerogative of the Sinhalese alone even though it does not appear to be to the advantage of the Sinhalese in the long run.  As  Friedman states “ a society that is preoccupied with its roots, and is asking the question only of who owns which root, will never grow into the world or bear fruit…….. keep living only by the old question and the old role models.  In doing so, they ensure that you never reach your full potential.”  This is exactly what is happening in Sri Lanka. We should learn to move on or else we will stagnate without progress.

To move ahead and be able to live together in dignity it is essential to ask some sharp questions that will be critical for the dignity of all in our plural society.  The questions to be raised should be such that it will bring a better mindset to the people and help to make progress within the country?  It will be a good start investigating the quality of education in schools and universities, the strengthening of the economy and the rooting of the democratic way of life with equality for all and the rule of law. The search for answers must begin at home, to reach the community from these focal points. People must begin to think positively to bring about progress to the nation.

Terrorism

We have lived with terrorism of several lethal varieties from the 70’s onwards. We have overcome the various challenges to the nation time and again. Our experience in overcoming the different terrorist outbursts is well known. It is clear that terrorism has to be dealt with on two levels: the might of the weaponry has to be reckoned with on one level and on the other the fight must be to deal with the level of hate and its capacity to destroy what gets impregnated in the minds of the people to work out their destructive path of corrosive divisions and deep rooted hate and distrust. It has to be fought (as Friedman says) and as we had done in the past on two conventional levels: one with armed combat and the other with “moles and exterminators” through the development of an efficient intelligence service.

The corrupting influence of free flow of finance

We have to refrain from the temptation to accept money doled out expansively without legitimacy.  The free flow of monetary backups to educational institutions and religious places of worship to spread hate of the other need be given closer scrutiny. We must help people from learning the negative impact of religion because up to date the reality is that many religions have enriched other faiths and cultures. A good dose of liberal approach is necessary to permit modernism to invade the halls of conservatism.  If we fail to do this we will remain within closed doors of antiquated thinking espoused by men with small minds. Education and good schooling are essential to bring in new ideas. Otherwise we will remain victims of a few pathfinders with vested interest to make Sri Lanka a Sinhala nation or to bring in Arabism to the exclusion of all others, making coexistence an impossibility. Either of the two brands can be a strangulating process.

The intrusion of destabilizing forces.

Bemoaning the missing quality of honest leadership among those in harness a particular monk suggested setting up an exclusive Sinhala Parliament whose members will be able to choose policies and laws to give protection to the country which in essence is meant to be a denial of a plural society. In fact this priest had in a public meeting suggested that people take to arms to protect the country. (10th July Daily Mirror). This is followed by a shocking comment- using weapons on a call by monks- the priest is quoted to have said that such a tactic would be a way of “building courage” among the people. The priest has even worked out a methodology for securing a Sinhala parliament. The claim of the monk is that if 7000 temples out of 10000 are supportive of this ideology then it would not be difficult to have this idea accepted. There is at the same time a call for Dhamma Sangayana to “straighten out this country”. What message of hope can be given by the clergy with such twisted thinking?

What skewed thinking is this? Where are the tenets of Buddhist philosophy that calls for tolerance, compassion and coexistence? 

 Extremism of any form be it Sinhala, Muslim, Tamil or of the Klu Klux clan varieties must be wiped off the horizon.  The atmosphere of extremist views is a sowing ground to spread any amount of wild stories to destabilize society.  We are still reeling from the stories of sterility being spread among some communities through sweets to forced sterilization on unsuspecting victims.  Reading on this subject of rumors I came across a section where reference is made in the Arab world of air drops of food in areas full of land mines; and even genetically tampered food drops to affect the health of the people. –we are not unique in creating wild rumors as evidenced from the above. Such references are crimes against humanity. The gullible bite the stories. Education is what can help us ignore such wild intrusions.  But when one hears of young men who perform jihad despite being highly qualified there seems no way out.  But there is a way out of any tricky situation. Compassion and loads of empathy for fellow human beings will be a way to learn to live and let live in an environment of diversity.

Let us hope an enlightened leadership will dawn in Sri Lanka to make pluralism functional in the best possible way.