From the foreword to the book
It is primarily essential to identify a problem before attempting to solve it. The conflict in the north and the east of Sri Lanka has been identified sometimes as an ethnic problem, as terrorism, separatism, etc. A variety of solutions including a federal constitution has been offered. All these solutions are based on the assumption that there is an ethnic problem in Sri Lanka and that there are injustices against the Tamils.
In this booklet rather than analyzing the so called solutions which pave the way for Eelam an attempt has been made to trace the origins of the problem, its evolution as well as the people and events that have affected it. It would be difficult to comprehend the situation unless it is analyzed as a dynamic social problem. The origin of the problem can be traced back to the establishment of the legislative council based on communal representation, the educational reforms and other reforms deviating from the indigenous system in the previous century. These changes were the result of the Colebrooke - Cameron proposals of 1833.
The problem in the north and the east is due to Tamil racism which was initiated by the British Colonial rulers. Tamil racism has developed into separatism and engages in terrorist activities to achieve a separate sovereign Tamil state by dividing the country. Once the problem is analyzed it can be seen that the so called solutions, including the Provincial Councils and the Regional Councils, are manifestations of the problem itself. The thirteenth amendment which created the Provincial Councils failed not because power was not devolved or the Indians imposed it but due to the fact that it was not a solution to the problem. Pieces and not peace will be the result of presenting the problem as its solution.
Three phases can be clearly recognized in the evolution of Tamil racism. The first extends over more than fifty years from the '80's of the previous century to the 40's of the present century. The second phase ends in the '70's of this century and the third phase has been with us for more than twenty five years.
The main characteristics of Tamil racism can be identified; namely they refuse to accept the fact that the Sinhalese are the majority of the country. Secondly, they do not accept that at least the written history of the country and its identity is Sinhala Buddhist. Thirdly, Tamil racism considers the Tamils to be a separate nation in their so - called homeland and they want to live as a separate nation. They are not willing to share the common culture while retaining their own identity as an ethnic group. As highlighted in this booklet Tamil racism has acquired these characteristics while safeguarding the powers and privileges the Tamils enjoyed under the British rule. These powers and privileges were completely out of proportion with the population ratio and were not in harmony with history.
The problem in the north and the east has been identified by various people using concepts that were formulated in the west to analyze a crisis which arose with the advent of capitalism and nation states of Europe. These concepts are not valid in the context of Sri Lankan and some other Asian countries. In Sri Lanka the Sinhala nation came into existence nearly 2500 years ago during the reign of king Pandukabhaya. Usage such as majority race, and minority race has been introduced when the correct terminology should have been Sinhala nation and Tamil and other ethnic groups. In fact, one could conclude that the problem has been formulated in certain ways in order to justify the so-called solutions that have been offered. For example it is very clear that to divide the country one has to initially begin with verbiage such as ethnic problem, homeland and self determination.
In the process of the evolution of Tamil racism, as a result of the three characteristics mentioned above the Tamil racists in politics as well as in the academic field have distorted the history of the country. They have created the so-called injustices and brainwashed the present generation of Tamils into fighting for an independent Tamil state which never existed in this country.
Tamil racism which was baptized by the British is nurtured today with the help of the western powers and their instruments which are the NGO's. World imperialism which tries to eradicate non-Western civilizations, national cultures and nationalities across the world makes use of Tamil racism to destroy Sinhala nationality or Jathikathvaya. If these powers succeed in achieving their objectives, they will continue this very same process with the Tamils.
These objectives make them different from the Indians. The Indian involvement was mainly due to the Tamil Nadu factor and took a sharp turn as a result of the foreign policy of the JR Jayawardene government. Prabhakaran and his cousins would have taken up arms with or without the facilities provided by the Indians, but Tamil racism in Sri Lanka in the present form would not have been created and nurtured without the involvement of the British and the other Western powers. However it has to be stated that it was the Indian government which forced the Sri Lankan government to withdraw the army from the Vadamaarachchi battle and to sign the infamous JR-Rajiv agreement.
The present problem can be solved with the defeat of Tamil racism on theoretical and political plains and the complete eradication of the LTTE militarily. It has also to be accepted that Sri Lanka is a Sinhala Buddhist country and is not multi - national or multi - religious. However, the identification of Sri Lanka as a Sinhala Buddhist country does not imply that non - Sinhala Buddhists are in any way second class citizens. All are equal before the law. The Sinhala Buddhist identity is a reflection of the country's history and the present social composition. It also implies that the main component of the common culture of the country is Sinhala Buddhist.
Even though in the UK, USA there are non - Anglo - Saxon Christians these countries are identified as Anglo - Saxon Christian countries. Similarly, France is identified as a French Catholic country and Italy as Italian Catholic country, not to mention Asian countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia identified as Muslim countries. Those who maintain Sri Lanka as a multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-ethnic country at least to be consistent, should identify the USA, UK, France and Italy also in the same manner.
An Introduction to Tamil Racism in Sri Lanka by Nalin de Silva