Letters to the Editor

Is Sinhala only for Buddhists and Buddhism only for Sinhalese?
I wish a reader would explain to me what the connection between being Sinhala and being Buddhist is. I am Sinhala and Buddhist and I see the two as separate entities. But a well-known bhikku appearing on television made the statement that if you are Sinhala then you are Buddhist and if you are Buddhist you are also Sinhala. He did not give reasons for this.

There seems to be some connection between the two because the "Report of the Sinhala Commission" deals extensively with anti-Buddhist activities of Christian missionaries and colonial governments - so much so that at one point I actually thought I was reading the report of the Buddhist Commission. I do not see how all this could be relevant to the Sinhala Commission.

On the other hand, the Commission failed to address the rights of the Sinhala Christians who are, after all, as Sinhala as the Sinhala Buddhists - you cannot take people's ethnicity away. I understand all those appointed to the Sinhala Commission were Buddhists, and it makes me wonder if, we as a nation, are as multi-ethnic and multi-religious as we claim to be.

What seems to be amiss here is that Buddhist thinking in Sri Lanka appears to have veered a fair extent from the dhamma. All Buddhists would agree that there is no place in the Buddha dhamma for race, caste, class, clan and other man-made social distinctions. In the days of the Buddha, there were no "Buddhists" as such, identifiable as a group or clan. There were only the followers of the dhamma and they had discarded all social distinctions, as these were irrelevant to their needs - indeed these would have been a hindrance.

They were concerned with loftier concepts, and if they had any social difference, it was in the respect shown by novices to their elders, teachers and those who had reached the higher states of jhana. Buddhists like these, who are true followers of the dhamma, still exist, but they are to be found only in secluded forest hermitages and the quiet of their temples and homes.

After the death of the Buddha, all kinds of religious practices grew. Devotion and veneration took precedence over the actual practice of the dhamma. This is no wonder because it is the easier thing to do, and it lulled them into believing that this would take them on the path to Nirvana.

The hard fact, as the Buddha himself expounded, is that it will not - but the practice of the dhamma will. In the Buddha's own words "the best way you can venerate me is to practise the dhamma”. Worship and devotion do have their place but they must obviously go with the conscious practice of sila and an understanding of the dhamma. Pure devotion by itself could actually be a hindrance.

The problem with too much devotion is that it conditions the mind into "group thinking" and this leads to the exclusion of all other groups. It can then turn to militancy and even violence - the very antithesis of any religion. This process appears to have affected Christianity and Islam too, for they have had wars in the name of religion. We too have a religious war of a kind in Sri Lanka, judging by the large number of bhikkhus on the streets leading anti-peace rallies. But the Hindus of Sri Lanka practise their religion quietly without getting in anybody's way.

It is the tumult raised by the few militants that is heard around the world. Millions of moderate people will automatically be branded with the militants' brush. It is no wonder that Sri Lanka is rated high amongst countries with religious intolerance, second only to Iran. The rating is unfair but we have the militants to blame for that.

The great betrayal
I was made weak that I might learn what weakness means
I asked God for strength that I might reach my doc soon
I asked him for health that I might live another day
But he chooses to seek wealth that he might live another year
****
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of him
I asked him how riches might have the praise of men
And whether all what he craves for is what medicine stands for
As the glorious Master Hippocrates foresaw
***
I might die in gas or fire or in deep floods
Or might die silently by shell or shot
But why should I die in half a breath
In the hands of men who careth for the sick
***
And who sweareth by Apollo
By health, by panacea and
With all the gods and goddesses to witness
That he abides by this oath and this indenture
***
Bad? Yes I'd say you are too bad
To ask for riches at the risk of my life
Betraying the holy promise to do your duty
To the best of your ability and judgment.

Doctors put their interest before patients' interest
The Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) was on the warpath again.

Some years ago it was angry over the North Colombo Medical College (NCMC); in another instance, it made some flimsy demands on the RMO/AMO issue and thereafter on the transfers of some doctors on humanitarian grounds by the Ministry of Health.

Every worker has justifiable grievances, but it is regrettable that these so-called learned doctors who are educated at the tax payers' expense, should resort to the lowest levels of trade union action at the drop of a hat, and hold a duly elected government to ransom at the slightest provocation.

The public are left wondering whether these doctors ever took the Oath of Hippocrates, or if they did, whether they have ever given thought to it.

The public expects the doctors to put the patient's needs before their own. But what we have seen in recent times gives the lie to this.

The government cannot take away the right of the GMOA to resort to trade union action but is it justifiable for the doctors to do so at the expense of the patients?

From some of the comments heard from seriously ill patients and their relatives who have been turned away during the strike, public wrath will teach the doctors what self-regulation or the Ministry of Health should have done long ago.

It is sad that when the doors of the medical colleges were thrown open to all and sundry the standards and ethics of a medical career dropped. The result we now see in the strikes of doctors -- a thing unheard of two generations ago.

Too many celebrations, too few critical reflections
I write in response to Rajpal Abeynayake's article, ICES: Lankan Writing and Literary Buffoonery, in The Sunday Times feature section on June 22.

I have been and continue to be associated with ICES, supported the reviewed event and listened in the audience, and even tried to ask a question at the end. Upon considering Mr. Abeynayake's article, I must, setting aside one or two disagreements, thank him in the main, for underlining what is said too infrequently: we have far too many celebrations, and too few critical reflections. This is true it seems to me in the sphere of creative writing. It is also true when it comes to painting or even restaurant food; publicity releases stand in too often for a critical review.

There have been some signs that a new, robust and critical culture is emerging; I hope the event at ICES would be thought of as part of that, in time to come. If there is a new flowering of critical reflection, it must be one that is both generous and constructive, but also rigorous and uncompromising in the pursuit of excellence. Criticism is frequently hard to take; often I myself have taken it badly. But surely we must take it, and well, if we are to meet the charge of mediocrity.

In that spirit, I would like to thank Ruwanthi de Chickera, Sumathy Sivamohan and Madhubhashini Ratnayake for being courageous enough to be critiqued, and Rajpal Abeynayake for helping us all.

All aid money to north-east: No way
Should we heed Velupillai Prabhakaran's demand that all aid money be directed to the north and the east? The answer is no.

As much as the north and east have suffered infrastructure and economic damage, the Sri Lankan economy has suffered significantly due to Prabhakaran's terrorist activities.

Prabhakaran has contributed both in cash and kind to the degradation of a once united nation and the values that both Tamils and Sinhalese held as sacred -- the respect for democracy and human life.

Prabhakaran has a bill to pay for the bombing of economic and non-military targets such as the Katunayake International Airport, the Kolonnawa oil refinery, the Central Bank, the Dalada Maligawa and trains.

His terrorism made the government to increase the defence budget significantly to protect democracy.

Anton Balasingham has to think as a sensible man. Nowhere in the world has a mere 14% of the population demanded autonomy for one third of the country and two thirds of the coast from the majority.

The Eastern Province cannot be joined with the north, as there are significant numbers of Sinhalese and Muslims in this province. The Sinhalese have not discriminated against the Tamils with a Bhumiputra policy for university admission as Malays do against Chinese and Indians in Malaysia. Tamils have not been discriminated against by the Sinhalese for jobs as Australians discriminate against people from non-English speaking backgrounds for professional jobs, using the selection criteria of ability to communicate effectively (Tamil doctors, engineers, lawyers etc. could work in Sinhalese areas although they could not effectively communicate in Sinhalese).

Prabhakaran has to give up his Pol Pot mentality, and perhaps go for a training course in democracy. These guys should spend sometime reading Plato (particularly his Republic and Ethics) and Aristotle and take Socrates as an example if they don't like Gandhi, the Bible or the Upanishads.

HRC trying to protect killers and criminals
As Parliament debated the re-imposition of the death penalty, many views were expressed by various groups, including the Human Rights Commission.

The HRC’s main argument is that the death penalty violates the rights of persons. Who are these persons whom they are going to protect? The IRCs, the underworld elements and more than 60,000 army deserters, who are responsible for murder, contract killings, rape, robberies and other serious crimes.

Aren't the lives of their victims valuable? The HRC's first concern should be to see that law and order prevail in the country.

Crime is increasing in leaps and bounds. It is said that in ancient Sri Lanka, when the death penalty was in force a young woman wearing valuable jewellery could walk alone safely from Point Pedro to Matara.

The government should not be influenced by the HRC, but see to the protection of law-abiding citizens.

Give govt. jobs to youth
It seems to be the trend that when a government servant retires owing to superannuation, he is retained in service, on contract.

Even at village level, the Grama Niladharis are re-employed. A US citizen has, in a letter to the Financial Times (May 25) said the government used very old people to run the administration. Some of the advisors and aides cannot even remember what they said at the previous meeting.

It is true that owing to a dearth of suitable personnel to man specialised posts, the government does employ retired men and women of expertise in certain fields. But why should retired people at all levels be retained? It seems as if some departments adopt the path of least resistance when recruiting new personnel.

There are many young men and women with qualifications awaiting appointments. Therefore, it is incumbent on the government to recruit the best through competitive examinations. The open competitive examination is the best means through which talented personnel can be inducted into service. This will also ease the problem of unemployment.
M. Ratnam
Point Pedro

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