A vote for the economy
The general election of 2001 is over. Of the 24 administrative districts,
six - Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya, Mannar, Trincomalee and Batticaloa
— are predo-minantly Tamil.
A majority of the people in these districts have voted for Tamil parties
and not for the PA or the UNP. Of the other 18 districts, the UNP won 17
while the PA was able to win only in Moneragala. The JVP was able to improve
its vote bank by 60% while the Sihala Urumaya received less than half the
votes it obtained at last year's general election.
These results clearly indicate that the people living in districts that
are predominantly Tamil still think on communal lines when casting their
votes. In the districts predominantly populated by the Sinhalese, the UNP
registered a resounding victory. The PA, JVP and the SU in their election
campaigns accused the UNP of having links with the LTTE and warned that
the country would be divided if the UNP was given a mandate.
Yet a majority of the Sinhalese voted for the UNP. They did so not because
they loved their country less and wanted to see it divided but because
they felt that the PA-JVP-SU claim was an election gimmick that had to
be disbelieved.
It is clear from these results that the Sinhalese were not thinking
on communal lines but were more interested in preventing the economic deterioration
of this country. They felt that the UNP had the ability to improve the
economy that had been ruined by the PA.
The people were also disgusted with the PA's corrupt rule that contributed
to a rapid increase in the cost of living.
As much as an army marches forward on its stomach, a nation marches
forward on its economy. Therefore, the improvement of a nation's economy
should take precedence over all other problems.
Even the Buddha has said that one should never preach to a hungry man.
The people of this country who felt the pangs of hunger were not in a state
of mind to listen to arguments put forward by the so-called patriots of
the SU even though they may have sounded logical to their well-fed expatriate
brethren living in the developed world.
A majority of the people wanted to oust the PA that had ruined the economy.
So they voted for the UNP or the JVP. This resulted in a UNP victory and
the JVP being able to improve its vote bank by 60 percent. The vote bank
of the SU was reduced by more than 50 percent, why?
The SU, registered as a political party only in August 2000, was able
to obtain 127,000 votes at the general election of October 2000 because
many right-thinking people felt that this was a party that had a correct
vision. However, in December 2001 its vote bank was drastically reduced
not because the people who voted for it had lost confidence in its aims
and objectives but because they had no confidence in its leadership. Many
voters were disillusioned over the way the party's founder president had
been treated. Many who voted for the SU in 2000 did not do so in 2001 over
this issue. This is how the SU vote bank was reduced by more than 50 percent.
The aims and objectives of the SU are acceptable to a majority of the
Sinhalese. But what can aims and objectives do in the absence of suitable
leadership to implement them?
Meanwhile, though a majority of the Sinhalese may not be thinking on
communal lines, it would be wrong to assume that the results of the general
election indicate that they are willing to accept peace at any cost.
Only the naive would believe that a majority of the Sinhalese would
agree to a division of the country for the sake of peace. On the contrary
they will fight to protect the unity and territorial integrity of their
nation.
The trend of voting does not reflect this fact because the Sinhalese
cast their vote solely for the purpose of retrieving the deteriorating
economy.
The sooner the people who think otherwise understand this reality the
better for our nation.
Lt. Col. A.S. Amarasekera
Kindelpitiya
Hakeem's rhetoric and communal politics
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem has truthfully said that
95 percent of the Sinhala people had rejected communalism, and communal
politics (The Sunday Times, December 9).
But can he say the same of the Muslims? They too eschewed communal politics
before the advent of the SLMC. great leaders such as M.C.M. Kaleel, A.R.A.
Razik, T.B. Jayah, Badiuddin Mahamud and C.A.S. Marikar to name a few,
worked hand in hand with Sinhala politicians and were able to wipe out
certain discrepancies.
With the advent of the SLMC and fundamentalism we have lost the goodwill
of some Sinhala brethren. Fortunately, all is not lost. A.H.M. Fowzie,
M.H. Mohamed, Mohamed Mahroof, Imtiaz Bakeer Markar, Anjan Umma and Rauff
Hakeem himself won in Sinhala-majority districts though no Sinhala candidates
won in Muslim-majority districts.
If as Mr. Hakeem says he is more interested in nation building than
parochial agendas (though we have not forgotten how he bargained for posts
with the PA) and the UNP leadership is dependable in nation building, he
should wind up the SLMC and join the UNP forthwith.
M.A. Salaam
Nawalapitiya
More on Bharathas
My attention was drawn to the article "No longer Others" (The Sunday Times,
December 9) as I too am a Bharatha. My father was the late Chevalier I.
X. Pereira, a nominated member of the State Council for 16 years from 1931
to 1947.
In 1946, he acted for a time as Minister for Labour, Industry and Commerce,
due to the illness of the then Minister, G.C.S. (later Sir Claude) Corea.
Also in the same year, the Pope conferred on him a Papal Knighthood in
recognition of his services to the Catholic Church.
On April 26, 1988, the Postal Department issued a stamp to commemorate
his birth centenary. Shortly afterwards, a road in Pettah was re-named
I. X. Pereira Street in his honour. There is a photograph of him in the
Parliament building in Sri Jayewardenepura.
In 1948, after Independence, D.S. Senanayake offered my father a place
in the Senate, the Upper House of Parliament, but he declined due to ill-health.
He was also offered distinguished citiz-en'ship under the Distinguished
Citizens' Act, but he declined, preferring to obtain citizenship under
the Indian Citizenship Act, which legislation he had agitated for, during
his political career.
He was a senior partner of F. X. Pereira and Sons Ltd.
There was also G. R. Motha, a proctor, who was an elected member of
the State Council representing Maskeliya. a hall in Maskeliya is named
after him.
Meanwhile, there are also many other Bharatha surnames e.g. Motha, Gomez,
Pereira, Corera, Miranda, Machado, Devotta, Vaz, Britto, etc.
I am thinking of writing a booklet on the history of the Bharathas after
I collect some more facts.
Therese Motha
Colombo
YA TV's social role
Have you watched a train passing by — so many diverse people crammed into
compartments — all waiting patiently to reach their destinations? Yet if
one of them should start asking what race or religion the other is, there
certainly will be violent reactions.
Similarly, we see violent reactions in Afghanistan's Taliban war. What
disturbed the Afghans, who for centuries had lived peacefully in their
land-locked home? The answer is plain — interfering Americans who thought
no end of their superiority and who looked down on Muslim culture.
YA TV's SATI programme on Friday, November 30 showed plainly that violent
reactions can begin in Sri Lanka too.
I saw a gazette notification on the TV screen declaring that Buddhism
was protected by the state. Why so? Because 75 percent of citizens are
Buddhists. They have been so for centuries before any other religions were
forced into the country.
What is wrong if Italy protects the Catholic Church? What is wrong if
Britain protects Christianity or India Hinduism?
YA TV must make a young society of good people. Goodness means that
one is without hate, greed or wrong thinking. Wrong thinking causes confusion.
If through the SATI Programme, you can eliminate greed, hate and wrong
thinking, the country's problems can and will be solved. If Tamil people
living in the south can buy property and build their own luxury homes,
their own business establishments, why cannot we do the same in the north?
Why so? Because of wrong thinking — of greed to own in entirety the
north and east.
As a young group, SATI can help stop this war — and for that to happen
your mind must be at peace.
Awabodha
Colombo
child's prayer at Christmas
The three kings brought Him treasure
The shepherds perhaps a sheep:
But what can I - a little child -
Lay at the Christ Child's feet?
***
I have no gold to offer
No gifts have I to give -
But I have more to proffer
As long as I shall live.
***
So teach me, Lord, to follow
In the path You would me lead
To shun words and actions hollow
And to Your will accede.
***
Thus shall I learn to be Your child -
Your rugged cross to bear -
With You, dear Jesus, as my guide,
I'm safe in your love and care.
Dedicated to my dear little grandson from his loving Grandpa R.F. |
