Would Voting For A Tamil Presidential Candidate Polarize The Tamils?
By C.V. Wigneswaran –
Justice C.V. Wigneswaran MP
Someone asked me; Hon’ Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has “advised” the Tamils not to boycott the Presidential Election nor put up a Common candidate on behalf of the Tamils. What have you to say about his “advise”?
My response was: According to news reports in the Tamil Papers, Hon’ Minister thinks such an action would divide the Tamils in the Island. His “advise” is that the Tamil Parties must vote for a non – communal candidate from one of the National Alliances. He has said a Tamil Candidate would only get support from the North and East and not elsewhere. The Tamils outside the North East would not vote for such a Candidate. This would polarize the Tamils.
Further he has said the Tamil candidate would not win the Election. In such an event the winning Sinhala Candidate would not forgive the Tamils of the North East. He has gone on to say that the Tamils no doubt would have various problems. But they should identify a proper Sinhala leader and support such Leader. They could get their claims included in the manifesto of such a Leader’s Party and obtain the benefits from such Leader, once he is elected. We must go back to the days of Independence where differences among Tamils, Sinhalese and the Muslims were not accentuated.
I do not know if my Honourable friend Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has stated anything else in this regard.
Let me deal with his “advise”. His “advise” shows that he does not know anything about the expectations of the North Eastern Tamils. He is not even aware why various communities in 1948 were united.
I must remind Hon’ Rajapakshe of our History if he is to appreciate the expectations of the Tamils of the North and East. Many of our Politicians Sinhala or others, are unaware of the history of this Island. Let me briefly state the salient features of our History –
1. Tamil Language has been spoken in this Island for over 3000 years continuously. (Vide Professor Indrapala’s Book – The Evolution of an Ethnic Identity – The Tamils of Sri Lanka circa 300 BCE to circa 1200 CE).
2. Buddhism was introduced during the 3rd century BCE. At the time Buddhism was introduced there were only Tamil speaking Kings. The Tamils received Buddhism into this Country. (Vide reference to Buddhism in Tamil literature viz. Manimehalai in second century CE).
3. There was no Sinhala language born still at the time Buddhism was introduced into the Island. All converts to Buddhism at that time were the Tamil speaking.
4. With Buddhism came the Pali language. The Mahawansa and the Atta Katha were all written in Pali. There is no reference to the Sinhala language nor the Sinhalese people in the Mahawansa. On the contrary there is reference to over 30 Tamil Petty Kings whom Dushta Kamini (Dutugemunu) had to overcome before meeting the Tamil Hindu King Ellalan in Anuradhapura. Dushta Kamini was a Tamil Buddhist. The Sinhala language was still to be born when he lived.
5. The Modern Sinhala language was born or came into use only in the 6th and 7th Century AD. The first Sinhala inscription, the Sigiriya Cave Paintings were found in the 6th and 7th Century AD. Whatever were the preceding languages that gave birth to the Sinhalese language, they were not identified as the Sinhalese language at that time.
6. The Sinhala language was a mixture of Tamil and Pali and may be also some Veddha dialects.
Today in Chennai there is a new language being formed. It might be called Tamlish in another 25 years. It is a mixture of Tamil and English.
Just like that when people who were Tamil speaking used Pali words profusely a new language came into being in the 6th or 7th Century AD. That language was the Sinhala language.
1. The Tamil speaking people were the original inhabitants of this Island. They existed from the time the Kumari Kandam or Lemurian Continent now under the Indian Ocean, was in existence. There were no doubt influx of Pandiyas, Pallavas, Cholas, Cheras and the Arya Chakrawarthis at different times. But they added to the original Tamil indigenous population which can be traced back to the time of the Kumari Kandam.
Let me at this stage refer to Professor Dr.K.Indrapala’s views regarding the Sinhalese and the Tamils. He has said that the Sinhalese and the Tamils of Sri Lanka are descended from common ancestors who lived in Sri Lanka in prehistoric and proto historic times and have a shared history going back to over 2000 years.
The evolution of the Sinhala and the Sri Lankan Tamil identities was a process that continued until modern times with various South Indian (Telugu, Kerala, Kannada and Tulu) as well as South East Asian (Malay) elements contributing to both groups, apart from elements from each group getting assimilated with the other.
In recent times DNA tests have shown the Sinhalese to be descended from the Dravidians.
Having said this, let me respond to what my friend Hon’ Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has said recently –
2. Voting for a Tamil Presidential candidate would polarize the Tamils. The Tamils outside the North and East would not vote for the Tamil Candidate.
My response – The only reason why the Tamils outside the North and East may not want to vote for a Tamil Candidate would be fear of reprisals from the Sinhalese. They have seen the 1958, 1961, 1977, 1983 pogroms apart from other skirmishes. By mentioning this polarization story my learned friend is trying to tell the Tamils outside the North and East “Look Tamils outside the North and East! if you vote for your Tamil Candidate a further pogrom would not be impossible”. In other words the polarization story is a threat to the Tamils outside the North and East. He dare not say that to the Tamil speaking people of the North and East because they are the majority in those areas from ancient times.
3. Since the Tamil Candidate would not win the Election, the Sinhala winner will punish the Tamils who vote for the Tamil Candidate.
My response – He speaks as if the Sinhalese who won Presidentships so for with Tamil Votes have solved the problems of the Tamils. At every stage we found Sinhala hegemony being foisted on the Tamils of the North and East. North and East are now an occupied Territory. Nearly 200000 Military persons occupy the North and East now. How could any further calamity fall upon the Tamils?
4. Why not join the Sinhala Candidates and get what the Tamils want?
My response – We have tried that for 75 years and got nothing. We have seen only the implementation of a hidden Sinhala concocted agenda to chase out the Tamils from the Island, reduce their numbers and set up a Sinhala Buddhist Country changing the demography content of the North and East.
5. Why cannot we go back to the time of Independence when all communities lived amicably?
My response – Under the British this was possible because the Sinhalese, Tamils and others were all sets of communities with equal rights. The English language bound them together. The way of life of the different communities in their areas of residence were not disturbed by the British.
How could we go back to the time Independence now? The “Sinhala Only” in 1956 have made the Sinhalese believe the entire Country is a Sinhala Buddhist Country in which certain minorities live. But this is not true. The Tamils are the majority in the North and East from pre historic times even before the Sinhala language was born.
The Tamils had their own kingdom when the Westerners came here. The majority in the seven Provinces have started to dominate the majority in the two Provinces (North and East) having obtained the reins of Government from the British by deception. A book explaining the details of this deception is now under preparation. We have not made at least these languages English, Tamil and Sinhala compulsory throughout the Island even now, to ensure that our people understood each other.
My learned friend had stated all these to stop a Tamil contesting the Presidential Election. If a Tamil contests, the Tamil votes may not go to any Sinhala Candidate and he would be hard pressed to get the 50% votes of those who vote at the Election.
The reasons that could be placed before the people of Sri Lanka to invite a Tamil person to contest at the Presidential Election are as follows;
1. The voice of the Tamils of North and East who are the majority in the two Provinces for over 3000 years, has been so far ignored by the Sinhalese leaders from the time of Independence It is high time to remind the Sinhalese that we are not mere minorities but the majority in the North and East, despite all the land grabbing, Sinhalisation and Buddhistisation that have been taking place in the North and East under succeeding Sinhala Presidents and Sinhala majority Governments.
2. It is high time a Sinhala speaking Tamil reminds the Sinhala speaking majority in the Island in their own tongue, of the several trials and tribulations the Tamils have been facing so far at the hands of the ethnocratic Sinhala majority.
3. It is high time the world at large comes to know of our plight while the Tamil Candidate contests the post of Presidency.
4. It is high time the Tamil Leaders of Parties in the North and East selected a Tamil person well versed in the three languages Tamil, Sinhala and English to speak to the audience throughout the Island, of the problems of the Tamils.
5. It is high time that the Tamils reminded the majority community in the Island that Unity among the Tamil speaking in the North and East could adversely affect the Sinhala Candidates at the Election.
Hope my dear friend Hon’ Wijeyadasa, would realize the plight of the Tamils presently and act while he is in power to ameliorate their lot politically, socially and economically. At least let him ensure an Amnesty for the remaining Tamil political prisoners before he relinquishes office.
*Justice C.V. Wigneswaran, Member of Parliament – Jaffna District
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