What is the use of going to Gama whether he is Gotta, Ranil, Maina, Koru or whoever in Sri Lanka where pluralism is not accepted?
Get ready towards “Racists Go Gama”!
Protestors of Gota Go Gama! Militants who made the great people’s revolution! Participants of the July 9 Revolution! Hats off to you.
You have successfully staged a democratic revolution and people’s revolution which is unprecedented in the political history of Sri Lanka. On July 9, you have taken back the people’s mandate, which was given by the people democratically, from the hands of those who dishonoured it.
By taking all three power centres (President’s Secretariat, President’s Residence, Temple Trees) under your control today (13.07.2022), you have defied those who dishonoured the people’s mandate. You are doing that. You made them to flee. If not, you made them to go absconding.
You made the machinery that protects the power and power centres dysfunctional. Or else, they themselves became dysfunctional seeing your uprising.
Bullets fired from the barrels of the guns, tear gas bombs and water canons bowed in shame before your protest which arose out of your moral indignation.
The stony hearts of the policemen have become soft. Their eyes which were droughty shed tears. Soldiers who couldn’t control their emotions have thrown their uniforms and helmets away.
You have created a wonderful history by successfully doing the revolution which the slothful political parties and the politicians who soaked in the same water in Sri Lanka couldn’t do.
You still have a long way to go if this wonderful history is to be a permanently historical lesson for our future generations. Important tasks are waiting for you.
You have to say loudly that Sri Lanka is a country of multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-religious and pluralistic society.
Consider that the country is suffering today as a result of the political capitalization of racism which the successive rulers of more than half century of history starting from the United National Party in the lines of D.S. Senanayake, Dudley Senanayake, Sir John Kotelawala, JR. Jayawardene, Ranasinghe Premadasa, D.P.Wijayatunga and Ranil Wickremasinghe, Sri Lanka Freedom Party in the lines of S.W.R.D. Bandaranayake, Sirimavo Bandaranayake, Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumaratunga, Mahinda Rajapakse and Maithripala Srisena, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna which Rajapakse family founded and got grown after 2015, National People’s Power led by Sajith Premadasa who is waiting for coming into power and JVP in the lines of Rohana Wijayaweera, Somawansa Amarasinghe and Anurakumara Tissanayake (During Anura’s leadership, racism is getting down) did.
Accept that the disintegration of present-day Sri Lanka is the result of the rejection of the pluralism in the 1st Republic of Sri Lanka Constitution drafted by the left-wing Colvin R.D. Silva holding double PhD in the Navarangala Hall outside Parliament in 1972, which claimed that Sri Lanka is a Sinhalese Buddhist nation.
Understand that the destruction of present- day Sri Lanka is the result of 2nd Republic of Sri Lanka Constitution brought by J.R.Jeyawardene in 1978, which introduced executive presidency and 6th amendment to the constitution and expelling of democratically elected Tamil United Liberation Front led by Appapillai Amirthalingam.
Realize that the reason for the bankruptcy of the country after loss of lives, properties, money and development in 30 years of war is the reduction of powers in the Provincial Councils established in 1987 one by one, demerging of north-east province and other acts of racism.
We wanted to live in an indivisibly united Sri Lanka. We are still willing and eager to live such a life. But chauvinism does not let us live. It keeps on chasing. Start a new political chapter that acknowledges Sri Lanka’s pluralism in order to correct that predicament.
As a continuation of your historic new form of struggle that began on May 9, you shook the foundations of the ruling classes on June 9 and July 9.
Propose a new constitution that acknowledges Sri Lanka’s pluralism in the coming 9ths. Draft a new constitution as in a manner to preserve and protect the distinctiveness and identities of all by sharing your views with all the parties and people and exert pressure to get it enacted in the parliament.
If this rare opportunity in your hands slips away, you will have to wait another half century or a century for it. If fuel, gas, electricity, water, bread and dal are available uninterruptedly, people will forget everything.
Politicians and parties will take up racism again in their hands and try to put the people in delusion to ride on them again. Racism will be rampant again.
There are no guarantees that the Rajapakses will not rise again in another ten years, just as the people forgot the atrocities of the Philippine dictator Marcos and elected Marcos’ son as the national leader in the 30 years of time again.
Therefore, if you want those who led the country to ruin and their progeny not to rise again, create a solid pluralistic political platform.
There are many loopholes and criticisms in the western capitalist democratic systems. Casteism, linguicism, religionism and oppressions are also existing in those countries.
However, beyond those things, many countries continue the pluralistic regimes by practising the minimal democratic system with people of different languages, races, cultures, and religions.
Especially in America where the people have elected black man as president for two consecutive terms. Despite having Usain in the middle of his name and knowing that his grandfather was a Muslim, people were happy to make him president twice. There is also violence against blacks and non-white immigrants. But at least the oppressed get justice in due course.
Rishi Sunak, who is of Indian origin, is the front runner in the election for the leader of the British Conservative Party and the country’s Prime Minister.
If immigrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh can become powerful ministers and mayors in Britain, and if a child who escaped Rwandan genocide could grow up and sit in a powerful ministry in France, then think why it is not possible in Sri Lanka.
(In Sri Lanka too, there were and still are Tamils and Muslims as cabinet ministers. Tamils have been as Inspector General of Police and Attorney Generals. But they could only carry Tamil names. They have been the executors of the orders of the ruling parties and the power centres.)
However, in a pluralistic society, togetherness of the individual strengths of each individual has been able to create stronger countries.
New inventions are formed when the ideas, thoughts and attitudes of different people come together. Google is a collective contribution of both Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
In an article published in the Economist magazine in 2013 stated that 40% of the world’s leading companies were founded by immigrants or their children.
New ideas and new histories emerge when mutual trust develops in pluralistic societies.
Friends! make the coming 9ths towards the work of creating a new beautiful Sri Lanka in collaboration with the people of all races and diaspora.
You, who proved your actions on May 9, June 9 and July 9, can be able to make beautiful 9ths in the future.
Put an end to the culture of considering politics as an investment and a profit making business.
Make attempt to change the mindset that sees politics as a centre for getting tax-free luxury car permits and political concessions.
Build the political drive to create Sri Lanka for all.
Change the mentality of voting and duty done and build a monitoring process to see if the elected are serving the country and the people.
By realizing that the success of the Gotta Go Gama – Maina Go Gama – Koru Go Gama struggles alone will not create a prosperous Sri Lanka in the future, give up the Sinhalese Buddhist Sri Lanka and continue your journey to build a pluralistic Sri Lanka.
Get ready towards “Racists Go Gama”!
Greetings…
Regards,
Nadarajah Kuruparan
