FUTURE BELONGS TO ALL OF US

Future generations will take a new path different from the Old Order of narrow nationalism

One of our young intellectuals, Uditha Devapriya writing in DM on June 07, 2019 correctly identified the psyche behind the minds of the average person in the majority community and rightly justifies his poser.

I quote his last two paragraphs: “Sinhala Buddhists are not terrorists, at least not a majority of them. They are confronted by a problem other ethno-religious groups do not face; they are a local majority, but yet a global minority, To be a majority in a country that is 1/50th the size of India, which in turn contains 20 times the number of Tamil people we have, is not much of an achievement. But that is all they have got. What good can come out of demonizing them and questioning their right to their history?

Insecurity is the first step to chauvinism. This we know. To address the latter, it is thus necessary to address the former. Either ‘our’ radical will realize this, or ‘whether’ they will keep on using Sinhala Buddhists as punching bags, only time can tell.”

Yes, fear is the key for both the Majority and the Minorities. Just as the Majority has the right to protect themselves, the Minorities too have the right to protect themselves against the tyranny of the majority,

These two sections in our country are living in eternal fear of each other. This fear will gradually vanish when the masses come forward to love each other and avoid hatred and suspicion.

There is another point I wish to make.

It is true in feudal societies, the clergy held a higher and influential positions as Prohithas. But in contemporary political setup, should we depend on the advice and threats of some of the clergies in all communities.?

Admittedly among the Sinhala Buddhists there are many erudite and intellectual clergies. But there are a few among them are politically racial and hatred oriented.

Even in other faiths there are a few with this temperament.

I notice that in South East Asia there are many Buddhist counties, but the clergy doesn’t engage in politics and remain pious and strive for pace and salvation. In our country there is undue predominance given to clergy. Religions preach everything good for all of us. We must learn from the religious wars since the Reformation.

But we are a nation with short memories and we never learn from the series of catastrophes we have encountered so far.

There are hundreds of highly talented professionals coming from all communities. We must embrace them.

I think apart from abolishing the Presidential form of Government, we must also have a bicameral legislature to give room for saner politics. It must be a chamber of all intellectuals from different disciplines.

The Upper House can help firebrands to educate them on Human Rights, Fundamental values, justice, fair play, rule of law, etiquette respect, multilingualism and the like.

Nothing is lost if we cherish the noble ideals. There is always light around the corner.

The Buddha is an Enlightened philosopher. Since Lanka is a Buddhist Country, the enlightened ones rise above petty politics.

The future generations will take the new path different from the Old Order of narrow nationalism some of us all have.

Fear is the key for both the Majority and the Minorities. Just as the Majority has the right to protect themselves, the Minorities too have the right to protect themselves against the tyranny of the majority