OIL TANKS, PORTS AND TIGERS
Very soon the government of Sri Lanka would enter into agreements with the world power USA and the regional power India over the ports in the country and the oil tanks in Trincomalee. It is said that a number of oil tanks are to be leased to India, and that USA ships would be docked into our ports under the proposed Acquisition and Cross Service Agreement (ACSA). We do not know the conditions that have been laid out in these agreements but it is clear that we are in for another major change in the policies with respect to the LTTE factor in Tamil racism. As we have shown in Prabhakaran, Ohuge Seeyala, Baappala ha Massinala (Translated into English as "An Introduction to Tamil Racism in Sri Lanka") Tamil racism was created by the British in 1833. After nearly one hundred and seventy years Tamil racism is still been supported by the western countries, India having taken part in training the LTTE terrorists some time ago. We are not only a small country, but a small country with small leaders who cannot stand up to big powers. Our so-called leaders should either take a lesson from leaders such as Fidel Castro, who in spite of living very close to the big world power, refuse to be dictated by Bush and Co, or from our ancient kings who knew how to deal with various states that ruled southern part of India. However, the leaders we have today are mere token or symbolic leaders, who have been forced on us by the British.
After the British crushed the independence struggle of 1817-18, inhumanly in the most barbaric way killing all the males above 16 years in Uva Wellassa and most of our traditional leaders, the remaining leaders were given privileges and were anglicised. In addition to that they created another set of leaders for the Sinhalas, from those who spied for them or who worked for them as their "dasas", giving them land and other privileges. Needles to say that these leaders who were forced on us were Anglican Christians and most of our so-called leaders today are descendants of them. In the latter part of the nineteenth century and in the early twentieth century another set of leaders emerged from the Olcott Buddhists who later integrated with the former "leaders" through matrimonial and "business" alliances. They were also "hand picked" by the British for us and there is no wonder that almost all these leaders could be easily either manoeuvred by the western powers or bullied by the Indians. The diplomats from these countries play a "big" role in the affairs of our country not because the country is small but simply because the leaders are "small". With the present trend of the western countries dictating terms to the so-called third world countries in the guise of "globalisation", which is nothing but a continuation of the colonisation and domination of the world in the political, economical and cultural spheres, that was begun in the latter part of the fifteenth century, the situation has become worse in our country.
Some Sinhalas would be happy to see the government of Sri Lanka signing these two agreements as they know that the agreements are not merely on leasing of oil tanks and use of our ports but have far reaching implications. However, in the long run it is the state of Sri Lanka that is going to suffer as a result of these agreements. From the days of the Portuguese all these agreements have worked against the Sinhala people. The Portuguese who wanted a small piece of land in Colombo ended up with establishing their domination along the coastal belt. It was left to Rajasinghe the second to enter into "agreements" with the Dutch that saw the latter becoming rulers of areas that earlier came under the Portuguese. The ordinary people in the country referred to this episode in history as getting chilies for ginger. (Inguru deela miris genima). Then came the so-called Kandyan convention, an agreement through which the British gave a pledge to rule the country according to the Sinhala laws and to protect the Buddha Sasana. The agreement was not honored and as a result the first independence struggle of the Sinhalas against the British took place in Uva Wellassa in 1817-18.
Even in the past the Sinhala leaders have been taken for a ride by those who were not only crafty in drafting agreements but who knew how not to honour them. The Sinhala leaders who had the interests of the country in their minds though were able to include conditions such as protecting the Buddha Sasana did not know how to get them implemented. By the time Anagarika Dharmapala joined the struggle about seventy years after the Sinhale convention, the British had selected our "leaders" and the background had been prepared for the introduction of Olcott Buddhism. Anagarika Dharmapala was defeated by the British appointed "leaders" of the Sinhalas. It would be interesting to find out the role played by the British governors and the other officials directly in this affair. It is ironical to see the descendants of these "leaders" commemorating the Anagarika annually by issuing stamps and making similar symbolic gestures. The Olcott Buddhists are very "broad minded" and recently I read in the newspapers that a non Buddhist has been elected as the president of the "dayaka sabha" of a well known temple in Sri Jayawardhanapura Kotte. Olcott Buddhism, like lighting of the so-called traditional oil lamp, reciting jaya mangala gathas in five star hotels, beating of magul bera, redda baniyama of the politicians is becoming only a symbol in this country of symbolic leaders. When the Buddhist "leaders" become mere symbols, no wonder that even non Buddhists could play the role of "leaders" of the Olcott Buddhists, by becoming presidents of dayaka sabhas and taking pinnacles, which themselves have become symbols, from one end of the country to the other. One would say that in the other Asian and African countries as well, under cultural colonialism, the respective cultures are becoming mere symbols, especially in the case of the Buddhist cultures, pointing out that in Japan kimona and tea ceremony are only of symbolic value. However, in our paradise even the state is becoming a mere symbol. It is the foreign diplomats who run the show with the "leaders" of the two main parties as well as parties like Tamil National Alliance (TNA) often making complaints to the diplomats about the others.
The appointed leaders of the Sinhalas would not even think of having clauses such as protecting Buddha Sasana in the interests of the country. They only take orders from the big brothers and sisters in Colombo, who represent their own countries. It is in this background that we have to consider the signing of the ACSA and of the agreement to lease some oil tanks in Trincomalee. The LTTE has already expressed their dislike and the TNA has said that they are concerned about signing the agreements. Some Sinhala people are happy but do we know the conditions and the repercussions of the agreements. It is true that Indians do not like the face of Prabhakaran so much that they want to see him ending up in Delhi. The USA thinks that LTTE that has connections with the other terrorist movements in the world, especially some Arabic terrorist groups, is a threat to the most powerful nation of the world. If the Indians end up in having their soldiers providing security to the oil tanks in Trincomalee then not only Prabhakaran, but terrorists such as Pottu Amman would have enough reasons to get worried. The TNA would not be allowed by the LTTE to escape with a mere statement expressing its concern over the leasing of oil tanks and the ACSA. The Hindu newspaper has said that Norway is at the behest of USA, but there are subtle differences between the policies of the two countries towards the LTTE. The British prime minister has recently said that the LTTE should renounce terrorism before the so-called peace talks. However, Britain has not gone as far as saying that the LTTE should hand over the arms before "talks", though that is one condition that has been imposed on the IRA.
There are number of permutations and combinations that are possible as a result of the ACSA and the leasing out of oil tanks. In the long run the sovereignty of Sri Lanka is at stake and the state could become a mere symbol. Britain has a vested interest in the Tamil racist problem and USA is also involved in addition to India. At present the relationship between India and USA is not as cold as it was during the cold war period and they may be having some understanding on how to deal with the LTTE. However, they have not changed their position with respect to Tamil racism. It was India that forced the Sri Lankan government when Mr. J. R. Jayawardhane was the president and the "leader" of the country to accept the concept of historical habitats of the Tamils in Sri Lanka. This was supposed to be a midway solution to the demand of a Tamil homeland by the Tamil racists. There are no midway solutions or middle paths with respect to each and every problem. India the land of Buddha, almost eliminated Buddhisms (Madhyamikas, Vinnanavadins, Theravadins, Sarvasthavadins etc.) long time ago and most probably does not know that the middle path was essentially with respect to the question as to whether the world exists or not. The answer given by the Buddha was that the world neither exists nor does not exist. However, we cannot say that as far as the LTTE and Tamil racism are concerned they neither exist nor do not exist. The LTTE exists (of course, as relative or conventional truth. No Buddhist would say that the LTTE is a paramaththa dhamma!) and so is Tamil racism. Do the northern province and the eastern province of Sri Lanka constitute the Tamil homeland? The answer is either yes or no. It has to be a categorical answer. India pretended to follow the middle path and said it is neither yes nor no but they are the historical habitats. The Buddha did not say the world neither exists nor does not exist but it is something else. Mr. J. R. Jayawardhane who is supposed to have taught the world "Nahi Verana Verani", I mean after Buddha, could not tell the Indians that North and East were not the historical habitats of the Tamils, as they had no history in those two provinces going back to more than three hundred years and also that these provinces themselves did not have a history of more than one hundred years. The two provinces are neither historical nor habitats with respect to the Tamils. Ironically in India there is no historical habitat of the Tamils. Anyhow India not only forced the concept of historical habitats on the Sri Lankan government but also the merger of the northern and the eastern provinces.
India which trained LTTE terrorists may have changed its position with respect to the fascist organisation, but has it changed its position with respect to Tamil racism? USA that has a habit of supporting leaders and then ditching them unceremoniously as in the case of Marcos and others could easily back somebody else other than Prabhakaran. The Sinhala people have to be watchful. They cannot depend on the so-called leaders who have only a symbolic role to play. It could end up as another case of getting chilies for ginger. The past experience of the Sinhalas with respect to agreements with the Europeans during the last five hundred years or so, or with the Indians during the last fifty years has been dismal. In the short term period the Sinhalas would have to be very watchful and make sure that Sinhalathva is not betrayed and the Tamil racists are not given anything that would satisfy their so called aspirations. In the long run they will have to make sure that both India and USA would leave our shores when we request them to do so. We do not want the state to become a symbol though there may be status symbols and other symbols in this symbolic society.
Professor Nalin de Silva
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