To the Friendly Democrats of the Canadian Democratic League.

by Charles.S.Perera

(September 30, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) It is an interesting experience to encounter a League of Democrats, after expressing your point of view on a subject, which is contrary to their point of view. You at once become, for them, a racist, a petit little Hitler arising from the debris of the World War II, or a senile"ga ga"

All that would be, because one says that there is truth in what the Army Commander said. It takes very few words of supporting the fact of the Sinhala being the majority, for a Tamil person championing even "democracy", to turn around and accuse the person as a racist, and a petty little Hitler. To-day , more than half a century after that cruel war there is none who would even pretends to be a Democrat, compare his worst adversary to a Hitler of the holocaust. That itself smears the word "democracy", by which one pretends to emerge as a league for peace and freedom.

Even the Army Commander is permitted to have his personal opinion, and express it when the occasion arises, without being accused for having exercised his human right of the freedom of speech. When the Army Commander spoke of the Sinhala majority he was not speaking of the Sri Lankans. The Sri Lankans is the larger entity, that includes all the Communities living in Sri Lanka, without reference to their status of being the majority or the minority.

The Commander of the Army takes orders from the Head of State, and therefore he is not a politician, hence his opinions are not taken as having political significance. Therefore, what the Army Commander Lt. Gl. Sarath Fonseka said when interviewed by a news paper reporter cannot be construed as political.

The elimination "business", is the act of removing or getting rid of something. What Hitler did was extermination, killing in extermination camps. Therefore the latter is no parallel to the former, which is to remove what has become a danger to the unity of the people, and the territorial unity of the country.

Mr. Perera sees no terrorists in all those who are Tamils out side the terrorists, against whom a " war" is being waged in the north. But sees those who help directly and indirectly to support terrorism as helping the terrorists to commit all sins to arrive at their sinister object of partitioning the country to set up their Tamil Eelam.

It is strange that when a Sinhala speaks about his Community, or defends another Sinhala against false accusations, he is immediately called a racist. But the Tamils when they call all lowly names against the Sinhala, it is merely the Tamil minority vindicating their political rights and civil liberties. They may hate Sinhala and do all they can to demean and degrade them, but they do not call themselves racists, because they think it is their right to do so because of their situation as minorities.
Frankly we do not know the Canadian Democratic league, but the tone of the article defending their statement, against some one who contests the facts in it are, I am afraid, not very democratic.

What is best for the Canadian Democratic League to do is to stop calling every one who opposes their point of view a racist. And be a bridge to bring the communities together in a more positive way, without being bitter and aggressive. This reminds me of a saying in Sinhala that even if the tiger changes its stripes it still remains a tiger.

The Sinhala people are the majority, whether one likes it or not but the Sinhala do not say this to dominate over other communities. The Sinhala people have lived in friendship with other communities for generations , and will continue to do so in future. They do not claim any special privileges over and above their fellow compatriots. But The Sinhala people as much as the Tamil, and Muslim people, wants to live in peace and harmony with all those who share this motherland of ours-to make a happy Nation of Sri Lankans.

I wish with all sincerity that the Canadian Democratic League prospers and develops into a strong League to bring the Tamil diaspora to participate with other Leagues and Associations in Sri Lanka, to make bonds of unity to make one family of all Communities in our common Motherland. It is normal when one is young and exuberant one sees senility-the "ga ga" in others, but with time and wisdom they will be the future Ambassadors of peace and contribute for unity and prosperity of our Nation. - Sri Lanka Guardian