Tamil Chauvinism

By Indrajit Samarajiva

(September 25, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Personally, I am opposed to divisive racial politics of any kind. Anyone calling for a Sinhala state or Sinhala favoritism is rightly called a Sinhala chauvinist. I think the same label should be applied to those calling for a Tamil state or Tamil favoritism. There are more important issues at hand for the future of all of our children, no matter what race they are.

This is not to deny the very real issues that Tamil people face, or to argue against cultural identities. Right now I know a web designer in jail for months under Emergency. He got picked up after work and he wasn’t been charged with a particular crime. His family gets the court documents and letters in Sinhala and they only speak Tamil, as is their right. This is only one of many issues Tamil people face and it’s very real if you imagine it happening to you.

However, no amount of land in the Wanni will solve these problems. My friend lives and works in Colombo and needs protection under Sri Lankan law. The solution has to come from Sri Lanka, and the egalitarian principles and protections of our constitution. He shouldn’t be jailed for his race, but racial politics won’t get him out either. The bigger issue is racism, and that’s best resolved within a multi-ethnic Sri Lanka.

However, many Tamil voices are still calling for a separate racial state. As if that’s not chauvinism as well. To quote Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna District Parliamentarian: “The real intention of Mr Rajapakse is to crush the Tamil struggle, Tamil Nationalism and leave the Tamils with nothing. The government tries to present a picture of Tamils wishing to live along with the Sinhalese, and the UPFA uses this now as a deplorable election gimmick, he further said” (from TamilNet).

Well, shouldn’t Tamil people want to live with the Sinhalese? Don’t we live together now? Colombo is majority Tamil speaking and I just returned from a Hindu festival in Udappu. Those Tamils were really nice to me and took me into their homes. Devotees of all stripes are now converging on Kataragama. Especially in Colombo, all races are bound by marriage, kinship, friendship, work, common interest, etc. We actually do live together and my life is personally much better for it.

In my limited travels around this country I have found that there is a deep hospitality to all Sri Lankans and that we are capable of living together. I have also found the divide between rich/poor and connected/ powerless is much stronger than race. I don’t think racial politics is a winning issue and I don’t think it addresses people’s real concerns.

We all want a better life for our children. We all want the right to be ourselves and speak our own language. We all want better schools, a decent job and equal protection under the law. These are the most important issues in our lives, and they are not racial. These are aspirations we share as Sri Lankans, and as human beings.

That is why I reject racial chauvinism of any kind. Not because racial issues are not real, but because dividing does not actually resolve them. I cannot separate from the Tamil race anymore than I can separate from my friends, my family and this land that I love. I am honestly hurt that Tamils would want to separate from me.

I have no more patience for Tamil chauvinism than I do for Sinhala chauvinism because I think they both miss the point. This is a small island and we have more important things to worry about than what race we are and how to keep other races out. We have real challenges ahead and real opportunities. The only way to address them is together.

-Sri Lanka Guardian