Let the Sinhalese return to Jaffna; it is their right

"The politicians both Sinhala and Tamil created this divide which tore this island apart and caused untold misery. And it takes much honesty and soul-searching to heal the wounds."

by Pearl Thevanayagam

(October 22, London-Sri Lanka Guardian) That the Sinhalese who lived in Jaffna and who contributed in no measure to integrate with the Tamils running bakeries and setting up opticians should be returning to Jaffna to reclaim their roots should not be ignored. It is to the plaudit of the Jaffna intellectuals who are supporting the return of Sinhalese to justify their right to live where they spoke Tamil and integrated well with the Tamils and had a Buddhist temple and a Sinhala school in the heart of the Jaffna Peninsula.

We also had excellent Sinhalese government agents, Superintendents of Police, Judges and other civil servants who headed government institutions and imparted valuable service without prejudice.

K.B. Ratnayake (cabinet minister), Justice Jaya Pathirana and many more VIPs were boarded in educational institutions due to the strict moral discipline and academic excellence education they received in Catholic and missionary schools.

Tamils bought properties in the Sinhala dominated areas and continue to do so. The island belongs to all its ethnic groups and despite animosity created by narrow-minded and self-serving politicians Tamils have etched their dominance in majority Sinhala areas. Apart from the pogrom of July 1983 Tamils lived comfortably in Sinhala areas thriving with their businesses and scholastic excellence.

It is to the credit of the Tamil intellectuals that they support the Sinhala returnees wanting to get back to their homes whether they lived in rented houses or they owned their property. Before Tamil politicians whipping up separatism through firebrand Tamil youth into brainwashing the people in the North and East that the areas should be out of bounds for anyone other than Tamils there was much camaraderie. During my teens I bought Top of the Pops, a small handbook with verses of pop songs mainly Sinhala Bailas written in English and a few English hits from the Top of the Pops. and listened to them on Holiday Choice during weekends and taping them into the old-fashioned tape recorder which had spools (tapes of reel). I was most popular at school because I could sing in Sinhala although I did not understand a single word..

It was the Parsi traders and Muslims who ran the textile businesses in Jaffna. Even after the July 1983 riots it was a Muslim who first had a mini TV station announcing birthdays, funerals and other festive greetings and who telecast films and other cultural programmes.

The politicians both Sinhala and Tamil created this divide which tore this island apart and caused untold misery. And it takes much honesty and soul-searching to heal the wounds.

A blessing this island has been bestowed is the elevation of our very own Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith who is not just a Head for Sri Lanka’s Catholic community, the only Asian among the 24 Cardinals Pope Benedict XVI would anoint in November, but hwho is a great theologian, eloquent in 10 languages and a champion who promotes inter-racial faith.

Having said that, there is a lot the enlightened citizens of this island belonging to all communities can do to stop another insurgency. There needs to be an open dialogue and close communications between the North and the South and the media can play a crucial role in bridging the gap. Yes, Media should be given its freedom to enable, recognize and address grievances from both sides if we are to return to our inherited name, The Serendib Isle.