US
elections through Sri Lankan eyes
| by Prof. S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole
( November 18, 2012, Washington DC, Sri Lanka
Guardian ) In
the midst of the most bitterly divided political era of recent American history,
Barack Obama retained his office for another term. Perhaps because of our
common heritage of the left-leaning, non-aligned movement, Tamils and Sinhalese
in the US generally supported Obama.
In
contradiction to Obama’s liberal positions eschewing racism, lie the
nationalist sentiments of his Sri Lankan supporters. Except for token support
for Obama, the “Tamils for Obama” website is frozen in 2009 with articles like
“Save the Tigers.” Fear of the Sri Lankan state is so real that there are few
names given after their statements.
Similarly
“Sri Lankan Americans for Barack Obama”chaired by Dr. Kamarlal Fernando, except
for a few lines supporting Obama, praises President Rajapaksa through its
website. Two reasons adduced are that:
1)
“He defeated a ruthless enemy after 30 years of war” and “without his focus and
vision this should not have been possible” (though they fail to mention the
extrajudicial executions and the killing of thousands of Tamil civilians in the
process and the focus of General Fonseka)
2)
“As a Sri Lankan national, the President has the support of the majority
Sinhalese (apparently meaning he is not a Tamil).
Our
racist organisations seem to have supported Obama despite our racism because
Obama makes it safe for us in predominantly White America.
Republican insensitivity
Republicans
opposing Obama on the other hand are insensitive, their insensitivity often
swiftly turning into ugly aggression. They shouted abuse at Obama during his
State of the Union address.After the second presidential debate in which Romney
was widely perceived to have “lost,” his son, Tagg, wanted to “rush down to the
debate stage and take a swing’’ at Obama. Whereas Americans have traditionally
been deferential to the president, they have not been so to the black president.
The Republican Party, once respected as the party of Lincoln, (Eisenhower and
Reagan), is now swayed by the extremist Tea Party and favours politicians
pandering to the far right.
Huma
Abedin, a Muslim of Indian antecedents, is Hillary Clinton’s chief of staff.
Abedin was targeted by Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann (a Tea Party leader and
Republican presidential aspirant), to tie her falsely to the Muslim Brotherhood
in an attempt to embarrass Obama.
Thankfully,
such Americans are in minority. And that is why Obama has secured office once
again.
Education and consistency
Ranking
states by percentage over age 25 with college degrees, the 10 most educated
states voted for Obama and the 10 least educated (excepting Nevada because of
its Hispanics) for Romney.
It
goes to show that the least educated are easily manipulated by a few shrewd
Republicans who are ready to spin facts and manufacture falsehoods to project
their vision. Consider homosexual marriage which is held up by Republicans as
anti-Christian. True, it is but the less educated Christians do not think
beyond that and are prey to manipulation. For Jesus Himself defines Christian
marriage in St. Matthew, 19:4-6: one man with one woman till death. But many
Americans opposing homosexual marriage are themselves divorced and remarried.
Even evangelical leaders like Jimmy Swaggert and Jim Baker have messy marital
histories.
Politicians
and many US Churches too, therefore, would never prohibit divorce simply
because half their followers would leave them. But targeting homosexuals allows
them to create artificial boundaries for a ‘moral community’ which will use its
vote to safeguard its values.
Unfortunately,
the urgency inherent in communalism does not lend itself to a critical
examination of political issues. Thus, many who oppose abortion are loudly for
the death penalty. Those expressing concern for the unborn are callous towards
the poor who die without medical coverage. And the staunchest proponents of the
Second Amendment, the right to bear arms, would not be happy to see it
practised in the Middle East.
A
rare exception to America’s moral incongruency is the Roman Catholic Church
which is consistent in its standards. So is the Episcopal Church (Anglican),
perhaps the most influential and educated denomination, but in an odd way: It
has no standards on marriage; one can be divorced and remarried or homosexually
married and be a bishop. And the church is silent on abortion. No
contradictions there!
Right-wing
thinking goes closely with communalism and non-education. The “For Obama” Sri
Lankan leaders in the US may seem educated and right-wing, but that is because
they are spinning for the less educated among us or because theirs is a
technical education with no liberal readings in our Sri Lankan scheme of
learning.
Unthinking
Sri Lankans?
I
am happy that most opinion-makers in Sri Lanka have written against impeaching
the CJ on grounds of the rule of law. Unfortunately, some of these persons see
no contradiction in supporting the cold-blooded murder of the LTTE leadership
and civilians as if that is divorced from the rule of law.
The
UNP has condemned the murder of Welikada inmates. But they have not uttered a
word about the Mullivaikal massacres.
Many
Tamils rightly think that the Ban Ki Moon Expert Panel report should be acted
upon. But they defended murders and child conscription by the LTTE.
Many
Buddhists do not want animals to be killed on Poya Days, but do eat meat on
other days and think little of Tamils being murdered on any day of the month.
Likewise, good Saivite vegetarian Tigers killing Sinhalese. I am reminded of
that vegetarian called Hitler.
Many
Christian priests preached the “Love of God” while they supported Tiger
massacres. One equated Prabhakaran to Jesus Christ. They are highly educated
but were overawed by their tribalism into being unthinking or were spinning for
Prabhakaran to mind-control the less educated of us.
Romney,
being a wealthy businessman, could not understand the suffering of the poor. He
could not put himself in another’s shoes because he was caged by his
privilege.This is why he could not understand why the poor overwhelmingly
supported Obama, suggesting instead that they are lazy people looking for a
handout, even though they have no real problems. It is a lot like many
Sinhalese asking what problems we Tamils have – I have a long list.
Education
and wider reading will help us overcome our narrow thinking. Then we will come
closer to understanding what politicians do not want us to see – that a
government that attacks the application of laws that protect some will at some
point attack the laws that protect the rest of us – as happened at Mullivaikal
and now at Welikada.
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