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| Sunday, 18 August 2002 |
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Remembering July 25th: 'Wish I had the strength of character not to....' by Professor Priyan Dias
Almost twenty years have passed since the horrendous events surrounding July 25th, 1983 and the subsequent days. I wonder whether this is the first time since then that there has been a cessation of hostilities during the end of July. It is well that we reflect on those events, so that their memory would help us not to repeat them. I was a graduate student in London at the time, and did not experience the horror at first hand. However, the very fact of being away may have caused those events to make a greater impression on me. The BBC covered President Jayewardene before President Reagan during that time, although it was publicity that we could have done without. I suppose there were previous race riots in our country, even as close as the late seventies. But did we ever think before 1983 that our Tamil friends would have to jump over walls to escape marauding thugs, have their homes and possessions go up in flames and even be killed on the streets. I guess other atrocities have happened since then and who is to judge whether one atrocity is worse than another? They have all to be condemned. We must also not make the mistake of thinking that something is atrocious merely because it happens in Colombo. But July 1983 was a turning point for our nation. For one thing I discovered that many 'liberal' Sinhalese (who would previously have been aghast at such events) had hardened their hearts against the plight of Tamils. These impressions filtered through to me only slowly since I was in London, and in many ways I understood these things only after my return to Sri Lanka. I was shocked to discover even a 'serves them right' mentality in some quarters. There were of course many Sinhalese who risked life and limb to protect Tamil friends and colleagues, but was this more the exception than the rule? Another turning point was the birth of a Tamil diaspora, as thousands of Tamils left the country. This itself has been a thorn in the side of successive Government - i.e. the LTTE support base overseas. The Tamils have probably never stopped feeling like 'second class citizens in their own country' since July 1983. As a result we have seen the ranks of professionals and scientists inexorably depleted of Tamils. Most Sinhalese don't mind this and even welcome this. There are more jobs for Sinhalese. It is also more 'convenient' to have only two languages (i.e. Sinhala and English) to cope with. Besides, almost all Tamils still appear to be suspect - could they be LTTE agents, willingly or unwillingly? For myself, I think the loss of Tamil academics, scientists and professionals is an inestimable loss to our country. I say this is not because I want to project myself as a liberal-minded Sinhalese, but because I believe that diversity is the fount of creativity. We need people of diverse backgrounds for our country to progress. It is bad enough that we lost most of the Burghers. Even now, we should try to woo them back. I wonder as I reflect, despite the current euphoria about peace, whether we have really reversed the mind sets that were created in July 1983. Do the Tamils really feel that they are fully fledged citizens of Sri Lanka? Do the Sinhalese feel that Tamils (and indeed Muslims) are essential for going forward as a nation? One final reflection. I gathered that national leaders, from the then President downwards, when they finally spoke to the nation after the riots, had no hint of apology for the Tamils. On top of all this was the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution that required all public servants to sign a pledge against all acts of separatism and an oath of allegiance to a unitary state. It is not that I was or am against the sentiments of the Amendment. But I felt the timing was all wrong. It was like rubbing salt into the wounds of the afflicted. What did the Amendment achieve? Did it stop the inexorable move towards separatism? On the contrary it resulted in TULF MPs (who were not able to sign the pledge) having to resign their seats in Parliament, and from then onwards the political leadership of the Tamils moved from moderate politicians to armed terrorists - a better illustration of the proverb "from the frying pan into the fire" is hard to find. My own papers for signing were sent to me in London, and I had to go to the Sri Lankan embassy, just a stone's throw away from where I was living in Bayswater, to sign before an embassy official. I wondered many a time whether to take a stand against this "rubbing of salt into wounds" and refuse to sign. However, I was only a young Assistant Lecturer at the time, and I didn't want to jeopardize an academic career. So, in the end I signed. I just wish I had the strength of character not to.... |
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