Sinhala was the official language of Sri Lanka. That is why British made the 1815 Kandyan convention in Sinhala and English only. Even then British was well aware that there was only one official language in Sri Lanka. Tamils on the other hand couldn't grasp the idea about Sinhalese excelling over them. That is why they were ready to accept English as the official language over Sinhalese.
Then what about Jaffna kingdom? Tamils can say their official language was Tamil and not Sinhala. Present day SL is not a continuation of kandyan kingdom. Present day SL is a country which includes both Jaffna and Kandy with both Sinhala and non-Sinhala speakers in it. And SL is a new country born after 1948 which was subject to many changes for 500 years. We cant go back to 300- 400 years back and negate the changes at that time. We have new communities and new realities to face in 1948 and it is the same today.
And you were wrong on Kandyan convention as well. Many Sinhala leaders signed in tamil in Kandyan convention as well.
Tamils did not want to accept English, they were a conquered people like Sinhalese. When we replace English with only Sinhala, for a tamil they have just replaced their masters from English to Sinhala. And Tamils did not have anything with Sinhalese excelling over them, it was rather they did not like Sinhala imposition on them. And like I said Tamils feared a numerically superior Sinhala will erase their identity and language. They still have that fear and actions of Sinhala leaders and nationalists reaffirm that fear.
Even if we forget the tamil factor, Sinhala only was a disastrous policy. Because many English educated civil servants (including sinhalese) had to leave SL because they did not know the language. It was the disastrous psychotic urgency of the Sinhalese to make changes. What followed was Sri Lanka lost a good educated and professional bunch of civil servants, educationists because of that. S’pore which was behind SL snatched the opportunity and got the support of these people and built their country. SL’s loss was S’pore’s gain.
There is no question English needs to be replaced. But we need to be practical and sensitive in dealing such issues. SL leaders were not so. Hastiness leads to wrong decisions and wrong actions. The classic case what SL was and is.
As for your understanding there were mere 5% of English speaking Tamils in SL. Were there any agitation over English being the official language in Tamil areas? Did Tamils learnt English to conduct there day to day activities before 1956? If Tamils were capable to run there lives with foreign language why this sudden rejection over a cousin language?
Tamils did not want English as the state language or the language to work with. What tamils were against was making ‘only’ Sinhala the official language. They have no problem with replacing English instead they wanted both Sinhala and tamil to be recognized as official languages.
As far as I know tamils in Jaffna were the first to call for independence of Ceylon. Unlike Sinhala, tamils were very much exposed to indian liberation struggle and they wanted to do the same in SL.
Before 1948 tamils and Sinhalese were conquered people they HAD to use English. In 48 BOTH were freed. And BOTH were citizens of the same country. When that country is forming a nation after independence that nation should represent BOTH that is the meaning of BOTH gaining independence. So when that nation decide on a national and official language BOTH parties have to agree with each other and linguistic traditions of BOTH should be respected.
Your question, if tamils can live with English why can’t with Sinhala is a stupid question. English is the language of conqueror they had to put up with anyway. After 48 sinhala and tamils are EQUAL partners not a conquer/conquered relationship like English/Tamil or English/Sinhala...Got it?
Before 1956 Tamils were required to learn English to get to higher job opportunities in the society, didn't Tamils were victimized by English? If Tamils were really onto a meaningful coexistence they should have cooperated with the Sinhalese governments. But they turned to violence from the day one. Do you reject that? Sinhalese were only reacting to what Tamils were doing.
Yes tamils were victimized by English, Sinhalese too were, that is why we fought and got independence in 48. Are you saying Tamils should play victim after 48 as well just switching English to sinhala?
Sinhala only was brought in 1956, violence started in 1972. Do you see that as ‘turning to violence from day 1’? If you are talking about ‘sathyagraha’ that is not violence. It is tragicomic when a person who lived through a civil war call sathyagraha as violent. Sathyagraha is a Ghandian method to win rights not using violence. It was the state which responded to sathyagrahas violently. Do you think tamils sitting in Galle face with boards to protest as violence? To you mad monks calling “we will destroy anybody who touch a monk” is peaceful while a man holding a board and protesting is violent.
Tamil leaders talked with Sinhala leaders several times and came to agreements. But none of them could be put into action because of racist lunatics like you today. Diplomacy and rationality are alien things to you.
Well before 1956 Tamils would have felt outsider too because there were no parity with English. But Tamils didn't turned to bloodshed. Did they? They welcomed the British. Where was the agitation? outsider feeling?
How did tamils welcome English? The first independence movement in Ceylon started in Jaffna. You don’t learn these things in school. You still do not realize tamil/Sinhala relationship is not the same as tamil/English relationship. Latter was of conqueror and conquered white Sinhala/tamil are equal partners. It is this equal part you fail to realize. Both tamils and Sinhala had the oppressed feeling it was just that they could do nothing about it but tried getting independence.
If Tamils used there language before 1956. They faced exams before 1956. They got jobs before 1956. Why would they worry about the 1960. The official language was to merely changed from English to Sinhalese.
Because idiot, a person who learnt and worked in English for all his life cannot switch to Sinhala. If anyone asked you to do your exams in Spanish and not in Sinhala/English how can you do that? You were trained in one language and you were asked to adopt a new language. You cannot simply do that.
And the other thing is if Sinhalese have the opportunity to work in their language after independence why tamils do not have the SAME privilege after independence. Did only Sinhalese get independence?
And it is not only work. Tamils got their birth, marriage, death and educational certificates in Sinhala a language they had no idea about.
If Tamils were really treated badly by English and then Sinhalese Tamil leaders should have made that protest in 1948. Did it happened?
Actually that is a point brought by tamils nowadays. Because Sinhala leaders and hollow Sinhala racists were not sane and realistic and that tamil leaders should have asked for separation from Suddhas like Pakistanis did. I guess tamil leaders did not think Sinhala leaders would be that bad.
And idiot tamil leaders like chelva to amirthalingam actually said that since 1956. That is why sathyagraha, protests started in SL by tamils. That is why banda-chelva pact, Dudley-chelva pact came into being. Sinhala leaders and tamil leaders always debated on that. Refer to shredder’s new thread about post-colonial SL. There is a pic of SL newspapers then with the heading ‘Settle the language issue now’. Only a person with zero knowledge on SL will say tamil leaders did nt show their objection towards Sinhala leaders.
Oh they feared. By what examples they feared that Sinhalese will conduct an ethnic cleansing? Did UNP tried to cleanse the Tamil ethnicity? There were nothing to fear. If they were afraid they should have protested against the British.
It does not matter whether there are anything to fear or not.
1. Minorities are naturally fearful of a majority. Because majority can dominate them and erase them.
2. Sinhala leaders imposed Sinhala on them. That is the first step in destroying their language tradition.
3. There were Sinhala settlements in what used to be tamil villages like in Gal oya scheme. So their fears were strengthened. They feared Sinhala are going to erase their identity. The very claim SL is the Sinhala Buddhist country makes that fears even more strengthened.
When Sinhala goons killed tamil protesters and tamil civilians in 58 to 83 no state police or state army or state intervened and stopped it. They took Sinhala goons’ side and did not even punish the wrong doers.
So when you have to learn others language to survive, to educate, get a job and you don’t get due protection as a citizen, what not to fear? Are you seriously saying tamils had nothing to fear?
BBS has not just sprung out from nowhere. There are reasons behind that. If you cannot see it. I can't help.
Yes LTTE has not just sprung out from nowhere. There are reasons behind that. Tamils say that and they are correct on that.
I see the reasons BBS came about. I am not a narrow minded person like you. But BBS reasons are not 100% fair given that we have a Sinhala Buddhist dominated government. If Sinhala Buddhists have genuine grievances there is a government to correct it. Are you saying 68+ years of Sinhala Buddhist government (including MR) has not served Sinhalese?
Before that was "Learn English or get lost". Was that better?
No that is why we fought and got independence. As I said before you don’t realize Sinhala-tamils are equal partners in SL govenance. English were an illegal participant, an invader whom we rightly kicked out.
Yeah India introduced the 16th amendment that banning any separatist acts.
Dravida Nadu - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Quote.
THE CONSTITUTION (AMENDMENT)
That is how India kept it's integrity.
In Sri Lanka this didn't happen.
JR brought the same thing. That is the 6th amendment in SL constitution. When india took actions to legally prohibit asking for or even talking about separatism they made sure genuine fears of tamils are well managed. Indian central government did not settle hindi speakers in TN, did not make only hindi the official language, devolved power to Tamil Nadu and did not impose Hindi on tamils. So tamils in india have no reason to fear hindi speakers. Legal provisions means nothing if realities are not managed.
Diplomacy works not force, especially in this century.
You cannot rule a population no matter how strong military you have. You need peoples’ support. Do you understand that Sri Lankan government HAS to win the hearts and minds of Tamil people?
Do Sinhalese only need to share what they posses. Won't Tamils do the same?
What is the only Sinhala thing that they have to share with tamils?
If you are trying to talk about land in South, Sinhala can buy land in north it is the Sinhala settlements and sinhalising that they object. The reason tamils live in Colombo is because Colombo is OUR (both Sinhalese and tamils’) capital. In any country capital is a multi-ethnic place. Actually tamils living in South is one reason separatists find it hard to carve out a eelam.
@
HeinzG,
I answered you in Elakiri. go and check and answer...