Thank you for your welcome. I'm glad that you found my posts to be of some use, however I have to add that I'm not exactly an expert on those topics so pls take them with a pinch of salt, as I'm sure you will
As for the disconnect between The Srilankan Identity and the Lankan Tamil identity; well it is no secret that the overwhelming majority of lankan Tamils feel that way.To be honest id be hard pressed to find any who actually supports the government.
The reasons are quite lengthy but I will try to give a brief overview.
# The primary reason is the fact that we are treated as second class citizens by the government (which, needless to say is always Sinhalese dominated...the result of a failure to include any republican form of government (federalism etc etc)) even though we have been in the island at least as long as the majority ethnic group; the Sinhalese .
# The only "fault" of the lankan Tamils was to be the most economically and academically successful community in the island. A success brought by an ingrained respect for education and hard work
(for example, the first Asian Surgeon was a Lankan Tamil).
However, it did not take long for the politicians of newly independent Lanka to blame their inability to provide education and employment to the southern Sinhalese masses by using the time-honoured practice of "blame it on the other guy"..a tactic used throughout history by despots and tyrants of all shades. What happened/s in Lanka post 1948 is a version of what happened in Germany during the 1920s and 1930s. "They took yer jibs! thy took yer jibs!". It is always easy to demonize the "other".
It is important to note that we have always called for a fair and just democratic rule, with no favoritism shown.
# Discrimination, both overt and not so overt based on ethnic identity, reinforcing the notion that somehow we are not "real" srilankans, (for example, the constitution gives preference to Buddhism, a foreign religion whereas Hinduism which predated it, as well as other religions are afforded a secondary role)even though it was the Lankan Tamils(The vast majority being Hindus) who did most of the heavy lifting for gaining the independence of this nation from the British Raj.
# 60 years of anti Tamil pogroms, discriminatory laws and the resulting civil war got rid of any possibility that things would return to a sense of normality. As we see it, Lanka right now is in a far worse shape(for the Tamil minority) than it had ever been in the past.
I would consider myself a lankan if sweeping changes are made to the constitution, giving federal powers to states, and reducing the power wielded by the president. Without a federal model, the Tamils, who constitute the minority will always be given the short end of the stick. The current government, probably one of the most chauvinistic ever to come to power; is definitely not going to help.
Former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew once said:
"In terms of numbers, the Ceylonese, like the Eurasians, are among the smallest of our various communities. Yet in terms of achievements and contributions to the growth and development of the modern Singapore and Malaysia they have done more than warranted by their numbers. In the early days of Malaysia's and Singapore's history the civil service and the professions were manned by a good number of Ceylonese. Even today the Ceylonese community continues to play a prominent role in these and other fields of civil life. For example in Singapore, today, the Speaker of Parliament is a Ceylonese. So is our High Commissioner in Great Britain. So is our Foreign Minister. In the Judiciary, in the civil service, in the university, in the medical Service and in the professions they continue to make substantial contributions out of all proportion to their numbers. They are there not because they are members of a minority community but on the basis of merit. The point is that the Ceylonese are holding their own in open competition with communities far larger than them. They have asked for no special favour or consideration as a minority. What they have asked for and quite rightly is that they should be judged on their merits and that they be allowed to compete with all other citizens fairly and without discrimination. This, as far as the Singapore Government is concerned, is what is best for all of us. I believe that the future belongs to that society which acknowledges and rewards ability, drive and high performance without regard to race, language or religion."
(ps: by Ceylonese he meant Ceylonese Tamils)
Here are a couple of reports by the Ex Singaporean Premier Lee Kuan Yew about the Causes of the Lankan conflict, and the problems the Lankan Tamils have with the Government. Check them out if you like
Lee Kuan Yew`s perception about Tamil Ethnic problem in Sri Lanka. - Sri Lanka
His new book,
Citizen Singapore: How To Build A Nation - Conversations with Lee Kwan Yew’ by Prof Tom Plate has some more of his sage observations
transCurrents: Mahinda Rajapakse is a Sinhalese Extremist Says Lee Kwan Yew
Another interesting article which has a briefly covers the major events post 1948
The Jaffna Tamils
The Jaffna Tamils
feel free to ask me for any questions or clarifications you might have
