Ethno-nationalism to raise its ugly head again?

Perhaps it’s true that the clergy cannot be challenged on moral grounds. But as far as reconciliation is concerned, everybody should be on the same page

Sri Lanka doesn’t seem to have taken certain lessons from the past. There was an ugly era that allowed ethno-nationalism to thrive, causing communal tensions and divisions in various parts of the country. There were Buddhist monks who threatened minority communities and politicians who convinced these communities to vote for Sinhala-Buddhist leaders by instilling a fear psychosis. In the North of the country, ethno-nationalism is an issue that people encounter on a daily basis, making them vulnerable to land conflicts and various other threats. 

The recent incident in Trincomalee speaks volumes about how a nation could be triggered and divided in a matter of seconds. On November 16, the Coast Conservation Department had been planning to take action against an unauthorised building near the Sri Sambuddha Jayanthi Viharaya in Trincomalee. Subsequently,  the Police had stepped in to remove the Buddha statue placed on the disputed site. Thereafter the monks and people have protested against it, claiming that they were restoring a building for the Dhamma school. 

Speaking in Parliament, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said that the Buddha statue was removed due to possible vandalism. Following the protest, two monks were hospitalised. A statement issued by Sri Lanka Police explained the reasons for removing the Buddha statue. It states that since the area concerned represents all communities, if any individual had intentionally damaged the Buddha statue, it could have seriously threatened peace and coexistence in the region. Therefore, the statue was safely removed from the site and handed over to the Trincomalee Harbour Police for safekeeping, according to the statement. But, once the tensions subsided,  the Police had returned the Buddha statue back to the disputed site. They deny any claims about assaulting the clergy or public. 

The government has now launched a probe to find out whether the Police acted wrongfully during this incident. The government also maintains that nobody would be allowed to exploit the incident for political gain.

But the irony of the situation is that such incidents could easily be exploited. Already an infamous monk visited Trincomalee and made certain comments, indicating the power of the saffron robe. He said that the authority of the Buddhist clergy shouldn’t be challenged. He called upon the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) requesting them to reflect on whether it was Buddhist archaeology or the TNA that came to the country first. He insisted that the role and involvement of the Buddhist clergy cannot be challenged by any entity. 

Perhaps it’s true that the clergy cannot be challenged on moral grounds. But as far as reconciliation is concerned, everybody should be on the same page. This is not the first time that the people were divided on religious issues. Drawing examples from Digana and Mawanella riots to tensions in Dharga Town, all these incidents speak volumes about how religious sentiments and racist ideologies could fuel communal divisions. Nobody knows the motive behind these attacks. But one set of people were asked to teach Muslim minorities ‘a good lesson’ and that led to a major attack, which began from the vandalising of Buddha statues. The masterminds who instigated the attacks may have received their share of the contract, but the people who were being used to expedite the attacks didn’t get anything in return. To date, many of them do not know why they were asked to attack Muslim civilians in these towns. 

For many years, communities in the North and East have experienced land conflicts,  especially in the post-war situation. Research studies indicate that the process of reclaiming and renaming land includes establishing Buddha statues on lands that historically belong to minority communities, often resulting in the land being designated as “sacred areas” or “Buddhist sites”. These actions have led to the marginalisation of minority communities, particularly Tamils, who are often denied access to their traditional lands for worship, cultivation, resettlement, cattle grazing or other uses.

As far as reconciliation is concerned, ethno-nationalist ideologies set a dangerous precedent. If Sri Lanka needs to achieve prosperity as a united country, ethno-nationalism should never be encouraged,  and in fact should be completely wiped out.

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