Rubik’s Cube: Equal rights to each individual, not to each ethnic group

By Thomas Johnpulle

(June 06, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Genuine confusion or deliberate disorder, there is still puzzlement about the recipient of equal rights. All the democratic countries in the world afford equal rights to each individual, not to each ethnic community. The large and noisy Tamil community in the UK does not demand equal rights to their community! Even if they do, they will never ever get it. UK is a good example of giving equal rights to every citizen irrespective of race, origin or religion. Sri Lanka has heaps to learn from the UK in ensuring equal rights to every Sri Lankan whether he/she is a Sinhalese or a Tamil. That’s not all; there is another British lesson – never give equal rights to ethnic communities since equal rights are for individuals and not for communities.

If the problems in Sri Lanka stem from unequal rights or the absence of equal rights, it can be easily resolved by implementing equal rights to every citizen. But if it is about unequal rights, then it will never be resolved. Weird it may sound, but it is a genuine concern. It has an ugly, dejected history, and possibly a future too.

In 1931 the learned Tamil lawyer and politician GG Ponnambalam made lengthy representations at the Donoughmore Commission that the Tamil speaking community and the Sinhala speaking community must be given equal rights. This infamous demand is popularly known as the 50:50 demand. The Donoughmore Commission rejected it with disgust calling it a “mockery of democracy”. Look carefully at the demand. It is not about equal rights to citizens. It is about equal rights to two groups vastly unequal. While the Sinhala speakers were about 75% of the population, Tamil speakers were only 25%. Sinhala speakers were three (3) times the number of Tamil speakers. How can these two unequal groups get equal rights? If for some insane reason the two groups were given equal rights, each individual of those groups would get different rights! A Sinhala speaker would only have a third of the rights of a Tamil speaker! This goes directly against the concept of equal rights to every person.

Although the demand was rejected and disappeared from the scene, it didn’t die. It found a different breeding ground which was the Tamil Eelam movement. Have a look at the Tamil Eelam demand in the light of the 50:50 demand. Aren’t they one and the same? If, hypothetically, Tamil Eelam was created, that would have given the North-East Tamil community (as a whole) equal rights as the Sri Lankan community. Carefully note that this is not equal rights to individuals because it is about equal rights to two different communities. This is why it was rejected by the Tamil speakers of Sri Lanka. Muslims, upcountry Tamils, Colombo Chettis and other South Indian minorities were branded together as “Tamil speakers” in 1931 despite their protests and since then they have dropped out. The Tamil Eelam struggle was only created by a section of the North-East Tamil community only. Even they have rejected it now as it became clear that what matters is equal rights within one country and not equal rights for ethnic communities.

Equal rights for communities, not individuals, has a very nasty effect on the Tamil community. When the community, not the individual, is the recipient of equal rights, it is up to the community leaders to distribute the rights to individuals. They then manipulate these rights based on what they have in mind. There were vicious caste intolerances within the Tamil community and still are. This meant the ruling “elites” wanted all the rights to them and then they could distribute those rights according to their discretion. This was the real motive behind the 50:50 demand.

This concept of equal rights to the ethnic communities, not individuals, is so lucrative that many took it up after 1931. That’s not all, if rights were bundled together and given based on racial community, the leaders are the ones who get those rights. How lucrative it is to become the sole leader or sole representative in such a situation! This is why LTTE and other Tamil communal-minded groups killed each other to become the “sole representative”.

It doesn’t end here. Look at all those who died for the Tamil Eelam ‘national’ struggle. Most of them were poor, low caste Tamils. The few leaders, the agitators in the Tamil Diaspora for Tamil Eelam and most politicians demanding Tamil Eelam are high caste Tamils! If the low caste Tamils got equal and enforceable rights, there won’t be anyone dying for the Tamil Eelam struggle. Tamil race-based political parties and the LTTE did everything they could to rob equal individual rights afforded in the Sri Lankan Constitution to Tamil citizens and bundle all the rights in their leadership. Today they are panicking in fear of every man and woman getting equal rights irrespective of race or caste.

This is the Rubik’s Cube puzzle the government has to solve. Grant equal rights and responsibilities to every individual, not to ethnic groups, political parties, regions or any other group.

Granting enforceable equal rights to everyone is not good enough. It must be seen as such by the international community. If unlawful acts happen affecting the minorities with little or no redress from law enforcement institutions, that is going to tarnish the image of equal rights. The solution is to introduce stricter laws against treason, separatism, abetting sectarian violence and terrorism and take only action within the legal framework. Harsher laws against treason and separatism though attract criticism, are much better devices than brute force.

-Sri Lanka Guardian