Protect Sri Lanka’s Foundational Buddhist Civilization, Sinhala language and National Identity

Contrary to what is erroneously being promoted the Sinhela race did not descend from banished King Vijaya of India. The discovery of the Balangoda man depicts a rich civilization going back 38000 years. Undoubtedly what distinguishes the Sinhala people is their Sinhala language – both people and language found nowhere else in the world except in Sri Lanka. Thus, they become a distinct community with a unique language, Sinhale culture and literature evolved and developed within Sri Lanka solidified further by Buddhism. It became the source and secret of unity through history which is why these key areas continue to be target for annihilation by Christian West and their local stooges. There are only 14.8million Sinhalese speaking Sinhale and thus both ethnic group and language must be protected. All other cultures and languages in Sri Lanka originated from other countries. It was the Sinhalese that built Sri Lanka’s civilization.

With close to 7000 languages the world over, Sinhalese is one of the world’s oldest living languages with a history over 2300 years with inscriptions in Brahmi script (linguistically diagnostic in Indo-Aryan Prakrit) dating from 600-500BC found in remnants of pottery in Anuradhapura. The Sinhala script has won international fame in 1909 for being one of the world’s most creative alphabets and is named one of the world’s 16 most current creative alphabets.

Etymology of Sri Lanka with King Ravana naming Lanka as the capital followed by Sinhalana (Pali) meaning ‘land of the lion people’, Ceilao given by Portuguese, Seilan, Helanka ‘Lanka of Helas’ ‘Heladiva’ – Island of Hela’s (natives), Serendip (derived from sihalan-dip – island of sihala’s/Helas), ‘Taproben’ to former Ceylon. Present ‘Sri’ comes from Sanskrit for ‘resplendent’ and Lanka ‘Island’.

Sealing the Sinhale language, culture and people has been the philosophy of Buddhism and its noble tenets. In ancient times the partnership of King-Bhikkus and Buddhist culture prevailed. Threats to Sinhela language came from South Indian Dravida invaders who not only destroyed places of learning and Buddhist establishments but attempted to also destroy the Sinhala writings by burning libraries of ‘ola’ palm-leaf manuscripts by setting fire to them.

The Catholic/Christian Portuguese, Dutch and British took over from the Dravidians again targeting the Sinhalese Buddhists and the Sinhalese language. Had conversions not taken place the Sinhalese would have been all Buddhists no different to how Muslims are identified with Islam (ethnicity and religion one and the same). The foreign invaders however created a new ethno-religious group of Christians/Catholics from both Sinhalese and Tamils.

Once Britain controlled the entire country they inflicted the greatest damage to Sinhala Buddhist cultural heritage and Sinhala language. English was introduced to undermine Sinhala language and culture through their infamous divide and rule policy. This meant special privileges (in education and employment) were given to Tamil minorities and the Sinhalese and Tamils who adopted Christian faith.

By 1870 the British ensured only 2 Buddhist schools prevailed in Sri Lanka (in Panadura and Dodanduwa) with close to 250 children. Children attending Christian schools numbered close to 80,000. Revenge against rebellions resulted in orders to destroy property belonging to Sinhala people, setting fire to their homes, gardens, killing cattle, and destroying their livelihood, reservoirs and irrigation works – spilled water resulting in thousands of deaths from malaria. The British then took over millions of acres of land leaving the Sinhalese landless/homeless. The idea was obviously to kill the Sinhala population by starving them while those involved in the rebellion were beheaded and David Cameroon thinks he can come to Sri Lanka and demand answers to human rights violations.

Britain has yet to account for 60,000 Sinhala deaths massacred by British troops in 1818 (leaders Veera Keppetipola, Veerapuran Appu and Veera Gongalegoda Banda). The Government of Sri Lanka cannot shy from bringing up these murders when Britain is borrowing figures given by Tiger remnants to quote during CHOGM.

Post-independence – Rule under Local English educated converted elite 

When Britain gave independence to Sri Lanka in 1948 the power was given not to the Sinhalese or Tamils but to English educated elite from both Sinhalese and Tamils – Majority were ready to continue British way of things sadly not interested to fight for and demand justice for the injustices of colonial rule. Thus Sinhala language received step motherly treatment by both government and urban elite. It was a result of the Catholic Action that formed the Buddhist revival through the Bauddha Jatika Balavagaya (BJB) by Mr. Mettananda exposing the mass media which led to the Buddhist Commission Report in 1956 relevant in the present context.

The Press Commission Report of 1964, by Justice K.D. de Silva, referred to the work of Catholic Action in the media and its control of leading newspapers in the country. Catholic Action was behind the failed Catholic Army Officers Coup in 1962 to overthrow the legitimately elected government of Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Catholic Action also meant it influenced the urban elite through attire, western norms, western values, mannerisms and behaviour etc in a slow transformation technique to denationalize the masses and to create religious and communal tension placing one community against the other pointing fingers against Buddhist ‘majoritarianism’.

Mass media dominated by non-Buddhists takes over to continue the denigration against the Buddhists. Emphasis on English and Western values while looking down upon own native culture, language has been part of an exercise meant to keep natives feeling inferior and thinking they do not measure up to the West unless they copy everything they say and do. We are yet to shirk ourselves from this mental brainwashing – need is to decolonize our minds. This has always made Sinhalese Buddhists feel small and adapt the wrong western cultures thinking those to be the fad leading to the present wave of loss of values morally abundantly clear in the Columbian elite way of living.

Sinhala Only – National Language 

Before critics jump to the conclusion that the attempt is to deny English, which has become a form of defence for the guilty, what is being outlined is the need to preserve, protect and promote Sinhala language alongside English given its distinct value as an indigenous language and national language. When Sinhala language is taken away as is seen craftily taking place a key component of the national identity is removed.

Yet, calls for justice soon became a political ploy leading to declaring Sinhala Only when the demand was to address the injustices suffered by Sinhalese and Buddhists. It resulted in unmerited resentment towards the Buddhists and led to political cunning by Tamil politicians to be prompted by British influence to place their demands. What never gets mentioned is Tamil was never a medium used in administration by British to feel aggrieved and what realistically annoyed Tamil elite politicians all of whom were from high class/caste was in reality the Prevention of Social Disability Act which meant low caste Tamils could also attend school, sit amongst other high castes and obtain education, that had been denied to them. These Tamil politicos went as far as to write to authorities in the UK and make their objections. It was this Act and not the Sinhala Only Act that generated mass protests amongst the Tamil elite and proper investigation of police records will show that riots were also first instigated by Tamils though they have become masters of erroneous propaganda.

Sinhalese MUST be spoken by ALL indigenous people born in Sri Lanka