Read over 2,600 times and generating nearly 150 comments to date (well over 30,000 words), The ‘Sinhala-Nationalist’s Burden’ by Kalana Senaratne critiques Gomin Dayasiri’s idea of and primacy given to Sinhala nationalism. Kalana avers that,
“Approaching the Tamil people with a self-made list of grievances is the wrong place and the wrong way to start going about this business of resolving problems affecting the people of the Tamil community. And in particular, such noble deeds cannot be done with a ‘nationalist’ attitude that reflects the tone and tenor of Mr. Dayasiri’s article. Let us not forget the seriousness of the problems involved and seriousness of the response needed to resolve those problems. This response cannot be one that is imposed or even seen to be imposed upon the Tamil people.”
Read over 5,000 times to date and generating over 40 comments to date, PRABAKARAN MUST BE LAUGHING by Seethi Ironi is a succinct contribution that pulls no punches when it questions the violent, corrupt and wholly undemocratic rule of the Rajapase regime, which the author points out is tragically akin to the erstwhile diktat of Prabhakaran. As the author notes,
“If Rajapaksa manages to get a two-thirds majority in parliament by using intimidation and fraud, he will eliminate the last remnants of democracy in Sri Lanka. Prabakaran’s fascist politics would have triumphed not just in the North and East, but in the whole country. That, of course, would be a disaster for all Sri Lankans including Tamils, but when did Prabakaran ever care about the welfare of Tamils? He must be laughing!”
Read over 1,800 times and generating over 60 comments to date (over 10,000 words), Living Secular in the ‘Sinhala Buddhist Republic’ of Sri Lanka by Nalaka Gunawardene is a personal take on how Sri Lanka is no longer a secular country. As Nalaka notes,
“I don’t see how and why a citizen’s religious affiliation – or its complete absence – should matter in the least when dispensing vaccines or justice in the modern world. Isn’t this question itself a residual habit from colonial times that no longer serves any purpose? Actually, I find it worse than redundant; it’s plain insulting.”
Read over 1,200 times, The Buddha Sasana: Sri Lanka’s biggest NGO? by Malinda Seneviratne was only published unedited on Groundviews, a site anchored to the NGO sector the author dismisses carte blanche as a sham and moreover, anti-Buddhist. Perhaps the more useful thrust of the article is an interesting critique of the partisan nature of the Buddha Sasana. As the author notes,
“The Buddha Sasana is an enormous and unique resource. And given its dimensions, we must acknowledge that in the wrong hands it can cause harm to society. As a Buddhist and therefore a member of the Sasana, I humbly call upon the Most Venerable Mahanayaka Theros to consider a Dharma Sangayana. It is long overdue. If this is not done, let there be no doubt, the Sasana will become a pawn of the NGO gang, which is clearly anti-Buddhist. Let the Most Venerable Mahanayaka Theros take note.”
Videos
Watched over 2,000 times to date, Groundviews features an interview with well-known author and publisher Ameena Hussein.
Watched over 1,300 times to date, Groundviews also features an interview with Prof. Kumar David, an electrical engineer by training and regular political columnist in traditional print media. The interview touches on what’s left of leftist politics in Sri Lanka and the end of war and its impact on Tamil diaspora juxtaposed against autocratic, one-party rule in Sri Lanka.
Creative writing
…for The Missing by Gypsy Bohemia reminds us of what renown Sri Lankan author Carl Muller said of Colombo, one of his novels. “This is, like The Jam Fruit Tree, a work of faction…more fact than fiction, if you please, but that will always remain, I suppose, a matter of personal interpretation.”
…for The Missing was written with journalist and cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda, who was abducted on 24th January and now feared dead.
Other key articles
Citizen’s Commission: Expulsion of the Northern Muslims by the LTTE in October 1990 by Dr. Devanesan Nesiah.
Parliamentary Elections 2010: Living through a kleptocracy and not wanting an alternative by Kusal Perera.
Do candidates need armed security to ask for people’s votes? by Kusal Perera.
THE DEEPEST DIVISION IN SRI LANKA by Rohini Hensman.
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Groundviews – http://www.groundviews.org – Sri Lanka’s first and international award-winning citizens journalism website uses a range of genres and media to highlight alternative perspectives on governance, human rights, the arts and literature, peacebuilding and other issues. The site has won two international awards for the quality of its journalism, including the prestigious Manthan Award South Asia in 2009. The grand jury’s evaluation of the site noted, “What no media dares to report, Groundviews publicly exposes. It’s a new age media for a new Sri Lanka… Free media at it’s very best!”
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