Stories of the Wind

Beware of the STV

A deadly virus, namely the Saints and Traitors’ Virus (STV), plagues Sri Lanka. The virus is contagious. The effects of the virus may take months to show. Contraction by this peculiar virus is a slow and long process. Apart from human carriers, the internet, TV channels, newspapers, and radio stations play significant roles in spreading the STV.

The STV carriers are called the Saints. All the Saints are self-proclaimed patriots of a particular cause or ideology. The Saint Battalions are plenty: you have the Sinhalese-Buddhist Saints, the Tamil-Hindu Saints, the Muslim Saints, the Saints of Karl Marx, the Saints of Blind Christianity, and a few other battalions whose names presently evade my mind. Some Saint Battalions hate each other so much that the mere sight of a perceived enemy will make the other group twitchy.

There are many common symptoms by which one can identify an STV vector. All saints have their own distorted versions of history, and they will stand by them no matter how flawed they maybe. For a saint, anything done by his group is correct: anything uttered by his group’s leaders is infallible truth. And it is the same when it comes to actions: everything committed by, or in the name of, the group is right; and proven past mistakes are, always, irrelevant.

The most visible STV symptom, though, is that a Saint would silence any neutral opinion by branding the source a ‘Traitor.’ ‘You are either with us or against us,’ is the most common argument that all the Saint groups unashamedly use to conceal their narrow-mindedness. Saints wouldn’t hesitate to pronounce audacious judgements such as ‘you have betrayed your ethnicity’, ‘you are traitor to our motherland’, and ‘your mother weeps because of your birth.’ They do it with ease.

The rapid spread of the STV would plunge the country into a place from which there will be no redemption.

The STV and Reconciliation

There are two sides to a national reconciliation process, namely the personal side and the systemic side. Both are essential. The personal side of the transformation process requires honest conversations between people of different backgrounds. Conversations about equality, justice, the past, the present, the different political ideologies that gave rise to the ethnic issue, and the solution are mandatory for attitude changes. Such changes, if properly used, will force much-needed systemic reforms. The STV is a harmful virus because it ruins open discussion.

Recently, I advocated the need to resolve the fundamental issues that gave rise to the Tamil struggle, in an online discussion. In response, I was told that — I quote here — ‘minorities refuse to accept that Sri Lanka is a Sinhalese Buddhist country which allows and respects other races and religions, but (only) to the extent that minorities are not trying to invade.’ This mentality is an obstacle for reconciliation, because reconciliation, by nature, demands equality. When I tried to reason with the person, who I am certain is someone who loves this country deeply, that claiming ethnic superiority is unhealthy and hinders national peace, I was immediately (by another chap who barged in) branded an LTTE sympathiser. This effectively ended a productive discussion.

There was another fairly heated discussion between a few of us Tamils about the LTTE. The group was already divided into two sides, and when someone brought the LTTE’s treatment of the northern Muslims it only served to increase the noise level. Two of my friends refused to admit that evicting the Muslims from the North was a blunder on the part of the LTTE and the larger Tamil population. The justification was that Muslims were betraying the Eelam cause. In other words, they were suggesting that Muslims are traitors.

This shows how deeply the STV has spread in our country. The government repeatedly uses the ‘traitor argument’ to justify its malice. The LTTE used the same argument to explain many of its killings. The virus has spread rapidly and the virus-infected, it would seem, are the new majority. Saints are everywhere and consequently reconciliation is nowhere.

The Remedy

When the gentleman who called me an LTTE sympathizer refused to deal with the concerns I raised, and kept calling me a ‘terrorist,’ I became annoyed. In fact, I wrote most of the ‘Beware of the STV’ notice as a response to that person. I told him that the only cure is to take his brain out and rinse it in clean water. I failed. I lost the plot. There are better ways of countering the STV than responding similarly.

It is best that we distinguish between two things here: strongly believing in something and blindly following something are two very different things. I suppose the distinction between believing and following boils down to whether we are using our reason or not.  We are all self-righteous in our own way and we all identify ourselves with a group: no one is a blank slate. And we are all biased, one way or the other. I see nothing wrong in believing or subscribing to an ideology — be it political, religious or social — and sticking by it. What is wrong is never putting our beliefs to test: failing to use our reason to critically evaluate the merits of an ideology. While the act of believing in itself is a good thing, there is no guarantee that what we believe is right. Thus, what makes a Saint is not believing in a particular cause, but assuming that the cause is faultless.  It is always possible that our beliefs are wrong, and our (and our group’s) actions unwarranted. That is why refusing to engage in discussion with an open mind, blindly swallowing the propaganda, shunning our conscience and branding others help no one. The willingness to listen to others, without making prior judgements, is a habit we all need to cultivate.

Providing good education is the best way to fight the STV. When I say good education, I mean giving people the means to think on their own. Good education also means teaching people the truth, that is getting the facts right. Telling our history honestly is vital for reconciliation: currently, the history syllabus local schools teach is Sinhalese-Buddhist propaganda. There is a need to de politicise the entire education system.

The country must treat independent thinkers as allies: for years such folks have fled the country for the fear of persecution. Many journalists have paid the ultimate prize for speaking the truth. When a country treats truth as the first enemy, there’s something terribly wrong with it. Independent media and thinkers have important roles in shaping the future.

Information should become more fluid. At the moment, the North and South exist in two parallel universes when it comes to the manner in which people perceive developments on the political landscape.  A consistent effort to bridge the information gap should make the country’s population more immune to the STV.

Finally, there is nothing better than having honest conversations. Make consistent effort to build friendships with people of other social groups and beliefs. Many of my Sinhalese friends came to my defence on the online forum; I was so glad that I have such friends. If you happen to know someone from a different group, talk to them about your concerns. I am certain that true friendships can survive disagreements. Never shy away from discussing: open discussions are inherently good.