A Plea For Peace and Unity in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka sadly witnessed devastating terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday this year in hotels &

churches which killed over 250 people and injured over 500 individuals. As the country was

recovering from this tragedy, two weeks later racist individuals in response to the Easter Sunday

attacks terrorised Muslim communities in many towns across Western Sri Lanka which resulted in

homes, businesses & mosques damaged and one person murdered. The fact that the terrorists

behind the Easter Sunday attacks are Muslim has led to an emergence of racism against the Muslim

community which I believe is bad for the country. In this article, I’m making a plea for peace and

unity in Sri Lanka which is needed right now. 

It is common for individuals to boycott Muslim owned shops and businesses at the moment. I do not

agree with this action for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is falsely associating the actions of the

terrorists with the whole Muslim community. It is probably a minority of Muslims who support the

actions of the terrorists. This can alienate Sri Lankan Muslims from Sri Lankan society and result in

some Muslims becoming radicalised, thus being bad for national security. Secondly, it is being

disrespectful to both fellow Sri Lankans and Muslims. Thirdly, it is doing damage to the economy as

the employers and employees of those companies go through financial difficulty as a result of the

boycotts. In many cases, it is not only Muslims who are employed by these businesses. The families

of the employers & employees suffer as a result of this.

I think that boycoting Muslim owned businesses and shops as well as racism against Muslims is

playing into the hands of terrorists. This is the kind of behaviour that terrorists want. They want the

other communities to be hateful and do bad things to the Muslim community to further their deeply

deranged cause as a recruitment tactic. When it comes to the economic damage from the Easter

Sunday attacks, they are adding to the already prevalent economic issues facing the country.

Boycotting these businesses and shops causes even more economic damage to the country. I’m

sure that those who are involved in these boycotts would feel distressed, disappointed and

saddened by negative news of the economy. I plea with you not to cause more negative news to Sri

Lanka’s economy. The economic problems of these shops and businesses will likely further extend

to the country as a whole. It could make the already difficult cost of living issues get worse. No one

wants to hear of Sri Lanka experiencing negative economic growth. 

If you’re engaged in boycotts, think back to the kind of people these Muslim owners you previously

interacted with were like. Think logically about how they compare with extremists & terrorists based

on how they behaved and what they did. Recall the positive and good memories of them, e.g. if

there were acts of kindness, good quality of service, discounts they gave you etc. If you know of an

instance of them speaking against extremism and/or terrorism in their own community/religion, recall

those remarks and think about it. 

I was focusing mainly on shop and business boycotts, but I what I say does apply to the problem of

racism, terrorism, extremism and hatred in Sri Lanka right now. Work to make Sri Lanka the country

you want it to be. In the same way that negative actions by a group of people can disrupt society,

positive actions by a group of people can enrich society. Think of things you can do to make Sri

Lanka more safer, secure, united, tolerant among many other improvements needed for the country.

The Potential of Sri Lankan English Comics

Comic books are a popular form of entertainment throughout the world offering stories in a variety of

styles and genres. As a Sri Lankan who enjoys comic books, I would like to see Sri Lankan English

comics. Sri Lanka has had comics for some time, but there are only a few comics in English. Sri

Lankan English comics are slowly starting to emerge. In this article I am listing types of English

comics I’d like to see Sri Lanka produce.

Social Commentary

There could be social commentary on issues facing Sri Lanka. Examples of this include both the

good & bad of social media, the problems of crime, the cost of living problems, bribery & corruption,

issues of discrimination, the rule of law or the lack of it, the lack of road discipline among others.  

History

Stories of Sri Lankan history could be featured in graphic novel form. History could range from
prehistoric stories such as tales of Sri Lankan Kings to 20th century events such as the story of Sri

Lanka’s independence. There also could be fictional stories set in the past.

Politics

When it comes to political stories, one story I’d like to see is a political hero. It would be a story of a

minister who is one of the good politicians with integrity. This politician is not pleased with the

existing political culture Sri Lanka has and takes steps to improve it discreetly in order to protect his

or her job. This character would prevent corrupt persons comprising politicians, public servants,

business people or ordinary people from carrying out their plans. Another thing this hero would do is

expose corrupt politicians and public servants resulting in them getting out of office.

Humour

Sri Lankan comics offer potential for humorous stories showcasing Sri Lankan humour. A famous

brand of Sri Lankan jokes are Udurawana jokes. These jokes are about a Sri Lankan who doesn’t

know English very well. Udurawana jokes could be presented in comic strip form.   

Graphic Novel Adaptations

When it comes to graphic novels, there could be graphic novel adaptations of successful Sri Lankan

novels, including those which originated in Sinhalese, Tamil and English.

Superheroes

As superheroes are popular, I think Sri Lankan English comics have an opportunity to feature Sri

Lankan superheroes. I think villains superheroes could take on include the underworld and corrupt

politicians, businessmen & public servants.

As a sci-fi fan, I would love to see Sri Lankan sci-fi superheroes. Sci-Fi superheroes could be those

without superpowers who become superheroes with a tech-supersuit that does amazing things.
Another type of sci-fi superheroes are those who obtained superpowers via contact with technology or alien life forms. This goes into my next type of comic, that being sci-fi.

Sci-Fi

Sci-Fi is the type of comic I’d most like to see. Sci-Fi is perfect for comic form as it allows the

comic artists to draw creative and enjoyable imagery. Sci-Fi is at its best when it discusses the human condition. Sri Lankan sci-fi comics could discuss the human condition and of course Sri Lanka & its society.

There could be stories set in the future offering two possibilities which are:

• A dark future showing us where we as a country do not want to go to.

• An optimistic future showing us where we as a country wish to be. 

Another option is an alternate version of the present which could go in all sorts of different ways.

• An alternate universe Sri Lanka which is worse than our current setup. This would show us where we as a country do not want to go to.

• An alternate universe Sri Lanka which is better than our current setup. This would show us where we as a country wish to be. 

• An alternate universe Sri Lanka which is neither better nor worse but simply different.

Some Sri Lankan sci-fi stories which could be featured are aliens landing in Sri Lanka (It could be in

an open way or where only a small number of people get into contact with the aliens), a Sri Lankan

inventor inventing a new piece of technology and its implications for Sri Lanka (and possibly the

world), time travel stories which go to the past and/or future, a Sri Lankan or group of Sri Lankans

travelling into space set in the present or the future.

International Themes

There a number of international themes which could be featured. Some stories could deal with Sri

Lanka’s relationship with the outside world. An example of this is a story about a Sri Lankan

Ambassador to the United Nations. There also could be adventure stories with heroes based in Sri

Lanka who travel the world and also have adventures where their friends from overseas come to

visit them.

Many Sri Lankans have good knowledge of the world, so we can use our international knowledge to

write stories set in other countries. This would be examples of comics made in Sri Lanka appealing

to a global readership.

Export Product

When it comes to comics printed and/or published in Sri Lanka, they could be an export product that

generates revenue for the country. They would be read by Sri Lankans around the world as well as

people native to other countries.

Unity

English speaking comics would have an opportunity for unity. These would be Sri Lankan stories in

English showing Sri Lankan characters dealing with both common Sri Lankan and universal themes

enabling it to appeal to Sri Lankans of different ethnicities.

Final Thoughts

We can look to both American and European comics as influences. It’s worth noting that comics

could also have combinations of some of the different types I mentioned above. An example is the

Belgian comic The Adventures of Tintin. Tintin is an adventure comic that is also a comedy which

goes around the world. It has also delved into other genres throughout its course which include

mysteries, spy stories and sci-fi. I would like to see a Sri Lankan version of The Adventures of Tintin.

We should also create some comics that are unlike any comics created elsewhere in the world.

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on the potential of Sri Lankan English comics where I gave different

types of Sri Lankan English comics that can be created. I would enjoy hearing others give their

thoughts on Sri Lankan comics they’d like to see.

Opportunities for Sri Lanka in 2017 After Recent Disappointments

I’m writing this at the end of 2016 looking at Sri Lankan issues from a political angle. I’ll start by mentioning recent disappointments from my perspective that happened in the last 3 months of 2016. I don’t intend to go into detail discussing or explaining them in this article. These recent disappointments include the President’s controversial speech at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, the recent emergence of racial crimes & hatred, issues regarding the Government & Police’s response to these incidents, the Inspector General of Police being caught on a phone call implying he’s protecting someone under investigation, the possibility of increased fines for traffic violations cancelled due to a strike by private bus companies, a strike at the Hambantota port, the Navy Commander assaulting a journalist at that strike etc.

I think it is important that the Sri Lankan Government resolve the problems arising from these issues. This Government really needs to deliver in 2017 in light of these issues, and as more needs to be done based on what they were voted in for. On the positive side, there are some events set to take place in 2017 that could bring real benefits to Sri Lanka. Firstly, the Cabinet recently approved a yearly event National Integration and Reconciliation Week beginning from the 8th to the 14th of January 2017. This event will be promoting national integration among school children, creating sensitisation and awareness in the media in all three languages, encouraging the private sector to be involved in integration programs, north south dialogue & inter-village exchange programs and a competition to promote national integration.

As expected in January, Sri Lanka will lease Hambantota port to a Chinese firm raising about USD 1.12 billion which should help Sri Lanka pay off the USD 8 billion owed to China for the development projects under the previous regime. I hope that the Chinese firm will be able to make the Hambantota port profitable to bring more benefits than just the money. In June 2016, the Right to Information (RTI) Bill was passed in Parliament. The RTI Act will come into effect on Independence Day, 4th February 2017. It is from that day onward when citizens can file RTI requests, making the Government more open to its citizens.

The Sri Lankan Cabinet passed the Open Government Partnership (OGP) plan in October 2016. The OGP plan gives a 12-commitment national policy plan and sets up a steering committee to monitor its implementation headed by both the President and the Prime Minister. This national policy plan has a schedule until June 2018. Member countries of OGP, in endorsing the OGP Declaration, show a commitment to “foster a global culture of open government that empowers and delivers for citizens, and advances the ideals of open and participatory 21st century government.”

A promise of the 100 day program was a Code of Conduct for Parliamentarians, which still hasn’t been made law. There is some hope as the Code of Conduct was mentioned in the Sri Lankan media recently, and it was tabled and presented in Parliament on the 10th of December. This gives an indication that it will get passed in Parliament in the next 6 months, providing it gets enough votes. Sri Lanka is working on a new constitution right now and it’s possible that the new constitution will get completed or at least make real progress next year. The Megapolis project is in its early stages right now, and I hope to see much progress on it next year.  

So these are some of the opportunities for Sri Lanka based on events set to occur in 2017. I don’t have any idea how 2017 will play out for Sri Lanka, but if the Government is mostly successful in the opportunities I mentioned, as well as in other events, 2017 could be a good year for Sri Lanka, compared to 2016.