6 Friday 28th April, 2006 Gokarella drivers Who would take note of neglected Karaitivu! pay Rs. 1.7 million as fines in 2005 From our Gokarella Corr. Cases have been filed against “A special police team has Drivers in Gokarella paid Rs. the offenders at the Kurunegala been deployed for road inspec- 1,754,663 as fines in 2005 for traf- Magistrate’s court. tion. The main cause of the road fic offences, according to Driving without a licence, accidents is the careless driving. Gokarella Police. 11,093 drivers driving under the influence of Stern action will be taken had been apprehended for violat- liquor, driving exceeding the against the drivers who violate ing traffic rules during last year, speed limits and violating road traffic rules”. Inspector D. A. C. Police said. rules were the offences against R. Dharmasiri, O.I.C. of the traf- them. fic branch told “The Island”. Work for a new ‘Identify common programmes What remained of the Karaitivu school play ground and buildings after the tsunami still remains as it was 16 months ago when era, Mangala the tidal wave hit Karaitivu in the Eastern Province. Despite numerous relief efforts, as the picture depicts, little has come in the to benefit the working class’ form of relief to there areas, which, for some strange reason, have not been noticed by aid agencies, both local and foreign. (Pic tells Matara by Deraniyagala Corr.) councillors Nanuoya Corresspondent providing correct leadership to the workers without any ulteri- The Minister of Ports “May Day is the day of the or motives, false promises or and Aviation, Mangala workers. It is the day on which misguides. Samaraweera said at we became free from fetters. While out union has always Matara Urban Council that Hence as independent and free strived to settle labour disputes the mayor and the members people the workers get together amicably through discussions must work for a new era in on this day and discuss various and consultation with the estate the Matara District. issues affecting them. Let us company authorities concerned. The minister said so identify common programmes It is a matter of regret that the addressing a meeting that of work which will be of benefit workers of the private Estates followed the assuming of to the entire workforce, and let are being suppressed and duties of mayor of Matara us resolve to implement them as oppressed and denied basic Municipal held at the far as possible, during the ensu- needs. The owners of the pri- Municipal Council audi- ing year commencing from the vate sector continue to act in torim. May Day, states S. Sathasivam contravention and violation of Continuing he said that former Member of Parliament the rights of the workers in already many development and the General Secretary of their private estates. To remedy activities had been Ceylon Workers’ Alliance in his the situation and protect such launched to convert Matara May day message. workers, we are of the view that into a fully fledged town in In his May Day message, he stern steps should be adopted the south. further stated:- against those of the private “Arrangement are under- ‘Issues affecting the entire Estates owners, who do not way to widen the workforce as well as those strictly and fully complied with Mahanama bridge soon. affecting individual workers, the prevailing labour laws and Eight million dollars have groups of workers or other regulations. been recommended for the workers appear to arise within Although the estate workers development of the Matara the premises of workplaces both state and private performs Some of those displaced by the tsunami still being sheltered in a government school in Karaitvu, more than well over 16 months General Hospital. Funds of from among the workers them- identical work the workers in after the disaster. Some women resting and partaking of meals in the camp. (Pic Deraniyagala Corr) the French government will selves. As the economy of Sri the private-owned estates be received for the setting lanka is based on the toil and receive a lesser salary than his up of a cultural centre,” he labour of the workers, it is of counterpart in the Company Land reserved for Elders’ Home said. extreme importance that the and SLSPC and JEDB Estates. “The assistance and co- basic needs and requirements Our union has made representa- Kalutara — A land of one acre Dodangoda Chandana Rodrigo. that only a part of the land had operaton of the mayor and be given due priority. tions to the Labour Department and thirty perches has been set Land has been acquired from been acquired to construct build- the members are essential On this historic occasion, it is on this anomalous situation and apart to construct a home for the “The latern” estate, a property of ings for the home for the aged. to make it a success. The with deep humility we affirm as on this occasion too we like to aged in Dodangoda divisional sec- the government. A private person The buildings will be con- mayor and the members a workers representative body, highlight the unsettled issues. retariat division at the request of has acquired the land and utilized structed with no allocation of should be dedicated in the that we are forging ahead with a On this day the best tribute that several aged persons. it for cultivation of food crops money from the government but true sense of the work for correct perspective of our real can be paid to them is the paving This was revealed by successfully. from the philanthropists of the this purpose,” he added. obligations as a trade union in a way for bright tomorrow. Divisional Secretary of The divisional secretary said area. (Continued from yesterday) Muller’s Indo-Aryan thesis. Debate on “Who are the Sihalas” and other topics by Prof. K. N. O. Dharmadasa Invasive Historical Writings Boldness The author refers to several “invasive” Dharmadasa is bold enough to assert writings of history by Tamils among that there was a Sinhala consciousness if which he refers to the Memorandum sent not from the beginning of the Sinhala to Governor by the Federal Communities domination of the island but at least from Progressive Association of Jaffna claim- the time Buddhism was introduced. ing that Tamils were the original settlers Buddhism and Sinhala consciousness in the island and that Sinhalas had went hand in hand. Dutthagamani’s iden- Nation consciousness - III acknowledged that they originated from tification of religion (Buddha Sasana) as Tamils. The evidence used was the placing the prime motive of his war against the Nationalism, Rowely, Mass, Newbury Quoting Arasaratnam Dharmadasa of signatures in Tamil by (several) Tamils is symbolic of this bond. It is the House, 1972-See Dharmadasa). points out that Tamils leaders were Kandyan chieftains on the 1815 Kandyan same idea that the chronicler had intro- Dharmadasa’s evidence which points opposed to territorial representation; and Convention with the British. Sachi duced to the mind of Parakramabahu I. to the presence of a Sinhala conscious- that their position declined from a ratio of Ponnambalam 1983 publication: “Sri Many other rulers gave expression to this ness from the early beginnings, however, 1 to 2, to one of 1 to 5 as a result of Lanka: National Conflict and The Tamil bond between the polity and religion by does not point to a dominance by the Donoughmore reforms. Liberation Struggle” was another which offering the sovereignty tot he Sangha group over other social groups, or as claimed that Tamils were the original set- many times. Later, the idea that a ruler Gunawardana does, a dominance of the Historical Writings based on Tamil tlers on the island, and later they were fed was, in fact, a Bodhisattva, was intro- royalty (later joined by the elite) to the Nationalism by Pandya, Cola and Chera invaders and duced. exclusion of other classes, notably, the This is the more important part in the Sinhalas who usurped the throne! He He also points out that anti-Tamil sen- service castes, for well over a period of 18 Dharmadasa’s observations. Quoting twisted the names of Sinhala kings like timents are found in Pujavaliya (13th cen- centuries. Such stagnation of the society Dagmar Hellman Rajanayagam, Devanampiya Tissa to ‘Tissan’ Sena — tury), and became pronounced in the even in the matter of basic issues like Dharmadasa points out how Mudliyar Guttika, the horse dealers to “Sennan and Kandyan period, but for the earlier period, identity seems too artificial. In the debate Rasanayagam worked on a “History of Kudikkan” and Elara to “Ellalan.” He says except for responding to Gunawardana’s between Gunawardana and Dharmadasa, Jaffna” for several years and how he pre- that Sihala language and writing originat- interpretations on the absence of Sihala one can recognize what Stuart Hall called sented it at the Royal Asiatic Society in ed from Pali which was the language of consciousness among the population, he theoretical oppositions, “each trying to 1922 before it was published in 1926. Buddhism and resulted in a division of does not point to any anti-Tamil senti- supplement the weakness of the opposing Rajanayagam observed that Mudliyar the country’s language which was Tamil. ments under the Anuradhapura or even paradigm by stretching the so called ‘neg- Rasanayagam’s objective was to use the The main thrust is to show that the the Polonnaruva polity. He misses to see lected elements’, in this case, “history” as a vehicle to draw attention of Sihalas derived from Tamils. any significance in the developments Gunawardana going against the tradition the British authorities to the “rights” of around the 6th century when the Sad based concepts with too little valid evi- the Tamil people.