| Sri Lankan Conflict : The Lexus and the Palmyra tree - Arvalan |
|
|
|
 "..No two countries that both had McDonald's had fought a war against each other since each got its McDonald's.." The Lexus and the Olive Tree is a book by Thomas Friedman that portrays that the world is currently undergoing two struggles: the drive for prosperity and development, symbolized by the Lexus, and the desire to retain identity and traditions, symbolized by the olive tree. Friedman says he came to this realization while eating a sushi box lunch on a Japanese bullet train after visiting a Toyota factory and reading an article about conflict in the Middle East.
Let me make a wild guess that thalaivar Prabakaraan has read The Lexus and the Olive Tree book as I could discern the influence of the book in his recent marveerar narl speech. He kicks off his speech by stating that “Many countries in our region have grown in leaps and bounds in social, economical and scientific fields”. He then laments the Sinhalese nation for “moving in exactly the opposite direction, on a path of destruction”. He accuses the Sinhalese nation for “trying to destroy the Tamil nation and, in the process, it is destroying itself. Thalaivar regrets and condoles with the Lexus oriented world for the beautiful island of Sri Lanka “continues to soak in blood”.
The origin of the conflict in Sri Lanka is discrimination (language, education and employment) and colonisation (of Sinhalese in Tamil areas). One would argue these original causes of the problem have been blown away with the globalisation of the world, as opportunities for education and employment is no longer restricted to a particular geographical location. Further in a competition driven world is chasing genuine talent and it does not give a hoot whether you are a Tamil or a Sinhalese. Migration of the population (formerly colonisation) is no longer driven by governments. They are determined by the population chasing prosperity. This movement of masses has gone beyond the national boundaries and has become an international phenomenon.
• Is that because Tamil nation will prosper economically and you have to line up for jobs at the border? • Is that because the Tamil national cricket team will become the best team in the world? Therefore, please reach a power sharing arrangement with your beloved (?) neighboring Tamil nation. As we the Tamil and Sinhalese nations reach this milestone to wipe out the scars from our “blood soaked island” we need to ask our benevolent international community to underwrite this agreement by assisting (direct and subsidize behind the scenes) the McDonalds corporation to open up outlets in each of the 25 districts in Sri Lanka. Why McDonalds? Because according to Thomas Friedman’s Golden Arches theory (the famous symbol of McDonald’s outlets) “No two countries that both had McDonald's had fought a war against each other since each got its McDonald'” There are exceptions to the theory. For example, the 1989 U.S. intervention in Panama and the NATO bombing of Serbia in early nineties. “In both cases the war ended quickly, because the population did not want to lose their place in a global system "symbolized by McDonald's" argues Friedman.
PS: The delegations from the Tamil and Sinhalese nations should hold their deliberations in McDonald’s outlets at Bangkok, Geneva, Oslo and of course Jaffna. References: |
It has been observed the current core issue relating to the Tamil ethnic crisis is power sharing. The (freedom) struggle against discrimination has been transformed in to a battle to secure the rights for power sharing (self determination). The Tamil and Sinhalese nations are not facing off each other to secure control of any scarce economic resources in the Tamil homeland (North East of the Island). Tamils are waging an armed struggle to a secure power sharing arrangement (either an independent sovereign state or federalism) whilst the Sinhalese are reluctant to reach a power sharing arrangement. Complicated? What complication? 
| < Previous | Next > |
|---|
