[lg policy] Sri Lanka:

Sun Feb 21 22:14:37 UTC 2016

Breaking The Language Barrier

*by** Easwaran Rutnam*
<http://www.thesundayleader.lk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/109.gif>Singing
of the National anthem in Tamil at the National Independence Day
celebrations this month went a long way in giving the Tamils a sense of
optimism towards government efforts in breaking the walls dividing some
Tamil and Sinhalese communities.

However, in the public sector the language barrier still remains and, if
not addressed soon, will continue to give the Tamils a feeling their rights
are still being suppressed.

The language issue was noted by some couples who had visited marriage
registrars to obtain pink forms for their marriage.

One marriage registrar in Colombo had told a couple that she has been
instructed to ensure the details in the forms are written in Sinhalese.

The couple had filled the relevant document in English to obtain the pink
form but the registrar had written the pink form in Sinhalese.

Another couple had to bring a translator with them to have the forms filled
in Sinhalese as they were not fluent in Sinhalese.

When the issue was raised with the Minister of National Dialog Mano
Ganeshan, he said that he will look into it as it is key that the public
can fill the forms in Tamil or Sinhalese.

“I will have my language commissioner loom into it,” he said.

Under the official languages policy, the fundamental law pertaining to the
languages in Sri Lanka is enshrined in Chapter IV of the Constitution of
the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (1978).

The provisions thereof have been amended by the 13th and 16th Amendments to
the Constitution respectively in 1987 and 1988. Moreover, Article 12 (2) of
Chapter III of the Constitution recognizes the right to language as a
fundamental right.

The Sinhala and Tamil languages are both Official and National Languages in
Sri Lanka while English is the link Language. Apart from the statutory
provisions for the implementation of the Official Languages Policy,
administrative provisions have been made in implementing the same.

“Provisions of Chapter IV of the 1978 Constitution provides for the use of
Sinhala and Tamil as the official languages of Sri Lanka. They also provide
for the rights of ordinary persons in any part of the country with regard
to the use of Sinhala, Tamil or English in communicating with officials of
the government and receiving responses thereto, and, for the rights of
persons to give information with regard to the commission of an offence to
a police or peace officer in any of the three languages.

“It is not only the lack of staff capable of working in the Tamil language
that had been the main cause of non implementation of the provisions of the
Constitution with respect to Language, but the indifference of many heads
of departments that had resulted in this situation, and consequently, Tamil
speaking persons (i.e. Tamils and Tamil-speaking Muslims) have been
encountering difficulties in their interaction with the State,” Chairman of
the Akhila Ilankai Tamil Mahasabha, Dr. K, Vigneswaran said.

Dr. Vigneswaran says he has even proposed to the committee accepting
proposals for a new constitution that a person must be entitled to give
information as regards any birth, death or marriage in any of the national
languages, and to receive the original certificate of such birth, death or
marriage in the language of record of the area together with a translation
thereof in any national language, or, in the official language of the
person’s choice if both official languages are languages of record of the
area, together with a translation thereof in any national language.

He also says that in order to facilitate better communication among the
ethnic groups and to promote national integration, Sinhala, Tamil and
English languages must be made compulsory subjects at the GCE (O/L)
examination.

Implementation of the official languages policy will help compliment what
has already been achieved by singing of the national anthem in Tamil at the
Independence Day anniversary.

Singing of the national anthem in Tamil earlier this month drew the praise
of the Tamil community and the international community as well.

Northern Province Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran visited the Naga Vihara
Temple in Jaffna the very next day to show support to the decision taken by
the government to sing the national anthem in Tamil.

Speaking to reporters at the Temple, Wigneswaran said that if the Sinhalese
people take one step forward and move towards the Tamils then the Tamils
will take ten steps forward towards the Sinhalese community.

“We are very happy that the national anthem was sung in Tamil yesterday,”
Wigneswaran said.

The Northern Province Chief Minister said that while singing the national
anthem was a small gesture, it went a long way.

The cabinet in 2010 had decided that the national anthem will remain only
in Sinhala and that the Tamil version will no longer be sung at any state
function.

However, the new government decided to lift the unofficial ban on the Tamil
version of the anthem as part of moves to reconcile the Tamil and Sinhala
communities.

http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2016/02/21/breaking-the-language-barrier/

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