Burghers & Racism -1

Wing Commander E H OHLMÜS, (SLAF Retd.)
42A, Kospattadeniya Road, Hendala, Wattala, Sri Lanka
Telephone : 2931776 Email: ohlmus@sltnet.lk


8th October 2007


The Editor
Daily News
Lake House
Colombo

Dear Sir

The Burghers and Racism

I refer to Ms Linda Van Shagan’s letter of 5th October . Her view that Burghers who fight between themselves and who insult those with darker complexions with derogatory ‘labellings’ indulge in a form of racism which every decent , right thinking Burgher will condemn in the strongest possible way. I am certain that many , not only among the Burghers but also among our friends in other communities may not be aware of two other possible (and lesser known) reasons for these insults and derogatory labellings. These are, firstly, that inspite of one’s ‘published’ genealogy one secretly envies the “Black Burgher” who may possess such qualities of refinement, good manners, honesty and diligence, which one oneself lacks or is inadequate in; and secondly,one has or may not have realised that it is a complex and an inadequacy attributable in some way to angst as a result of one’s own social or family background and reputation. One wonders if the above have anything to do with the requirement to produce the birth certificate to become a member of an organisation,. There are in Burgher families today a sense of disappointment that a second class category of Burgher had been created by this organisation and hence their rejection of offers to join as members.

Linda rightly mentions that every person has a genealogy, a heritage, a family tree.
It is not exclusive to Dutch Burghers. In her research she has observed that in the good old days genealogies were compiled ( and importantly, authenticated ) by experts, unlike in recent times when genealogies were put together by families themselves. It is also a fact that there are self-styled genealogists, who operate through the internet for a fee, often with no authentication from official records kept in the Churches or in the archives dating from the period of the Dutch East India Company .
The Burghers have made and are making a beneficial and rich contribution to the national life of this Country . They found leading positions in the professions , business and State institutions. Most significantly they have looked beyond ethnicity thereby enjoying the respect, admiration and goodwill of the other communities, yet sadly are unable to get along within their own community as pointed out by Lindawho rightly opines that “we ought to call ourselves Sri Lankans and not refer to the different races.” The late Hon Lakshman Kadirgamar, PC and former Foreign Minister , said in 1996,that “ literally in every walk of life, the Burghers made an outstanding contribution and in doing so showed that our national life could be enriched, and that there is a contribution to be made by all citizens of our diverse society if only they look beyond the narrow constraints of ethnicity.” Mr Kadirgamars’s vision was eloquentlyput in these words: “ To bring about the day when all communities in this lovely island of ours can ‘ leap to a single bugle and march to a single drum.”



Yours sincerely



E .H . OHLMUS