Forget past and look to the future: Wildlife expert Subaraj

If people of Sri Lanka want to turn the country into a prosperous nation like Singapore, they should get together and accept all people as Sri Lankans rather than Sinhalese and Tamils, the Director and Founder of the Strix Wildlife Consultancy in Singapore, Rajathurai said.

He said that it was the lesson that Sri Lanka needed to learn from Singapore, where its founding Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew had ensured and stressed that there must be equality and racial harmony, which starts from schools.

Subaraj, who is a well-known tour guide in Singapore, said that although Sri Lanka was now a safe place for tourists, lots of the countries in the world were not convinced yet. “Therefore, the Government has to convince them and the best way to convey that is by showing that people are living in harmony and the economy also needs to be stabilised,” he said.

According to Rajathurai, Sri Lanka has huge potential in tourism as the country is blessed with many natural treasures. “The country has all the raw materials to capture the tourism market and we need to invest more in this sector,” he said.

Following are the excerpts of the interview:

Q: What is your experience living in a country which is multiracial and multi-religious?

A: In Singapore we do not feel that we are different. We feel that we are Singaporeans. I think this will prevail in my generation as well as in the next generation. There is no difference between different races because in Singapore every person has friends of different races. We grew up with our community but when we study and work we mix with people who belong to multiracial and multi-religious backgrounds. 

My best friends are from all races. Since Singapore is a multiracial country, it is always better to have friends from other communities. Singapore’s progress is achieved as no one is divided by colour, cast or creed and we are all together as a one nation.

The Chinese people, who account for 77% of the population, are the country’s majority but the minorities are not treated differently. Two or three generations ago it might be different but today everybody is equal. This is what our founding Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew ensured and he stressed that there must be equality and racial harmony, which starts from schools. 

You can never have a perfect society and there will be some small elements but in Singapore it is far better compared to other countries. Here, you do not see any such organised elements. There may be individual cases where a person treats others differently but the majority is not so as we all think as Singaporeans and we are all equal.

I think Singapore, where people with different skin colours are living together in harmony, is a unique model for Sri Lanka, where the two main ethnic groups – Sinhalese and Tamils – have the same dark skin.

Q: What are your views on the commitment of the Singaporean Government to maintain racial and religious harmony?

A: The Government had realised the importance of rising as one nation when Singapore was quite a young nation, which suffered during the Japanese occupation, and again under communist rule. People also wanted the Government to minimise corruption and for there to be zero unrest for the country to succeed. We citizens of Singapore get along with all the communities and no one community gets special privileges. 

Many countries grant special privileges to their majority. For example Malays in Malaysia are special compared to other communities but in Singapore no one is special. Japanese nationals live in some of the housing schemes but we do not have any grudges against them, although Singaporeans have suffered under them a few decades ago. We both work together and it is the only way forward for success.

Q: You said former Prime Minister Lee laid down plans for racial and religious harmony?

A: Yes, PM Lee drafted the best plan for Singapore by mixing all the best components from all concepts. He took the best of socialism and capitalism, added what was best for Singapore and created Singapore. He drove Singapore to become one of the best and smartest nations in Asia. 

The Singapore Government runs like a corporation, where the CEO is the Prime Minister and the Cabinet is the Board of Directors. We all work hard in this corporation and if the company has profits, it is shared among the people. Everybody gets a little bonus or a package and they are happy. This is the success story of Singapore.

Q: As a member of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora, how do you see Sri Lanka’s situation?

A: Sri Lanka a long time ago in the mid-’50s was ahead of everybody, even India. Still Sri Lanka has the potential to go back to its early days. Although Sri Lanka had a 30-year-long war, it remained as a popular tourist destination and most of them visited the south of Sri Lanka to enjoy beaches and national parks. 

What surprised me was that just two years after the Government opened the A9 road to Jaffna, busloads of local and foreign including Singaporean tourists started visiting Jaffna and other parts of the north and the east.

Q: You are involved with the tourism industry. What do you have to say about Sri Lanka’s potential in tourism?

A: Sri Lanka has a huge potential in tourism as the country is blessed with many natural treasures. The country has all the raw materials to capture the tourism market and needs to invest more in this sector. I know many people want to invest in Sri Lanka and the Government shouldn’t lose this opportunity. Sri Lanka has so many natural resources and treasures to showcase to the world to capture the market to attract more tourists. 

But this will not happen unless the country’s situation is stable and safe. Nobody wants to invest or visit a country which is unstable and safe. Once Sri Lanka achieves these, it will be a popular destination for investments and also for tourists.

If the people of Sri Lanka want to turn the country into a prosperous nation like Singapore, they should get together and accept all people as Sri Lankans rather than as Sinhalese and Tamils. This is the lesson that Sri Lanka needs to learn.

Q: Sri Lanka, after ending the 30-year-long war, is in the process of reconciling all communities. What are your views about the reconciliation process?

A: What I see is that a majority of people in the country live peacefully and they do not want a war. Only certain groups were involved in the war. At this juncture, I think the Government needs to find what is good for its people and how those will work to bring people together. Reconciliation should be for everyone and everybody should think as one people under Sri Lanka’s flag.

You can have your own race and religion but most importantly you need to think that you all are Sri Lankans. Once you are able to establish that and not see a difference in the north and the south, reconciliation will take place automatically. If there is separate treatment and different ways of running the north and south, then there will always be underlying tensions, which is not good for the country, economy and the people. A large number of innocent people suffered in the 30-year-long war.

I think it is now time for peace and reconciliation. After all, a very large percentage of Sri Lankans are Buddhists and Hindus. It is not religion, race or living with bitter feelings but maintaining peace and harmony which will bring all communities together to make the country a better place to live. 

Q: Being a wildlife expert and tour operator, do you promote Sri Lanka as a tourist destination among Singaporeans?

A: Yes, my wife Sharmila and I promote Sri Lanka in all our trips because Sri Lanka’s infrastructure is good, hotels are superb, facilities for wildlife fans are good, and the national parks are great as they are all connected and one can see many elephants and leopards unlike many other places. Sri Lanka has some of the top experts in wildlife in the world. Sri Lanka is surrounded with beautiful beaches and tourists have the opportunity to enjoy land and sea in this island nation.

Although Sri Lanka is now a safe place for tourists, lots of the countries in the world are not convinced yet. Therefore, the Government has to convince them and the best way to convey that is by showing that people are living in harmony and the economy also needs to be stabilised.

When we do trips to promote tourism in other countries, those lands are huge but within two weeks we can cover the entire island in Sri Lanka, including beaches, mountains, wildlife and national parks. Sri Lanka had facilities for watching television before India and opportunities for development were wasted. Now the country has got the second chance to rise again, let’s not waste this opportunity.

Q: What do you propose to make use of this opportunity?

A: It is to forget the past. What happened or what was done in the past has already happened. Don’t waste time or dwell over a scorebook, look at the future and the opportunities.  

It is good that Sri Lanka has started lots of repairing and reconstruction work. What is needed is healing the wounds. I think suspicion is still there in the minds of people who belong to different ethnic groups. People need to begin to trust each other and reconciliation happens when all the people are happy with each other. 

The Government also needs to do things with sincerity. Sri Lankans need to be proud of what the country has achieved so far and do more for the country collectively.