Independent Of What?
By Faraz Shauketaly
62 years ago, we gained our independence from the British and we have been through some tumultuous times. For 30 of those last 62 years, incredibly, we have been at war of the home grown variety. Is that a telling tale of governance and mismanagement of a veritable nationwide and all-encompassing apathy?
Certainly Independence has seen us being rid of the shackles of colonial domination and the consequent subservience. Independence has led us to being Captain of our own ship, master of our own destiny and all those lofty ideals that encompass that.
In real terms though, what has being independent meant for our country? We have been freed from the shackles of colonial domination: we have been free to choose how, when and where we develop. Yet, with this freedom and after 62 years is it not overdue that we take stock with unparalleled impartiality and forthrightness to examine our progress over the past six decades.
At the time of independence in 1948, Ceylon was one of the best managed countries in Asia. It was a regional pride and the yardstick of measurement for a whole plethora of developing countries. In his election campaign the legendary Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s architect of success, undertook to transform Singapore to be like Ceylon. 62 years later, Sri Lanka’s quest to emulate Singaporean success remains a hazy dream almost beyond the horizon of this country’s vision. It certainly appears that the golden prospects in store for Ceylon in 1948, has evaporated and has been systematically dismantled by successive politicians of all hues and persuasions.
For 30 of the 62 years of independence we have been at war. A war that was caused by the indifference and inaction of a party and head of state who completely underestimated the founders of, at that time, a fledgling outfit known as the LTTE. President Jayewardene’s insistence, despite the pleas of his most senior advisers, that the funerals of the 13 soldiers not be held at Borella, led to the infamous riots of 1983 in which several thousands of our Tamil citizens were attacked, killed and their property and themselves displaced. It gave, in a single stroke, the trump card to Velupillai Prabhakaran who was at that time finding it difficult to recruit volunteers to join him. Recently Karuna Amman, admitted that it was the sight of Tamils from Colombo who came back to the North and North Eastern parts during those dark days that saw him and his colleagues throw their books away and enlist with the LTTE. Not only did those youngsters of 1983 never complete their “A” levels, but they went on to become one of the world’s most feared terror organizations. For much of those 30 years the LTTE virtually held the Sri Lankan economy to ransom: development was stymied and tourism never really grew. The saving grace was the embracing of laissez faire economic policies by the Jayawardena administration that spurred the economy from the dark years of Mrs. Bandaranaike’s homegrown socialist and misplaced nationalistic policies.
For a country that has tourism as one of its cornerstones, the state of that industry is at best, mediocre. For much of these 62 years, Sri Lanka has sold tourists its inheritance of the relics of a by-gone era of the Sinhalese Kings. The cultural triangle remains one of its most potent attractions but very little has been done to create and develop other attractions. The all time favourite tourism attractions of water sports have not been developed in the least. Thailand is simply amazing when it comes to the value add-ons it offers; Sri Lanka – continues to offer its tourists the staple of the cultural triangle and the beach. A visiting family will be hard pressed to entertain their children after the customary cultural tour. It will be argued that Sri Lanka’s cultural heritage does not lend itself to the same development as Thailand in terms of its entertainment but there is little wrong with providing superior nightlife, water sports, fine dining and song. We may wish to leave the sex out (please we are Sri Lankan) but what of the other areas? Where are the water parks, the theme parks, the much spoken of entertainment zones, the off-shore based casinos. For a country that has a heavy investment in branded clothing prepared for export to world markets, where are the large scale factory outlets which in other countries attract the tourist by the droves. High import taxes and duties and state intervention has seen the prices of vehicles cost at least 3 times that of its neighbours stymieing the growth of the car rental sector – a key area that all tourists in any country expect. In recent days a highly regarded professional has been asked to resign further compounding the malaise within the industry.
Politically correct but commercially flawed appointments has seen this country dive head first and deeper into a mire of malaise and discontent which in turn has led the way in creating, fostering and perpetuating corruption.
The independence that this country yearns for has in reality been thwarted by unscrupulous politicians who have acted since 1956 with vested interests and who have continually misled the public.
This in no way reflects on the academic qualifications of these politicians and therefore cannot be blamed on a lack of knowledge. On the contrary, an examination of the qualifications of senior politicians from both the Sinhala majority and the Minority communities reveals highly qualified professionals who had ingrained fair liberal values if nothing else.
In 1956 SWRD Bandaranaike resorted shamelessly to Sinhala only nationalistic sentiment to satiate his own political ambitions and was returned as the Prime Minister. He took this country down an exceedingly slippery precipice from which we have yet to recover fully. One in power he was forced to backtrack by the very people who had helped him into power and was subsequently assassinated by sections of his own supporters, unhappy no doubt with his opportunistic political games.
He was not alone: his wife, in 1972, under the pretext of redrafting the constitution, extended the life of parliament by 2 years.
That scion of democracy and democratic values, JR Jayawardena, who was highly vociferous in his criticism of the 2 year extension secured by Mrs. Bandaranaike, proceeded to extend his hold on power by resorting to a referendum, which gained his party a further 6 years. JRJ was completely oblivious to the dexterity of his actions and indeed the irony: having fought the 2 year extension tooth and nail he gained 3 times as much time with his own strategy.
The Politics of opportunism did not quite stop there. The champion of what was referred to as 17 years of undemocratic power held by the UNP was none other than President Chandrika Kumaratunga. Elected on that ticket with a resounding 63% of the vote, a record that still stands today, President Kumaratunga quickly lost sight of the lofty promises that elected her in the first place and has the dubious record of being the only President to have been fined by a Court of law for abuse of power.
Today we see the very people who have been part and parcel of the fraud committed on the people of this country, led by the present successor to the UNP Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe, joining hands with an unlikely alliance that encompasses elements that have been implicated in the murder of political opponents, the wanton destruction of property and the unwarranted killing of large numbers of innocent civilians, all in an attempt to defeat the incumbent President. It really is déjà vue. SWRD Bandaranaike’s Sinhala only politics of yesteryear have been replaced by the unlikely and practically unworkable alliance who appear to wish to be elected to power through promises of dispensing with the Executive Presidency and by attempting to convince all of Sri Lanka to show indifference and ingratitude to the very person who was elected on an explicit premise that terrorism will be eradicated.
We have it seems, after 62 years come full circle. Almost answering Sir Winston Churchill, who said “If you are going through hell, keep going”. Sri Lankans surely have and they are still on the move.
And there lies the rub. It appears that Sri Lankan politicians and Sri Lankans as a whole, accept the notion that 2nd is good enough for them. Yet they fight for freedom of speech and freedom of movement. At Hyde Park on Wednesday, some 3,000 people came by foot, by car, by bus; they stood atop roofs and high rise buildings, they stood by the railings and across the roads, they probably were in the tress too. They all came to protest at what they say was a rigged election result. Yet, it is the same people who accept 2nd best.
There is no greater sin than to persuade oneself that the second-best is anything but the second-best. And until the people of Sri Lanka realize that second-best is definitely not Number One, then this country will squander another 60 years of independence on achieving very little.
Sri Lanka may well be 62 years independent today; in reality though, a general malaise pervades this country and as a country we are very much in the infancy of being truly independent. Our judiciary, our media, our civil service, our politicians and our people are Independent only by name: to be truly independent we need to be Independent by action and conviction. Only then can we answer Martin Luther King: Free at Last, Free At Last, Thank God Almighty, We are free At Last. (faraz@thesundayleader.lk)
Now that we have a president with a thumping majority, lets help the nation move forward, or else our siblings will suffer, the World today is in a dire economic situation, a financial scenario of virtual cash. This little nation has all the opportunities to succeed, if only it can rid itself of corruption. There is no nation without this last. a 40 Billion GDP of SL is somewhat like our Compagnie Suez’s Yearly sales. We do not request comparison, but get our acts right. I have visited SL over 80 times, entering the rural areas, yes there is some signs of prosperity, but poverty is still rife, Mr President, we have no choice but to support the Nation. Get youract straight and we shall follow you.
Sending our brave officers into a quagmire of twisted COUP TALES. This a Tale of three toilets, two occupied by army volunteers and the third occupied by Sirimavo Banda, the two happy officers were chanting cou,cou,cou, cou, cou, an old French rhyme, poor ole Mrs Banda got her jungis wet and had all the officers arrested, this was the first KAKUSSI COUP IN LANKA. Maybe Gothabaya was also in a toilet.
Independance or no Independance, take a careful study and give me one example of a Sri Lankan (Sinhalese) excelling abroad in mercantile activities, just take a stroll around the Gare du Nord, Paris, the entire block has been transformed into a little Jaffna, Is there one Sinhala origin owned Restaurant, Business, maybe we could count them on our fingers, where we could have a little meal to remind us of home!!! No!!! London, the world over ! are there any Sinhala owned restaurants, give me a number! The Sinhalese are born jealous and it is the Jealousy that mobilises 70 percent of their entrepreneurial libido. Let us permit whichever race, caste or creed, if he wishes to excell and help Lanka grow, permit this guy to prepare a prosperous Lanka. We in the opposition should now roll up our sleeves and take care of ourselves.
Tamils have been humiliated for 62 years and there is no change in their fate in the horizon. Are you jealous of this? Pl go and see the Northeast (if you’re allowed to go). Last week Tamil British passport holders who were not born in the North were not allowed to go past Omanthai army checkpoint.
Compulsorily detained , cordoned off and starving and still not aid agencies not allowed in. Pl go and find how many died of starvation in 2007/8.
Abductions, murders, rape, displacement, – they happen in many places. But the Sri lankan government actively stops investigations.
Is there any insult than that?
Not even the dignity we give animals.
I don’t want to say anything about the difference in the prosperity of the South and the North.
Northeast, you have the wrong Message, I am a supporter of the minority classes all over the world. Tamils have been humiliated and declassed as citizens since independance. This was all due to a entire class of idiotic laymen and the Domino effect of change after the 2nd world war. The tamils have shown that they are the finest economic generator wherever they step on shores. In France we are proud of the Tamil community, same all over. There are a large number of Sinhala excellentus
Restaurants around the world may be run by Tamils. All the embassies and UN posts are held by Sinhalese. What about Sri lankan government service?
Little northeast, 87 percent of salaried people depend on the 13 percent of entrepreneurs, no business no workers, no business no taxes, no taxes no workers, all the salaried folks are slaves of capitalism. so dont give us bull about UN posts, Un posts are paid by businesses.
Sri Lankan gained ‘independence’ for some leaders of the Sinhala-Buddhist community to use minorities to win elections and to set up dynasties to exploit the masses by controlling the media for their personal benefit.
Independance and Freedom is a cherished commodity, today China is the biggest colonisator of nations with its cheap saucepans and airconditioners, even being the biggest conniver for wars on raw materials. Why doesnt Mahinda Rajapakse invite the His holiness the Dalai Lama to visit the Dalada Maligawa and pay his respects to the relics of the Buddha, Mahinda, cannot due his Chinese masters insistance. Where is the good Buddha? Where is the honest truth of a good faith. Than Shwe was invited and why not the Dalai Lama, is the Dalai Lama a murderer of democracy?
Fonseka had plans to stage Russian style coup, says Rajapaksa government
[TamilNet, Friday, 05 February 2010, 17:08 GMT]
The United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government led by Mahinda Rajapaksa Friday claimed that there was an attempt to stage a Russian style coup in Sri Lanka on the eve of last presidential election. Thirty seven persons including several retired Major Generals and Colonels and Brigadiers have been held in detention over their alleged involvement in the coup attempt, the government said.
Sri Lankan Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa at a press briefing said the government had collected evidence that General (retd) Sarath Fonseka had plans to appoint Bolshevik committees at every state institution to carry out routine work after killing President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and his brothers Gotabhaya and Basil Rajapaksa.
Independance only for Singheela(Buddhist) People.
The Next WAR is Between Singheela(Buddhsit) People Vs Bergers(Portugese/Dutch/British decendants).
It is time, Fonsekas,Fernandos,DeSilvas,DeSoysas,DeMels,Matthews,Johns,Alahapperumas ……….to change their names.
sorry mate you need some psychiatric help
Funny how this Muslim writer wants casinos in Sri Lanka. Perhaps he should read his Quran first before preaching to us.
In that case lets stop advertising SL as a tourist destination, close all the bars (Buddhism is also against alcohol – its not just a muslim prerogative) close all the casions now in the city, ban internet gambling sites in Sri Lanka, close down all the hotels and return to the bread and every other queue that was present during Mrs Banadaranaike’s time. shall we?
Lets keep our cool, help the nation recover through a DYNAMIC EFFORT, be it Muslim, Tamil of the Sri Lankan, the nation also needs a New movement, discarding all the old rotten manners, families and Nepotism, the progressing world has no time for lagging Rotten fruits. Rotten fruits can only conserve its mildew of decay. Either way the world cannot accomodate anymore emigrants, so all Lankans will more or less be condemned to remain in their Nation. 6 years of a good Mandate can bring forth good results, but if Mahinda retains all the Rot of his laggards the Nation can suffer. Please, Mr President, remember, you are not eternal, excel in what you can offer to this nation and be remembered as someone who cared fro the Nation. I CALL UPON THE UNP CREATE A NEW OPPOSITION THAT CAN ALSO SERVE THE NATION. AWAY WITH ALL THE THUGS AND THE WHITE VANS OF DEATH. ANOTHER MESSENGER IS MISSING.
People like you are more dangerous than people who openly criticize what is wrong and what is right. You can´t hide your head in the sand and say lets forget the past and give your support to rebuild the country. Why the country is ruined, who has ruined the country? First war crime inquiry, bring the culprits to justice, then we can talk about reconciliation and so on. Until then there is no everlasting peace and freedom in this country.
Well said Soorya!
The worst debacle in Sri Lanka afiter independance was the 30 years of terrorism by Tamils. Yes, it is by Tamils, not just by LTTE. Tamils supported it, funded it and finally lost it. This is half the period after independance. The Sri Lankan people have to tackle this with pain. Finally they have won this war with the help of friendly countries of strange combination. It took a genuious like MR to achieve this. We had JRJ, Premadasa, CBK and all the other so called experts but they could not achieve anything. Instead LTTE grew into a monster.
Independance also comes with responsibility. The Tamils in particular don’t have that towards the country and its people. They were (still are) prepared to destroy the country if they don’t get their way. They created LTTE, funded it, armed it (they claim that they never had any help from outside, so they must have done these).
As Singapore is taken as exampe, it is successful because of the PM like Mr Lee Kuan Yew. He had the single mindedness and the committment to see his vision throug. How did he achiev that? He had discipline in the country. People can have better life and properity but they have to be disciplined. Law in Singapore is so admirable even by the western countries. We never had that and Tamils are the major culprits. During the British rule, the worst crime committed in Jaffna was “stealing a Goat”. Look at Jaffna after the independance and its crime history (The Jaffna Tamils in the western countries and their crime records are something else).
Press freedom is important but they also have responsibility to the public. Nowadays, they seem to concentrate on “dramatic” news to increase the circulation. This is western idea of “sales promotion”. This is given by the “independance”. Where is the responsibility?
OK, not all the politicians are perfect. There are bad apples and corrupted. Is it wise to stirr the people up and disrupt their lives? Why do these pressmen want the “people” to rise up and fight for them? Should the pressmen be doing their jobs in other means to reduce the corruption? Is that what they are qualified to do?
By dramatic reporting, they promptly fall into the hands of the politicians and then they cry abuse. Eventually their cry becomes the “cry wolf” which is neither useful to people nor themselves.
Utter nonsence! Deception and to deceive is your job. Keep up with your hatred. You people are incorrigible unfortunately!
Give me a better arugument than general accusation, mate. Whatever written iare facts.
LTTE is not the creation of the Tamils but it was a creation in response to the atrocities commited by the Sinhala chauvinistic racists Regimes since Independence, later trained and funded by the Indian government to keep the Insel always in an unstable position. The country is still a captive of indian geo politics.
One great Virtue of Ms Lee Kuan Yew was that he was one of the most honest humans that walked this earth. Cant compare Mahinda Rajapakse, attempting to try honesty, because all his Handkerchief holders are all thieves.
Do you have anyone better in Sri Lanka? Why couldn’t they come out and win the hearts and minds of the people?
Do you really think Singhalese people voted for war victory? SF also fought the war (according to him, anyway).
Is anyone out there who is better judge than people?
Sri Lanka is heading in the wrong direction. No country will prosper by violating human rights. History had shown, no one can rule the people with iron fist.
Please speak up, otherwise!
“In Germany, they came first for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
By the time they came for me, there was no one left to speak up.”
– Poem based on speeches by Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892-1984
There is no iron fist. What we nned is discipline to help the country back on track. Tamils have to change their mind in the communal front and think like Sri Lankan, id they want to live here.
SF, RW, JVP and TNA have to behave like responsible political parties rather than power hungry vultures. Their turn will come to have power, if people vote for them. Can’t they wait? Why do they want MR and the govt to fail?
My friend, why only Tamils have to change their mindset? Why can’t it be sinhalese. Always sinhalese voted for anti-tamil leader. if any sinhala leader aligned with Tamil parties, you guys brand him as the traitor of mother lanka.
Look at this election, Tamils didn’t vote for sivagiligam, and dougles, they voted against MR.
Will you vote for MR, if he keep 300000 sinhala civilians in makeshift camps and calling them as JVP supporters? and bomb downsouth in the name of war against JVP insurgents.
please be fair in your judgement.
Good one. But thousands were killed during JVP uprising. Not a single finger was lifted by “Tamil citizens”.
I accept that the Tamil supporting politicians are branded traitors. However, have they ever looked at the problem with nationalistic view. These “peace wallahs” think only Tamils have the problem but not Singhalese. The Singhalese have political power just because of the numbers and have nothing else. Tamils have everything but no political power because of the numbers. If anything to be “shared”, Tamils have to share something tangible with Singhalese. They are not prepared to do. That is why these politicians are easily branded as traitors.
Please understnad the problem of the average Singhalese.
Because Mahinda and co have stolen the votes and secured a second term to save himself and his family from war crime charges. Simple!
Even after 62 years of celebrating our Independence we are been taken to task by the Co-Chairs (USA,EU,Japan and Norway) and considered an All Purpose Villain purely because we have been failed by most of our post-independent leaders.
The Nationalisation of the Port of Colombo in 1958 (SWRD)and the Nationalisation of the Petroleum Industry in the early 60′s (Mrs.B) spelled doom to our economic prosperity. The only Macro-economic lever that could make us self-reliant is by earnestly looking for our Crude Oil / Natural Gas without the interference of vested interest who seem to be an impediment at present. All we need is the collective patriotic will/ingenuity of our human resources available and with a leader like Mahinda Rajapakse who has mustered forty years of political acumen to show the way. If we should earn the respect of the World like others did after WW2., then we have to be able to stand on our own two feet and be able to understand that the West could be cruel only with the intent of sending a kindly message for our own good.
A opportunity lost 60 years ago beckons and let us not miss out this time round.
Sorry, we have not come back full circle after 62 years, but have leapfrogged into a ‘hell of a paradise’. What does it say of a so-called elected President to take off to Russia to buy arms (obviously lethal ones like the WMD cluster bombs used in Nandikadal) on a 300m $ loan? Against whom are these to be used after a devastating war and in the run up to the parliamentary election? According to the President there are no more minorities! What does this mean? Incidentally, why were those 13 soldiers killed in 1983 in the north? Therein hung the tale that lies buried in silence to date in the run up to the 1983 mother of all riots. Yes, it is time to consult with the aged GOM of Singapore Lee Kuan Yiew and seek his advice as to how to get this country out of the hell it is in, if he is so inclined despite his age.
Just because the war is over we can’t drop our guard. Our country has faced “uprising” of all kinds and every time the uprising was worse than the previous one.
There were more people killed after 1983 in both sides. If anyone wants to get the country back on track, they should address the social problems, economic problems and freedom of movement. Obviously the north has been “out of bounce” for Singhalese for all these years. Only now the freedom is returning. To keep that freedom, we need the strong army. Unfortunately, the army was tainted by te previous chief. That is why the clean up has been going on.
If a strong army can solve national problems, then Napoleon, Alexander, Romans, Russia, Hitler and even the LTTE would have survived. All failed miserably, whereas British managed to rule the world for 200 years with minimum military resources, because they earned the trust of every citizen under their rule. Impartial judgment is the key to their successes.
As I said earlier, we don’t need a strong army; we need s visionary leadership who is truthful and trustworthy. It’s not the case in Sri Lanka. People are scared to talk. To be frank with you, I wouldn’t be writing comments if I am in Sri Lanka; you know why!.
Why youth took/take arms? for fun? No, there is more to that. Suppression begets determination. Determination without direction causes destruction. Destruction brands them as terrorist.
Still the youths are kept in the dark again and again. Cycle continues