Sri Lanka: Fulcrum round which political protagonists should polarize

[Harold F. Schiffman]

Published on Asian Tribune (http://www.asiantribune.com)

Fulcrum round which political protagonists should polarize

Created 2007-02-17 03:08
By Oscar E V Fernando

When several other countries that started together with Sri Lanka have
solved or are solving similar problems such as ethnicity and religion, why
have we not solved ours, even with our glorious and supposedly peaceful
past? Was freedom granted to us too abruptly after 500 years of
subjugation and are we still trying to get used to it?: should the lions
have been gradually released as in the style of the lion cub in the
novel--Born Free? The colonizers handed over to us a vibrantly flourishing
economyperhaps as vibrant as the granary of the east economy that existed
when we were invaded 500 years back: however the economy handed over to us
by the colonizers was manned by the so called minorities purely because of
their knowledge of English or adherence to a religion amenable to the
rulers;  this would have been as a result of the schools they attendedan
inevitable fact that should have by now been maturely accepted without
trying to load retribution on the progeny of the then minoritiesthus
trying to make it right by doing two wrongs. However the consequent
enormous problem that has cropped up from this initial blunder of the
colonizers has not been solved; now the avenging is causing the country to
bleed to its death.  Why?

This colonial era was pregnant with disaster, what with the Indian labor
brought in to the country etcand this disaster set in very rapidly and
explosively immediately after freedom in the fifties, when various
political forces capitalized on the issue to gain power. With this action,
that seems a political folly when observed in retrospect, has come about
the down fall of a booming economy that ran the country up till recent
times on the fat and steam of this colonial economy. Having exhausted the
fat and also the lean left over by the colonialists, we are now in debt to
the world due to the extravagances and the many splendors of experiments
pandering to a section of the majority that desires retribution on the
progeny of the minorities that were used by the colonizers; this section
of the majority has always been used to sway the vote base to capture
power at every election up till nowin the very style predicted by Lord
Soulbury in the forties when he said that the Ceylonese voters may swing
like the pendulum; yes they seem to swing with each projection of a
chinthanaya.

But it is now time for the leader of the country, the president to replace
this brand of politics to statesmanship!!

Can such problems of ethnicity religion and the economy in the present
context of our country be solved by consulting the vote base directly
before it is examined minutely and dispassionately by an enlightened few
or in a statesman like manner devoid of deep politics, as was attempted at
the last peace process with peace dividends by the present leader of the
opposition? Yes of course it has to go for a referendum eventually; the
right moment would be when the peace dividends start paying off.
Unfortunately this attempt was frustrated due to political rivalry also
because of those outside politics who had coiled round him together with
political drum beaters within.

It is also time for the leader of the opposition Mr Ranil Wickremasingha
to uncoil himself for the betterment of the country and be free to be the
statesman that he inherently is. His performance on this joint platform
will surely give him a good chance to face elections with less money going
around.

The conduct of the economy after freedom was a continued experiment with
capitalism and a form of communism and that, like mixing oil with water,
has so far failed. This was a colossal wastage of management funds, and a
situation where the country could not evolve a clear cut national policy
devoid of politics; very soon the bureaucracy of the nation was
politicized leading to the introduction of public corporations for
business ventures, evidently at that time eliminating the so far pampered
minorities to be replaced by the majority community ethnic and religious
vice

This magnified the looming disaster further and is continuing to date to
the very down fall of the nation with such public ventures, loaded with
political appointees most of whom are non productive; consequently these
have run into millions in debt to the treasury and the treasury in turn
being indebted to the World Bank and other international financial
institutions; now we are paying interest on the interest due, with
inability to settle the loans to the outside world. This disaster was
further aggravated;

With the introduction of Sinhala language as the official language within
twenty four hours to the detriment of ethnic minorities; this expeditious
change of official language has had the same repercussions as that
expeditious granting of freedom by colonialists. Solving this problem has
been most illusive over the yearsstrangely every solution at the very
brink being scuttled by an almost unseen forcewith the southerners
obviously falling a prey to it and bungling the situation further for the
past fifty nine years.

The language policy brought about communal estrangement now magnified into
civil warfare that needs settlement within parameters of our deeply
indebted and battered economyan illusive problem not solved due to
political rivalries, manly between the two major parties. The several
abrogated peace pacts speak for it self. The recent ramifications of the
last peace process speaks further on the political rivalry that surfaces
each time a solution is at its brink. There has to be a reason for this
continuation that is ruining society and also the economy. Couldnt it be
that some section of the civil community or even some country stands to
benefit by this seemingly manipulated chaos?

Whilst all these sensitive problems cropped up in the south and the
politicians were carrying on in gay abandon pampering to the majority and
cajoling them for votes at alternative elections, and also dissipating the
economy, the aspiration that existed among Tamils from the State Council
days for a separate autonomy due to their preponderant position in the
country during the colonial era, further nurtured by the proximity of
their ethnic brethren just a few miles away in Tamil Nadu, India, grew in
leaps and bounds; this aspiration turned a grievance with communal riots
arising from the language issue, climaxing into a major grievance with the
Black July caused by the killing of thirteen soldiers in the Tamil north.

The existence of the community of Tamils what ever be their origin, as
much in doubt as that of the majority race, is a fact of life to be
accepted as inevitable; this sensitive problem has been kicked around for
far too long due to political rivalry of the two major parties. Time is
running out and no amount of elections or referenda can solve this problem
as long as the two major parties are divided and in this condition neither
party could ever rest contended and worse, the country would be in eternal
turmoilwith or without war as there are regional eagles waiting for the
prey. Couldnt the leaders of the two parties ever realize this ever
present danger?

Only statesmanship will win.

Can these sensitive ethnic and religious problems be solved by consulting
the vote base before a rational finality is reached and the voters
gradually educated to meet itthough it may appear to be democratically
sound to do so? It would be like the pithy saying in Sinhalahora ge amma
gen pena ahanawa wagi. Of course that pena would have to be consulted at
the opportune time. Can this ever be done with the two major parties
standing apart?

Shouldnt we heed Winston Churchills admonition on democracymany forms of
Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and
woe. No one portends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has
been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those
other forms that have been tried from time to time.

In the context of the ramified problems that Sri Lanka is embroiled in,
one wonders whether our democracy has to be tainted with a streak of
totalitarianism to solve our problemsas well said by another of our
stalwart politicians the late Felix Dias Bandaranayke.

It is certainly in this imbroglio of communal passions prevailing in the
country that late J R Jayewardena with his shrewd political wisdom created
the political and constitutional office of the Executive Presidency with
extensive powers given to it by the constitution. He surely would have
meant it for a certain period until these passionate problems are solved.
Just to point out the severity of this colossal office it is pointed out
that contrary to a popular belief that J R Jayewardena introduced it to
ensure perpetuity for his life term presidency, he stepped down and
allowed late Ranasinghe Premadasa to take overso says Bradman Weerakoon in
his book Premadasa of Sri Lanka. He would have sensed that several
explosive problems faced by the country could not at every turn be dealt
within the parliament because it represents the very masses that are
swayed by the sensitivity of the ongoing discussions.

We in Sri Lanka have been fortunate in that so far all our presidents have
not abused the massive powers so vested in the office to the extent it
could have been. Nevertheless this power has to be exercised with caution
and firmness to solve the very sensitive problems that have beset the
country.

It is in this context that the present president should be that strong
fulcrum around which the various political forces that plague the country
with differing and divergent political isms must now polarize into set
positions; this polarization may take some time but it will be worth the
attempt.

Today we see political stalwarts taking bold steps with crossovers etc in
a style never seen before. This is a sign that the body politic is shaken
up for the good of the country, although some see it as crossovers for
commercial gain. The defectors must not see this as a constructive
criticismvery often it is destructive criticism that Sri Lankans are very
adapt at. For that matter stones were thrown at late T B Illangaratne with
stories of Swiss Bank accounts and he died almost a pauper. Stones were
also thrown at late Gamini Dissanayeka with stories of apple orchards in
Australia. Incidentally this writer presently vacationing in Australia has
yet to discover these orchards so widely believed by some during his
political lifetime and even now. When will such narrow infantile behavior
ever stop in this land of the blessed!

Politics is power and it is height of hypocrisy for politicians and those
others to say that politicians should not pursue power. If they do not
hold on to power they would be letting down the voters. At this juncture
of the country it is left to the other UNPs to think of the country
without wallowing in old party labels only. Whilst maintaining the label,
new thinking must set in to save the country at this crucial stage. Why
not make new moves and find new places for the different talents and
skills of the UNPers.

The party must work out a strategy with the president to maintain their
own identity to face the next election with their concerted performance as
a group in the governmentthis will be followed by their vote base to the
very end and the nation would be grateful to the party and to its leader
who will surely get the chance he lost on the last occasionat least he
must negotiate and ensure it is so that he will gain votes for the vision
he would so execute; at the same time the UNP must consider the reforms
suggested by its defectors and make the changes in its constitution in a
manner that would capture more votes in the future?

What else would prevent solutions to all vexed problems of the country,
when compared to all other countries that have gone ahead? Could it be the
manner in which we search for truth within, without that sense of altruism
towards others that would bring a sense of solidarity with fellow
communities? Together with this all important matter to ponder about, the
lack of a solution could also be caused by a very cogent reason pointed
out in a recent editorial of a news journal given here in extract.

Today, having lost a string of crucial battles, the LTTE has obviously
shifted its focus to the other fronts. It is funding a section of the
media, sponsoring politicians and waging a battle against the government
on the diplomatic front with the help of its allies in INGOs and UN
agencies. It is also making a not so-hidden effort to effect a regime
change, which has been a weapon it has used in the past very effectively.
It is capable of turning political trouble in the south to its advantage,
as we saw in the early 1990s, when it capitalised on the internal battles
of the UNP. The assassination of UNP rebel and DUNF Leader Lalith
Athulathmudali in April, 1993 triggered a political tsunami, which shook
the very foundations of the Premadasa administration. Then the outfit used
one of its sleepers by the name of Babu to remove President Premadasa
physically from politics

To this could be added the LTTEs hand in the last presidential election
where it ensured the defeat of the UNP whose leader nearly solved the
ethnic issue with that international networkfor which he was named the
cunning fox.

This writer has on several other occasions pointed out that the master
craftsman of the north is at every turn laying a spiders web inviting the
southern fly to its parlor and therefore couldnt agree less with the
editor who wrote this piece. Many were the times the extremists in the
south got caught to this web. One clear case is the packing off of the
IPKF from our shores as a joint action by the south with the LTTEbeing
enemies at war one side had to be dumb; your guess is good as mine as to
who was dumb: now, the south wants Indian assistance to solve the ethnic
issue. Isnt it hilarious how the Bombay onions overnight turned to B
onions!!

To avoid such emotional outbursts in the ethnic front and similar out
breakings in the religious front now in the making, it is hoped that the
fulcrum which is the presidency will stand tall and strong without getting
buffeted by the blowing of politic in the next few seasonsas he is well
fortified by the constitution.

What ever be the time taken, let the president solve the several problems
sensibly with forces he can work withwith forces his political ancestors
had links with. He should carry on regardless of destructive criticisms
such as the jumbo cabinet etc as this cost would be nothing compared to
the cost of the countrys devastation in a war that those very critics
want!!

- Asian Tribune -
http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/4578

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