Seventy-seven years ago, Sri Lanka gained Independence from colonial powers who had ruled Sri Lanka for nearly 400 years. It was a momentous occasion in the country’s chequered history. The centuries of foreign domination had undermined the nation’s sovereignty and diminished the people’s willpower. The Nation was at its nadir under the yoke of colonialism.
February 4, 1948 saw the culmination of years of struggle by patriots from all ethnicities, religious groups and walks of life for independence for Sri Lanka. The founder-publisher of this newspaper group D. R. Wijewardene was among those who played a leading role in the Independence movement.
While Independence was obtained without any bloodshed per se, the road to February 4, 1948 was littered with the blood of many martyrs who had sacrificed their lives for the cause of freedom. We must remember these heroes with gratitude as we celebrate the Independence Day. In fact, some of these heroes were listed as “traitors” by the colonial powers and it was only in 2017 that they were formally declared as heroes after rescinding the colonial proclamations.
In 1948, Sri Lanka was on the cusp of a socio-economic revolution spurred by freedom. In fact, even at the time of independence, Sri Lanka was ahead of many other countries in Asia in terms of social and economic achievements. Many of these countries envied Sri Lanka and wanted to emulate its progress. But where did we go wrong in the intervening years?
Perhaps the single biggest failure was our collective inability to forge a truly Sri Lankan identity, rising above parochial considerations such as race, religion and caste. While many other countries in the region have almost banished these notions, we steadfastly cling on to them. Politics was and is, the other divisive factor.
Impressive indices
This country belongs to the Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Malays, Burghers and other communities in equal measure. The whole of Sri Lanka is the traditional homeland of all these communities. Over the years, political parties pandering to the demands and aspirations of their own communities and supporters have treated this simple fact with contempt, creating a monster that has brought death, destruction and misery to this resplendent isle.
The rejection of many attempts for reconciliation and power sharing among the various communities has led to the present crisis. Extremist politicians from all sides shot down these proposals that would have led to national amity. Instead, they steered the country on a trajectory that resulted in a calamity for all communities.
The conflict that ended 16 years ago lasted for 30 years or so, plunging Sri Lanka to depths of despair, devastating the economy, straining resources and above all, destroying a productive younger generation in the ravages of war. The fact the country has recorded impressive indices especially in health and education despite these obstacles can be attributed to the commitment of all Governments to these sectors and to the resourcefulness of the people.
There is, however, a long way to go before we heal the wounds of war and hatred and become a truly Sri Lankan nation. Now the time has come to ditch all forms of extremism and chauvinism and think of Sri Lanka as one nation, one people. We must continue the search for lasting peace.
There are critics who question why Sri Lanka is still looking for peace and reconciliation, 16 years after the conflict ended. But solutions to decades-old conflicts cannot be found overnight. This is the norm worldwide – some conflicts in other parts of the world had ended 40-50 years ago, but they are still looking for lasting peace. For example, the Palestine issue is simmering for the last 77 years.
Thus, it could be a long and arduous journey. We will feel freedom in our hearts the day we conquer the divisions within and among us that impede our progress as one nation. Lasting peace will take us there sooner.
Independence is not just a facility that we gain from someone. It is also a state of mind. We must really feel free and independent as a nation to reap the full benefits of the struggle for independence that succeeded in 1948. Sri Lanka has gone through a tumultuous 77 years, mainly as a result of the shortsighted and ethnic centred policies of our politicians, most of whom thought only about their own political survival.
Unfortunately, they did not think about maintaining ethnic harmony and unity, which ultimately resulted in one of the longest-running conflicts in Asia. Opportunistic politicians planted the seeds of discord and rancour in the hearts and minds of the people, which tended to marginalise certain communities and religious groups.
We must forge ahead with plans to evolve a truly Sri Lankan identity. In Singapore, no one will identify himself or herself as a Chinese, Malay, Tamil or Eurasian. It will simply be “I am a Singaporean”. Likewise, we should also identify ourselves as Sri Lankans, instead of attaching ethnic or religious labels. Yes, it is important to protect ethnic and religious identity and traditions, but as a nation we should be one people united for one cause – uplifting the Motherland.
Today, there are many challenges that threaten the existence of the Sri Lankan social fabric and by extension, our very freedom. The narcotics menace threatens to endanger the future of the young generation. The Government has righty begun a drive to eradicate the illegal drugs from our midst. All should support this movement – otherwise our future would be bleak. The movement to eradicate drugs must start from places of worship and schools, where students must be taught about the danger of consuming these substances. The same goes for alcohol and tobacco.
We also face the challenge of developing our economy, which has suffered as a result of global economic conditions, the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis of 2022. The Rupee has come under pressure and our import bill has gone up. We must ramp up our exports and minimise the imports of goods and other goods which can be produced locally. The drive to attract more Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) should be accelerated.
There should be a multi-sectoral approach to economic and infrastructure development. Our planners must take current trends into account – fossil fuels will run out probably within the next 100 years and we have to shift gradually to Renewable Energy. Current plans call for 70 percent of the power capacity to be generated from Renewables by 2030. Some plans have called for a 100 percent renewable power grid by 2050, which may seem very ambitious but it is certainly within the realm of possibility.
We must also seek the talents and skills of our Diaspora community scattered all over the globe. The Government has already invited them to either come back for good or contribute to the nation’s development from their adopted countries. This is a golden opportunity for them to express their gratitude to the Motherland for educating them and giving them better prospects.
Sri Lanka already has impressive indices especially in the fields of health and education some of which are on par with those in the developed countries. This is no doubt a great achievement, made possible by the twin elements of free education and free health care. Now we should take the next steps forward to make Sri Lanka a developed country.
The Government has already announced several programs that take the country in this direction, but the authorities cannot do it alone – all Sri Lankans must participate with vigour and optimism in this exercise. The “Clean Sri Lanka” initiative by the current National People’s Power (NPP) Government led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is thus a step in the right direction. “Clean” does not solely refer to physical cleanness but also to the elimination of corruption and malpractices, among other steps.
As the saying goes, it is sometimes easy to win the battle, but keeping the peace is much harder. Peace and reconciliation go hand in hand. We lost the peace that we gained in 1948 because some of our politicians lacked the foresight to maintain reconciliation. This mistake should not be allowed to happen again. There still are certain political, societal and other forces which see internecine conflict as their only salvation and path to political victory. Sri Lankans must eschew their thinking irrespective of any aspects such as community and religion.
Today, we have a golden opportunity to move forward as a nation sans division and conflict. All political parties must participate in this exercise of establishing peace and a truly Sri Lankan identity. If all political parties and other stakeholders agree to participate in this exercise irrespective of politics, it will also lead to a new political culture in the country.
While these efforts will essentially be a home grown exercise, it does no harm to look at other countries and models to see what can be done better. Singapore’s late Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, who earlier looked up to Sri Lanka as a role model for Asia was horrified to see Sri Lanka sliding into an abyss spurred by ethnic divisions, so he ensured priority for ethnic harmony in Singapore.
Likewise, South Africa’s post-apartheid Constitution made certain that everyone, Black or White, could call South Africa their own. South Africa’s new National Anthem even has words in Afrikaans and the many black South Africans, Nelson Mandela included, who were oppressed by the Afrikaans-speaking White regime for decades had no qualms about singing these lines with hands on their hearts. In India, the National Anthem is actually sung in Bengali, a minority language in a country where most people speak Hindi, although there is a Hindi version as well. In Sri Lanka, there is a Tamil version of the National Anthem which is now performed at national events.
Priorities
Evolving a truly Sri Lankan identity should be one of the main priorities and tasks of the new administration. It is perhaps time for us to do away with questions such as, “What is your race and religion” in official documentation. If I go to a Police station to lodge a complaint on a break-in, I see no reason why they need to know my community and religion. If we call ourselves Sri Lankan instead of giving racial monikers, half our problems would be solved. This does not mean giving up traditions and beliefs unique to each community – it means that we think of ourselves as one Sri Lankan people.
This should perhaps start in the classroom. Children usually have no preconceived notions or prejudices and it is far easier to inculcate in them a sense of belonging to one Sri Lanka. Indeed, 10 or 15 years down the road, all young people will be able to speak Sinhala, Tamil and English fluently, which will end all divisions based on language. After all, there will be no room for miscommunication or misunderstanding if everyone knows all three languages. Our institutions should be further bolstered with staffers who can speak and correspond in all three languages, so that there is no room for miscommunication.
In Canada, for instance, one will find French-speaking officials even in Alberta, which is thousands of Kilometres from Quebec, where the majority language is French. The idea is that a traveller from Quebec will have someone speaking his or her language in Alberta or any other province in Canada.
There are many challenges ahead which have to be faced as one nation, one people. We have to collectively rise out of the mire of the economic crisis to become an Asian powerhouse. There is a lot of catching up to do, but if we think collectively as Sri Lankans and aspire to do our best for the Motherland, no goal will be impossible including achieving the much-coveted “developed country” status in the coming decades.
Public welcome to watch ceremony
This year’s Independence Day ceremony at Independence Square, Colombo on February 4, will be open to the public after a hiatus of almost three decades, on the instructions of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. All this time, it was restricted to invitees ostensibly on security grounds – even after the War ended in 2009. This action will hopefully inculcate a sense of patriotism in the public. Those who are unable to be there in person can watch the ceremony live on all local television channels. It will also be live streamed on the Internet by the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) for the benefit of Sri Lankan expatriates.