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| Saturday, 26 June 2004 |
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Lucid exposition of conflict Ethnicity versus nationalism: The devolution discourse in Sri Lanka, by Partha S. Ghosh. Colombo Vijitha Yapa Publications, 2003. Review by Prof. Bertram Bastiampillai Partha S. Ghosh has chosen a subject for study which commands interest widely, indeed internationally. It is remarkable that Partha Ghosh got fascinated by a conflict, almost endemic and intractable, associated with ethnic dissension in a multi communal society other than his own and ended up analyzing it scholarly, lucidly and in extremely enthralling manner. This erudite study deserves the assiduous attention of readers interested in the unending problem of Sri Lanka, no more the Paradise as the blurb on the Lankan airways hails. Originally, as Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) received Independence the people of Indian origin in the island were decitizenised and suffered disenfranchisement. A member from the minority community of Tamils in the legislature reacted fearing further discrimination against numerically weaker minorities began a new opposition party, the Federal Party. The cry for federalism and then the elevation in 1956 of Sinhala, the language of the majority community as the sole official language, led to protests especially from the Tamil minority community in the islands multilingual peoples. Thereafter from time to time in 1958, 1977 and worse in 1983 the Sinhala majority viciously subjected to riots, murder and mayhem the minority community. As the parliamentary opposition of the Tamils was impotent in their protest, militant youth took upon themselves the task of countering Sinhala terror and thus was spawned a nation with two warring communities. Now for about a little over two years an uneasy undependable peace prevails between the two combatant groups, the Tamil militants and the State's armed forces. The above summary does little justice to the excellent exhaustive and methodical recollection provided in a well argued discourse that reads so well in Partha Ghosh's carefully arranged account so succinctly styled and impressively crafted. Partha Ghosh leads the reader of his book through the several vicissitudes faced by the island which the outburst of the ethnic strife and attempts at resolving it by granting a form of devolution instead of federal rule since 1957 had been confronted. Occasions to solve a crisis which was severely damaging the country were scuttled owing to the unrelenting adversarial politics that ill affected the government and oppositional parties. Such was the animosity between the two principal mojoritarian groups that while in 1956 and 1958 one Sinhala party attacked the Tamil minority on the otherhand in 1977 and 1983 the other Sinhala party metamorphosed into the virulent anti Tamil rabble rouser and mob. No Sinhala party wished to reach a fair settlement and even the Indian Government's goodwill and salutary intentions yielded no fruitful settlement. Partha Ghosh has thoroughly investigated the tortuous history of the Sri Lankan Ethnic discord, its impact through the exclusive nationalism of the Sinhalese and of the Tamils and the attempt to impose the remedy of devolution to heal a rift and unfortunately its futility. Seen through the eyes of a foreign scholar with scrupulous ease the story he tells gives his understanding and interpretation in a reasoned manner that evokes exciting interest and attention. Nuances, digressions, differences that qualified the account of the conflict and the resolution of it through various types of devolution of power have been significantly noted and the author's views have embellished the narrative. A sensitive apprehension that federalism or a fear ample devolution can provoke a break up of the island has invariably obscured the prevalence of pragmatism and in prudence in seeing an end to unending conflict becomes evident in the story of Partha Ghosh. The study of Partha Ghosh explains the failure of the first attempt at a discussed resolution of the conflict in adequate measure and quite critically. The unsuccessful venture of President Chandrika Kumaratunga to handle an almost intractable question is interpreted in his own singular way by the researcher. Devolution and its implications in a country that is not ethnically or culturally homogeneous and is not a nation but a gathering of communities still is centered upon in the debate ensconced in the book of Ghosh. While its interest is undoubted there still lie generalisation, conclusion, comments and observations of the author which are of questionable validity to many another reader and scholar. The researcher no doubt has his own reasoning to justify his views. In any case this book of Partha Ghosh should necessarily be most attentively read and seriously cogitated upon. It is the product of a sharp, punctilious and diligent scholar of comparative politics. His relentless quest for the truth and indefatigable industry, and his salient intelligence has enriched this daunting analytical study. |
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