Reflections on ‘The New Sri Lanka’
Ven. Udagama SUMANGALA Los Angeles, California
As a Buddhist monk engaged in various Dhammaduta activities, I have
lived primarily in the United States for the past eleven years, and
before that I was living in Japan. I always return to Sri Lanka each
year, and I recently returned to Los Angeles from a two-month visit,
where I had the opportunity to observe first-hand many of the changes
that are taking place in our post-war country. My life abroad has given
me a different perspective on my Motherland, and I would like to share
some reflections on what I am now calling ‘The New Sri Lanka’.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa |
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa |
The world economy is in turmoil at the moment, and this past year
alone hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost in the US, Japan and
elsewhere. In America people are losing their homes in foreclosure and
the legions of homeless are struggling to survive on the streets of
nearly all-major cities. During these dark times people in the US and
Japan find it hard to be optimistic about their futures and there is
genuine concern if they will ever be able to recover the lives they once
had.
In Sri Lanka, on the other hand, I felt a new wave of optimism for
the future; the people seemed to be very happy with the direction the
country is going since President Mahinda Rajapaksa defeated the
terrorists this past May. We should all be grateful for his wise
leadership and for his and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s firm
resolve to drive out Sri Lanka’s terrorists - even though the US is
still not able to put an end to threats from Al Qaeda. This is truly a
bright moment in our history, and we should be grateful for the finest
Chief Executive we have ever had.
Under the President’s direction, many large-scale re-development
projects have been placed on the fast-track and they are sure to
transform Sri Lanka into the new Asian power in a very short time. This
is the projected destiny that was forfeited during the past thirty years
of war, but Sri Lanka’s Karma seems to be on the up-swing at the moment
and success seems imminent in the very near future.
As Sri Lankans, therefore, it is our duty to help President Rajapaksa
rebuild our country in every way we can. He did his job, and now we have
to do ours; change always starts on the individual level and we have to
readily adopt the consciousness of the emerging ‘New Sri Lanka’. The
President has recently declared a war against government corruption,
underworld criminals and drugs; we need to assist him in fighting this
war so the children of our land can truly grow up to be clean, free and
prosperous - as is their birthright.
I noticed, however, that there are still many people in Sri Lanka who
are trapped in the old model, the antiquated mode of thinking, which is
motivated entirely by greed and self-interest. Some individuals are
actually trying to interfere with the President’s forward-looking
policies and they work to deter progress and economic growth in the
country. These misguided people need to wake up and realize that it is
in their own long-term best interests to put aside selfish personal and
political ambitions and get behind the President as he guides us in the
upward direction. They will surely derive more benefit from wholesome
activities in this regard than from the unwholesome activities of the
old school.
Another thing I became acutely aware of during my recent visit is the
dire need for private universities in Sri Lanka. The Government pays for
all education in State-owned schools and universities, but there is
often no room for all who deserve to matriculate to higher institutions.
Those who don’t make the cut are usually forced to go to other countries
for their educations, which create a drain on our foreign currency. With
private institutions they wouldn’t have to leave their homeland and as
we all know, once they leave they rarely return. This negatively-impact
brain drain could be stopped and we could even attract foreign students
to study in Sri Lanka - reversing the financial drain as well. I
strongly urge the Government to reconsider its policy on private
universities and allow their creation for the future benefit of all.
I had the opportunity to visit many parts of our beautiful island
during the past two months and it is plain to see that tourism
development could solve many of our economic problems. Transportation,
however, is often difficult while travelling from one place to another -
and the beaches are eroding in many areas. A Japanese visitor said to
me: “Venerable, you need to make a highway all around the perimeter of
the island - this way people could see the whole thing. You also need to
build some jetties - and protect your beaches from drifting away.” I
think we should take this gentleman’s advice, so proper authorities -
please take notice.
In the villages around my temple near Mathugama I noticed that most
of the people buy their fruits and vegetables at the market - even
though they have ample space to grow their own.
I strongly urge the Government to introduce programs that encourage
our villagers to learn to be self-sufficient in terms of producing their
own food supply. In the US and Japan high premiums are paid for organic
fruits and vegetables and it would take very little for our people to
sustain themselves in this regard; all they need is a little training
and motivation.
In conclusion, I am very happy about current conditions in my
homeland. I returned to the US with a renewed sense of appreciation for
my country, ‘The New Sri Lanka’, and a new sense of dedication to our
great President Mahinda Rajapaksa. May he live long - and forever have
the Blessings of the Triple Gem. |