Striding steadily into a united
future
A country on the
march into a new future of promise and prosperity would need to
put the past firmly behind it. It may be fatal to forget the
past entirely but the future cannot be built on the ashes and
the debris of the past. The future needs to be built on new and
strong foundations and the material for this new basis should be
found in a synthesis of all the forward-looking and positive
ideals that the culture of this country has thrown-up over the
centuries.
Communalism and ethnicity are characteristics of modern
times. They were unknown in times past when persons of numerous
ethnicities served a common Head of State in the form of a
monarch. A peep into those times would reveal, for instance,
that persons of different so-called ethnicities served readily
and unitedly under Sinhala kings in their armies, and in very
high profile positions too.
By making these comments we do not intend to make a case for
pre-democratic and pre-modern political and socio-economic
formations. Repressive structures that support social
inequalities and connected anti-democratic societal features
could in no way be defended, but democracy, if not qualitatively
developed over the years, could breed some pernicious iniquities
and communalism is one such modern-day anomaly which every
civilized society would do well to contain if not uproot
completely.
Democracy is of numerous forms and dimensions but whichever
way one may choose to define it and see it, democracy would be
nothing less than an empty slogan if it does not provide for
personal and collective empowerment. This is the defining
essence of democracy.
Looked at from this point of view, Sri Lanka has traversed
some distance in post independence times but these decades have
also witnessed the steady but ugly bourgeoning of ethnicity and
communalism, since democracy, narrowly interpreted, has also
boiled down to, very often, a numbers game, where opportunistic
politicians have unscrupulously played the 'communal card' to
win and keep votes. This has been true of both Southern and
Northern Sri Lanka. It has proved a time-tested tactic over the
years of vote-catching. For those hoping to come to power by
hook or by crook, playing on widely-shared ethnic animosities
and prejudices, has proved a very handy approach. As a result,
communities and social groups have been driven apart and whole
societies have come asunder, as did happen in even Sri Lanka's
case for nearly three decades in its post independence years.
Therefore, it would not do to only maintain the more formal
features of democracy, such as, voting at elections, every now
and then. The challenge before us is to ensure that the
democratic system results in the steady empowerment of all on an
equal basis, irrespective of ethnicity, language, religion and
social background. This is democracy in the real sense of the
word and it is in this direction that the system of governance
that we have inherited and sustained since 1948, needs to be
taken.
It is our hope that Sri Lanka would now be taken into such a
brave new future. The ending of the conflict with the resounding
defeat of the LTTE, in May 2009, opens out breath-taking,
interesting possibilities for Sri Lanka, which we hope would be
judiciously used.
Fortunately, there is reason to be hopeful. For instance,
after several decades, perhaps, the Vesak festival was
celebrated on a grand scale even in the Northern peninsula by
the Tamil populace there. Pandals, Vesak lanterns and other
signs of celebration were prominent by their presence on the A9
highway. There is a sense of unprecedented fellow feeling among
our citizenry and Northern citizens are freely visiting the
South and mingling happily with the rest of the citizenry, free
of the fears of the past. Likewise, the North-East is seeing a
steady influx of visitors from the South.
So, unless they are misled by unscrupulous politicians and
fire-breathing, communalistic demagogues and opinion-makers, the
tendency among the generality of the people is to relate to each
other with cordiality and humanity. By ridding Sri Lanka of the
LTTE cancer, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has enabled such fellow
feeling to thrive among our communities once again, but these
pluses must be steadily built on. Inter-communal harmony must be
actively promoted by the state in collaboration with other well
meaning sections.
Fortunately, for Sri Lanka, the state has seen and understood
the need for harmonious communal and cultural relations. For
instance, we now possess a Ministry of National Languages and
Social Integration, whose task it is to weld Sri Lanka's
communities into one united collectivity. There is also a very
healthy interest among the communities to learn each others
languages. The Sri Sambuddhathva logo, we note with great
happiness, was carried in all three languages during the recent
festivities.
All in all, Sri Lanka cannot traverse the old paths of
communalism. It is the wish of President Mahinda Rajapaksa that
the whole of Sri Lanka marches into the future under one flag.
This is the reason why the President is on record that there are
no longer any 'majority' or 'minority' communities. The whole of
Sri Lanka must aim at being a united, indivisible whole. |