Deyata Kirula and national sovereignty

A movement for national independence has its roots in a people's acute sense of their worth. This is an essential condition for the gaining of political independence by a country with a colonial history and for the sustained assertion of that country's sovereignty and right to self-determination. It is in the fitness of things that the Sri Lankan family pauses awhile to think on these things on the eve of this country's 64th Independence Day celebrations.

It is crucially important that a people keeps this sense of their worth firmly embedded in their hearts and minds as the years go by and national independence becomes a thing that they take for granted almost. Unfortunately, sections of our public have not been consistent in sustaining what may be called just national pride. We need to have a deep sense of our worth as Sri Lankans but this sentiment should not be allowed to degenerate into a rabid jingoism which would tend to cut us away from the rest of humanity and compel us to follow an isolationist policy in foreign affairs.

This is the challenge before the rulers and the ruled of this country. On the one hand, we need to forge into the future with a renewed sense of our worth as a country and a people. On the other, we need to remain connected to the world outside on the friendliest terms on the basis of the policy of Non-alignment. An appreciation of humanity needs to be the cornerstone of our domestic and foreign policies.

The Deyata Kirula exhibition and connected celebrations in Anuradhapura, which comprise a brainchild of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, have their roots in a sense of our worth as a people and could be considered a reflection of the multifaceted capabilities and wide-ranging prowess of Sri Lankans. Such annual celebrations of our unique identity as a people are important because they keep before the people the ideal of national sovereignty and independence, besides recalling our virile cultural ethos.

The exhibition which will be launched, very significantly, on February 4th would showcase the Sri Lankan genius for fending for ourselves with products of our making. In other words, in the spotlight would be Sri Lankenness and our capacity and strength to be self-sufficient on principally the material and cultural planes. This is an important aspect of national sovereignty and independence and it is perfectly in order for the state to constantly remind the people of this country of their inherent self-sufficiency and resilience.

Considerable sections of the people tended to forget these important facets of national life over the 30 year period of the conflict. The terror campaign of the Tigers tended to get the better of some local sections and it was left to President Mahinda Rajapaksa to not only lead from the front in eliminating the LTTE, but to remind Sri Lankans of their intrinsic worth. Political independence is essentially all about a people realizing their true worth and capabilities and the oncoming celebrations focus also on refreshing local minds, whether they be resident in the North or the South, about these important aspects of their existence.

Sri Lanka has done well to deal political terrorism a deadly blow, but it is up to the people to consolidate this important plus on the politico-military front with sustained and vigorous economic growth. Material self-sufficiency is as important as political independence. One complements the other. The time has arrived for Sri Lankans to not only rise gallantly from the ashes and debris of war but to establish their economic self-sufficiency through a growth plus equity national development strategy.

Accordingly, it is most apposite to combine Political Independence Day celebrations with the Deyata Kirula exhibition and trade fair. Inasmuch as we need to ensure that we do not come under the sway of neo-imperial powers in the days ahead, we should also guarantee that we could be self-sufficient on the material and economic plane. These are indivisible aspects of national sovereignty.