For the last 100 years or more there have been continuous struggles in many Asian countries to fight against their feudal and rural traditions and to establish a modern economy and a modern state. In Japan, these struggles culminated in the creation of the modern Japan. It is equal in status the most developed countries in the world. China took a longer time in this struggle, but it too has reached the status of a world power already, and is likely to become even more powerful and prosperous in the future. Many other countries in South East Asia have had enormous struggles to replace their feudal set up and, particularly, to do away with the powerful families, including the royal families, which tyrannically ruled over these countries.
There are relative levels of success in different countries, but by and large the victory is on the side of those who stand for modernization and democratization of their countries. The result is also the qualitative differences to the people among the poorest sections of society, who have been able to walk away from the enslavement to the landlords and others who ruthlessly exploited the rural economies in the past.
Today, the most elementary aspect of nationalism in these countries is to reject their rural past and to idealize new modes of existence where there is greater equality, social mobility and respect for the individual. Among the section of the population that appreciates this change more are the women, who have been to some extent been freed from the patriarchal traditions of the feudal societies. The social mobility has bright them the benefits of education and freedom of choice of their own lifestyles. None of these people want to look back and to return to the older ways of their societies.
Strangely enough, there is a significant attempt in Sri Lanka to portray the past as the ideal and, if possible, to reinvent the past. There are those who try to say that Sri Lanka did not have a period of feudalism. The powerful people of Sri Lanka in the past, according to this view, did not exploit the poor. What is meant by Rajakariya had nothing oppressive about it, according to those who idealize the past. The landlords and serf relationship did not exist. All were just farmers. The king himself was just a farmer. Naturally, in this wonderfully idealized society, there was no patriarchy at all; women were treated with a wonderful sense of equality.
Thus, it has become some sort of a tenant of new nationalism to idealize the past and to reject modernization. Modernization, according to these persons, was introduced by colonial powers for their own benefit and therefore this should be rejected wholesale. Modern forms of administration and also the politics of parliamentarianism are alien products and therefore should be rejected. Modern education came with colonialism, and as a part of a need of colonial masters to rule the country for their benefit through local people who are mentally prepared and sensitized to serve the colonial needs. As the origin of modern education is thus, this should also be rejected.
Sri Lanka was totally rural, even at the time of the British, and therefore Sri Lankan people are rural. It is to this rural situation that the country must return to. In that rural world, it was natural for a single family to hold the ruling position and therefore the ideal situation is to return to that.
The exposition of such views are done by many means, and the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation also now plays a prominent role in promulgating this vision. Today’s ‘Subharathi’ program was lengthily devoted to the exposition of this view through a long interview with Jackson Anthony.
Thus, in this view, trade and commerce are not necessary for Sri Lanka. Ancient Sri Lankans considered trade with contempt. There is nothing to worry about external relationships and external criticisms. These are all alien influences and those who promote these are promoting alien conspiracies.
According to this point of view, the patriotic thing to do is the reject all calls to modernization and instead vigorously return to the past. Thus, parliamentary can be reject in favor of absolute power and civil service can be rejected in favor of the rural forms of relationships. Democracy can be rejected as an alien influence that is not suitable for the soil.
As against countries like Japan, China and others who wish to seek prosperity through modernization and integration into the modern world, these nationalists call for return to the past. Dealing with problems like law and order and corruption are of no importance as these too are alien concerns, according to these persons.
When the government’s broadcasting corporation itself is utilized for the promotion of such views, the possible impact of this propaganda cannot be underestimated. There are two countries in Asia that have followed this path. These are Burma and Cambodia. Perhaps that is the direction in which that such kind of nationalism can lead the country.
The actual purpose of all this propaganda is to create a type of brainwashing against all criticism about corruption, nepotism, abuse of power, denial of all the basic freedoms, in particular the suppression of media freedom, and to deny calls for restoration of law and order and rule of law. The attacks on various commissions in colonial times, which introduced civil administration and constitutionalism, are meant to justify the rejection of constitutional protections and the independence of judiciary. The type of executive presidency that was introduced in 1971 is justified by trying to create the impression that the Sri Lankan monarchs were benevolent and possessed absolute power. Thus, the SLBC is used as a means of brainwashing people against democracy, rule of law and improvement of the country’s economy and trade in line with the requirements of the modern world.