AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena
What does ail thee Sri Lanka? Is it, as Bishop Heber once notoriously stated, that it is a land ‘where every prospect pleases but only man is vile’? We could dismiss his views as those of a 19thcentury Colonial master regarding his subjects. But then, we have done everything we can to prove the veracity of his words since Independence. To recount briefly there was the ‘Sinhala only’ act of ’56, the race riots of ’58, the violent JVP uprising in the early ‘70s, the formation of militant groups in the north of the island in the latter years of the ‘70s posing an armed challenge to the state, the riots of ’83 followed by 30 years of a brutal internecine war, in the midst of which, in the late ‘80s, the second, more brutal and violent uprising of the JVP took place. And now, after the crushing defeat of the LTTE in 2009, we are once again faced with the spectre of violence threatening the lives of people.
When I try to get a handle on what is happening in this country, I am stumped. There is no doubt at all that almost every prospect pleases. I say ‘almost’ because I cannot say the same for Colombo, where unplanned development has led to high rise buildings popping up like inflamed pimples on the face of the city. Certainly, we need more dwelling places in and around the city, where many live, work and study, but surely there should be some control or legislation regulating these constructions? In theory there are regulations, but these are overlooked when money changes hands! I have been in apartments in Wellawatte, where one can reach out and touch the wall of another apartment that has been built alongside it. An English friend of ours who has been a regular visitor to the island for the past 30 years has been bemoaning the fact that Colombo is fast losing its character and becoming just another ‘ugly’ South Asian city. The cities in the island are growing into monstrosities with tall apartments that sit cheek by jowl with garishly decorated shops which blare loud music, deafening the hapless passer- by.
As far as loud sounds go, if one lives in the city or the suburbs, one is constantly subjected to unprecedented levels of noise. Yes there is the noise of blaring horns, racing vehicles and the loud cries of vendors on our crowded roads. But the noise is compounded when loud speakers are used in places of worship or even by vendors peddling their wares down (relatively) quiet and peaceful roads. They denote a lack of respect for the other’s right to privacy and space. Perhaps the concept of privacy and space is a borrowed one as the South Asian ethos is not to recognize the inviolability of another’s space. Anyone who has travelled on a bus or train will know that total strangers will want to know all about your life – where you live, how many children you have, where you are travelling and why. While such inquisitiveness can be annoying and irritating, there is also a kind of fellow feeling involved in it. Total strangers will give you unsolicited advice on medical issues, make room for you to share their seat and, if it is a long journey, share their food with you. The invasion of privacy is a mixed bag, all in all.
But when one travels a little distance out of the major cities, every prospect does please. There is all manner of flora and fauna, wide open spaces with sparse vegetation in the dry zone which have their own charm while the tropical vegetation of the wet zone is a sight for the sore eyes of city dwellers. The tourist brochures that tout Sri Lanka as a paradise don’t lie (at least, not much). But it is a paradise that has been lost, entirely through our own short-sightedness, bigotry and greed.
It is not an over simplification to say that politics and politicians are the root cause of the ills that beset this country. Like the house that Jack built, the ‘Sinhala only’ act of ’56 [engendered by political manoeuvrings] paved the way for Tamil nationalism and the demand for a separate state, leading to a full-blown civil war that took the lives of many; the urban-rural divide where little was done to develop the rural sector led to the radicalization of the youth from this sector followed by the armed insurrection of the ‘70s and late 80s. The militancy of the JVP was subdued by the end of the ‘80s; and the war with the Tamil Tigers ended in 2009. In the aftermath of the war, the Rajapakses were acclaimed as the saviours of the nation for heading the government that fought and defeated the LTTE. After the ravages of the war, the country desperately needed peace and stability and looked to its leadership to provide it. The Rajapakses however plundered the coffers of the impoverished state in order to line their own pockets, introduced the white van culture to silence critics, played ducks and drakes with the constitution for their own benefit and we let them do it. Why? Was it because they won the war? Did they prevail in war times in order to destroy it during a time of peace? Such a victory can only be called a pyrrhic one at best; or an unrecognized defeat, at worst. The LTTE could not have done a better job of destroying the nation than the Rajapakses have done. They robbed, pillaged and killed; they raised the levels of corruption to new heights that compete with the high rise apartments that dot the landscape, and they introduced a culture of impunity that remains to this day.
Disenchanted and disgruntled we looked for a way out of this mess. And we chose Maithripala Sirisena as the President of this country who appointed Ranil Wickramasinghe as his Prime Minister. 2015 seemed to herald a new dawn to a jaded public. Aurora however, never showed her face. It was hidden under the dark veil of the so-called bond scam from the very start. Despite this however, we were hopeful. The 19thAmendment was passed in parliament. We shared stories amongst ourselves of how the President and his Prime Minister allowed themselves to be stuck in traffic like the rest of us who make up the hoipolloi, instead of using their security detail to push us to a side; we were thrilled when we heard that President Sirisena had walked into a shoe shop more or less unprotected and on his own, to buy himself a pair of sneakers. The gloss wore off quickly however. The bad feeling created by the bond scam would not go away; we saw more of ‘the same old same old’ as more ministers were appointed (that is, those who were accused of corruption during the time of the previous government crossed over to the present government and continued their nefarious activities); more perks were given them and more stories of corruption and inefficiency in government ranks emerged. And we became more and more disillusioned. To compound it all, the President attempted to pull off a constitutional coup in October of last year, betraying all who voted for him and joining hands with his previous, sworn enemies. Politics certainly makes strange bed fellows! His singularly undemocratic actions activated a lethargic and apathetic populace to take to the streets. The intervention of the general population and the rule of law defeated his dark designs on Sri Lanka’s democratic institutions. By his actions President Sirisena forfeited the trust and confidence of almost all the citizens of the country. We had hoped, if not believed, that the October ‘revolution’ would prove to be a road to Damascus moment for the Prime Minister, who had after all, been given a second chance. Thus we waited to see what he would do with it. Very little as it turned out, for it was back to business as usual after the furore over the constitutional coup died down.
And now what can we say? The Easter Sunday bomb blasts have clearly demonstrated that the country has no leaders. The President and Prime Minister deny any fore knowledge of the impending attacks; and thereby evade taking responsibility. This despite the fact that Indian intelligence had given specific details regarding the attacks to the forces’ chiefs. As the forces come under the aegis of the President, I wonder how many believe his assertion that he was not kept informed about these warnings. Whether he knew or did not know, he is guilty of criminal negligence. And as many others have asked, why did the Prime Minister not inform the parliament and the public that he was not permitted to attend security- council briefings. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark!
So we have lost faith in the government. But the answer is not to replace one problem with another and bigger one. We need a strong leader, but we don’t need someone who brutally eliminates his detractors and enemies. Cleaner roads and a beautiful environment cannot substitute for the freedom of speech, the freedom from fear of harassment for people holding differing political, religious or other views and the freedom to practice one’s faith, culture and language within the framework of the law. True, we have suffered the consequences of weak leadership. Our leaders have failed to serve or protect us and we find it difficult to forgive them for this. Germany, after World War 1, had to contend with weak leadership. And hence, they voted in a man they believed would give strong leadership to their country – Adolf Hitler!
These lines from Yeats’ ‘The Second coming’ seem peculiarly apt in describing Sri Lanka at the present moment in time:
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.
The country is ready for a second coming – but of what sort? Will he or she be a new messiah or a being with ‘a gaze blank and pitiless as the sun’who will either lift us out of this mess of our creation or drag us even further into a metaphorical and moral void?
By the Monday group: A group of concerned women.