Remove the bogeyman image from the word federalism

A "Gonibilla" is someone hiding himself inside a sack to scare away little children for fun. If only the children had the guts to open the sack they would find an affable family member inside. The word "federalism" appears to have assumed the role of a "Gonibilla" in our political sphere. Basically the mistrust seems to stem from the absence of an accepted Sinhala equivalent to "federalism". From the inception of our ethnic conflict, the English word has been used to denote a concept that is nebulous and amorphous in the public mind.

In addition, the word has been tainted with unpleasant associations at various stages of our ethnic debate and overburdened with emotive baggage.

It would be in the interests of purposeful political thinking to isolate the concept of federalism from the multiplicity of contradictory nuances the word has attached to itself over the years. This exercise may begin with a Sinhala equivalent of the word "federal', hoping against hope that the translation may not lead to a longer debate than the wrangling on the concept itself!

The English Sinhala Dictionary edited by Somapala Jayawardhana defines "federal" as 'ekaabaddha' 'sandhiiya' and 'sanyutta'. All these words connote the association of two separate entities joined together, which association can lead to political bickering. I would personally prefer the word 'Sahavaasa' because ex facie the word emotively suggests the pleasurable experience of living together.

It is true that 'Sahavaasa' also means 'co-habitation' which bears a domestic connotation but words with exclusive meanings are extremely rare. If we are to arrive at a rational conclusion to our ethnic debate, it is essential that the hackneyed English word 'federal' is jettisoned from our political vocabulary, whatever the preferred Sinhala equivalent of it may be.

Even in English 'federal' means many things to many people. Variations among existing constitutions that are supposed to be federal are so diverse that it is impossible to delineate a static model of federalism from them. We should look at these variegated alternatives not for blind emulation but for guidance in evolving a modality that would suit our specific situation.

In our effort to work out a 'Sahavaasa' Constitution, it is essential that the people are kept informed of the implications of the choices available. They should know how 'Sahavaasa' works in other countries. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs has not made any attempt so far to carry the people with them.

In this context, the publication of the book, "Essays on Federalism", in English and Sinhala, by the Centre of Policy Alternatives, assumes great significance. Our Constitution Makers, who appear to be marking time in camera, would do well to publicize the various implications of federalism dealt with in this book.

It is certainly not implied that the ideas contained in the Essays should be accepted ex cathedra but the publication should lead to a healthy debate that would result in a consensus, in an informed environment.

By Somapala Gunadheera, Via email