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Books Rajakariya and the railroads The Colonial Economy on Track. Roads and Railways in Sri Lanka (1800-1905), by Indrani Munasinghe. Reviewed by Harris de Silva This is an academic
study of the construction of roads and railways in the island during
the first hundred years of British rule. The British needed roads
first for military purposes, then to consolidate their hold on the
island, and after the coming of a In her study,
the author briefly examines the varying needs for roads in the 19th
century, and shows that the planters were the prime movers demanding
more and better roads, primarily for their needs. Yet, she shows
that in providing roads the government had not entirely neglected
the rest of the island, and a fairly comprehensive road system was
had by the end of the 19th century. In the three
chapters on roads, she examines the use of the rajakariya system
for road work vis-a-vis the Road Ordinance No. 8 of 1848, and also
how the Pioneer Corps, voluntary labour, convict labour, skilled
and unskilled labour were employed for such purposes. Although she
quotes without comment the oft said myth, the laziness of the Sinhalese,
she says that the Kandyans did not present themselves for manual
labour, as they considered it degrading. Thus, the government had
imported labour from South India to supplement local input. The five chapters
on the railways deal with the early abortive attempts to construct
a railway line from Colombo to Kandy, its final fruition in 1867,
the early role of the carters who were the sole transporters of
produce and requirements from and to the plantations, and their
later role as a feeder service to the railways. In this section
too the author says that although providing quicker and cheaper
transport facilities to the plantations was the major objective,
yet the southern and northern lines were more for the benefit of
the indigenous population. She has shown the lines that had been
financed, and with various tables, the expenditure, income and profits
of the lines, totaling 562 miles in 1905. In the context
of the present day, it is most interesting to see that all the lines
had been profitably run during the period under study. Further,
she has also shown that out of the 562 miles of lines, only 177
had been laid on a contract basis, while 385 had been done by the
Railway Construction Department, and not through contracts. Additionally,
the department had later constructed their own rolling stock and
also three engines, and the author quotes Governor Ridgeway to the
effect that the coaches constructed here had been superior to those
imported from England. High tribute indeed for local labour. Regarding personnel,
the author notes that the Railway Department had been one of the
better paid departments in the island, being all British in the
higher rungs in the early days. But, in 1885, apart from 100 Europeans
in the administration and technical jobs, there had been Burghers
- 250 - as station masters, guards etc., Sinhalese - 820 - as porters,
carpenters and labourers, Tamils -1050 - as Permanent Way labourers,
and Malays and Muslims -130 - as labourers. The statistics reveal
a familiar pattern of employment in that era. In assessing
the impact roads and railways had on society, she says it gave the
greatest benefit for its improvement. Easy access had helped in
opening lands, had appreciated their value, and had provided more
mobility to the people, both physically and socially. However, she
says that the greater beneficiaries were in the planting sector,
although the indigenous agricultural sector too had benefited in
the process. Her study has
been based on the sources available at the Public Records Office
in London (now, in Kew, Surrey) and those available at the British
Museum (now, the British Library). It is noted that a considerable
amount of material on the subject is also available at the National
Archives, Colombo, that would provide to any researcher further
material on this aspect of infrastructure, during the British period. In conclusion,
it is a pleasure to note that the text, the maps and the illustrations
have been well printed, and the book provided with an attractive
cover. One would have
wished to see the early traces of the Colombo-Kandy line, and of
the others too, in sketch plan along with the topographical features
of the terrain: perhaps a second edition could have them. The last
observation is that an explanatory note on the cover design would
have made it more meaningful. Finally, let me say that the author should be congratulated for bringing out this well researched work, and the Social Scientists' Association for sponsoring its publication. No doubt, the book will be of interest to both the specialist and the general reader. Twelve Parliaments
and still counting "It was
in the early forties. A by-election was being held for the Avissawella
seat in the State Council. That was the era when colours were used
to identify the candidates... My interest in observing what happens
at elections goes back to that time." So begins D.
C. Ranatunga in his author's note to "The Twelve Parliaments
of Sri Lanka" released recently by Sarasavi Publishers. "The Twelve
Parliaments of Sri Lanka" summarises the results of the Parliamentary
General Elections held during the period 1947-2001. Taking the
reader on a fascinating journey through Sri Lanka's Parliamentary
government since gaining Independence from colonial rule over half
a century ago, the author draws on his in-depth knowledge culled
from years of reporting from his days at the Dinamina and the Sunday
Observer. Joining the Dinamina straight from university, he counts
himself lucky to have been picked by Managing Director M.A. de Silva
for the team of Parliamentary reporters "... we had to be in
tie and coat,' he recalls. His early interest grew to be a deep-rooted
passion and he maintained scrapbooks and clippings, all of which
have come in handy for this book. He writes with
journalistic clarity, so this is no heavy, academic tome, but a
vastly enjoyable read and a mine of information for anyone seeking
to understand the parliamentary system. "The Parliament
system of government was introduced to Ceylon by the Soulbury Constitution
in 1947. The Soulbury Commission on constitutional reform appointed
by the British Government had recommended that the State Council
will be replaced by a Parliament consisting of a Senate and a House
of Representatives" is how the first chapter of the book starts.
It gives the reader a knowledgeable account of how the Parliament
was first introduced to Sri Lanka. The Senate had then comprised
of 30 members and the House of Representatives had 101 members. There had been
many significant features in the General Election for the first
Parliament held in August 1947. "Political parties had contested
for the first time and election symbols were used for the first
time in place of colours". There were also four member constituencies.
The parties that had contested were the United National Party (UNP),
Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), Communist Party (CP), Bolshevik
Leninist Party (BLP), Tamil Congress (TC), Ceylon Indian Congress
(CIC), Labour Party (LP), Lanka Swaraj Party (LSP), and the United
Ceylon Party (UCP). Another interesting
fact that Mr. Ranatunga mentions is that there were three women
contestants of whom one Florence Senanayake (LSSP- Kiriella) was
elected. The chapter
ends on the note that "D.S. Senanayake was invited to form
the Government by the Governor-General, Sir Monck Mason-Moore. He
was sworn in as Prime-Minister on the 24th of September." The
first Parliament lasted from 1947 - 1952. The second
chapter speaks of the "Landslide Victory for the UNP"
and talks about the formation of the second Parliament which lasted
from 1952 - 1956. It was a landslide victory for the UNP. The UNP's victory
was short-lived. "Following the resolution adopted at the UNP
annual conference held in Kelaniya that Sinhala should be the State
language, Sir John Kotelawela decided to seek a mandate from the
people and dissolved Parliament." Therefore, a general election
was fixed for early April. However, with the third General elections
the UNP was routed and the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) won. Mr. Ranatunga
points out a number of interesting features that marked the General
Election of 1956. He says that "the political party system
was recognised by law and one approved symbol per party was allotted,
the candidates who came forward as Independents could select one
of the other approved symbols, and that the number of Independents
further dropped, as only 64 such candidates handed in nominations
as compared with 71 in 1952 and 181 in 1947." With the fourth
Parliament, the number of seats increased. The General Elections
had been held based on the recommendations of the Delimitation Commission
(1959) - "the second after Independence - comprising of Walter
Thalgodapitiya (chairman), G.C. Thambiyah and M.A.S. Marikkar."
The most interesting fact given in this chapter is how the seats
were broken up according to the provinces. In the end there was
a total of 151 seats. However this was the shortest Parliament in
our history. The country was facing a General Election within a
short space of just four months. History was
made during the fifth elections - the world's first woman Prime
Minister was appointed. "Sirimavo Bandaranaike, widow of the
late Prime Minister was elected the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom
Party." The result was a landslide victory with the SLFP winning
75 seats at the election held on the July 20. Since the grant
of universal suffrage in 1931, only those over 21 years were eligible
to vote. However, with the formation of the sixth Parliament, the
over 18s got the right to vote. Nine parties were recognised by
the Commissioner of Elections for the 1965 General Elections. The UNP continued
to rule for another 17 years until they were over thrown by the
People's Alliance (PA) which was led by Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.
"Over Five Thousand in the Fray" speaks of the victory
of the People's Alliance again in the eleventh Parliamentary election.
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was appointed Prime Minister and a 42 member
Cabinet was sworn in. However, come
December 2001, elections were held again and "A big change
in one year" took place. With the defeat of the PA, the UNP
came into power. "The leader of the UNP, Ranil Wickremasinghe
was sworn in as Prime Minister on 9 December. A 25 member Cabinet
of Ministers was appointed on 13 December." The final chapters
of the book include the results of the last general election, with
a map of the electoral districts and constituencies. It also includes
an interesting chapter on some of the MPs who made up the Parliament.
Amongst them were a Buddhist monk, two father-son teams, Brothers,
a third generation Parliamentarian, a husband and wife team (Ronnie
and Mallika De Mel) and nine women MPs. 115 women had contested
this election. "The Twelve Parliaments of Sri Lanka" is a handy and interesting guide to all students of politics and the public. A comprehensive
study of civil procedure Kalinga Indratissa,
a busy practitioner of the law and a lecturer of the Sri Lanka Law
College has done an excellent job in presenting a slim and easy-to-read
but very authoritative book on Civil Procedure. Drawing on his legal
acumen, Kalinga has presented all the valuable points of Civil Procedure
replete with the most current case law supplemented by provisions
of the Civil Procedure Code. The book begins
with a general introduction to the history of Civil Procedure in
Sri Lanka and dwells on the background that necessitated the need
for Civil Procedure. The objectives of Civil Procedure, amendments
introduced to Civil Procedure since 1977 and the original civil
jurisdiction which is inherent in Civil Procedure and the relevant
courts are also covered. Chapter two
covers the preliminary points regarding the Civil Procedure Code.
Chapter three deals with actions in general and from here onwards
it is an exposition of the Civil procedure Code. The chapters
that follow very systematically cover all the major aspects and
salient points of Civil Procedure beginning with the initial position
where an action could be instituted, including the limitations of
the Civil Procedure Code and continue up to judgement, decree and
amendment of decree. There is a
well compiled table of cases in alphabetical order for easy reference. It must be
noted that the last publication on Civil Procedure was written way
back in 1971. Since then
much development has taken place in Civil Procedure and many don't
have access to the current trends and practices of Civil Procedure.
Kalinga's timely book on the subject fills the void very neatly
indeed. It is current, contemporary and stimulates the reader into
greater vistas of learning. Kalinga started
his career as a State Counsel of the Attorney General's Department
and whilst being there was a visiting lecturer at the Sri Lanka
Law College. Later he left
the Attorney General's Department and concentrated on private practice
and became a full time lecturer of the Sri Lanka Law College where
he is the lecturer and examiner for Evidence and Civil Procedure. The book is beautifully produced in hardback with a gold embossed cover. Laughing
at life's ups and downs The writer says
we should practise the art of laughing at ourselves. She has certainly
achieved what she says in this collection of light- hearted and
enthralling stories. But underlying
most of them is a thread of seriousness, something meaningful to
say. The first story
Chaos At The Circus has an underlying tragic message as the 'lions
and tigers' fight each other. The title story
Dancing With The Dogs is humorous and involves Anthea's whole household,
including her pet dogs. Among the stories
I liked were Searching For Brahms ,Getting Ready For The New Year
and The Last Ride. The last mentioned
is a poignant story of a lonely old lady, Maud Mendelson who lives
and dies alone. Although the writer's usual thread of light- heartedness
runs through it, she stresses the tragedy of loneliness i.e. the
body seated upright, alone on a chair until people can get to her
to get her into the right position for the dead. In Endangered
Species Anthea has a good laugh at herself whilst revealing the
social stigmas hidden in the so called 'high society'. She had been
chatting with the ladies at a party until a politician talks about
racial prejudices. From then on curiosity overcomes the friendliness
of society birds and they become determined to find out Anthea's
nationality. They had mistaken her for a 'Kandyan Lady.' When she
told them her race they began to treat her differently. "Where
do you work?" Anthea retaliates, "At the Dutch and National
museum I stand in a showcase which displays the Burghers - two days
at one place and two days at the other." "Aney
really?" "Lots
of people come and look at me. I'm a rare species you know on that
endangered list, only found in museums these days". The stories
are many and varied in humour and depth. I will conclude with The
Writer. By going to
observe two people he wishes to write about, the writer finds himself
involved in the middle of a boiling situation and is compelled to
pull himself out of the picture just in time. Anthea Senaratne
is an active member of the Wadiya Group of writers. |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
plantation
economy in the 1830s, for its progress. 
