Nationalism-learning
tour for Lankan ministers
The Fourth of February should be to us what
the Fourth of July is to the United States -- its Independence Day.
The United States compared to Sri Lanka is a very young nation. In
the US, July 4th is celebrated with much pomp and deference, even
a science-fiction film (Independence Day) been placed nationalistically
on that day. We celebrated our Independence Day at the time of a space
disaster in the US and border problems between Thailand and Cambodia.
Their respective reactions illustrate their leaders' sense of nationhood.
Let me begin
with our own Independence.
With the Tigers
banning the celebration of Independence for schoolchildren, the
fiction that Tigers had accepted Sri Lankan sovereignty was thrown
out. Further, a once staunchly pro-MoU and pro-UNF newspaper was
now reporting continuing Tiger abduction of children. Except for
those brainwashed by propaganda, it is becoming clear that the MoU
is one of the biggest treacherous acts this country has seen.
The response of the whole American nation to the shuttle disaster
was electric, united in mourning and gritting itself to new achievements.
But people and nations do not react to only the loss of their present
symbols. They do more for their past symbols.
In South-east
Asia a Thai actress created a storm in Cambodia by stating in a
play that Thailand should get back the ancient city of Angkor Wat.
This led to widespread rioting against the Thais in Cambodia. The
Thais evacuated their nationals and their troops were put on alert
with their air force patrolling the common border. Local politics
entered and there was posturing on both the Thai and the Cambodian
side. The two countries were jealously defending their sovereignty
and cultural heritage, a self respecting nationalist response similar
to the US reaction to the shuttle loss.
Our parallel
to all these three was the Tiger attack on Dalada Maligawa - both
a present and past symbol. The anniversary of its attack, a few
weeks ago was ignored by both the government and the opposition.
No rallying the nation. When more modern symbols like the Central
Bank and airport were attacked the President hid herself from public
view. In fact when the Kolonnawa oil tanks were being attacked,
she left the country instead of rallying the people.
The lack of
a feeling of nationalism in both government and opposition leadership
is seen most avidly in comparison to Thailand and Cambodia. Both
had intimate connections with us. In fact the spread of so-called
Indian influences in South-East Asia was largely through Sinhalese
culture, a fact increasingly known. Thailand's first capital was
Sukhothai built in the 14th century through the partial help of
Sinhalese craftsmen brought in from Gampola. As for Angkor Wat,
the father of its greatest king Jayavarman VII had links with our
Polonnaruwa kings. The transition to Sinhalese Buddhist influence
was made during Jayavarman V11. (His son Tamalinda was ordained
as a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka). After Jayavarman V11, Cambodia
was suffused with Sinhala Buddhism as temples sprouted all over
the country and impacted the common people. The earlier South Asian
impacts of Hinduism and Mahayanism were largely restricted to the
royal courts. So both Thailand and Cambodia consider Sri Lanka as
a fountainhead of their culture. This should constitute a special
relationship between us and these countries in a parallel manner
similar to Britain's special relationship with the USA.
Our February
4th was noted in a special-paid supplement in the Thai newspaper
Bangkok Post. The supplement had messages from our President, Prime
Minister, Foreign Minister and our Ambassador. Both the Prime Minister
and President referred to the "peace process". All were
uninspiring; the President was the worst. Possibly written by an
NGO hack, it was defensive and apologetic saying that we have "failed
to evolve" into a "pluralistic nation".
This was just
the opposite of the actual facts namely that while the rest of the
country was multicultural the Tigers had established a mono-ethnic
entity in the North. She played her usual role as a major dismantler
of Sri Lanka's image abroad. No hint of the Tigers establishing
bases in Thailand and Cambodia, traditional homelands for Sinhalese
culture. The supplement centerpiece was an article on the special
Buddhist relationship between the two countries. Surprisingly, it
only mentioned the bringing of the Upasampada to Sri Lanka 250 years
ago, but unbelievably ignored the far greater Sinhala contribution
in the opposite direction. This was not because of Sri Lankan Embassy's
ignorance. A couple of years ago it organized a joint seminar with
the Thai Foreign Ministry on relations between the two countries
in the New Millennium where details of Sinhala contributions were
amply spelt out.
In the 19th
Century Japan sent her entire Cabinet for one year to learn about
developments in the West. We should send ours on a parallel mission
to learn nationalism. Any country would do, even little Maldives.
We do not have to send the whole Cabinet. Only the President, PM,
and a few others would be enough. Shall we say, only those from
families whose wealth and influence are due to the colonizers bribing
their forefathers to betray country and culture, could serve the
purpose.
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