5th Column

My dear Mother Lanka,

I am writing to you with mixed feelings as we mark the 75th anniversary of gaining independence from British colonial masters. I think it is more accurate to say that we ‘marked’ independence instead of saying we ‘celebrated’, because there has been precious little to celebrate as a nation lately.

We did ‘celebrate’ yesterday with a ceremony at Galle Face. There is nothing wrong with an event to mark the occasion, but the fact that there was opposition to even that suggests that all is not well. Critics complained yesterday’s event demonstrated our ‘neva gilunath, band choon’ mentality.

People ask why millions were spent on parades when our hospitals lack medicines, our fuel is rationed and we can’t afford uninterrupted electricity. These are valid questions. The powers that be didn’t get it right in striking a balance between ‘celebrating’ and being sensitive to the hardships of the people.

That is why some even query as to whether we are worse off gaining independence and whether it would have been better if we were still under the ‘suddas’. We manage our own affairs and make our own decisions now, but, judging by recent events, we have made a right royal mess of it, haven’t we?

It is great that we could break free from the shackles of foreign rule, first by the Portuguese, then by the Dutch and finally by the British, and be in charge of our own destiny once again. However, the question is whether we have made life better for our people since then. The answer, of course, is ‘no’.

We struggled for decades to gain independence from the British so we could be free from their rule, though it was not a bloody battle like it was in India or Pakistan. Yet, 75 years later we are queuing up outside their high commissions, trying to migrate and be under their rule once again!

Just how much we have fallen is shown by Prince Charles who is now King attending our 50th anniversary celebrations – sweating profusely and being ignored by Mrs B seated next to him. 25 years later, those attending our event are two-bit ministers from a few neighbouring countries!

Our national anthem says ‘dhaanya, dhanaya neka mal palathuru piri jaya
bhumiya ramya’ but there is no grain due to the fertiliser fiasco, no riches as we are bankrupt, fruits and flowers are expensive due to inflation, our land is being sold to foreigners and all the Ramyas are trying to leave the country!

You-know-who said recently that we should aim to be a modern and prosperous nation by 2048 when we reach a century of ‘independence’, but this is as good a time as any to reflect on what went wrong. Or else, we will be in a worse plight by 2048 and still harking back to our glorious past of 2,500 years.

The ‘suddas’ who governed us didn’t do so because they loved us. They repressed our people, imposed taxes on us and stole our natural resources. It is also true that these same people lecture us even now on how we should conduct our affairs. They controlled us then. They try to control us now.

While the ‘suddas’ didn’t do us any great favours, we still rely on the roads and railways they built, the schools they set up, the laws they introduced, the plantations they cultivated and the language they spoke. What have we done for ourselves since they left us 75 years ago? Sadly, very little.

Whose fault is that? It has become the fashion these days to blame it all on the politicians or the few families that have ruled us for three-quarters of a century – and they do have to accept a significant share of that responsibility, especially those who led the country after the first 20 years or so.

Still, we as a nation are also responsible not only for electing our rulers but also for falling victim to their strategy of pitting one community against the other, repeatedly. Then, when they passed laws to suit them, others helped them, be it in the House by the Diyawanna Oya or in the halls of Hulftsdorp.

Slowly, the rule of law collapsed, rulers became a law unto themselves and our leaders acted as if they were Kings or Queens. Instead of rebelling against them, most people took the easy way out, voting them in, again and again for various rewards – a job, free rice, ‘samurdhi’ or the promise of a bracelet.

Also emerging were a new set of ‘yes men’ – ministry secretaries, corporation bosses, other high officials, even Police and military officers, and those who sit on benches – who did the bidding of their political masters in return for a commission, promotion, extension of service or a diplomatic posting.

Most top posts where key decisions are made were filled by these ‘yes men’ instead of being given on merit to the most deserving. Naturally, decisions were made for political reasons and not for the nation’s good. Now, our ‘democratic socialist’ Republic has become a ‘dictatorial corrupt’ Republic.

I am sorry to sound so negative, Mother Lanka, but if this 75th anniversary is to serve some purpose, it is time for all of us, your sons and daughters, to look in the mirror. What you see will not be pretty. Yet, if we can see our flaws, we can correct them. Then, maybe we can really celebrate, at least by 2048!

Yours truly,

Punchi Putha

PS: At the very site where our ‘independence’ was marked yesterday, the Galle Face Green, there were signs last year that your conscience was finally awakening. If that process can be seen through to its end, then we can claim true ‘independence’ instead of being in dependence forever, Mother Lanka.