Bookshelf

Plunged into darkness

Acandid look at what is go- ing on around us is how one can describe a timely publication just released by Ratnapala de Silva, well known writer on theatre who has moved over to a critical analysis of the present situation in Sri Lanka. The book is titled 'Ratnadeepa Janmabhumi' (from Mahagama Sekera's composition sung by Visharada Amaradeva) with a sub-title Sonduru divaina anduru vu waga- Resplendent isle plunged into darkness.

He begins with a brief history of this resplendent island "By February 4,1948, it was a peaceloving, disciplined society in a democratic framework. The people who governed the country, the civil service which was the administrative framework, the judicial system, trade within the country, the life style of the people, the education system, the cultural set up were all accepted as beneficial to the people."

Moving on to the beginnings of the dark clouds which began to appear after 1948, the writer identifies a few instances when the common man found some solace - the left movement comprising intellectuals, university dons, upsurge in the arts, cricketing prowess which came up in the last decade, the Maha Sangha and the priests who came up through Pirivenas and Missionary schools. Tracing the constitutional development, the writer is convinced that what we got on February 4, 1948 was an independence for politicians and not for the people. "Soon this resplendent island was covered with the dark clouds of a political germ due to the party system." The party system, which began with four or five parties, stands at 23 today. He lists out the parties in the book.

He sees the two major parties bungling the open economy due to mismanagement.

'Today's task' is the title of a chapter analysing in detail the political and economic lessons learnt during the past 50 years. From there, author de Silva moves on to discuss the ethnic issue. He places the issue in its historical perspective and makes the reader think of the problem in the context of the solutions that have been offered.

Return to the Plus Contents