A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Friday, May 12, 2017
Celebrating Vesak & Tracking Geopolitics
By Sanja De Silva Jayatilleka –May 10, 2017
What would be more appropriate at Vesak this year than welcoming the
charismatic Prime Minister of India to jointly celebrate the legacy
bestowed on the world by its most famous son, Siddhartha Gautama, and to
offer thanks to the Indian emperor Asoka for disseminating it not only
to all corners of his own territory but also across the water to this
little island where it has played such a crucial role in its destiny?
The gift of the Dhamma is a tie that will forever remain fresh in the
relationship between the two countries.
There is no relationship between states, devoid of considerations of geopolitics. The
emerging geopolitics of this region poses new anxieties for India, and
Sri Lanka has been cognizant of this fact. China is seen by the citizens
of this country as a good friend and a centuries-old trading partner,
who poses no threat to its sovereignty and proved its unstinting support
during the critical phase of its battle with the separatist Tigers.
However, the emotional and cultural ties with India have always been
thicker.
The
most important geopolitical task of the moment for the government is
undoubtedly to ensure Sri Lanka benefits from the interest generated by
its serendipitous location, at this time, for these big powers vying for
trading and strategic influence.
Managing
the balance of power requirements of these giants by offering territory
for territory within Sri Lanka however, is hardly the way this island’s
citizens expect its government to handle these relationships!
I
am no longer certain that we islanders will not lose our most beautiful
natural harbor and the strategic space bestowed on this island through
its location, at the hands of a thoughtless government scratching around
for cash.
The birth of this government owes much to ‘fake news’, although that certainly wasn’t the main reason. Their electoral success with blatant lies has incentivized them to continue with the practice.
While
Ministers in this government assure the public that they will not sell
off national assets without consulting relevant stakeholders, the Indian
press has repeatedly reported that Prime Minister Wickremesinghe means
to go ahead with the projects included in the MoU signed with India when
he visited Delhi this month.
I
have witnessed members of the Indian Foreign Service in action in
several capitals and they are some of the best in the world. Their
counterparts in Pakistan are trained to be extremely impressive and
knowledgeable. Since they are rivals as well as neighbors, they both
maintain high standards as an existential necessity. This
excellence in diplomacy of our nearest neighbors and friends has been
beneficial to Sri Lanka for many years. Sri Lankans have witnessed this
to their delight when diplomats from both countries have stepped up to
defend Sri Lanka.
Despite
this, when the recent MoU signed between India and Sri Lanka includes
‘treaty language’ giving it more weight than the less binding language
of an MoU, I begin to wonder what exactly is being assured by whom. When
the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka who promoted the MoU is also a lawyer,
one can only assume all concerned know exactly what they are doing. But
do we?
It
is no secret that the country is facing a cash crunch. We need funds.
Is wanton wheeling and dealing with treasured assets gifted by nature to
its people, especially when their location is geopolitically valuable
and vulnerable, the only way to get funds? Is it that this government is
short of ideas? How is it that so much more was done for decades
before, by other leaders of both parties, while retaining and protecting
sufficient control over the territory of this island?
How
is it even considered reasonable to lease any part of this island for
99 years? When Hong Kong was leased under duress to the British, the
hand back was beset with problems which continue.
When
the Tigers ran over Maavilaru gaining control of the only source of
water for farmers downstream and decided to turn it off, the collective
psyche of the nation felt the existential danger and the state rose in
battle to finish off the Tigers successfully. The people can and will never feel safe with essential supplies such as petroleum and gas in alien hands.
India
has been a friend for thousands of years. It has also found itself
unable to befriend the Sri Lankan state, a fellow democracy, openly
during one of its most critical historical periods, due to pressure from
its southernmost federal state unit. Delhi may have wanted an end to
the Tigers, but they couldn’t help with weapons and sophisticated enough
radars needed for the job, due to Tamil Nadu protests. This is a
permanent fact of geopolitics, and it is our responsibility not to leave
ourselves vulnerable to a situation where Delhi’s hands will be tied. I really wouldn’t want our only supply of cooking gas or petroleum subject to such exigency.
This
island, by definition, naturally has limited land mass for its growing
population. It was with some surprise that one digested the data in the
schedule reproduced by C.A. Chandraprema, extracted from the website of
the Indian External Affairs Ministry showing an anomalous fact of the
number of overseas Indians now citizens of Sri Lanka, compared to all
its neighbors. While among its South Asian neighbors such as
Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives etc, the highest number
so described amounts to 108, with China recording 520, in Sri Lanka it
is 1,600,000!