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
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Monday, June 26, 2017
Globalised World, It’s Actors & Spectators: Three Spheres
This
is a topic that consumes most minds in the corporate and government
sectors in contemporary times. It is because of the way contemporary
world is shaped by the global and regional economic and political
forces. In order to understand who benefits from this arrangement and
who aren’t, we have to understand the nature of different spheres
operating simultaneously in a hierarchical fashion in the global order
connecting a multitude of large and small nations. In my view, there are
three main spheres in the current arrangement of the global order: 1)
global, 2) intermediate 3) local. Let me explain.
The global sphere includes
the weak and powerful states formed into multilateral organisations
such as the UN and its agencies, bilateral agencies, and the
multinational corporate sector. Various political and regional alliances
among states form an important part of this sphere as is the network of
close relations in the corporate sector by way of a multitude of
servicing agencies in professional fields such as accountancy, law,
transport, finance, trade, tourism, medical, security and so on. The NGO
sector is also a key element of this global sphere. They
work closely with multilateral and bilateral agencies partly to design
and administer various projects sponsored by states or non-state
organisations. There is a significant difference between the corporate
culture, diplomatic culture and the NGO culture at the global
level. Upper echelons of each of these sectors adhere to well developed
formulae from their predecessors. Personal factors interfere in their
operations to a lessor extent.
Rules
and regulations governing these sectors are generally clearly defined
and the masters of each sector keep a tab on the operations of those
below in the respective hierarchies. Goal
setting and achievement of such goals within defined time and financial
frameworks plus natural and human resource boundaries are key
considerations. Organisations originating from the global north or
metropolitan capitals of Western Europe and USA in the corporate sector
have to be responsible to the shareholders of companies and other
entities for the operations of respective organisations. NGO
sector also has specific mandates that are closely followed by their
superiors in the capital cities of the developed West and USA.
Operations of these organisations in countries of the global south,
including for example India, China, Pakistan and Sri Lanka is essential
for the value adding for various products and services. Thus the
officials from all three sectors have a need to connect and do business
with those with power, status and wealth in the intermediary sector.
Intermediary sector includes
the politicians, government officials, rich businessmen, investors, NGO
activists and significant others within states and in the diaspora. In
order to transact business within specific countries, those in the
global sphere need to connect with these figures officially and
unofficially, e.g. in social occasions. Current world is moving on the
basis of transactions undertaken, projects planned and implemented,
finance organised, and the social justifications for the projects thus
designed. Those active in the intermediary sphere or zone come from the
local contexts within specific countries but also from the diaspora and
the global context. (This is as a result of various migration waves in
the last few decades plus the facilitation of business visa for those
with sufficient wealth and capital by the developed countries of Europe,
USA, Australia, Canada etc.) Thus we can imagine about a private sector
initiated port development, road development, irrigation projects,
apartment complexes or other businesses to provide specific services.
These are the products of negotiations between those from the global
sphere i.e. global North, and those in the intermediate sphere ie.
global South, working on behalf of the populace in general or specific
constituencies with vested interests. As elected representatives carry
the mandate to negotiate business on behalf of the nations, they play a
key role in all this to provide legitimacy. In
a country like Sri Lanka where the indebtedness is growing by the day,
negotiations for further projects, businesses, investments etc. have
become an essential activity of the elected government and its
functionaries. These are
conducted in line with the dominant economic doctrine in the minds of
ruling elites, ie. Neoliberal, free market economic norms and
principles. Very little questioning of this doctrine seems to occur
within the ruling class or in the broader society!
The
culture and lifestyle of those in this intermediate sphere is globally
oriented. Key players need to have an understanding of how the world
works and how to turn events and dealings and wheelings with global
partners in their favour? With time, those who engage in this game
acquire a certain versatility and acumen with experience, networks and
opportunity provided by their backgrounds and affiliations. Members
operating in this sphere lead a high life mostly with the public purse
and others by using their corporate or INGO resources. The discourses
used by specific personnel vary depending on the sector. Those in the
intermediate sphere move across countries and regions easily and have
well-established connections with those in the diaspora. They are the
custodians of designing, changing, delaying and even manipulating the
overall ‘system of governance’ and its sub systems. They use the mandate
received from the voters at periodic elections (heavily manipulated
though) as well as the experience and political and culture capital
acquired to achieve these objectives. In addition to the political
layer, there is a technocratic layer of individuals attending to the
transactions.
Now we come to the third and final sphere. It is the domestic or local sphere. Average
folk in the lower to middle classes and those in poverty belong in this
sphere. By far, they are the majority looking to the political masters
and other authority figures to manage the country and provide rules and
space for a peaceful life. There are many divisions within this sphere
based on language, religion, ethnicity, class, gender, lifestyle,
etc. In fact in this sphere, there are dividing factors more so than
uniting factors. The daily life of members of this sphere is fed with
national news about national and international affairs by a multitude of
media. Members of this
sphere carry diverse aspirations for themselves and their kith and kin.
They operate within ‘the system’ designed by those who know better and
those who are well placed in the social, political and economic
hierarchies. Such hierarchies end up in the intermediate sphere and we
refer to them as elites.
Those
in the domestic sphere tend to lead their life according to the rules
–except the deviants- and this make their progress slow. They encounter
many challenges for getting ahead in life or creating a better future
for children due to lack of material resources and culture capital. For
example, if they or their children did not attend Royal College or
similar Colleges with a chequered history going back to the colonial
days or enter the university to do a professional degree, or well
connected to the players in the corporate sector their life chances are
dismal. However, their connectivity with significant others is weak
though many tend to go after such figures at the local levels to obtain
various benefits which are things like a job, license or permit, local
contracts. Many seek spiritual help to secure even the simplest task in
life and go through sets of anxieties generated by the system in place,
which they consider as not just.
Social
justice is not the principle upon which most hierarchies are based.
Ideally, administration of justice in terms of resources is in the hands
of those with power and resources to deliver to the rest. What comes
down from their hands is unevenly spread across ethnic, religious and
other boundaries. Members of the domestic/local sphere are ‘mere
spectators’ of the system and its failings rather than active players of
the system’s design or its manipulation for personal benefit unlike
those in the intermediary sphere. Thus various ideologies and discourses
have been designed by those in the intermediary sphere to manage and
direct the interests and aspirations of those in the domestic sphere. An
easy way to do this is by promoting antagonisms among the people in the
domestic sphere based on micro categories such as ethnicity, religion,
language etc. (In Western countries of the global north, terrorism is
also used to create fear among the people and introduce restrictions on
civil liberties)