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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Back to 500BC.
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Saturday, February 1, 2020
Is There Hope?
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Does the new President reflect a welcome change? Perhaps he does. Some
early signs are positive, although seemingly trivial. The image that he
has projected of a representative of a small and non- affluent country
is laudable. No pomp and pageantry and displays of pretended piety, a
reduction of security entourages and other symbols of vanity, a minimum
of foreign travel, and when absolutely necessary, being accompanied by
modest teams of relevant experts, rather than extravagant bands of
free-loaders and relatives, and in general setting good standards for
emulation by those below him. In particular, modesty combined with
smartness in his garb (no two million Rupee jackets and the trade mark
Satakaya) but the affordable bush shirt and slacks. It is amusing to see
those surrounding him meanwhile sweating away in suit and tie! Decorum
may require some departure, as when he was soldiering in uniform, but
this was for more reasons than mere style.
A healthy emphasis on discipline. We could certainly do with some simple
and no-cost measures – punctuality, courtesy, observance of road
regulations, respect for queues, truthfulness, a readiness to greet,
smile rather than scowl and a lavish use of “Thank you, Please and Excuse me” Elders are not “Uncle or Aunt” but “Sir or
Madam”. It is said that in Singapore, chewing gum was banned because
some thought that Metro Seats were provided for disposal of “spent”
chewed gum! In our context, perhaps betel chewing would qualify.
Many procedures could be modified for public convenience. The
unannounced visits of The President to the Department of Motor Traffic
and the Airport should be a gentle hint to officialdom that negligence
of duty is dangerous! The President cannot personally visit all offices,
nor will it be necessary, because the general drift of his actions is
clear. So we may hope for an end to the garbage problem for example.
Already one senses some awakening and frantic activation, of many
sleeping giants.
Many political leaders have had to pay the penalty for surrounding
themselves with undesirable stooges. Some have had their sons and
daughters do the needful. It takes two generations to breed a gentleman –
and there are no short-cuts.
Sri Lankans are capable of great achievements, as was evident in the way
Colombo has been restored to its past grandeur and the way in which the
“Invincible” LTTE bit the dust. But sadly, this seems to require a
person with a whip in hand. We remember the way the great “Madu walge”
and scaffold talk which turned out to be aborted pretty easily. Is GR
the required “Whip” man?
To be candid, there were two fears – the White Van syndrome and dangers
of a militarized State. This needs to be negated. The White Vans, rather
like Mermaids, Lochness Monsters, Greased Yakkas and Unicorns are sure
to exist but awaiting discovery. Two events need to be robustly
addressed. One is the sordid flare up of temper in the Phone calls to Ms
Fredrica Jansz, and the disastrous showing on the “Hard Talk” programme
of the BBC. Perhaps a mere expression of regret and open apology, at
least to the nation, may suffice. All of us humans do err sometimes, but
genuinely expressing regret is important.