federalidea.com

by Panduka Dasanayake

• “I have walked that long road to freedom. I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger for my long walk is not ended…” (Nelson Mandela). Lanka’s United National Congress’s long walk has just begun…
• The nation congratulates the Honourable Ranil Wickremasinghe and the Honourable Mangala Samaraweera and all the good representatives of the people of Lanka who supported this belated act of wisdom, the formation of the National Congress.
• The people are pleased to share in this event in all humility as a symbol of a victory for democracy, and, good sense. They have much hope of seeing the creation of a new socio-political culture that is grounded on human and political decency.
• As trust begets trust, decency is possible only where being decent matters, where the environment enables it and demonstrates that it endorses it, as much as, it enables spiritual and economic well-being.
• National policies that go beyond the political tenure of any one government creating good systems of public administration and service, an enabling environment for enterprises to be competitive, both nationally and globally, and, where people could pursue their material and spiritual pursuits in peace and harmony, certainly complement human decency. This is what governance and good governance needs to facilitate.

• Let it not be forgotten that this country had it all in the first half of the last century. Some long and hard introspection is necessary to regain our lost sense of direction and purpose.

• In this regard, the nation welcomes the National Congress and the Leaders’ call to end petty and divisive politics in this beleaguered, beautiful nation and we look to what we genuinely consider to be the only worthy resolution that has been adopted since the parting of ways that occurred in the early 1950s with the exit from the then United National Party of the stalwart the late Mr SWRD Bandaranaike, and the premature departure of Sir John Kotelawela from national politics.
• Had that not happened, the path of the evolution of this nation spearheaded by its own worthy sons and daughters would have been a tale in keeping with the best of the civilized past of this great nation. Ceylon was unique in its evolutionary process in the colonial times. After the initial and natural conflicts with the colonial rulers, there evolved a wonderful period of assimilation, education and entry into a modern democracy. After the Manning and Colebrook-Cameron reforms, there evolved the ‘educated Ceylonese’ mentality. With their entry into the Legislative and Executive Councils, and the passage of the Donoughmore constitution, history saw what a great ability our people had to blend the best of East and West and to create a decent, harmonious and enabling environment.
• Without alluding to superfluous claims, if we limit our reason only to the fact that the Ceylon National Congress, styled after the great Indian National Congress, not only unified people of all ethnic origins living in this country, but also, earned the highest respect and regard of the colonial rulers for its ability and sense of responsibility. The allusion to what this country owed to the late the Right Hon DS Senanayake and Sir Oliver Goonetilleke, in the foreword to his book on the Independence Constitution by the late Sir Ivor Jennings, and the absolute esteem with which he says it, is ample proof of this.
• This was the period in which proof of decency of dealing mattered and, one’s background and education were important criteria for one to be considered to be a worthy representative of the people. For, there was no substitute for decency to be a custodian of the trust of office and the duties (not so much, the power) that went with it.
• What did this genre of persons mean? Simply, these people demonstrated capability, integrity, sincerity of purpose, and, a degree of selflessness in serving one’s fellow beings (shunning cheap publicity). Looking at the principled patience with which Mr Ranil Wickremasinghe has withstood every onslaught from within and without the UNP, and the downright chicanery of cheap politics and unprincipled politicians of all hues, we can only applaud his respect for the law, his capability and his sincerity. He truly represents that genre of persons that we can be proud of as being our leader.
• The host of such worthy people this country had the good fortune of seeing as its

political representatives, in academia, in the professions and enterprises, meant that this country’s adulation of educational attainment, virtuous human qualities, and personal competence was never in question. The citizens of this country found in that limited recognition accorded to the educated classes of the local community a further will to pursue studies in disciplines of modern education to apply and develop their traditional intelligence.

• However, the lack of congruity in ‘national purpose’ after the rift of the 1950s led to stymied policies on many fronts and petty politicking that undermined the good process of evolution that this society went through from the colonial period onwards – be it in terms of education or the economy, the access to English as an international language of communication and learning, the excellent public service that evolved which Mr. Lee Kwan Yu wanted to emulate, or the enterprises, both of sterling origin and of purely local entrepreneurs that were global in their outlook and actions long before the present period of ‘globalization’.
• We acknowledge the mistakes of both the UNP and the SLFP in this sad and terrible era of post-independence Ceylon and later, Sri Lanka, with the highest level of incompetence and foolish wickedness being demonstrated by the present regime, and we welcome this late move to end divisive politics in this beautiful land.
• We shall need more than Truth and Reconciliation to undo the damage sustained by the political blunders and brutalities committed through the State’s forces and its reactionaries. But it IS Truth and Reconciliation that will matter as a minimum to rebuild this nation. We recall nostalgically the advent to power of the late JR Jayawardene in 1977, and the hope this nation had in him being the saviour. The record from 1977 -1981 went relatively well, and then with the DDC elections, referendum, myopic Constitutional Amendments, PTA etc, the record was sullied. With a 5/6 majority in Parliament, a statesman of the caliber of Lee Kwan Yew may have used it solely for nation-building. Ours was a different story and the turn of events went to magnify the lack of courage and sincerity of the leaders.
• We then had a hopeful interlude in 2001 December when the Hon. Ranil Wickremasinghe promised a turn for the better. The peace process, opening of the economy, liberalizing political structures, liberal democracy, ‘regaining Sri Lanka,’ and the priority that should be accorded to education were emphasized by Mr. Wickremasinghe. But we all know how the very system that the late President JRJ put in place was used to manipulate rather than to build, and Mr Wickremasinghe was denied the opportunity to deliver.
• Mr Wickremasighe’s allusion to the failure to open political structures in a number of statements of that time, made us appreciate this leader’s sensitivity to the failures of the post 1977 era in particular, and the post-independence era, in general.
• Earlier, we had myopic ‘nationalisation’ exercises, that took away the respect for private ownership and management of capital; and land and paddy lands were the all-important capital in a primarily agricultural economy. It needed more time to evolve into a truly mixed economy with agro-based industries, industries, and modern technology following it through to the post-industrial society that we could have been. But premature social engineering denied the maturing process to take its course.
• Through the introduction of the educational reforms and policies commenced by the late CWW Kannangara, we had a host of rural MMVs and MVs that were preparing candidates for the SSC in English by the 1950s. It is not to venerate English but to practically accept its value as a communications and educational tool that we lament its abandonment post 1960.
• And none would deny that English served to bridge East and West meaningfully, and served as a useful link language that served national harmony, as well as, a means of respectably projecting ourselves to the rest of the world. The global language was another example of how our people demonstrated their ability to grasp some alien tongue and use it effectively and very competently.
• But the time that was needed for this to become a fully fledged modern democracy that was capable of managing its independent era with responsibility was interrupted most tragically.
• As the Ceylon National Congress was a unifying single force, let us aspire to make this current United National Congress a rallying point for people of all hues, to look up to for belated nation building.
• While we uphold the best traditions of modern democracies, we really do not believe that the multi party system has served us very well. Let this be a good time to seriously look at a viable arrangement that will enable all competent people, with sincerity of political purpose rather than ‘mere political ambition,’ to serve the nation under a truly national government.
• Up to now, all we’ve seen is a host of ‘talkers’ who have failed to be productively employed in any activity, being ‘grafted’ to earn off the national kitty. May the United National Congress mark the end of this rotten era.
• May it never be repeated that it is a Sinhala nation or a Tamil nation – but simply a modern nation amongst the world’s nations, responsible to itself and to the world at large, upholding the best of the civilized world, nourishing its own regional and cultural niceties, and bringing out the best in everybody that lives here or visits here. Such accommodating and consensus politics will definitely conduce towards a decent society.
• Now, our only hope is that there be a good action plan to facilitate a shared learning for every aspiring Member of Parliament that comes in from the National Congress to live up to the highest ideals of a modern nation and for the welfare of all its peoples. This will undoubtedly conduce towards a decent political culture.
• This underscores the value of restructuring our national educational policies to produce ‘educated’, ‘employable’ and further ‘trainable’ citizens, who might emulate those excellent people this country produced when good systems prevailed, and, who can contribute productively to the national economy through whatever profession, public office or enterprise they choose to be employed in and serve their fellow beings. A productive, competent, and contented employee/ citizen contributes to ‘decency’ in that society. We recall the ‘White Paper on Education’ that Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe as Minister in 1981-2 proposed and had to be abandoned due to ‘politics.’ Another 25 years have passed!
• That education reform that was envisaged in the White Paper would have helped undo some of the damage and facilitate a resurgence of decent, cultured people. Alas! We are still saddled with many hot-air-blowing empty-heads in Parliament! ‘What could have been’ had not private enterprise been undermined by less enlightened political decisions to experiment with ‘nationalization’ and ‘mismanaged socialism’ and ignoring the real national priorities, continues to irk us.
• Therefore, we have every confidence that the National Congress with the good leadership and sincerity of the Hon. Ranil Wickremasinghe, and the Hon. Mangala Samaraweera will, in their turn, have all good blessings to steer the country through focused national dialogue, consensus building and forgivance, and courage to do what is right, and to formulate sound policies, towards creating a new, decent, liberal, democratic, socio-political order that this country is crying for.
• There needs therefore to be new criteria for selecting future representatives of the people, criteria that conduce towards ensuring decency. The experience of the 58 years post independence in 1948 demands that these criteria need to go beyond personal-familial histories alone.
• The ‘Precept and Example’ approach coupled with ‘Principled, Shared & Accountable Leadership’ with ‘respect for liberty and the rule of law‘ will be essential to creating a stable future for the country.
• This underscores the importance of people’s representatives who respect things like the following in a pluralist society: “inter-dependence”, “diversity management & social integration”, “mediation”, “lobbying opinions”, “law & order”, “good governance”, “fundamentals of economics and industrial competitiveness”, “social equity” etc. These should, in fact, be regularly discussed through varied and competent facilitation, if parliamentarians are to be made competent to serve.
• The above may sound naïve, but we sincerely feel for the magnitude of the task the National Congress has at hand to help restore this nation to a level of decency, discipline and dedication to do what is right that must meaningfully presage and complement any attempt at achieving economic prosperity that will be sustainable.
• May those lapses of the post 1948 era never be repeated; the lapses that paved the way for ill-conceived experiments that undermined social harmony and socio-economic development of this country. An introspective brainstorming session may be a good start, as the Congress determines to make a difference in the political firmament of Sri Lanka. We absolutely need a keen sense of responsibility on the part of all aspiring parliamentarians.
• We welcome your commitment to restrict Cabinet numbers as a first step. If all went well, all we need is one/ two national representative/s for every administrative district, and the local representatives facilitating the rest. But that is another story.
• We wish the National Congress every success at acquiring legislative power soon, and may you have the support of all reasonable people who would work for your advent to political power, without expecting undue gains. Let it be said to all aspiring to serve under the National Congress, that the whole country will uphold your efforts at really making a difference this time round and we, ordinary citizens, who have patiently waited for something good to happen in this country, wish all of you the best of all blessings to do what you have to do. The real tough issues lie ahead, and the citizens will watch you as you handle them, whether with principle and practicality, or, with political expediency only. They’ve seen enough of the latter. Be your own police and judges, and do not give cause to others to doubt your sincerity of purpose, lest we have opportunists with lesser intentions making capital and confusion, too.
• We wish the Congress every success in their attempts at national reconciliation and paving the way for economic prosperity. May your imminent victory be a blessing for the multitudes in this country who have waited patiently for something good to happen.
• May ‘Precept & Example’ be your watchwords as you ‘march to a mighty purpose,’ and may decency, discipline and dedication to do what is right be the result that this country sees.
• “…But most shall he sing of Lanka

In the brave new days to come,

When the races all have blended

And the voice of strife is dumb;

When we leap to a single bugle,

March to a single drum” (Rev. Walter S Senior, c.1910)

• ‘Sabbe sattha bhavanthu sukhitattha.’ (ends)

EDITORS NOTE: This article reflects the sentiments of well – wishers about the formation of the National Congress. The Federal Idea is not aligned to any political party . We are supportive of all organizations or groups in Sri Lanka advocating national reconciliation, unity, pluralism, justice, equality and democracy.