Are we so bad? – A reply

Many years ago, when I was still in school in fact, this is what a foreigner told my friends and me: Comparing India with Sri Lanka, he said: In India, leaders are good but the people are bad. In Sri Lanka, people are good but the leaders are bad. Leaving India aside, I have never had reason to disagree ever since, about his view of Sri Lankans; the escalation of crime notwithstanding. If crime has been increasing in the country, the politicians have much to explain.

What can the people do if these leaders cling on even when they are thrown out lock stock and barrel? They find a way to crawl back manipulating the laws and closing ranks throwing out principles and ethics and opening the gate to externalize internal problems.

The one and only leader who did not come back after losing at the polls is Sir John Kotalawala. In 1956, he lost to Mr S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike. After a few months, when mayhem was reigning in the country, and Mr B losing his life at the hands of his own supporters, some people went to Sir John and requested him to come back to politics. His reply was: “My people said they don’t want me. I will not come back.” He never did. I know of no other political leader in Sri Lanka who stood so tall. Even Dudley Senanayake returned to politics.

At a time when corruption is rife in the country, another two stories about Sir John are worth mentioning for the benefit of the younger generations who may not know, especially those in the universities. He built a school in his electorate. On the opening day, people were making speeches thanking him. In his reply, he said words to this effect: “Don’t thank me for this school. I did not build it with my money. I got a commission from the French company that was awarded a contract in the harbor. I built this school with that money.” Sir John was the Minister of Ports at the time.

Even though the people rejected him, he nevertheless, donated his walauwa, Kandawela to the people. It is a university today. I know of no other leader of the country who was so magnanimous as to donate his walauwa.

In stark contrast is the political culture of UK, the country where Dr Upul Wijayawardhana (UW) has chosen to live, forsaking his motherland, the country whose people, he says he feels so “strongly” for. In UK, when a party loses at the polls, its leader resigns, allowing the party to choose the next leader. This is a well-established political practice of the UK which has continued unbroken for well over seventy years except in one instance. Harold Wilson was PM from 1964 to 1970 and again from 1974 to 1976. Since the end of World War Two, UK has had no less than seventeen prime ministers. UK has moved further: The present Prime Minister is Rishi Sunak, a Hindu Indian, neither a white man nor a Christian.

Those agitating for constitutional reforms in Sri Lanka should take note and propose measures to raise the level of political morality to this level of UK. Leaders of mainstream parties who lead their parties to defeat at the polls should be required to return the baton back to their parties and go home, just like Sir John Kotalawala did.

If healthy political customs or practices such as these were current in our country’s politics, we’d never have had a thirty-year war and the country won’t be bankrupt today.

Living in cozy comfort, enjoying the freedom that UK provides and able to write without fear, UW will be doing a great service to the poor suffering people struggling to live in the land of his birth by writing on practices such as these and strive to improve Sri Lanka’s political morality, instead of writing to revive parties that are accountable for Sri Lanka’s racial and religious conflicts and corruption ultimately ending bankrupt.

I am pleased to hear UW supports a comprehensive investigation on the Channel 4 allegations. But he asks why it should be international? Not only must justice be done, justice must also appear to be done. The credibility of the government, both domestic and foreign, is so low, nobody will have any confidence that justice will be done if the government appoints another commission to inquire into the Channel 4 allegations or any other allegation. It’s only a waste of taxpayers’ money that must be collected for the coming elections. A study of the outcomes of commissions appointed by the government so far will prove this beyond reasonable doubt to any reasonable person capable of looking at issues objectively, desirous of creating a united Sri Lankan nation and not through politically coloured or sectarian glasses.

When Ranil and Mangala cosponsored the UNHRC resolution in question, they were acting as the true representatives of and echoing the consensus of the sovereign people of Sri Lanka for the betterment of all Sri Lankans. I do understand why this is beyond UW’s comprehension. He needs to change glasses and embrace the virtues of a secular, plural Sri Lankan nation. Yes, “Ranil and Mangala achieved uniqueness;” but not in the sense UW means. They won back respect for Sri Lanka as a nation that strives against great odds, to provide a level playing field for all the people of the country, whatever their race or religion and not just one community.

I explained the meaning of sovereignty as understood by me, namely that it belongs to all the people of Sri Lanka irrespective of their race or religion. UW says this implies that I said that the LTTE fought a just war. UW’s interpretation is his own. Other interpretations are possible. Whether LTTE fought a just war not, history will decide. Neither UW nor me. People beheaded as traitors are martyrs today. Think Keppetipola. There are several other examples all over the world.

In those early days of the “war,” –please note the inverted commas – there were two schools of thought. Some discussed the merits and demerits of a military solution; others of a political solution. I belonged to the latter school. The “war” ended in 2009. Several elections have been held. The people of the areas affected by the war never endorsed the military solution. The “war” winning party never won a single seat in those areas. The firefight ended; but the problem lives on. The war is a major reason for the country’s economic collapse.

Medicine is a highly disciplined study that trains medical students to think scientifically, logically objectively and not emotionally. It trains them to treat both friend and foe alike. Remember the Hippocrates’ oath. When I was stationed in Vavuniya, I used to visit the field hospital of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF). There, I saw LTTE soldiers being treated by doctors of IPKF injured in battle fighting the IPKF. UW will be surprised to hear this even though he is also a doctor.

India is actually twenty-seven different countries. Her people speak nearly 2000 languages, dialects. India has terrorist problems and separatist problems too. When I went to India for counter terrorist and jungle warfare training, I found their instructors never used the word “enemy” to refer to their terrorists. They train their soldiers to call them “hostiles.” Why? Because they are their own people and have to be brought back to the fold. This is how India preserved and preserves her unity. We have three communities and three languages only. Our leaders are so incapable and weak, they are unable to preserve the country’s unity without an army, navy and an air force. I could say more. But the editor will have difficulties allocating space for me.

Brigadier (Rtd.) Ranjan de Silva
rpcdesilva@gmail.com