Prospects for Good Governance and National Reconciliation Post the August 17th Elections

7/24/2019 Prospects for Good Governance and National Reconciliation Post the August 17th Elections

1/21

Prospects for good governance andnational reconciliation post the August17th elections

by Gaetano Greco and Michael Cooke - on 11/17/21!

"eatured i#age courtesy $e%s&rst'

(he birds they sang

At the break of day

)tart again*

+ heard the# say*

,ont d%ell on %hat

.as passed a%ay

r %hat is yet to be'

(here is a crack in everything'

(hats ho% the light gets in'

0eonard Cohen1
http://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/http://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/http://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/http://groundviews.org/author/gaetano-greco-and-michael-cooke/http://newsfirst.lk/http://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/#_ftn1http://groundviews.org/images/groundviewslogo.pnghttp://groundviews.org/author/gaetano-greco-and-michael-cooke/http://newsfirst.lk/http://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/#_ftn1http://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/http://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/http://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/


2/21

+f %e %ant things to stay as they are* things %ill have to change ,o you

understand3

Giuseppe di 0a#pedusa2

Prea#ble

(he genesis of this paper %as a recent trip %e took to 0anka as election

observers for the August parlia#entary elections' ,uring the elections and

after %e had the opportunity not only to visit #any cities in the north* east

and the south but to speak to a cross-section of its inhabitants' 4hat

follo%s is the result of our observations* our reading and our discussions

about 0anka* not 5ust during our recent trip but also in the course of the

past decade'

(he elections have given rise to opti#is# in so#e and cynicis# in others

%ho see the ne% govern#ent concealing an attach#ent to the bad

practices of the past beneath a professed devotion to refor#' 4e do not

kno% %hich vie% is true' .istory is a capricious beast and the present is

hard enough to co#prehend6 predictions are dicult to the point of

i#possibility' $evertheless* %e o8er tentative conclusions* both opti#istic

and pessi#istic'

4e start %ith a very general outline of the historical background of the

issues' (hen go on to discuss issues like9 good governance* accountability

and fairness* the possibility of a #ore econo#ically inclusive and 5ust

society* )inhala :uddhist hege#ony* and life in the north si; years after thecivil %ar'

:ackground

0anka lies o8 the southern#ost tip of +ndia* an island the shape of a

teardrop' +t is a #ulti-religious and #ulti-ethnic country of over 2 #illion
http://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/#_ftn2http://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/#_ftn2


3/21

inhabitants' (he do#inant religion is :uddhis#* follo%ed by .induis#*

+sla# and Christianity' (he )inhalese are 7


4/21

Minister* even if the latter secured a political #a5ority' Ea5apaksa %as

defeated and Eanil 4ickre#esinghe EanilB the leader of the other allegedly

#ore Fconservative party nited $ational PartyB beca#e the Pri#e

Minister of 0anka'

A less authoritarian and #ore accountable de#ocracy

)ince 1=7* %hen D'E' Daya%ardena a#ended the constitution to create an

e;ecutive presidency* %hoever beca#e president of the country inherited

po%ers that #ade the# al#ost unaccountable for their actions' @ven

though the po%ers of the President %ere enor#ous* Ea5apaksa %idened

the# still further* shifting the balance of po%er even #ore fro# parlia#ent

and the 5udiciary &r#ly into the hands of the president'

Ea5apaksa a#ended the countrys constitution the 1th a#end#entB*

re#oving the presidential li#it of t%o ter#s' (here %as also a change in the

rules applying to elections' $o longer %as there be an independent

co##ission* but one fully controlled by the President' (he vital co##ittees

providing oversight of the allocation and spending of public #onies had

usually been chaired by #e#bers of the opposition parties' (hey %ere no%

placed under the control of #inisters appointed by the President'>.is

e;ecutive po%ers %ere e;panded to enco#pass the selection of the

5udiciary and the leaders of the ar#ed forces'


5/21

electoral process free fro# political interference'

4e %itnessed not only a strengthening of civic society but also an

invigorated bureaucracy and police force' +n the t%o districts in %hich %e

%ere election observers* Colo#bo district and Ma%anella a to%n near

HandyB* the election passed %ithout incident6 people lined up early to cast

their ballot and the scrutineers fro# the #ain parties see#ed satis&ed %ith

%hat they %ere seeing' People %ere unfailing polite and genuinely happy

and hospitable6 the old and in&r# %ere helped* so#eti#es carried by their

relatives* other voters or public servants so they could vote' (he general

i#pression %e got %as that the police force and the public service %ere

eager to sho% their i#partiality and professionalis#* no% that their political

shackles %ere broken'

Marring this %as the Iuality of #any of the candidates* %hose co##it#ent

to transparency and de#ocracy %as Iuestionable' ne of the candidates

%e #et o%ned a nu#ber of hotels and properties in the area and so#e

argued that he %as #ore interested in preserving his property portfolio than

in attending to the needs of his i#poverished constituents' Another

candidate %as running on his fa#e as a #aths tutor9 a lucrative profession*

to 5udge by his retinue* the < %heel drives and the lavish election rallies'

Another reason for %orry %as the fact that even though voters had re5ected

a nu#ber of candidates fro# both parties because of their blatant

corruption and cri#inal activities* party leaders allo%ed the# to not only re-

enter the political fray but picked candidates to stand for election as#e#bers of parlia#ent over #ore %orthy candidates'?+n line %ith the

corrupt ta#asha of the past* &fty cabinet posts %ere created to

acco##odate the#* %hich #ust #ake 0anka one of the #ost cabinet-

heavy de#ocracies in the %orld' (o be fair* this could be because of the

co#pro#ises inherent in creating a political consensus'


6/21

$evertheless* people in the current cli#ate felt freer to e;press their

opinions and a #a5ority of the electorate* though they largely voted for the

t%o #ain bourgeois political for#ations* picked the one that see#ed to

o8er a #ore de#ocratic and accountable civic culture'

(o reinforce this* President )irisena* %ith the help of Pri#e Minister Eanil

4ickre#esinghe* %ants to create a national govern#ent that %ill have a

tenure of t%o years' .e has invited the opposition to 5oin the govern#ent6

as a carrot they have been o8ered cabinet positions and chair#anships of

various parlia#entary sub-co##ittees' ,uring those t%o years* parlia#ent

could generate a consensus on the follo%ing9 changes to the constitution to

create a #ore balanced division of po%ers bet%een the 5udiciary*

parlia#ent and e;ecutive ar#s of govern#ent6 #atters pertaining to

national reconciliation6 processes that %ould lead to good governance and

transparency' (here is no kno%ing ho% this %ill play out'

!= years after the passage of the cial 0anguages :ill7

4e landed at :andaranaike +nternational Airport in Colo#bo* and %alking

through its lengthy hall%ays %e ca#e across so#ething uniIuely 0ankan9 a

pro#inent statue of the :uddha in the traditional lotus position' (he

i#plication %as that %e %ere entering a :uddhist state* not the

#ulticultural and #ulti-religious country that 0anka actually is'

(o better understand the islands rich #ulticultural and #ulti religioushistory %e decided to pay a visit to the $ational Museu#* situated in one of

the %ealthier suburbs of Colo#bo' +t is housed in a grand colonial edi&ce

ne;t to a picturesIue park Jihara#ahadevi ParkB' 4ide streets and other

&ne neo-classical buildings fra#e the #useu#' +t houses an e;cellent

collection of royal regalia* carvings* sculptures* antiIue furniture* de#on


7/21

#asks* china and ancient #anuscripts' +t also has interesting though

idealised replicas of the life of the peasantry and a strange* beguiling and

partisan vie% of Ceylon through the eyes of its colonial #asters in the for#

of a series of %ater colours'

4hat %as presented* ho%ever* %as a )inhala :uddhist centric vie% of

0ankas history' 4e got so#e superb gli#pses of the %onderful hydraulic

civilisations of Anuradhapura and Polonnaru%a* in the for# of pictorial and

verbal essays* sculptures* stupas* staircases and frag#ents of te#ples'

(here %ere also beautiful stone and #etal statues of the #ercurial )iva in

his intricate dance of creation and destruction and his consort Parvathi at

her #ost sensual' (he Iuality of these sculptures %as breathtaking and

%ould in any other #useu# be highlights of the collection' .ere they looked

forlorn and neglected* and their curation %as puKKling' (heir plaIues baldly

stated that they %ere discovered in Polonnaru%a and belonged to the

period of the citys do#inance' Also displayed %ere erotic paintings

discovered at )igiriya that %ere re#iniscent of cave painting at A5anta* but

the Iuestion of #utual inLuence %as ignored' (here %as al#ost nothing on

(a#il culture* religion or society* e;cept for the interesting observation that

(a#il te;tile %orkers fro# the sub-continent settled in the Da8na peninsula

around the 17thcentury under the aegis of ,utch* the colonial rulers of the

ti#e' +sla#ic and :urger culture and social #ores %ere eIually neglected'

(his #ono-culturalis# see#s e#bedded in the ocial vie% of 0ankan

society' 4e spoke to #any senior public servants in the for# of ,ivision

)ecretaries* Govern#ent Agents and senior #e#bers of the police force'(%o things beca#e apparent9 in each of the oces and %ithin #any

govern#ent buildings %as a shrine to the :uddha6 and co##unication*

even in to%ns %ith a predo#inance of Moors or (a#ils* %as in )inhala'

)enior public servants had for the #ost part only a rudi#entary grasp of

@nglish' (his essential #onolingualis# %as proble#atic in the north and


8/21

east of the country* %here large nu#bers of (a#ils reside' +t is not

unco##on to see the local police force not being able to speak the #other

tongue of the region'

At the #a5or rallies of the t%o #ain bourgeoisie parties )0"P and $PB and

their allies* the candidates entered the dais %ith a phalan; of :uddhist

#onks at the front and back of the cortege' Eepresentatives fro# the other

#a5or religions %ere absent' (he #onks %ere the &rst to be seated on the

podiu#* and then the political hoi polloi and the candidates took their seats'

(here see#s to be little separation bet%een the organs of the state and

:uddhis#'

(he (e#ple of the (ooth ,alada Maliga%a* %hich houses a tooth of the

:uddhaB* in Handy* is the countrys pre#ier :uddhist site' After %alking past

intricate altars and door%ays you co#e to a hall %hich has a nu#ber of

frescoes depicting the history of the (ooth' (he #essage of the frescoes

%as that %hoever %as in possession of the (ooth ruled the island' ne of

the principal villains of the dra#a of the history of the (ooth %as one of the

last kings of Handy* 4ickra#a Ea5asinha* %ho in contrast to the )inhalese

:uddhist rulers or so the story goesB %as a tyrant' (he caption said that he

%as a devotee of )iva' (his version of history does not go into the

co#ple;ities of his reign* the venality of the nobility* the #anoeuvring of

other clai#ants to the throne and the #eddling of the :ritish* but reaches

the si#ple conclusion that his shortco#ings %ere due to the fact that he

%as not a :uddhist'

+n :atticaloa* #ostly inhabited by (a#il speakers* the only ones that

conversed in )inhalese %ere those %ho e;ercised po%er the police*

#ilitary and so#e sections of the bureaucracy' ddly* there %ere #any

:uddhist shrines and te#ples' 4hilst %e strolled in the streets of :atticaloa


9/21

and around the lagoons %e heard the un#istakable sounds of :uddhist

chanting* dro%ning out the sound of pedestrian chatter and the cacophony

of vehicular trac not to #ention the lagoons legendary singing &shesB'

(here is nothing benign in this for# of )inhala :uddhist hege#ony' +t %ill be

interesting to see ho% it reacts to the call for reconciliation'

(his #onoculturalis# has its roots in the islands harsh colonial e;perience

and the inability of the indigenous elite to build a national anti-colonial

narrative' +#portant indigenous political and religious intellectuals like

,hara#apalain the south and $avalar=in the north of the country

reacted to the destruction of their culture* the debase#ent of their

respective religions and the social yoke of i#perialis# along purely religious

and ethnic lines* not %ith a #odern anti-colonial sensibility' (he left* in the

for# of parties like the 0))P* did have an island-%ide response to the

:ritish* but for co#ple; reasons capitulated to opportunistic ethnic

chauvinis#'

+n the $orth si; years after the end of the civil %ar

n the 1>th of May this year* in response to the pack rape and #urder of

an 1 year school girl* parts of Da8na erupted into violence' Groups of angry

young #en burnt tires on the streets6 and #ore tellingly the court and

police stations %ere stoned' (he agitators called for a hartal strikeB and the

public e;ecution of the people guilty of this heinous cri#e'

Co##entators have pointed out that young people #ostly #alesB* apartfro# sho%ing little respect for the state apparatus of the courts and the

police* do not trust their elders* and that the bonds that held fa#ilies

together in the north and the east are increasingly frayed'1

(ravelling to Da8na a #onth or so later* %e passed #any #ilitary ca#ps for
http://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/#_ftn8http://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/#_ftn9http://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/#_ftn10http://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/#_ftn8http://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/#_ftn9http://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/#_ftn10


10/21

the ar#y and the navy' (hey look less like ca#ps than per#anent

settle#ents* %ith ro%s of neat buildings' Many had e;tensive golf courses

attached to the#* the grass lush in contrast to the surrounding countryside'

4e %ere also told the ar#y had nu#erous #arket gardens' 4e did not see

any of the #any hotels that they also operate in the area' +t is esti#ated

that bet%een * and 1?* troops are still stationed in the region'

(he land e;propriated to house the# and the nu#erous golf courses* hotel

co#ple;es and #arket gardens represents land denied to #any rural

refugees' * to 1?* troops in a s#all peninsula %ith a population

esti#ate to be around ?* see#ed not only o#nipresent but

oppressive'

4e felt that oppression at one of the %ayside stops %hen t%o lorry loads of

troops dis#ounted' (hey %ere young recruits i#peccable in their short

haircuts* crisp unifor#s and sense of privilege' (hey %ere no threat to us

but there %as an i##ediate change of #ood' +f %e as outsiders felt that*

one %onders %hat the locals %ould feel'

ur sense of being in an occupied country heightened %hen our driver had

to register our entry into the peninsula' 4e felt %e %ere entering a foreign

country under #ilitary occupation* %ith one side speaking )inhalese* the

other (a#il' (his feeling %as reinforced by the nu#ber of %ar #e#orials for

the )inhalese troops %ho died during the conLict' ne of the #ore

disturbing ones %e passed %as in Hilinochchi %hich had been the

headIuarters of the (igersB9 a dyna#ited %ater to%er %ith the #essagethat this is %hat the (igers did %hilst the )inghalese troops liberated the

(a#ils' +t is undeniable that the 0((@ co##itted %ar cri#es* but so did the

Govern#ent forces' 4hat %as disturbing %as that these #onu#ents served

as a sy#bol of )inhalese :uddhist do#ination' 4here are the (a#il

#onu#ents and graves for the dead3


11/21

(he scars of %ar %ere not generally evident in the $orth' (he rail%ay %as

running again* a brand ne% station had been built and the roads %ere free

of potholes' +t %as only in the side streets that %e could discern traces of

the conLict' (he Da8na library had been rebuilt and the %alls of the fort had

been reconstructed* giving us &ne vistas of the shi##ering +ndian cean' A

tourist ignorant of the citys recent history %ould have concluded this %as a

city that had not e;perienced conLict and %as e;periencing a building

boo#'

@vidence of the psychological da#age caused by >? years of %ar could be

seen in a large billboard in front of one of the #unicipal buildings in Da8na'

+t depicted a nuclear fa#ily %ith phone nu#bers and help groups for people

%ho %ere victi#s of do#estic and se;ual violence'

4hen speaking of these #atters %ith a for#er vice-chancellor of Da8na

niversity %e %ere given an elite vie% of this proble#' (hough reticent in

talking about it* he did point out that #any young people are disrespectful

of their elders and #any elders have resorted to e;tre#e for#s of corporal

punish#ent to deal %ith the proble#' (here is a burgeoning drinking and

drug proble# a#ongst the youth of the peninsula' (he solution lies partly in

the hands of %o#en* as #any are no%* because of the %ar* de facto heads

of the household' +t see#s that under custo#ary la% they are also the

inheritors of the fa#ily assets' Custo#ary la%* as often noted by historians

and cultural co##entators* has also preserved the po%er of the do#inantcaste in the peninsula'B +n addition* around 7 per cent of tertiary students

are %o#en' Another hopeful sign is that caste distinctions are gradually

being eroded' (hese things could be interpreted as the beginnings of a

revival in (a#il culture' 4e are not convinced'


12/21

Conservative* caste-bound hierarchical and patriarchal cultures like

.induis# only 1! per cent of the population in the peninsula are not

.indusB have do#inated cultural discourse in Da8na' (hese cultural

practices have sho%n a re#arkable ability to resist change and only see#

to reinforce the status Iuo' As these issues are co#ple; and controversial*

%e %ill si#ply dra% your attention to ,r .ooles #any publications* in

%hich he analyses the La%s of this sort of thinking in )inhalese and (a#il

culture'11(hat #ay be %hy he %as recently banned fro# speaking at the

vice-chancellors al#a #ater9 Da8na niversity'

4e paid a visit to Da8na .ospital* the #ain public hospital in Da8na* and

spoke to the professor %ho %as in charge of its psychiatry depart#ent'

4hen %e visited around 11 a#B %e found the hospital in full s%ing' (he

facilities see#ed shabby and out of date and the #edical sta8 see#ed

harried' (here %ere hundreds of patients in its #any out-patient clinics' +n

contrast to #any of the (a#il elite* they %ere skinny* dark and shabbily

dressed' (hese %ere the actual #asses so #any of us e;tol and presu#e to

speak on behalf of but have never #et' (he professor infor#ed us in no

uncertain ter#s that the society %as deeply trau#atised* as evidenced by

the %idespread breakdo%n in the peninsulas social and fa#ily structure*

%ith a rise in fa#ily and se;ual violence* rebelliousness a#ong young

people and se;ual pro#iscuity' (he (a#il elite see#ed reluctant to talk

about this* let alone spend ti#e and resources in dealing %ith the proble#'

Many in the south kno% little and care nothing about these issues'

Mean%hile* thousands of bright young people %ithout 5ob prospects aredesperately trying to get out of the peninsula' (his is no surprise* given that

the peninsula only contributes < per cent of the nations G,P' 4e had the

chance to speak to a fe% of the# at our hotel' Many %ere studying hard to

get a scholarship to do post-graduate %ork at a foreign university' (hey

%ere earning bet%een Es 7*! to Es 12* a #onth* depending on


13/21

%hether they %orked part-ti#e or full ti#e' Part-ti#e is usually > hours a

%eek* though in #any instances it %as dependent on the %hi# of the

e#ployer' 4e sa% this in a hotel that charged Es 1


14/21

inco#e %hilst the lo%est


15/21

edi&ces* %ide streets and boulevards are being choked by an unplanned

building boo#' "ro# a to%n planning perspective it see#ed a disaster* as

every e#pty space see#s built on* %ith a laisseK-faire approach to style

and Iuality* and an indi8erence to the obscuring or obliteration of #any of

the &ne facades that give Colo#bo its char#'

"acing the Galle "ace Green* one of the lungs of the city %here the citys

inhabitants co#e to pro#enade in the cool sea breeKe* a gigantic lu;ury

hotel* apart#ent and shopping co#ple; is being built' (his co#ple; %ill not

only d%arf one of the lovely land#arks of the city* the Galle "ace .otel* but

%ill in ti#e inhibit the ability of its citiKens to en5oy a #uch-loved public

space' Many of these ne% develop#ents are not a8ordable by ordinary

citiKens' (hey serve as architectural re#inders of %hat the rich can buy'

(his lopsided develop#ent took on a surreal aspect %hen %e visited the

ho#eland of the Ea5apaksa clan* .a#bantota* a to%n %hose population is

in the tens of thousands' ,riving through the to%n one co#es across a

cricket stadiu#* a concrete colosseu# that do#inates its surrounds' +t cost

over ) N7 #illion and seats around >!* spectators9 #ore people than

live in the to%n' :ut there is #ore' As you drive to the outskirts of the to%n

the road %idens and the trac thins out6 suddenly a vast high%ay reveals

itself* %ith a nature reserve on either side and the occasional s#all hut'

Apart fro# a s#all bus and a bicycle or t%o* ours %as the only vehicle'

(he #onotony of short spiky trees %as suddenly disrupted %hen %e

gli#psed the ) N1! #illion dollar convention centre' Oour eyes arei##ediately dra%n to a long avenue* sea#lessly 5oined to a #agni&cent

stair%ay and cro%ned by a huge concrete building %hich stubbornly ignores

the 5ungle encroaching on its environs' n the right* %e got gli#pses of the

gigantic billion dollar port' +f this %as a %orking port %e sa% no evidence of

it* as there %as nary a ship on the horiKon' "urther up the road %as a


16/21

spanking ne% international airport %hich* on the day %e %ere there* %as

closed'

(o tackle this lopsided develop#ent and ende#ic corruption the link

bet%een po%erful business interests and #e#bers of both bourgeoisie

parties needs to be broken' (his #eans a #ore interventionist state in the

social de#ocratic #ould* a vibrant trade union #ove#ent and a strong

5udiciary' nfortunately the current Pri#e Minister Eanils track record

sho%s a strong ideological co##it#ent to e;panding the para#eters free

#arket'

Conclusion

4e #ust also take into account the fact that the govern#ent did not get a

resounding #a5ority6 a siKeable #inority did not vote for the# in the south*

as %e %ere re#inded %hen %e took a ta;i in Colo#bo' (he driver* %hose

@nglish %as e;cellent* enthusiastically 5oined in our endless political

discussions' .e e#phatically infor#ed us that )irisena had been Fbought

by the 4est9 he %as given N


17/21

are not so sure'

Also troubling is the fact that the ne% parlia#ent is still tainted by the9

inco#petent* cri#inal and corrupt' Pri#e Minister Eanil* a believer in the

free #arket* is likely to pursue econo#ic policies that %ill bene&t private

capital and contract the role of the state' (he e8ect on an econo#ically

fragile and socially divided country like 0anka could be catastrophic' +t

%ould certainly e;acerbate the econo#ic and social divide in the south* and

if neo-liberal policies are follo%ed in the north and the east it could tear

0ankas fragile society even further' "acing the conundru# of econo#ic

ineIuity and the strident noise of F)inhala disadvantage co#pared to other

co##unities* past govern#ents %ith signi&cant #e#bers of the Fleft have

also resorted to populist pro-)inhala senti#ents'

(he ar#ed forces could also intervene if their interests are not attended to'

(he ar#y is huge* %ith at least 2* #e#bers' ,uring the Ea5apaksa

regi#e the ar#ed forces %ere given a nu#ber of econo#ic concessions and

i#portant a#bassadorships* and so#e of its #iddle and high-ranking

ocers beca#e senior public servants' +n the north and east they occupy

large tracts of land' (heir econo#ic activities as #entioned aboveB are also

e;tensive6 they o%n and run hotels* golf courses and #arket gardens' +f

the reconciliation process has any #eaning and if people are to be resettled

in large nu#bers* it %ould #ean reducing the siKe of the ar#y in the north

and east and the ar#ed forces giving up their lucrative businesses activities

there' (%o disturbing Iuestions arise fro# this' .as the govern#ent got thenerve to do it and %ould the ar#ed forces allo% it3 Eegardless of the

political hue of the govern#ent running 0anka* they %ill have to tread

carefully* especially since the governing coalition is so fragile'

Clouding the current govern#ents intentions is the huge public relations


18/21

e8ort they have #ade to portray the#selves as being strong supporters of

transparency and good governance' Many see this as ploy to save their

skins' (hey point out that )irisena %as a pro#inent &gure in the previous

regi#e* and %as for a %hile the ,efence #inister' 4e did not hear hi#

ob5ecting then to hu#an rights violations and corruption'

)irisena and Eanil are clearly not social and econo#ic refor#ers like Dere#y

Corbyn* the current leader of the :ritish 0abor Party or presidential

candidate :ernie )anders in the nited )tates' nlike Pode#os in )pain or

)yriKa in Greece they have not linked their refor#ist agenda to grassroots

organisations %hich could ensure not only the viability of that agenda but

its de#ocratic content' ne thinks of the de#ise of Abbott and the

ascendancy of (urnbull to the 5ob of Pri#e Minister of Australia a change

in style* not substance'

$ot%ithstanding the above* it %ould be re#iss of us not to ackno%ledge

that 0anka is a di8erent country to %hat it %as in the Ea5apaksa era' (he

elections %ere not tarnished by violence and the bureaucracy and police

force %ere scrupulous in ensuring a free and fair election' (he population

ca#e out to vote in large nu#bers' )o#e of the arbitrary po%ers of the

President have been stripped a%ay and the govern#ent is not hostile to the

$.EC report on %ar cri#es'

As %e have said* the current govern#ent needs to o8er concrete policies'

(he rift in the ruling elite* the broadening of the de#ocratic space for actors

in civil society* the $.EC report and the strong co##it#ent of so#e#e#bers of parlia#ent to transparency and good governance #ust be

nurtured and supported'

$o% is the ti#e for progressive #inded 0ankans* including those living

abroad* to #ake the#selves felt9 trade unionists* hu#an right activists*


19/21

#e#bers of progressive civic groups* supporters of national reconciliation

and active #e#bers of progressive political parties'

.o% these dialectics intersect* clash* #utate and coalesce is anybodys

guess' nlike the previous regi#e* 0anka is no% pregnant %ith a sense of

creating a #ore dyna#ic civil society and %e %ish and hope to support

those progressive ele#ents in their struggle to create a #ore inclusive

society that better reLects the #ulticultural and #ulti-religious tenor of this

beguiling verdant island'

)uch is life'

1Cohen* 0eonard 1==>B Anthe# in )tranger Music* Donathan Cape p' >7>

2 ,i 0a#pedusa* Giuseppe 1=?=B' (he 0eopard' "ontana* p' 2'

>Punchihe%a* )'G' 21B' )ri 0ankan constitution and de#ocratic rights'

+n )ri 0ankan Guardian of 1 ctober 21' Eetrieved

fro#9http9//%%%'srilankaguardian'org/21/1/sri-lankan-constitution-and-

de#ocratic'ht#l


20/21

nine years since its passage the island e;perienced9 nu#erous riots*

pogro#s* acres of verbal invective and #iles of printed bile and a thirty

year civil %ar that ended in 2=

Anagarika ,haar#apala 1?>B' :orn ,on ,avid .e%avitharana*

he %as also kno%n as Jenerable ,eva#itta ,har#apla' +n the latter half of

the nineteenth century he* like #any others* %as caught up in the %ave of

:uddhist revivalis# that s%ept )ri 0anka then CeylonB' +t %as engendered

by t%o theosophists* Mada#e :lavatsky and Colonel lcott* %ho set up a

nu#ber of :uddhist schools on the island' .e changed his na#e during this

period to Anagarika one %ho does not inhabit a houseB ,har#apala

guardian of the ,har#aB and played a pivotal role in linking :uddhis# as

practised on the island to the anti-colonial struggle' .is rhetoric %as

unfortunately heavily infused %ith racial i#agery and )inhala

e;ceptionalis#' .e eventually broke %ith the theosophists over their idea of

a %orld religion' +n the later stages of his life he %ent to $orthern +ndia to

revive :uddhis# %here it had lain dor#ant for over a thousand years*

rebuilding a nu#ber of te#ples and #onasteries'

=Aru#uga $avalar 122-17=B' .e played a pivotal role in revival of

.induis# in the north and the east of the island' $avalar %as one of the

early adaptors of #odern (a#il prose* introduced 4estern editing

techniIues* and built schools in i#itation of Christian #ission schoolsB that

taught secular and .indureligious sub5ects' .e %as a defender

of )aivis#against Christian #issionary activity and %as one of the &rst

indigenous citiKens to use the #odern printing press to preserve the (a#il

literary tradition' .e published #any pole#icaltracts in defence of )aivis#*and also sought and published original pal# leaf #anuscripts' .e also

atte#pted to refor# )aivis# itself an e8ort %hich so#eti#es led to the

decline of popular deities and %orship #odes and confrontation %ith

traditional authorities of religion' )o#e post-colonial authors have criticised

his contributions as parochial* li#ited* conservative* and favouring the
http://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/#_ftnref8http://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/#_ftnref9https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saivismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polemicalhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_leaf_manuscriptshttp://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/#_ftnref8http://groundviews.org/2015/11/17/prospects-for-good-governance-and-national-reconciliation-post-the-august-17th-elections/#_ftnref9https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saivismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polemicalhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_leaf_manuscripts


21/21

elite castes' 4ithin his anti-colonial #essage and struggle the tone of his

ca#paigns and crusades %as largely essentialist and anti-#odern'

1:alachandran* E' C' 21!B Post-4ar )yste#ic :reakdo%n :la#ed for

Da8na Eiots in (he $e% +ndian @;press' 22 May 21!' Eetrieved9

%%%'ne%indiane;press'co#/%orld/Post-4ar-)yste#ic-:reakdo%n-:la#ed-

"or-Da8na-Eape-and-Mayhe#/21!/!/22/article227=?2

11+n particular .oole* Ea5 21B* (he Arrogance of Po%er9 Myths*

,ecadence and Murder* published by niversity (eachers for .u#an Eights

Da8naB'

12)ee9 $ .u#an Eights :oss rges Creation of .ybrid )pecial Court in

)ri 0anka Colo#bo (elegraph )epte#ber 1? 21!' Eetrieved9

%%%'colo#botelegraph'co#/inde;'php/un-hu#an-rights-boss-urges-

creation-of-hybrid-special-court-in-sri-lanka/

1> )ee .ettige* )iri 21!B* (o%ards a )ane )ociety* )arasavi Publishers*

for a fuller e;position of these #atters'

1

Prospects for Good Governance and National Reconciliation Post the August 17th Elections

Documents

Transcript of Prospects for Good Governance and National Reconciliation Post the August 17th Elections