Let me begin with our own Independence.

With the Tigers banning the celebration of Independence for schoolchildren, the fiction that Tigers had accepted Sri Lankan sovereignty was thrown out. Further, a once staunchly pro-MoU and pro-UNF newspaper was now reporting continuing Tiger abduction of children. Except for those brainwashed by propaganda, it is becoming clear that the MoU is one of the biggest treacherous acts this country has seen.
The response of the whole American nation to the shuttle disaster was electric, united in mourning and gritting itself to new achievements. But people and nations do not react to only the loss of their present symbols. They do more for their past symbols.

In South-east Asia a Thai actress created a storm in Cambodia by stating in a play that Thailand should get back the ancient city of Angkor Wat. This led to widespread rioting against the Thais in Cambodia. The Thais evacuated their nationals and their troops were put on alert with their air force patrolling the common border. Local politics entered and there was posturing on both the Thai and the Cambodian side. The two countries were jealously defending their sovereignty and cultural heritage, a self respecting nationalist response similar to the US reaction to the shuttle loss.

Our parallel to all these three was the Tiger attack on Dalada Maligawa - both a present and past symbol. The anniversary of its attack, a few weeks ago was ignored by both the government and the opposition. No rallying the nation. When more modern symbols like the Central Bank and airport were attacked the President hid herself from public view. In fact when the Kolonnawa oil tanks were being attacked, she left the country instead of rallying the people.

The lack of a feeling of nationalism in both government and opposition leadership is seen most avidly in comparison to Thailand and Cambodia. Both had intimate connections with us. In fact the spread of so-called Indian influences in South-East Asia was largely through Sinhalese culture, a fact increasingly known. Thailand's first capital was Sukhothai built in the 14th century through the partial help of Sinhalese craftsmen brought in from Gampola. As for Angkor Wat, the father of its greatest king Jayavarman VII had links with our Polonnaruwa kings. The transition to Sinhalese Buddhist influence was made during Jayavarman V11. (His son Tamalinda was ordained as a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka). After Jayavarman V11, Cambodia was suffused with Sinhala Buddhism as temples sprouted all over the country and impacted the common people. The earlier South Asian impacts of Hinduism and Mahayanism were largely restricted to the royal courts. So both Thailand and Cambodia consider Sri Lanka as a fountainhead of their culture. This should constitute a special relationship between us and these countries in a parallel manner similar to Britain's special relationship with the USA.

Our February 4th was noted in a special-paid supplement in the Thai newspaper Bangkok Post. The supplement had messages from our President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and our Ambassador. Both the Prime Minister and President referred to the "peace process". All were uninspiring; the President was the worst. Possibly written by an NGO hack, it was defensive and apologetic saying that we have "failed to evolve" into a "pluralistic nation".

This was just the opposite of the actual facts namely that while the rest of the country was multicultural the Tigers had established a mono-ethnic entity in the North. She played her usual role as a major dismantler of Sri Lanka's image abroad. No hint of the Tigers establishing bases in Thailand and Cambodia, traditional homelands for Sinhalese culture. The supplement centerpiece was an article on the special Buddhist relationship between the two countries. Surprisingly, it only mentioned the bringing of the Upasampada to Sri Lanka 250 years ago, but unbelievably ignored the far greater Sinhala contribution in the opposite direction. This was not because of Sri Lankan Embassy's ignorance. A couple of years ago it organized a joint seminar with the Thai Foreign Ministry on relations between the two countries in the New Millennium where details of Sinhala contributions were amply spelt out.

In the 19th Century Japan sent her entire Cabinet for one year to learn about developments in the West. We should send ours on a parallel mission to learn nationalism. Any country would do, even little Maldives. We do not have to send the whole Cabinet. Only the President, PM, and a few others would be enough. Shall we say, only those from families whose wealth and influence are due to the colonizers bribing their forefathers to betray country and culture, could serve the purpose.

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