We must unite

Former Secretary- General of Parliament Sam Wijesinha reflects on the power of the vote in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, joined the ranks of countries with universal adult franchise in 1931 and indeed was one of the first countries in the region to enjoy that privilege. However, that system of democracy and electioneering was radically different from the electoral process today. The country gained adult franchise with a system where candidates themselves had to get voters registered. The voters were instructed to drop their ballot papers into coloured boxes- each candidate being allocated a different colour, simply because some voters did not know how to mark a ballot paper!

We may have come a long way since then as a country, but that concept is retained somewhat even today which is why candidates are allocated symbols against their names so that even the illiterate may vote, a system adopted since 1947. This is despite our boast of a "free education" system and a high literacy rate, a system which has unfortunately been more free, than education, with automatic promotions for students, regardless of their performance! The country was to gain Independence one year later, in 1948, but it was more by working towards deserving it rather than demanding it. In that sense, Sri Lanka never 'fought' for Independence as for example, India did.

By the end of the Second World War, Britain was no longer willing to bear the burdens of an Empire. The war had sapped its resources and it had neither the resources nor the personnel to carry on, with a permanent sun shining over their possessions around the globe.

In this context, what D. S. Senanayake did was to argue with Whitehall that Ceylon's conduct in the war deserved Independence, especially if Independence had been granted to India which seriously hampered Britain's war effort.

But the Soulbury Constitution which sealed our Independence trusted D. S. Senanayake, and hoped he would follow in letter and spirit its Section 29 which ensured fair treatment to all citizens of the country. Unfortunately, D. S. Senanayake died too soon and our courts do not appear to have the courage to interpret Section 29, in the way it was meant to be enacted and it has now spawned a protracted war.

Despite the many proclamations of a vibrant democracy, legislation does not appear to be the main function of legislators today. Instead, legislators are more often than not trying to payoff obligations undertaken during electioneering.

The system is such that those elected have incurred many debts, political and financial, during canvassing. Once elected, those scores have to be settled or else, they re-surface at re-election time. So, each political party has its set of henchmen who will be appointed to key positions in their administration. On the one hand, it is easier for the party in power to have its way that way and on the other hand, those debts will be repaid.

This happens both in the corridors of power and at the grassroots level as well. In the former, it may be a top government job in a corporation for a senior party man; in the latter it may be an ill-paid job but still a job for a hitherto unemployed youth who went canvassing for the party! Therefore, whenever a government changes everything and everyone has to change. The top rungers usually make a hasty exit, the unfortunate lesser mortals are accorded punishment transfers to remote areas- and even all the good work of the previous regime comes undone.

Financial debts are usually repaid through the decentralized budget. Each bridge, road, culvert, school, bus-station has its own beneficiary, usually a party loyalist, who makes his money by doing a poor-quality job at the expense of the state. Moreover, legislators are now entitled to fantastic salaries and even more exorbitant perks. In the old days this would have been tantamount to bribery. But today, ostensibly this is so they will not fall prey to the dirty businessmen who may try to bribe the innocent politician!

The electoral system too has 'evolved'. Offences that were known in the thirties as corrupt or illegal activities have now been improved upon: the polling cards do not reach the voter; whereas prevention of voters reaching the polling booth was resorted to in the early days, now they reach there but their vote has already been cast!

With many issues to reflect on since 1931 it is unfortunate that these are the maladies that come readily to mind.

Nevertheless, a more benign facet of universal franchise does exist. Many laws have emerged, regulating land, wages, employers, factories, the country's own banks, schools, improved health services and expansion of the private sector.

These laws have been changed and reformed every now and then in keeping with the needs of the times, with the intervention of successive legislatures.

However, the national income that has increased has not been distributed equitably.

Many of our nation's natural resources have yet to be tapped or developed. A capable and efficient workforce is even now under-utilized. Some minorities feel insecure and sidelined.

The country and its leaders have not been able to appease them, leave alone marshal their energies for the advancement of the nation. As a result, a war now rages in part of what was once a peaceful land.

Differences in caste, creed and community have been disproportionately magnified over the years by legislators, resulting in the segregation of the younger generations. Conceding too little too late has now resulted in a situation in which honourable amends seem remote. This may be the most crucial of lapses committed by our legislators over the years.

Nevertheless, there is so much in common that steps can still be taken and must be taken to resolve these differences, to unite our land. If the legislators of the new millennium can meet that challenge, learning from the mistakes of their predecessors instead of repeating them as it happened over the last seven decades, Sri Lanka can once again rise from the debris and be hailed as a great nation with not only a proud past but also a prosperous future.

Through all the changing scenes of life

Plate & Co. have kept a unique record of the country discovers Renuka Sadanandan

It is a motherland that most of us have never seen. A Ceylon of wide, open spaces, a capital with majestic colonial buildings, no maze of asphalt and a people of grace and beauty occupied in trades and occupations, some that no longer play a part in our society. Plate and Company have seen and recorded the past century, the changing scenes of Sri Lanka, through colonial times, heady nationalism, Independence and the modern era. Their pictures date back to the establishment of the firm in 1890 and even earlier and tell the story of the country's journey through the 19th and 20th Centuries.

Arnold Wright's bible of Ceylon at the turn of the century, Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon, records: "This well-known firm of photographic artists was originally established in 1890, under the title A.W.A Plate, in a small studio at the Bristol Hotel, Mr and Mrs Plate then representing the whole staff.....in 1892 the proprietors moved into more commodious premises in Colpetty. ....The Colpetty studio and office practically represent the headquarters of the firm and here are located extensive work rooms, dark rooms, show-rooms and other adjuncts to a photographic establishment in addition to the spacious studio, reckoned one of the finest in the East.

"When picture postcards came into vogue, the firm again extended its trade to extend this new line of business......Plate and Co's output of picture postcards now reaches half a million every year. Their numerous series of views of Ceylon are well known..."

"The portrait work of this firm has gained a wide reputation and they have during the past 16 years photographed many celebrities (including members of the Royal Family) from all parts of the globe."

Plate's moved from Bristol Hotel to Kollupitiya and were joined by Mr. H. Heinemann, the German-born brother-in-law of the founder in 1917, coincidentally the year the firm's present proprietor Mr Arthur P. Fonseka was born. Business boomed and the company diversified into printing, process block-making, interior decor and furniture design. The Plate circulating library was also set up to cater to the planting community.

Just before Independence, the company suffered a crippling union strike which lasted over six months.

Lengthy litigation followed over property disputes and the firm finally moved to what was present proprietor Arthur Fonseca's home on Galle Road, Kollupitiya in 1974.

Arthur Fonseka, now 83, still maintains a guiding hand on the destinies of the firm, while his two sons and two daughters actively steer it into the new millennium. Says daughter Shamalica Fonseka, "We see a lot of scope in the future." The studio is being expanded with the two-storey building rising to four floors.

"The firm has also branched into selling the work of local artists and enjoys an enviable reputation for its wedding and personal portraits. "We tell couples, 'Give us just half an hour and the pictures will speak for generations'."

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