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Where
do we stand after 58 years? Yet, the celebrations were held in the backdrop of one of the greatest challenges confronting any sovereign state - an armed conflict aimed at the division of the nation. We cannot ignore the fact that this is as serious a challenge as any of the foreign invasions our ancestors had to face. This internal insurgency is every bit as bloody and as brutal, as cruel and heart-rending as in the nation's ancient history - replete with tragedy and eventual triumph. We have had our fair share of patriots - and traitors. And those, like Ehelepola, whose role in history of the fall of the Kandyan Kingdom has been, to an extent, unfairly portrayed. Every year on February 4, we commemorate those who through the years of foreign domination led the freedom struggle; clergymen, warriors, orators, poets and ordinary citizens who paved the way to Independence in 1948; their place in history is forever etched. But we must also honour those heroes of contemporary times, those in the post-Independence era who have laid down their lives and sacrificed their limbs. There are many if we only stop to think; the great Generals, soldiers of valour, political leaders who stood for a united and unitary Lanka. Let us remember them with gratitude. They need to be honoured no less. Independence Day is also a time to reflect on what has become of these 58 years since we took over the management of our country from the British colonial rulers. Overall, there's no escaping the fact that it has been a downward spiral, punctuated by brief periods of hope and progress. We have slumped from a daring example of a newly emerging Independent Nation in the 1950s to a glaring example of a virtual failed State. We might well recall the saying 'Losing in the rounds but gaining in the swings'. It seems for Sri Lanka it has been the other way around. While we have gained in some areas - we have generally gone down the table of modern nation-states. President Mahinda Rajapaksa made a stirring speech yesterday almost echoing the promises of another one-time President J.R. Jayewardene of ushering in a 'Dharmishta' society under his stewardship. There is no doubt that all Lankans too have a role to play in lifting the country out of the mire. It would not be amiss to take each individual aspect of the life of a nation and do an aptitude test, a quality-of-life index. Health, nutrition and primary medical care; education; employment opportunities; democracy; the rule of law; freedom of the press; an independent judiciary, public service and police service; parliamentary democracy. How do we rate? We need to analyse one by one and see where we have done well, and where we have failed. Which institutions stand tall, and which edifices have crumbled and why. This is also a time that we need to take a leaf from the past in how the leaders of different communities came together to fight for independence, putting country first, ahead of their own political, ethnic, religious and other convictions. It is a hackneyed saying but one that is so true, 'United we stand, divided we fall'. Post-independence, divisive politics have rent our nation and sadly the trend is growing today. What will it take for that sense of national pride that coloured the first Independence Day to be rekindled? That all the peoples of this land can feel that they are Sri Lankans first, above all else and work to bring about a better way of life sans division and discrimination, for everyone. Perhaps the browning of the once resplendent Galle Face 'Green' is a sombre reflection of our country too has become. But need we be this way? 'Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country' said John F. Kennedy in his inspiring inaugural address as President of the U.S. The conduct of our political leaders in recent times where corruption has been seen even at the highest level, and where the craving for power has seen unseemly leaps from one side to another for Ministerships all in the guise of bleeding hearts to help the nation, has not been the greatest of examples to follow. Lagging behind in the comity of nations; over-reliant on foreign funded NGOs and with the international donor community setting the agenda for this country's future, we need strong leadership if we are to raise our heads once again as an independent nation. We can only hope and pray the President's stirring words will be translated into deeds. |
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