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The Provincial system; the Curse and the
Tragedy of Sri Lankan Unitary State
Dr. Sudath Gunasekara President Senior
Citizens Movement, Mahanuwara
12. 5. 2008
At a time like the present when this Island nation is beset by and
engulfed with communal violence and terrorism fighting for separatism,
it is the bounden duty of every patriotic citizen to look for a way
out of this curse. Before one look for a solution it is imperative that
we try to understand the root cause or rather causes of polarization
of ethnic sentiments that have led the country to this unfortunate situation.
The root cause of polarization of ethnic sentiments in Sri Lanka finds
its genesis in the divide and rule policy adopted by the colonial powers
right from the inception of colonial history in Sri Lanka. The Dutch
first brought South Indians to Jaffna peninsula to work on their tobacco
plantations. Thereafter the British first brought again south Indians
to work on their newly opened up plantations on the hills. Besides the
need for cheep and hard working labour, they considered this step as
an investment against possible future uprisings by the native Sinhalese.
This action was specially prompted by the 1818 Uva uprising. Subsequently
they also made several attempts to settle Jaffna Tamils in the Dry zone
under Europeans capitalist paddy farms under irrigation in areas like
Kantale. When they found that the Jaffna Tamils were rather reluctant,
they tried to get down South Indians to settle under these new irrigation
schemes. These steps were taken with the sinister motive of Tamilizing
the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka that was once the cradle of the Sinhala Buddhist
civilization.
The Muslims settlements in the east have a little longer history. They
were the Muslims who survived the massacre by the Portuguese in the
south west littoral who came running to Senarath, King of Kandy (1604-1635),
for refuge and who were in turn settled in the Panamapattu division
in south east Sri Lanka under royal patronage. These are the ungrateful
people who now claim for a separate 'Kingdom' in this land of the Sinhalese.
Had Senarath chased them back they would have been massacred by the
Portuguese and today there would not have been a single Muslim in the
east. Shouldn't extreme communalist like Hakeem be taught their history
at least now by some educated Muslim leaders?
The Provincial system of governance introduced by the British in 1833,
was the first administrative strategy they adopted to implement this
diabolical colonial conspiracy to divide this Island on ethnic grounds
and destroy the 2500 years old invincible Sinhala Buddhist State of
Sri Lanka. It is the cumulative effect of this colonial policy, which
includes both ideological and administrative that has now turned out
to be the tragedy of the Sri Lankan State.
The present day attempts by the LTTE and by some sections of the Muslim
community to divide this tiny Island nation in to communal political
enclaves are direct outcomes of this colonial conspiracy and subsequent
diabolical manures introduced by the Colonial rulers firstly, to consolidate
their power and secondly, to wipe out the unique Sinhala-Buddhist civilization
from this Island.
This divide and rule policy and the provincial division of the country
that was designed by the colonial powers were further fortified by the
13th amendment to the Constitution introduced in 1987 under the Indian
conspiracy. The strength behind both the LTTE led Tamil terrorism as
well as Muslim communalism, lead by Hakeem also find their roots in
this backdrop. This historical background designed by the colonial powers
and India was the first cause of this present day conflict. This I would
call external.
The second was the failure on the part of the local politicians who
took over the reigns of governance in 1948 to establish a system of
government that is suitable for this country based on the history and
traditions of this Island Nation. If our present day politicians also
fail to find a permanent solution to this problem and continue to grope
in the dark as their predecessors have done for the past 60 years, this
country will end up as a cursed Island divided in to opposing ethnic
enclaves eternally fighting and killing each other. No one will be able
to stop this imminent disaster and that will mark the end of the 2500
year old Sinhala Buddhist civilization. Therefore it has fallen on our
shoulders the onerous duty of working out a permanent solution to this
vexed problem not only to protect the Sinhala Buddhist nation from its
extinction but also to create an environment where people of all communities
and religions can live in peace and harmony.
The third factor behind this crisis is the political and communal ideologies
developed subsequently and propaganda by the communal sections of the
minorities some of which were prompted by our own politicians, especially
the leftists, for short term political mileage and of cause external
forces who want to destabilize the Sri Lankan State.
There is a fourth factor that is the short sighted and unintelligent
policies and tactics adopted by the local media and their counterparts
abroad for financial and political gain.
The purpose of this note is to spell out few ides that come to my mind
on this issue. As I have already pointed out at the beginning of this
article ethnic segregation that bred separatism has its roots in the
colonial policies. The colonial policy of divide and rule began with
the advent of Portuguese in 1505. But it was the establishment of the
Provincial system in 1833 that laid the permanent foundation for the
polarization of this ethnic mentality that has today reached almost
the level of disintegration of the Lankan State. The 1833 division of
the Island in to 5 provinces (North, East, South, West and Central)
was further cemented by dividing the country in to 9 provinces in 1887.
While the administrative divisions were fixed in this manner, subsequent
political manipulations such as the introduction of communal representation
in 1833, treating Tamils who constituted then about 10% of the country's
population, as equals with the major Sinhala community who constituted
almost 90%, providing special privileges like more and better education
facilities to Jaffna district, (E.g. by 1845 out of 103 schools 36 were
located in Jaffna), providing special facilities to Jaffna Tamil elitist
families in London and infusing a sense of superiority over the Sinhalese
to their minds and thereby creating an artificial communal superiority
complex among those westernized Tamil leaders like Ramanadan brothers,
the British laid the solid foundation for their sinister divide and
rule strategy.
At the same time Muslims were also organized on the same lines against
the Sinhalese starting with the appointment of a Muslim like Hajji Muhandiram
to a high government post in Wellassa that ignited Sinhala dissention
against the British administration that preceded the Uva uprising of
1818.
The British also laid the foundation for a future mini Tamilnadu in
Sri Lanka right at its centre-the heartland- of the country by planting
nearly 1 million South Indian coolies on British owned tea plantations.
They also gave special treatment to Muslims when Sinhala Muslim riots
broke out in 1915 by imprisoning a large number of Sinhala leaders,
most of whom had nothing to do with the riots. Meanwhile they also tried
to drive a wedge between the Kandyans and the so-called Low Country
Sinhalese in 1920 by instigating the Kandyans to agitate for separate
federal status. Manning did this by sending a delegation to Secretary
of State for Colonies, Viscount Milner on 22nd June 1920.
Meanwhile those who replaced the saddle of governance in 1948 after
the so-called independence also did not take any positive steps to build
a new Nation making use of the newly won independence. Instead they
were also groping in the dark and were struggling and quarreling only
to protect their own political power bases. These new leaders did not
take any steps to create a new nation based on the centuries old native
experience of governance. Instead they only grew older by clinging on
to the web of legacies left by the British, like the division of the
country in to provinces, the party system and the colonial administration
system.
The result of this political holidaying resulted in a long downward
march as a nation. Both economic and social poverty became rampant.
Political confusion and uncertainty settled in and the birth of a nation,
culturally belonging to neither the east nor the west emerged. Both
the western powers and the Indian expansionists, making the best use
of this situation accelerated their naked interference in all our internal
affairs. It is at a time like this that the Indian intervention took
place forcibly through the 13th amendment to the Constitution in 1987
on devolution of political power on the Indian model, against the wishes
of the people of this country. During the colonial times we were subjected
only to British repression. But today we are being dictated by the entire
West, India, Australia, India and even Japan posing a serious threat
to our independence and sovereignty.
Now that the Eastern Provincial council election also has being concluded
(one out of the two provinces for which Provincial system was recommended
in 1987, Jaffna being the other) we have to wait and see how it will
further complicate the governance of this country. The decision of the
government to implement the provisions of the 13th amendment, particularly
police, financial and land powers, I am convinced, will put the 13th
amendment to its first acid test. I have a strong feeling that the provincial
council system will run in to serious difficulties here as the struggle
for devolution of power between the centre and the province will emerge.
Deep seated communal sentiments ignited by politicians for their own
gain will further aggravate this situation.
The gradual erosion of power of the centre and the building up of provincial
political power around ethnicity may force the government to realize
the folly it has made and the deep seated Indian conspiracy behind the
13th amendment. Continuing ethnic polarization apparently with no checks
will further aggravate the situation in future. Although the government
has been able to weaken the LTTE hostilities in the east, no one should
feel complacent about it and take it for granted that the activities
of the LTTE in the East are completely over. Defeating LTTE is one thing,
but the threat of separation will not be completely over until we defeat
the Eelam ideology with all the tentacles connected to it.
Already even in other provinces there is enough confusion, overlapping
and strife in administration and politics between the agencies of the
centre and the provincial machinery and wastage in public funds as a
result of the introduction of this new system.
Our politicians who are only concerned with their own political betterment
must take full responsibility for this tragic situation. These politicians
still do no know that this country has held the unique record of being
the only country in the world, which functioned as an Ekachatra kingdom
from 427 BC to 1815 ( 2242 years) with three political subdivisions
popularly known as the Tun Sinhale, -Ruhunu- Pihiti and Maya. The present
day politicians have become the prisoners of the Provincial system introduced
by the British just like a pack of crabs that continues to merry making
inside the pot until the hearth is lit. The ultimate outcome of both
the western Provincial system and the Indian Provincial Council system
will be the birth of a cursed nation in future, killing each other within
a divided country on an ethnic basis.
As I see, the best solution for this vexed problem is the re-establishment
of the old Tun-Rata which had proved a successful geo-political division
for 2143 years in this country. In fact even the 13th amendment of the
present constitution has made provisions under 154a (3) for merging
one or more provinces. It reads as follows.
154a (3)
'Notwithstanding any thing in the preceding provisions of this article,
Parliament by, or under, any law provide for two or three adjoining
provinces to form one administrative unit with one elected Provincial
Council, one Governor, one Chief Minister and one Board of Ministers
etc'.
The Tun Rata could be established even under the same provision by merging
the East, Uva and Southern Provinces (Ruhunu), Sabaragamuwa, Western,
Central and North Western (Maya) and Northern and North Central (Rajarata),
making suitable boundary adjustments to conform to the Mahaweli, Kalu
and Deduru framework.
That will not only put an end to 'the curse that is the Provincial
divisions' but also to all divisive ethnic and communal sentiments and
rebuild this country once again as one nation and one country. This
will also help to ease the present political and administrative burdens
loaded on our heads by reducing them by almost 2/3 their present strength
and weight.
The proposed model will benefit the country in the following manner.
The proposal will,
1. Firmly establish a time tested and sound geopolitical framework
that will consolidate the political map of the Island that conforms
to regional physical and cultural differences and lay the foundation
for building a strong and vibrant nation state.
2. Provide a framework for maximum devolution of political power to
the periphery that will bring about better democracy to the people and
ensure balanced development.
3. Discourage ethnic segregation and promote ethnic and regional harmony
that leads to national integration.
4 Do away with the Provincial Council white elephant and reduce the
number of politicians and superficial politico-administrative institutions
to a workable and economic minimum that could be afforded by the country.
5 Drastically cut down the Government expenditure and make available,
more funds for development that will improve the standards of living
of the common people.
6 Put an end to colonial administrative and political legacies that
nurtured ethnic polarization and a divide and rule policy which seriously
hampered the forward march of the post-independent Sri Lanka and open
up new vistas for a united and prosperous new Lanka.
7 Ensure fair and equitable distribution of resources among the regions
and promote maximum regional development.
8 Provides a political framework where all people will begin to think
firstly, as members of a Rata (Ruhunu, Pihiti or Maya), and secondly,
as one nation instead of the present tendency of thinking as Sinhalese
(Low country and Kandyans), Tamils or Muslims etc.
9 Restore the lost historical, political, cultural and economic heritage
of the people of this Island nation and lay the foundation for future
political stability and socio-economic prosperity.
A comparison of the existing system with the proposed system is given
in the following table.
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Present
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Proposed
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| President |
1
|
1
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| Prime Minister |
1
|
1
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| Governors |
9
|
3
|
| |
Present
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Proposed
|
| |
Parliament
|
PCs
|
Par.
|
PCs
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| MPP |
225
|
638
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125
|
150
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| Ministers |
109
|
45
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15
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45
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| Total |
225
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638
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125
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150
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| Total |
874
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280
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This shows a reduction of the present number of 874 to 280 politicians.
Simultaneously the number of government institutions and the public
servants will also get reduced proportionately. The government expenditure
on administration is expected to go down by 65%. All that could be used
for development. This subject needs a separate treatment. The three
Ratas will have only Sri Lankan Tamils and Sri Lankan Muslims. There
will be no room for Indian Tamils and Arabian Muslims. There will also
be no room for Tamils who try to make this country an India or Muslims
who try to make it an Arabia thereafter. Such people can go to their
respective 'Motherlands' and live in peace as their brethren are doing.
The above table shows the burden of political and administrative overheads
artificially imposed on our people's heads by politicians and also how
drastically it could be reduced if our politicians have the will to
do so. They only have to put the country first, before the self, to
achieve this goal.
What we need today is a patriotic national leadership who can liberate
us not only from the mess created by the colonial administration and
Indian infiltrations but also from the blunders our own politicians
have done and lead this country to peace, and prosperity where Sinhalese,
Tamils and Muslims will live as one nation within one country without
taking it to a state of no return from political, communal and economic
strife. The starting point of this massive exercise, I think, should
begin either by self renouncing of petty communal sentiments by all
ethnic groups, especially by their leaders, or by officially banning
all forms of propaganda and lose talk by everybody including political
parties as well as all forms of media, the print and electronic, that
bread communalism and ethnic hatred. The government, I think, should
also have a clear cut policy on ethnic integration in place of the present
practice of encouraging disintegration; for example having separate
schools for Tamils and Muslims and facilitating communal segregation
under settlement schemes.
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