Wewa for tourists ?

Latest way of undermining Wew Agriculture:

The Wewa is a unique invention of the man for sustainable benefits of man while being duly grateful to the environment where the man was born and sustain its life.

Nowhere else in the world the man finds such an invention which protects and sustains the mother Environment while protecting and sustaining himself, its offspring flora fauna and all kinds of lives as well.

It is also the fountain which developed a marvelous civilization, to flow through the mankind lasting until the sun and moon last.

However, it was an intolerable obstacle for the old imperialism as well as the new globalist, the real objective of which is nothing but exploitation of natural resources for the sole purpose of maximizing profits by merchandise.

The British imperialists who gained control of the Island in 1815 did not hesitate to do away with the Wew/Agriculture at the first opportunity they got.

They did it in the guise of suppressing the people’s uprising in 1818, they mercilessly destroyed the network of thousands of Wewas in Uva which was known as Wellassa, because there were thousands of Wewas and paddy fields.

The great devastation in Uva was not limited to Uva only, it was continued and the destruction was carried out in other areas as well but in different ways, ironically in the guise of construction of roads, the British made it a point to construct roads either through paddy fields or right across Wewas, or even Buddhist temples.

They made the people understand that, road is more important than the Wewa or paddy field or temple. Within only thirty years, the consequences were surfacing throughout the country which the British Governor Torrington described in one of his confidential letters to the British Foreign Secretary, as that he doesn’t know any other country in any part of the world where there is less poverty than in this island country.

By 1948, the reins of government were handed over to a set of politicians and administrators educated, trained and tamed to think as the British and rule the country for the benefit of the British by improving merchandise.

They were also caged in structures called government departments formed to restrict their extent of thinking and the scope of work. Accordingly they may appreciate Wewas, the small and gigantic works of their forefathers, but at the same time they also see them outdated and uneconomical, the purpose for which they were built is no more valid, because today’s requirements are different.

They would say. As one of the British trained politicians recently said, it is a crime to have a Wewa and Paddy fields covering valuable lands in the village. They need to be filled and used as cricket grounds. That is typical British way of thinking.

According to that way of thinking, if the agriculture cannot be completely undermined, then it should be used to earn profits in merchandise. Let the farmers who want to stick on to agriculture

use more and more inputs, like fertilizer ,agro chemicals, mechanical implements etc., Let the farmer understand the folly of continuing traditional agriculture, and the wisdom of modernizing agriculture, yes of course at the cost of huge profits to global agro chemical companies, but that is a different matter. They would say.

Similarly, the Wewa should also be made profitable ventures. Agriculture trough doesn’t bring any profits. Moreover today Global development focus is not on agriculture but on tourism. Therefore keeping in line with the globalism the Wewa should be used to attract tourists but not agriculture which is a failed business. Hotels, Restaurants and Night Clubs need to be set up around the Wewas, and even think of having floating restaurants to which tourists could arrive by sea planes. This way the message that Sri Lanka is the Miracle of Asia could also be taken across to the world.

All these are not wishful thinking of branded critics of governments, but that is what actually happens in this county.

Wherever the new Minister of irrigation goes, according to news reports, he is instructing the officers to start or expedite work on setting up of tourists parks and other facilities for tourists. The latest Wewa for tourists is Titthawella Wewa in Kurunegala. That is actually a fine example for its destruction carried out by the British as well as their successors.

That is also one of more than one hundred Wewas destroyed along Kurunegala – Anuradhapura road. The existence of a longtime vicious plan to undermine Wew Agriculture is well evidenced by continued destruction of the remaining portions of the Wewa, from time to time. Sometimes these destructions, were carried in the guise of renovating them. What actually was done in the guise of renovating is to fill several portions of the Wewa and give it to business concerns.

According to recent news in the island the Regional Director of Irrigation, Kurunegala has let the cat out of the bag. Titthawella Wewa will be made a tourist attraction. Once it is made a tourist attraction the Titthawella Wewa would never be renovated for the purpose for which it was originally constructed. Because there will be neither agriculture under the Wewa in future. Nor any people to do farming. No one should be surprised, if the temple on t he rock behind the Wewa will be converted into a Meditation Clinic for the tourists.

It is so unfortunate that Mahinda Chinthanaya is so allowed to be interpreted by interested groups and Ministers in different ways to suit to globalization requirements.

Mahinda Chinthanaya was very firm in its view that Wewa, Ketha and Dagaba are the cardinal corner stones of harmonious development of The Country. For the last several years, being unable to convince the relevant Authorities, the Swarna Hansa Foundation which is the pioneer in the Dahasak Wew programme repeatedly requested the President as well as Minister of irrigation and water managements to set up, an authority to implement the Dahasak Wew of Mahinda Chinthanaya.

It even made available a blue print for such an authority. However it now appears that agents of the International community has taken the upper hand and continue to undermine Wewa /Agriculture in the guise of Post Terrorist Development, where the present focus is on Tourism.

Accordingly the latest method of ruining Wew/Agriculture is by utilizing the Wewa to promote tourism. It is so unfortunate the Wewa which was created in this country for agriculture, enhancement and protection of environment will now be used to promote tourism.

Gallege Punyawardana