We celebrated the 75th Anniversary of Sri Lanka’s Independence last Saturday. It was the Diamond Jubilee celebration of our Independence. Today, after 75 years since achieving Independence, we Sri Lankans are standing at a crucial juncture facing the biggest economic crisis during the past 75 years and struggling to achieve normalcy once again. Therefore, it is very important for us to walk forward on a brand new path without repeating the past mistakes. It is very interesting to interpret those words, ‘walking forward’, ‘a brand new path’ and ‘without making any past mistakes’. It is because various individuals and groups are trying their best to interpret these words to suit their own agendas.
The few words mentioned above have accurate meanings and distorted meanings. The ordinary people of Sri Lanka have accurate meanings and certain political parties have distorted meanings for the very same words. Therefore, the people should very carefully examine, study and select the accurate meanings or otherwise, they will walk backward along the same old paths making the same old mistakes which could be fatal mistakes. The best way of getting about it is to very carefully interpret those words only after fully studying and understanding the entire history of Sri Lanka.
The entire history of Sri Lanka dates back before the arrival of Wijaya and ended yesterday (Sunday). History does not mean only the times of ancient kings’ and it does not mean before 1948 or after 1948. The Sri Lankan people, especially the younger generation can very easily learn about our country’s history from the internet but certain decades do not have sufficient online resources. There are not many books and documents on these specific decades. The other problem is the inclination of certain available resources. The best way of finding accurate and unbiased details of those 40 years is inquiring from people with expert knowledge. Those decades which did not have sufficient resources started from 1970 and ended in 2010. The total is around four decades and it means 40 long years.
It will be good for the country’s future if Sri Lankans who go to the polling station to cast their vote do so after having a thorough knowledge and good understanding of the true history of Mother Lanka. Otherwise, they will not be able to mark the cross in the correct box of the ballot paper. The result will be devastating or maybe fatal. The country and the people will walk along the same old wrong paths making the same old mistakes. Therefore, it is a must for all, especially the young voters, to find out the true history of the Motherland before casting their franchise at any future election.
The best way is obtaining all the details of those 40 years and making your own judgements after carefully examining the details without believing anyone or anything. Education is the key factor in this case but unfortunately the present younger generation does not have the relevant academic background to do so. Therefore, they totally depend on social media which is full of fabricated details on anything and everything. Social media is an excellent tool for only one thing. That is slinging mud on any individual or a group. It is worth visiting the Department of National Archives, the Public Library or the Lake House Library and using the available resources for a few hours rather than using social media for a lifetime.
Nowadays certain individuals and groups are very busy misinterpreting the recent past of Sri Lankan history and spreading lies about the same. Therefore, it is very important for the younger generation who were born after 1975 to find out the true details about the country’s recent history and make their own judgements without believing what is told by certain individuals and groups. Believing various individuals and things without double checking the facts has resulted in negative results to Sri Lankans today. There is another crucial factor. Those who make efforts in trying to find out the truth are always accused of ‘acting as traitors’ by those who do not like to reveal the true details of the recent history of Mother Lanka and who are trying their best to hide those true details from the public. The younger generation should understand this very well. Digging into the past is not a crime at all.
We all saw and heard what happened during the past one and half decades and there is no need to describe and interpret that situation again and again. What matters is finding out the truth about our recent history. It is a must because people can make wrong decisions with the country falling into a bottomless pit.
At least Sri Lankans have periodical democratic elections that can be used to change regimes from time to time after watching their performance. But there are certain countries where people have only one political party to vote for. There are some other countries where there are no elections at all. What if Sri Lanka becomes a country like that? We, as Sri Lankans should know about all other countries. Only then can we realize our current situation and where we need to go from here.
The other crucial factor is the question as to whether we need a regime that orders us to do things and punish us if we do not do those things? Do we need a ‘a military junta’ or ‘a political junta’ to replace family politics? Does Sri Lanka need over 8,225 politicians? Sri Lanka does not need any of those. Sri Lanka needs a simple democratic regime that respects the rights of the people and addresses their issues quickly and effectively. Since Sri Lanka has not experienced any ‘juntas’ yet, people do not know the gravity of handing power to such a gang yet. Since Sri Lanka is full of thieves and crooks it is impossible to find out the individuals and political parties who are not involved in corruption and malpractices. Therefore, there should be an active and effective mechanism to monitor every move of every politician after their election to any position and change him/her without waiting for another election.
What can be done is to change the current Constitutions enabling for the holding of all types of elections at once and often, maybe once in every four or five years. In order to do this the current President and the Government should be allowed to help the country from the current economic crisis or hold the Presidential Election and the General Election on a single day as soon as the country become able to bear the cost. This is why the ordinary Sri Lankan people oppose elections at this crucial juncture and demand for relief while all Opposition political parties are clamouring for elections to be held.
The ordinary Sri Lankans hate the holding of various elections such as LG Polls, PC Polls, etc. They are of the view that one or two elections are more than enough.
Holding all elections in a single day has another benefit and that is preventing individuals and political parties from influencing people during the voting process. But it will not be realistic in Sri Lanka because even after several decades, still no Government has been able to introduce an Act to prevent crossovers. It is because crossing over process is beneficial to all politicians belonging to all political parties who are deceptive and do not stick to the promises and policies promised in their manifestos. What the politicians want is the power to misuse. They need crossovers in order to do this.
The people of Sri Lanka, especially the younger generation should be careful about the politicians currently represented in Parliament. Most politicians pretend to be living and acting with the ordinary people’s interests at heart, while enjoying all comforts. They put on an act by appearing to be the panacea for all the people’s ills which is an utter lie.
After celebrating Sri Lanka’s Diamond Jubilee Independence Day, all Sri Lankans should change their enslaved mentality of relying and believing in others instead of themselves. Sri Lankans should understand that this incredible medicine that can cure the ills of Mother Lanka is with them and not with any legally registered political party or ‘junta’. Therefore, all Sri Lankans should stop acting as slaves of political parties, especially those parties that lie and pretend while trying their best to hide and misinterpret their own dark and tainted pasts. You and your family will be saved by you and no one else. Things to survive should come from your own house and your home garden. Not from the shop or supermarket. Only then can any Government look after those who do not have a home and a garden. You earn and survive. Politicians and political parties are just parasites. Understand that it’s now or never.
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