Changing the breakaway culture of old Ceylon

The NPP is trying its best to make a divided community think as one. The regime is seeking to establish itself without ‘destroying the other’

A good number of Sri Lankans have a problem in understanding the word ‘perspective’. After 77 years of celebrating independence, most Sri Lankans complain that all past regimes collectively put this country in a financial mess. We can also opine that for the past 77 years, ambitious and destructive individuals channeled all their energies and time in toppling governments rather than enhancing productivity. 

This nature of destroying the other and then realising goals has been passed on from one generation to the next. It runs in our blood. Being islanders and living with the threat of a hostile invasion or negotiating the disruptive thinking of powerful nations who wish to have a foot in our country, makes us combative and have a warrior’s mentality. This is why people turn against new regimes when comfort zones are destroyed for the sake of development for all. 

We learnt from the British about the so-called advantage of dividing communities. The British never saw the beauty of unity and collective power. They had their way in ‘old’ Ceylon largely because dividing this island nation was easy. Flip over the pages of time and we still nurture this habit of dividing or breaking away. We see this nature in those who get the desired results at the scholarship exam; the winners break away from old communities, enroll in new schools and embrace the culture of doing better than the other. 

Parents make sure that their children don’t share secrets that guarantee progress in education with fellow students. Parents drill into the heads of their children not to nurture unwanted competition. The result is that we have a ruthless society. Just one person who came through this system stepping into pursue a career in politics can spell disaster to a community first and eventually the country. 

This is what has happened to Sri Lanka. The NPP regime wishes to change the mindset of the people. The JVP didn’t break away after it entered mainstream politics and has now joined with several other likeminded groups and individuals and formed the ruling NPP.  

We were forced to believe in the aggressive extroverts who governed this nation. In the NPP regime we also see introverts who have a calm and collected approach to work. May be, if they are given an opportunity they’ll deliver. Gone are the days when the doors to politics were only opened to people who had big gabs, no worthwhile education to talk about and greed that overpowered rational thinking. Now the times are slowly changing and the parliament- a place which was once not suitable for decent educated people-is now turning into a place where the opinions of the educated matter.  

Just four days ago (March 17) our memories ran back to a cricketing achievement which was recorded 29 years ago. Sri Lanka won the Wills Cricket World Cup under Arjuna Ranatunga. While acknowledging the leadership qualities of Ranatunga, it must also be mentioned here that the members of that world cup winning team together with the foreign coach put together were a difficult bunch to make them focus on one line of thinking. It was some 14 years before the World Cup win that some ambitious national cricketers broke away from the squad and embarked on that infamous ‘rebel tour’ to South Africa. So we do have this nature of breaking away and setting up ‘kingdoms’ that serve the self-centered individual and not the community. 

The stories we get to hear from people who have started life in poverty and now hold lofty positions in the corporate and state sectors are enlightening. The stories we get to hear from the lives associated in ‘slums’ offer lessons on unity and teamwork. When a snake gets on to the roof of a shanty, members of this community see it as a collective responsibility that the serpent moves from one roof to the other before leaving the ‘housing scheme’. Any such responsibility is everyone’s baby. 

The NPP is trying its best to make a divided community think as one. The regime is seeking to establish itself without ‘destroying the other’. That effort is taking place when a gun culture is operating and threatening the peace of this country.