D. SOCIAL COMMENT

1

12 OPEN LETTER*

Examples can be multiplied. One need not blame individuals unnecessarily. People like... are probably some of the finest products of their class. But the system is a burden on the country. It depends too much on too few. It is seriously limited in countless ways. It does not serve the best interests of the people. It would be monstrous if the present government – with its socialist pretensions – allowed this system to continue fundamentally as it is, even if it is taxed heavily. (Actually mere heavy taxation would be just silly).

Let me deal with a few illustrations at random. Take the eight-hour working day on estates. It is plain common sense that a man cannot do real efficient manual labor for eight hours at a stretch. What happens is that he somehow keeps going at an half-hearted pace to stretch out the work. He works for a few days and then keeps off for the next few days. Health suffers, income is not regular. The answer to this is not merely to cut down the number of hours or to raise the wage. The whole system has to be changed. The position of the laborer in the system has to be changed. At present it is an intolerable sub-human position. What a waste this is of real man-power! Until that happens, long lectures to the laborer on laziness and the need for hard work and the lofty emphasis on the dignity of labor, that bourgeois management loves to indulge in, will be of no use whatsoever. The laborer must first have a stake in the estate -he must share in the ownership and in the management as well as in

* Extract from an Open Letter from Yohan Devananda to a friend written on Hartal Day, 12^th August 1970. Hartal Day is a special day commemorated by workers in Sri Lanka.

the labor.

In the 1956 Revolution when bhikkus, teachers and city workers and their trade unions got a place in the sun, there was liberation, to some extent. This did result in a certain amount of chaos and confusion and apparent economic losses, too. But there was tremendous liberation in personality. People began to live as human beings.

But the 1956 revolution substantially affected only very limited section of the people. The position of people in the three main industries of the country – tea, rubber and coconut – is fundamentally unchanged. Also, since the Paddy Lands Act was so limited in scope and its implementation so weak, the position of the paddy cultivator too, is far from satisfactory. Over vast areas of this country people are living in conditions of oppression. This is an enormous waste of human resources which are our greatest wealth. They must be mobilized.

So, much remains to be done. This is where the Constitution comes in. It is a great vision to get all the religions and races to co-operate. This is essential. But in one respect the unanimous acclaim of all parties is positively alarming. One wonders whether our constitution-makers have a firm, unyielding hold of the socialist vision. We want a constitution, for instance, that can enable the speedy take-over of land required by the people – including, where circumstances warrant it, church and temple land – not for mere fragmentation, but for intelligent, well-planned, varied, and constructive development on the basis of communes and cooperatives, by the people for the people, and may be, in many cases, without any compensation whatsoever. Respect for law and order is essential but there must be sensible up-dated concepts of law and order based on true justice. Out-moded concepts of legality must be discarded. We must work towards a new society – a new man.

The human problem of those dispossessed will, of course, have to be considered with compassion. Special machinery will have to be set up to deal with requests for aid in the case of those dispossessed who cannot support themselves. Jobs could be found for them on the land. A kind of dole may have to be given to some, etc.

Details of all this land reform and development will have, of course, to be worked out by the experts. But reform there must be, and it must be radical and speedy. Also there must not be too much planning by experts in offices. They must come out into the field and plan with the people. The people must enter into the planning at an early stage. Fully cut-and-dried plans are not essential. The people must be trusted to play their due part. In many cases, the skills and the knowledge are already

there. There will be problems, failures, and a certain cost. There will be the human problems pf creating healthy relationships and true community. These tasks will not be easy but they must be attempted in faith and hope.

I have not touched much on the problems of money. It is, of course, an important problem, but we have, in this country, given a seriously disproportionate emphasis to it. So I have deliberately placed the emphasis on human resources because if the government places full confidence in our human resources and gives the human being his due place in society it will be able to tackle the money problems. We must also never forget that the Republic of China developed herself to the position of the third most powerful nation in the world without any (or hardly any?) foreign aid and without accumulating any national debt whatsoever.

So our planners must plan for a truly Socialist Lanka, and take the radical steps necessary in every sphere of the nation's life. And this is where I come back to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. If the radical steps that need to be taken are not taken, the people will be up in arms and may well look more to organizations like the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna.

I myself have no formal connection at all with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. But I hereby give notice that if within three years' time concrete plans have not been put forward by the government for the constructive take-over for the people of large estates such as H.L. de Mel and Co. and the Bandaranaike and Obeysekera estates, and unused or badly used Church and Temple lands. I myself will join the people in organizing ad hoc take-over of these lands by squatting and other means, even though this may be economically undesirable and, in some ways, disastrous. Young people have assured me (without being asked) that there are large numbers of people ready for this kind of thing.

This is no idle threat. I cannot be dismissed as an immature fanatic. I am not normally, unduly immodest, as you know, but I would like to remind you that I have been brought up in Colombo 7 and Royal College. I have studied at Cambridge and traveled widely, both, in Europe and India. I have trod the pilgrim ways of both Christian Europe and Hindu and Buddhist India. I have, I believe, a deep respect and commitment to the religions of this country. Also, I have been living for the last fifteen years among village people. That is to say, I have not merely played about with ideas. I have not given up the bourgeois comforts, that you armchair leftist revel in, for nothing. I have given these up for the privilege of serving the people, however unworthily. In fact, I may even say, that I am – at least to some extent – one of the people. In short, what I am saying is that the government must really serve the people not merely by

giving them more of this and more of that to keep them quiet, but by fundamental structural changes. The people must be given their due place in the new Lanka. We must work towards both a new order and a new man. If this is not done, we will raise hell! You can put us in jail or even exterminate us but you cannot overcome us.

You may show this letter to anyone you like. *But I wonder whether any of it will really penetrate to you top-people in your splendid isolation! It remains to be seen whether the United Front are any better than the U.N.P. in responding to honest criticism and suggestions.

Yours sincerely,

Sevaka Yohan Devananda.

* This is somewhat in the nature of an OPEN LETTER. Only, it is not for publication - in the press or otherwise. It is for personal circulation, useful. Please safeguard me from unnecessary publicity. The time has not yet come for me to shed my monastic robes and take to the barricades!

I may add that the Statement on the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna merely sparked off this letter. I had for some time intended to write a Paper on the main subject of this letter, that is, the need for radical reform. Of course, I freely admit that lack many of the qualifications necessary for this. But what I have said comes out of quite a lot of corporate thinking and consultation with friends of this Aramaya and people in the area. I have already mentioned a Seminar we had here. I maintain that what I say has a solid basis in the needs and the demands of the people. I have written something – there is much else that could be said – because there seems surprisingly little evidence of the prospect of speedy creative thinking and action by the government in this matter. Also, our planners are often cut off from the common people, who are our greatest wealth. Hence, the constant harping on the theme of the people. It is not merely a problem of relieving poverty – on however well-organized a scale. And, certainly not a mere equitable distribution of resources – whether of land or money. It is fundamentally a question of understanding people and building a new society where people will be given their proper place, and can live and work together as true human beings. That is what I mean when I talk of a new order – a new man.

P.S.

As I am getting this letter typed I read of increasing demands –

reported in the press – for the immediate nationalization of all Estates. I would like to emphasize again that the mere nationalization is not enough. There must be a radical change in the structures of ownership, management, and labor. Also, fragmentation of land must be avoided, as a basis of communes, made of the land that is taken over. Let the government immediately announce its intention to take over lands as a general rule, point out the dangers and futility of indiscriminate nationalization and fragmentation, and call upon the people to join in thinking out and planning the constructive use of land that is taken-over. An interim injunction may be necessary to prevent sale or fragmentation of Estates before the government take-over, but immediate experiments and pilot projects on the basis of communes etc., should be encouraged wherever possible.

2

13 NEW ORDER*

There must be intelligent and imaginative reflection on the need for a new order - a new man.

Is a system of rewards and punishments the best basis on which to build a society? Does it do full justice to human nature? Are human beings not capable of a better way that is, at the same time, realistic and effective?

What is the cause of the lack of efficiency and of a proper spirit of responsibility and hard work in public life?

The answers we give and the judgments we make regarding these questions tend to be superficial and do not go to the root of the matter. There are great gaps in understanding.

We tend too easily and unthinkingly to dismiss people as fundamentally lazy (or irresponsible or dishonest). We seldom try to think through the question WHY people are like this.

It has almost become an article of faith with us that Ceylonese men, and the Sinhala man in particular, is lazy. This is really a part of a slave mentality that has arisen from indoctrination that goes something like this: You are lazy because you are a Sinhala man. If you want to be an industrious man you must give up being like a Sinhala man and become like an English or American or western man. That puts it very crudely. But there is truth in it. The result is de-nationalization.

* Extract from "Manifesto For A New Reformation" published in September 1970 by a People's Committee of the Church.

We may take the master-servant or the employer-employee relationship and try to think through the problem.

The typical westernized bourgeois householder, for instance, spends a great deal of his/her time scolding servants. After endless fault-finding he/she often ends up by the crowning insult and irony: "Don't you understand Sinhala?"

The employer fondly believes that his own progress has been due to some special industriousness, which his servant should strive to imitate. So, he indulges often in lectures and scolding. Yet how much does he understand of the depths of the springs of human behavior? Does he reflect on how much his own progress has been due to the opportunities he has had, the security, the long training and the facilities? He probably could not be idle if he tried. Such men have been known to have had nervous breakdowns on retirement because of lack of work. Does he reflect on how much his employee's failures have been due to lack of opportunities, lack of hope, conditions of grinding poverty, and above all, not being loved and treated as a person, in healthy human relationship with other persons?

Further, if he observed his employee with more sympathy, he would most probably discover great natural human qualities and talents that would surprise him. If he looked further into his background, he would discover that he has been produced by a rich religious and cultural tradition.

Why, then, is he – or why, then, does he appear to be – lazy?

Surely, it is because there has been a destruction and decay of the civilization to which he belonged so that he has been dislodged from his place in society. He no longer has a real place in society as a person, with equal human relationships with other persons. This may be oversimplification, but again, there is truth in it.

Pep-talks on patriotism and the dignity of labor and exhortations to follow the heroes of the past, including, of course, his own employer, will not help him. Organization of "gova-raja" and other contests will not help him either. These often merely degrade him further. Educationists are now beginning to realize that a system of rewards and punishments is not desirable or necessary for children. So how can we build a society on such a basis? Surely this modern age of the emancipation of man cannot commit itself to a theory that has been so closely linked with the degradation of man? Humanity was meant for something better than that.

Similarly, the parent-child gap and the teacher-student gap needs to be thought with sympathy and understanding. Children and

students cannot be dismissed as difficult and intractable. Parents and teachers, too, are difficult and intractable. They stand on pedestals and platforms. They have not built a society fit for their children to live in. they are just as responsible as employers, politicians, and clergy for the malaise in society.

True discipline in a society cannot be forced. People’s minds have to be enlightened and their hearts moved by true ideals. The great religious leaders and statesmen of the past won people's hearts and the allegiance of their minds. They were directly in touch with the real problems of the people.

So pep-talks and competitions just will not do. A radical reorganization of society is essential. Employment is as much a people's right as housing, health and education. All these are not to be dangled as baits for hard work and respectability. They must be regarded as essentials for creative living and must be provided, whether they are used well or not.

It is not merely a problem of relieving poverty - raising wages and improving conditions of work – on however well organized a scale. Patchwork social service-plastering the cracks of a decaying society just will not do. A truly radical socialism is essential.

However, it must always be remembered that socialist planning must never try to manipulate people. Anti-social elements have to be dealt with firmly. But there must always be a genuine faith in the people. From the earliest stages, the people must be increasingly admitted to free, responsible and active participation. Quick results cannot be overlooked for and the people must learn to understand the cost of socialism. They will be prepared to face the cost if there is true dialogue between leaders and people. So, without a genuine faith in the people, people's participation, and dialogue, all planning, however radical it may be, would inevitably degenerate into bureaucracy, totalitarianism, fascism and dictatorship.

So, it is, fundamentally, a question of understanding people and building a new society with new structures of ownership, management, labor and distribution where people will be given their proper place in healthy human relationships, so they can live and work together as true human beings. Through all this there will also be, a search for true integration between indigenous tradition and the modem technological age.

3

14 EXPROPRIATION

Under the Crown Lands Encroachment Ordinance (1840) all forests, wasted, unoccupied or uncultivated lands were presumed Crown property until the contrary was proved. Village common land and chenas, which villagers had been accustomed to cultivate for generations were affected. With lack of proper records the task of proving possession was beyond them. The peasants suffered heavily. In pre-British times there was no question of landownership. The British in an attempt to simplify and westernize cut at the roots of old cooperative social life.

Then followed systematic alienation of "Crown Land" for the cultivation of tea, rubber and coconut –at absurdly low rate, sometimes as low as 75 cents per acre. There was also very considerable fraudulent buying and seizure of villagers' land in the development of the plantations.

The abolition of slavery in the West led to the collapse of the tea industry in the West Indies. This was the time the cultivation of tea was introduced in Ceylon. It is sometimes mistakenly said that the Ceylonese peasant did not take to work on the tea plantations because of a lack of the willingness to work hard. But the planters wanted not merely hard work but slave labor. They wanted labor that could be herded together in atrocious conditions and would be available throughout the day and night throughout the year. This the Ceylonese peasant was naturally not prepared for as he had seasonal work in the fields, a measure of independence, and a considerable religious and cultural life, both at the community and family level. So the desired labor was obtained from India where much greater population pressure and other social and economic conditions had resulted in the availability of very cheap labor that was so desperately poor that they had to accept the conditions imposed

upon them.

There have been also various other attendant disadvantage in the development of the plantation economy. The clearing of the hill-country for the planting of tea caused soil erosion, which in turn led to the silting up and obstruction of channels that brought water for the cultivation of the villager’s land. Then, a vast area of the most fertile land in the country is covered by a comparatively unproductive crop – coconut. Absentee landlordism and consequent defects in management, including draining of the money away from the land, makes impossible the diversification of crops and the development of animal husbandry.

Undoubtedly, the country as a whole has in many ways benefited from the development of the plantation sector. But the loss to the village economy has been tragically disproportionate. It is in this context that the demand of the young revolutionaries to uproot tea and plant manioc must be understood. Those who treat this idea with sarcasm and derision are only exposing their own ignorance and lack of understanding. Also, it is essentially a symbolic protest and not to be taken too literally. Human beings have to be valued more highly than tea bushes and trees. There have to be changes in perspective and carefully-planned diversification of the economy.

The grain tax and the sale of land in default of payment of tax was another iniquitous burden placed on the villager. For instance, a Report of the Assistant Government Agent, Nuwara Eliya District 1887 shows that, between 1882-5, 2889 paddy fields were sold in default of the tax. Le Mesurier, the reporter, also describes friction with the authorities in his attempt to get the paddy tax abolished, and to uphold villagers' claims to ancestral land against Crown rights according to the 1840 Ordinance (cf Bibliography on Land Tenure and Related Problems in Ceylon, pp. 29 & 36).

Through all these various oppression the villager may have bowed his head. But he has not gone under. HE HAS PRESERVED THE WILL TO RESIST. He has given the authorities certain reminders of this from time to time in various uprisings, rebellions and other signs of resistance. He has held grimly on to his religion and culture. All this is not yet, of course, commonly recognized. The time and the hour have still to mature.

It goes without saying that the resistance of the legendary "Fathers of Independence" – scions of aristocratic families – has been given recognition. The leaders of the traditional left parties too and their followers-bourgeois left-intellectuals – have also been lately recognized. Most recent of all, the force and fire, the courage and readiness to sacrifice

of the young revolutionaries (from all ranks) have been demonstrated and are being somewhat grudgingly given public notice, despite widespread disagreement, regarding their ideas. But has there been recognition to what and how much these young revolutionaries owe – their vitality and their guts to their fathers? Has there been recognition to what and how much labors of the peasants and workers – the way they have patiently earned tremendous odds? Has there been cognizance of the potential in them for the revolutionary transformation of this country, their vital part in the government and in the production processes?

What has so far, been given them – rather what they have so far obtained through their various shrewd pressures have been certain hard-won benefits of a "welfare state" including the vexed question of the "subsidies". This is hardly even a halfway house to socialism. Taxes do not necessarily affect the fundamental relationship of oppressor and oppressed. They usually leave the established structures substantially unchanged.

Now, those who have very little idea of the deprivations and expropriations the peasants and workers have undergone in the past and the oppression they are undergoing in the present are clamoring for an end to the "subsidies" so that the peasants and workers may work harder and thereby usher in socialist prosperity! But doing away with the subsidies would be nothing short of cruelty unless radical measures are taken such as land reform and collectivization which will enable them to stand on their own feet and work in free and responsible relationships with others.

Last, but not the least, the claim of the plantation worker for recognition must be emphasized. He, too, has preserved the will to resist! He has held on tenaciously to his religion and culture. He has served the country. He, too, must take his due place in the country. His hour too will dawn!

The time must come - is coming - when the various revolutionary forces in this country will recognize each other's worth and unite in the common struggle for liberation. The struggle for liberation must increasingly unite people of all groups. It must obtain for the people their due place in society. Leaders must arise from among the people who appreciate the potentialities of the people, articulate them and draw them out. Recognizing the deepest needs and yearnings of the people for liberation and brotherhood, they must inspire them with a vision of a new society. Agricultural and industrial techniques have to be learnt as well as cooperative and

collective methods of production evolved. Technology and human relations are intimately connected and both have to be rooted in reality, in the soil, and integrated with indigenous culture. It is only as the people are inspired by the vision of a new society and united in the spirit of brotherhood, confident in their power to shape the future, that the drive and willfulness to hard work and sacrifice can be generated towards the creative transformation of society.

4

15 LAND REFORM

God Has No Favorites

"I now see how true it is that God has no favorites, but that in every nation the man who is God-fearing and does what is right is acceptable to him. (Acts 10.34)

This was what Peter, Christ's chief apostle, learnt by his encounter with Cornelius, a man of another race and another religion.

Both the Christ and the Buddha were in close touch with all kinds of people, both rich and poor. Truth was never compromised, evil was sternly rebuked when necessary but, always, there was utmost compassion and mercy for all, especially for sinners.

People's Committee

The People's Committee that is to meet at Devasaranaramaya, Ibbagamuva, will not be elected or appointed by anyone.

All who are interested and wish to join are welcome. We are expecting people, of all religions, and people of all shades of political opinion, from the United National Party at one end to the People's Liberation Front at the other.

There are differences among us. Each can fight, and fight hard if necessary, for the truth as he sees it. But there must always be a consciousness of the claims of our common humanity. That is a great uniting factor. Also, despite divisive factors, there are great social forces sweeping the world that are uniting people everywhere across barriers of race and religion, class and caste.

Land Reform

The subject to be discussed will be Land Reform. In introducing

this subject, it is necessary, in the interest of truth and justice, to speak plainly with malice towards none.

Probably the biggest land deal in Ceylon’s history was concluded recently. It concerned 4½ million rupees of practically unused land, belonging to the church. A Bishop was the sole trustee.

Two obvious and incontrovertible conclusions emerge. First, this is a sad contrast to the Jesus of the Gospel who possessed nothing, had "nowhere to lay his head", and who instructed his apostles” ‘to carry no purse or pack and travel barefoot". (Mt. 8.20 Lk. 10.4). Second, too much power and responsibility is in the hands of too few. There is no real participation of the people – no real sharing in power and responsibility.

All this is true not merely with regard to bishops but with regard to the organization of the Church as a whole, of whatever denomination. Further, it must be emphasized that this honest criticism is not inconsistent with genuine appreciation of and gratitude for the contribution of the Christian Church, at its best, to the life of the country.

Similarly, the Buddha's power was essentially a power of mind and spirit, and arose from a deep and radical renunciation in the search for truth and justice. So, while genuine appreciation and gratitude there must be for all that the Buddha Sasana, at its best, has meant throughout the centuries to Lanka, is it possible to be satisfied with the present power structures of the Sasana and its administration of its resources?

Then, what about the Company Estates? And what about the family combines such as the De Mels, the De Soysas, and the Peiris, the Senanayakes, the Bandaranaikes and the Obeysekeras? Can a Socialist Government face the people if vast tracts of land such as theirs are left untouched? Can the people take such a Government seriously?

Again, there must undoubtedly be appreciation and gratitude for the best that has come from the West and for the indigenous leadership of a D.S. Senananyake, an S.W.R.D. Banadaranaike, a Lakdasa de Met or an Edmund Peiris. But is the Socialist Age of the Common Man committed to the perpetuation of the myth of aristocratic superiority and the cult of hero worship with their outdated feudalist and capitalist power structures that have been responsible for the degradation of man?

A New Order - A New Man

This brings us to the core of the matter. The essence of the socialist vision is concerned with giving man his due place in society. Human resources are by far the greatest. People are our greatest wealth. We have been so mesmerized by the power of money that we have neglected this great fact. Not that money is unimportant or evil, if used well. But people

must be duly valued and given their due place in society. That is our primary task.

The great secular prophets Darwin, Marx and Freud labored to give the modern world a true understanding of man and society. They were, at first, believed against Religion. But Tielhard de Chardin, Bonhoeffer, Robinson and others have pointed the way to the integration of the best secular and humanist insights in the Christian vision. In Lanka, Bambarende Siri Seevali, Kotagama Vachissara, K.N. Jayatfleke and others have shown how people steeped in the indigenous Buddhist traditions could creatively take their place in the modern world. Giving man his due place in society is not incompatible with, but rather an essential part of, giving due honor to God or Dharma. Faith in the future of man is not a romantic illusion. It can and must be combined with a realistic understanding of the evils in the human situation and the sacrifices necessary to build a new order. However insuperable the obstacles may appear to be, there must always be an unflinching determination to seek, under God (or Dharma), a new order and a new man. (Rev. 21.1-5, 2 Cor. 5.17)

The Unfinished Task

There is much left for the 1970 revolution to complete. The position of people in the three main industries – tea, rubber and coconut... the paddy cultivator.. the workers on the land is far from satisfactory. No system that allows its workers to live sub-human lives with no real share in power and responsibility can be really efficient, however much it may appear to be so.

Thus, land reform is an urgent necessity. Mere nationalization or indiscriminate fragmentation of land is a far cry from the ideal solution. And, of course, forcible seizure of land and squatting by the people should be resorted only if it is clearly seen that the Government is obstinately thwarting the will of the people.

The use of land to be taken over by the Government has to be carefully planned – perhaps on the basis of communes, modified to suit the people of this country. But reform needs to be speedy and radical. There must not be too much planning by experts in offices. The planners need to get out into the field and learn to understand, appreciate and trust the people. Otherwise, they will tend to treat the people as pawns and try to manipulate them. The people must enter into the planning at an early stage. Fully cut and dried plans are not essential. The people must be trusted to play their due part. In many cases, the skills and the knowledge

are already there. There must be further diversification. Of course, there will be problems, failures and a certain cost. There will be the human problems of creating healthy relationships and a true community. These tasks will not be easy but they must be attempted in faith and hope.

The meeting of a People’s Committee at Devasaranaramaya is a humble effort to help in some small way in the thinking necessary for these talks. Dialogue must continue both among the people and between the government and the people. We trust that there will be similar meetings elsewhere, too, articulate the voice of the people and help bring about the action that must follow.

5

16 VIOLENT LANKA

When a poor man

takes a few coconuts

from his rich neighbor's land

to feed his children who are in need,

that is robbery,

according to the law.

He can be convicted,

perhaps even jailed.

When a rich man

lives in wanton luxury,

spends infinitely more than he needs

on food, clothes, amusements,

while others are starving, naked, wretched

that is legitimate.

There is no law

to convict him.

The laws are made by the rich,

who make them,

not to convict themselves

but to oppress the poor.

If the poor made the laws,

it would he a different story.

The rich may then be seen

in their true colors.

When a rich man

owns a hundreds or thousands of acres,

while there are others

who do not own an inch,

that is not robbery,

that is because we must,

at all costs,

safeguard the sacredness

of private property,

which means just reward

for the labor of ancestors

so that descendants

may not labor.

When an employer

pays himself infinitely more

than the worker – than his own servant

that is not robbery

that is merely just reward

for education and culture,

that is the way

to encourage initiative and enterprise.

When a poor man

in desperation,

gets drunk,

picks a quarrel,

draws a knife,

kills,

that, obviously, is murder - violence,

punishable by death.

When company directors

sack workers with impunity

and so condemn whole families

to penury and want,

that is not violence,

because no knife has been used.

No knife need be used,

a peremptory word suffices.

Labor tribunals need not be feared overmuch,

loopholes can be found, laws delays,

political influence.

When politicians and government officials –

whatever the party in power –

ignore basic needs and just complaints

of the people,

on a vast scale,

daily, continuously,

that is not violence

because no blows have been dealt

visibly, materially.

No blows need be dealt

because

power, authority, influence

is on their side,

and the might of the armed services and

police stands behind them.

When religious leaders -

church dignitaries, mahanayaka theras,

church committees, dayaka sabhas

embrace vested interests,

exert various dubious moral pressures,

enjoin passive compliance on the people,

in the name of religion and peace,

that is not violence –

only religious obligation and duty.

They talk endlessly, mouthing empty phrases

in out-dated language

on abstruse doctrines,

slaves to useless customs and

superstitious ceremonies,

raising funds continuously from the people

for buildings and institutions

and for bolstering their tottering position and

prestige.

But they are silent and inactive

on the things that really matter,

the things that really concern people –

social change, land reform, employment,

human relationships, human dignity,

involvement with the people,

being alongside the people in dialogue;

for without dialogue,

without a truly sensitive and truly human relationship,

there can be no inspiration, no teaching, no learning, no communion.

So our religious leaders, by and large,

remain aloof, out-of-touch, clueless,

irrelevant, unheeding and unheeded.

And what about the police and the

armed forces?

Immaculate in shining uniform and belt,

they march faultlessly to step.

Supposed to be symbolic

of discipline, of controlled strength.

But their basic method, tactic, with the

people –

a sound thrashing – guilty or not guilty.

Everyone knows it.

How do they keep the peace?

If a policeman's hat is filched,

the offender may have to pay for it with his life.

If a soldier is actually hurt,

a whole village may be destroyed.

Utterly disproportionate retaliation,

that is the order of the day

the cement of our society,

violence.

And now that there has been a revolt

all hell has been let loose,

the innocent slaughtered with the guilty,

the normal law of utterly

disproportionate retaliation

writ large.

Many of the finest young people in the

country –

mauled, mutilated and massacred.

All hell has been let loose.

No doubt there are descent individuals,

even some saints,

At all levels at all times,

Up to a point,

Well meaning, well refined, conscientious people,

Up to a point,

Free speech, universal suffrage, democracy,

Up to a point,

Fine buildings, shops, parks, temples, churches,

a certain outer polish and calm,

Up to a point,

But also, always, dark, murky, turbulent forces

beneath the surface – individual character

and the character of society

is exceedingly complex

A strange mixture of good and evil.

Basically, the system stinks,

the system of law and order,

the system dominates individuals,

the ultimate sanctions rest on

violence, no less violence,

because it is often hidden, indirect,

subtle violence, not recognized as violence.

Yes, in our society

there is legalized robbery and violence

in normal times – respectable men of power

in sangha, church, and state,

robbing in broad daylight,

violent,

Spilling the blood of the people

Continuously

in complete freedom, with impunity,

proud and unrepentant,

self-righteous, complacent.

This is not a situation peculiar to Lanka,

this is as far as we have got

in our civilization,

in the world.

Violence rules

in the USA, Europe, in the USSR,

in China,

in Vietnam – North and South,

in India, Pakistan, Burma,

in Lanka.

Harold Laski summed it up:

"The government of a people,

in the last resort,

rests on force."

We have spoken so far

only of the relations between people

within a nation.

What of the relations

between nations?

The USA, omnipotent, omniscient,

has half the income

of the whole world.

What proportion of it is spent

on the development

of under-development?

Infinitesimal.

Where is the justice of that?

Is that God's will?

Australia and Canada, affluent nations,

have tiny populations

and wide open spaces,

while China and India, poor and struggling,

have teeming populations,

dreadfully over-crowded.

Where is the justice of that?

Is that God's will?

And what of Hiroshima and Vietnam?

Let us not blame it all

on the USA, or the Soviet Union

or China.

We cannot absolve ourselves.

Hiroshima and Vietnam happened

because of hatred in the heart of man

everywhere. I am responsible. It is my fault.

We must change ourselves,

change our society, our world.

We must never finally commit ourselves

to the status quo

anywhere in the world.

Another political scientist

has summed it up:

"Kingdoms are robber possessions."

So, established law and order

it is not as simple as all that.

There is established injustice,

established disorder, massive

institutionalized disorder,

naked oppression,

masquerading under the guise of

law and order,

continuously, all the time.

What has this to do

with that higher law and order,

that sublime dharma,

which takes precedence over all human laws,

and towards which all human laws must tend?

That has been put very simply

By Karl Marx himself:

“from each according to his need”.

The Buddha, too:

“Go, ye now, monks, and wander

for the good of people

for the happiness of the people

out of compassion for the world”.

And Jesus Christ:

“The Sabbath was made for the sake of man

not man for the Sabbath,

therefore the Son of Man is sovereign even over the Sabbath”.

Saint Paul put it another way:

“The written law condemns to death

but the Spirit gives life”.

So, laws and institutions

must serve the people

not dominate them,

they must liberate

not enslave the people.

All this, the people are learning.

There is a world-wide movement of history-

a movement for liberation.

So, however bad things may seem,

let us always remember,

the people are awakening,

the people are on the march -

from slavery to freedom

from egotism to brotherhood -

the struggle for emancipation is going forward,

That is the meaning of history,

the nature of man, of dharma, of God.

We have to mould our society accordingly,

patiently,

with invincible hope.

We have to go forward –

from a society that is still based

largely on violence and competition,

on an idea of man

as essentially selfish and corruptible,

to a society that will be based

essentially on community – on transformed

human relationships,

on free consent and cooperation,

on faith in the infinite possibilities of man,

under dharma, under God,

not Utopianism but realistic as well as idealistic –

taking account of all realities, both good and evil.

What further upheavals,

disasters, tragedies,

must we pass through

before we acknowledge this?

How long will we rest content

with a debased idea of humanity

the idea of the essential corruptibility

of human nature –

which has been the basis

of the status quo?

How far has this co-called realism got us?

Radical changes are necessary,

structural changes,

revolution,

land reform, collective farms, reformed cooperatives,

changes in ownership, management,

and production,

not merely in distribution,

also changes in worship and preaching,

in teaching and learning,

changes that will bring about

new relationships between people,

new attitudes,

changes that will enable people to be people,

not merely animals,

not merely things, instruments or pawns,

changes that will make possible

a new society, a new man,

a new heaven, a new earth.

It was for this essentially –

Whatever else may have been mixed up in it –

That the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna revolted,

and for this essentially –

However imperfectly understood –

That many of them laid down their lives.

They have been mostly youth so far –

young men and women, teenagers,

but they are rooted in the mass of the people,

in both towns and villages,

across the length and breadth of the country.

They had utterly lost confidence

in the leaders of this country,

both religious and secular,

of whatever established religion

and of whatever established party,

and they had utterly lost confidence

in the laws and institutions

of this country –

that they could ever be reformed

by the normal processes.

Let us not dismiss them too easily

as misguided terrorists,

immature fanatics,

megalomaniacs.

How can we dare condemn them?

They are our sons and daughters,

we have produced them –

we, parents, teachers,

priests, politicians,

employers, workers,

they are our progeny –

flesh of our flesh,

spirit of our spirit,

we are responsible for them,

we must stand alongside them.

If they are in the dock,

so are we.

Yes, they have been violent.

They have attacked police stations,

killed people,

damaged public property,

looted shops,

confiscated guns.

(What multitudes of people,

even some temples and churches,

had put their faith in guns!)

Yes they have been violent.

But right or wrong,

their violence has been a response

has sprung from

our violence, our injustice.

We must recognize, acknowledge that –

everything, just everything

depends on that.

Otherwise, there is no basis for dialogue

for reconciliation

for peace.

There is no hope at all,

if there is no heart-searching, no humility.

Heart-searching and humility is not weakness:

it is being strong enough

to face reality,

strong enough for peace.

We must get off our pedestals

of judgment of others

and judge ourselves,

only so can we speak to others,

connect, get across,

reconcile,

make peace,

peace that will last and make possible

progress,

because based on justice.

6

17 JUDGEMENT AGAIN AT PERADENIYA!

PART I*

The students

have erupted again.

Now top people are negotiating

the exact nature of the punishment

that must be meted out

to them,

the students.

But what about

the PRESIDENT of the Campus?

Evidently, so students swear,

he used to go about

referring to female students

as prostitutes

and uttering

other such inanities

about student behavior

and misbehavior

no idea at all

how to communicate

with students.

Who is going to judge Him

* written in February 1976.

the President?

What punishment should be meted

out to him?

Evidently,

the previous outburst of the students

was so outrageous

sex and all that

(what about investigating

me private sex life –

sundry affairs, masturbation

fantasies, etc.–

of Presidents

and other such white sepulchers?)

that it was sufficient excuse

for promulgating special commissions,

to curb those savages

(students not Presidents).

From time to time

our society has recourse

to Ayub Khan methods

(yesterday Ayub Khan

today Indira

tomorrow Sirima?)

It just shows

of what stuff we are made

our democracy is a thin veneer

(who are the savages?)

And various top people say: at last,

we have put our foot down

now, at last

we have got the situation

under control.

What a hope!

When will we learn?

The students put up with those rules

and regulations

for a few months

(was it three or four?)

then they simply went and gave

the President

a bit of their mind

quite right, of course

and the President

lost his temper

and so did they, no doubt,

or something like that anyway,

for there was no possibility

of communication, a great big gap

between students and President

and a big rumpus ensued

students remanded, students suspended,

exams postponed.

But the President,

the main culprit,

who is going to judge Him?

and other Professors and Lecturers?

Who will judge them?

Who will judge us? Our Society?

that is, those who have wielded power

and wield power now?

When will we be ready

for a workers and peasants government?

where power

will be predominantly

in the hands of workers and peasants,

no great big gap

between leaders and people

a government

in dialogue

directly responsible, directly

answerable

at every level

to workers and peasants,

and students too,

yes students too,

students WILL have their say!

Then Presidents and other top people

will be sent to collective farms

to taste

not necessarily blood

but certainly toil, tears and sweat

Priests will be de-frocked, disrobed

and put to clean lavatories

and they will learn

the worth, the value

of workers, peasant and students

the great big gap

will close.

Judgment again at Peradeniya!

who are the judges?

Who are the judged?

PART II*

Judgment again at Peradeniya!

Who are the judges?

Who are the judged?

The President of the Campus

mediocre academic, much vaunted disciplinarian

one of our society's prize products,

but judged by the demands of this present time

judged by the needs of our peasants, workers and youth,

arrogant, clueless, out of touch

just plain incompetent.

Ah but not only the President

let not others try to escape judgment

Those who have wielded

and are wielding power,

by and large, with few exceptions,

just have not delivered the goods

and never will,

the old leadership, the old elite

the U.N.P.L, the S.L.F.P.

and the traditional Left Parties,

and educators, administrators, priests,

* (written on 14.11.76 after attending the funeral at Uhumiya, near kurunagala, of W.M. Weerasuriya, the first-year student who was shot dead by the police on the Peradeniya University campus)

no doubt had their triumphs

in another age

let us acknowledge it

but now a spent force

no vision, no spirit.

To get back to the President,

who should have been sacked long ago

but was propped up in power

by aristocratic elitism

family bandyism of the worst order

he tried desperately to cling to power

but the students continued the struggle

solidly, intelligently, legitimately, peacefully,

then the President

tottering

knew the game was up

thought he must get tough

called in the Police,

who came in hordes and attacked the students,

baton charged, shot, tear gassed (in that order),

unbelievably, without any warning whatsoever,

utterly callous, sheer madness,

the students were not armed even with a pin

over fifty were injured

bhikkus included and many females, many head injuries,

one dead.

Then the Government

dispatched post-haste two Ministers from Colombo

to sit in judgment

Keuneman and Kobbekaduwa

true-blue, royal blood

charming, "liberal", "progressive"

but what can we expect

from proved failures?

As for the Police

It has been commonly accepted

That they exist

To preserve law and order

And enforce discipline

but the people are now learning

And we must clearly understand it

That in our society, in the present set-up

The police and the armed forces are used basically

Against the masses

To defend and maintain

the ruling class, vested interests

in power

in short, to perpetuate

oppression and exploitation

and prevent the masses

from gaining liberation and justice

until this situation is understood and changed

and they become agents of a real people's government

and are responsible to and serve the people

trouble, confrontation, clashes will continue ....

the end is not in sight.

When will we learn?

how many more peasants, workers, and students

must die

before we realize

that the old leadership must go?

before we give up

this futile oscillation

between two discredited parties?

can we expect a voluntary transference of real power

from feudal and capitalist interests

to the oppressed classes?

When are we going to get together

and organize

a movement, a Front, a Party

a new birth of the Left Movement

through struggle and sacrifice,

solidly based on peasants, workers and students,

a new leadership, substantially drawn from among them,

in living contact with them, in dialogue with them

responsible to them, answerable to them

trusting them and trusted by them

understanding their strengths and weaknesses

appreciating the best in them

and capable of drawing it out and mobilizing it

for production, for brotherhood

for a new society and a new humanity?

This can only come through conscious struggle

with dedication and unity of the oppressed classes

with understanding and discipline

against the ranks of the radalayas

and mudaldtis of various types,

economic, political, cultural and spiritual.

This is a struggle that is already going on,

the movement of development, justice and liberation

throughout the world, with notable sacrifices and triumphs,

though there is constant need of self-criticism and mutual criticism.

The death of this student

head-perfect at school, actor, leader, etc.

this death, this sacrifice, is another milestone

first university student in this country

to have died in the cause.

"Wherever there is struggle

there is sacrifice

and when we die for the people

it is a worthy death".

The students have shown

a remarkable solidarity and intelligent thrust,

in solid union with an alert and aggressive worker staff,

with academic staff standing aloof as usual,

they almost brought the President to his knees

but were foiled by the class clique-ism

of a rotten elite.

Now they must continue the struggle

shun all reactionary tendencies

which they are by no means free from

and which may perhaps increasingly beset them,

cultivate more links with peasants and workers

and pursue only true socialist objectives

with care, discrimination, and determination.

History is on their side.

The judges are judged –

Their doom is pending!

7

18 CURRENT COMMENTS

Das Capital

"My opinion as a man who has given employment to at least 50,000 people in the last 40 years or more is that our people hardly work 2 hours a day." (Ceylon Daily News. Oct. 18,1973 p.3).

Here are the immortal words of one of Sri Lanka’s Captains of industry, still – despite some shaking of the foundations- proud, arrogant and unrepentant. Such people who have mercilessly exploited the laboring classes of this county, who have deprived them of their land, extorted their money, enfeebled their bodies and broken their spirits, now turn back on them and accuse them of laziness, dishonesty and what – notand then call upon them to work hard to save the country. These noble sentiments are then echoed in the press and radio. Will the monotonousinsistence of brainless parrots the refrain is daily repeated: "Our people are lazy and have got used to an easy time. All that is needed is that everyone should work hard and the country will be saved." The refrain is re-echoed from platforms and pulpits throughout the country. Thus even the victims are made to swallow this monstrous falsehood - this diabolical lie – and begin to repeat it themselves. But the truth of the matter is that our leaders of whatever party that has ruled the country so far and our priests of whatever religion are basically out of touch with the people... are not working alongside them ... do not understand their real strengths and weaknesses and problems and obstacles they have faced. So our leaders have not made the changes necessary for the sharing of power and resources but are continuing to exploit the people with a high incidence of bribery and corruption as well. Until this situation is understood by the people and they find ways and means of getting together to put a true people's leadership into power we cannot make any real progress in solving Problems of this country. See-sawing from one aristocratic family to

another… From one set of public-school trained bureaucrats to another… from one set of capitalists to another… from one set of mudalalis to another, etc.… will just not do. There must emerge a leadership solidly based on the workers and peasants and youth and shared with them in constant dialogue with them and always responsible to them.

November 1973

Benz Business

A national newspaper has reported that The Archbishop of Colombo Thomas Cardinal Cooray has sold his Mercedes Benz in response to protests by some lay people and clergy who objected to the Cardinal riding in such a luxury car. The money so realized is to be used for a housing scheme for the needy in Colombo. The newspaper comments, that "this is most commendable". But, actually, this is far from enough. Cardinals who buy Benz cars should be removed from office, sacked. They are just not fit to be Cardinals. (In fact, are Cardinals necessary at all?) After all, Jesus Christ himself possessed nothing, had nowhere to lay his head and instructed his apostles to carry no purse or pack and travel bare-foot. Someone should be appointed Cardinal Archbishop – or rather elected by the poor – who would turn over the Bishop's Palace itself for a housing scheme for the needy and live in close contact with the poor. Further, though Satyodaya has asked some "middle-class socialists" to eat with their servants – a palpable hit at certain Bishops and clergy ("enemies of the new society!"), this also is far from enough. They must give up having servants at all. They themselves must take their share in the work of the house and have co-workers, not servants, to Hue and work with them. These are simple matters, which must first be set right before deeper things are looked into.

December 1973

Marx and Religion (Comment on Two Articles)

Both writers I find very good and convincing when they speak for .Marx! But I never find attempts at de-bunking Marx very convincing. K.R. Popper's was one of the most brilliant efforts but I somehow felt he was not quite big enough to take cudgels against Marx!

Why is it that when Christians fail, Christians never impute the failure to Christ? But when Marxists fail we say it is due to weaknesses in Marx?

I think it better for both Christians and Marxists to face up to weaknesses in the human situation and see how both the resources of

Marxism and Christianity can cope with these – positively.

Am I right? I don’t think it can be said that Christ picked holes in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, etc. in a negative way. No mention either of Zeus, etc. am I being frivolous?

Don’t you think it was rather too early to expect Marx and Co. to be well up on the Cambridge Three? (One of the articles had made the point that Marx had failed to take note of the best theological opinion of his day, e.g. the Cambridge Three and Hamack.) I have just referred up my notes and find Lightfoot's Commentaries were 1865 and he became Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at Cambridge in 1875. Westcott became Regius Professor in 1870 and Bishop of Durnham, succeeding Lightfoot in and perhaps had his period of greatest influence as Bishop. I think their influence began to be really felt in England in the 1880's. Lux Mundi was produced in 1889 by their intellectual successors – Gore, Moberly, Holland, et al. Likewise, it was not until about 1890 that Harnack's (and others Ritsch before him and then Hermann) influence had a real effect theological world in Germany.

Hort said, "The one great work of a priest is to show what a man is ought to be — not to prepare man for future life, which is a potential opinion." But Marx probably never heard of that! He might have been converted if he had! Do we hear that even now in the Church? Who’s fault is it?

March 1974

Religious Tamashas

The religious leaders of the world – leading the world from their professorial arm-chairs - have met at the Pegasus Reef Hotel ("Five-star", Air-conditioned and what-not). Must the obvious be said? It must. Such it and persistent flouting of the opinion of the common man cannot unquestioned. It is obvious that, it is not only the Roman Catholic that is capable of organizing tamashas of this kind. The World I of Churches is second to none. If Christ has been invited – he have come with his whip and whipped the whole lot from the 4 auditorium into a paddy field – and put them to work there with mammoties for at least eight solid hours!

June 1974

Watergate, Fussy and Hypocritical Irrelevance: A People’s View

Two articles have appeared in the National Press: a) After Watergate, a New Era: An American View and b) After Nixon: A Soviet View. Both read like comic sketches more suited to "Punch" or "Playboy" or "Readers' Digest".

The first article speaks in ‘high-falutin’ terms of "a mammoth task of self-cleansing carried out under principles and procedures established by the founding fathers" and "a new era of national decency and social responsibility". It is predominantly concerned with the American image and national prestige.

The second article speaks with pitiful complacency of "a good dose of optimism and confidence" about the future because "the policy of detente today has an immeasurably stronger and more massive following than it had yesterday". It is predominantly concerned with the Soviet image and the continuance of detente between the Soviet Union and the U.S.A.

But what, actually, does Watergate amount to? Mere petty theft compared to the continuing heinous crimes of exploitation and oppression of the masses of the Third World (and even of the Second and the First Worlds) by the U.S. and other rich and powerful vested interests in the world.

The peoples of the Third World must not be deceived either by puritanical purges whether of the Profumo or Watergate (or our own local) variety or so-called statesmanship of Kissinger (the new Mettemich), Soviet detente and Peking ping-pong. Moscow, Peking and Cairo also may make their peace with the U.S. to suit their own ends. But is that going to put a stop to exploitation, oppression and mass murder?

Only the oppressed masses of the world rising up with leaders of their own choosing from amongst their own ranks will obtain their own liberation. No amount of elite engineering will ever achieve it. The people themselves must understand their situation and resolve to work and struggle together to change it.

September 1974

Fluency and Dazzle

Our national press had had a surfeit recently of the usual Elite Elegiacs at various Top-School Prize-Givings, Jubilees and Anniversaries, Trinity College, Bishops College and Ladies College – still Anglican and British to the core, despite a few indigenous frills – remain at the fore-

front. The same old Bishops, Ministers and Top people mouth the same old platitudes again and again, with a few minor variations that are not really variations.

“Reviewing the school’s activities in 1974 the Principal of Trinity said that the quality of Rugger was unprecedented and Trinity beat every school convincingly. ‘Not even in our best years did we produce such fluency and dazzle”. (Sunday Times account of Prize Giving).

Fluency and dazzle indeed, and not only at Rugger! The Chief Guest, Mr. H.A.J. Hulugalle, an old -boy, was introduced as having "fashioned the politics of our country without being a politician and gave expression to a people's thoughts and aspirations". This prophet of a people's thoughts and aspirations then proceeded to pontificate that "one could not have a decent education or be a really cultured person in Sri Lanka without a good grasp of the English language".

Perhaps one should not be too hard on these dear old refined exploiters. May be, they know not what they say! But even Christ did not let them off too lightly: "Alas for you. Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" (The 23rd chapter of St. Matthew should be read at length.)

Of course, the advantages of English are undeniable and should be progressively extended to all. But the way this is done is crucial. In the past, English has been taught and used in a way that has brought great injustice and oppression to the vast majority.

Then, when are our elite leaders going to realize that there may be more culture in the little finger of the oppressed village cultivator, in spite of much decay and depression, than in all the pot-bellied affluence of his exploiters. This can by no means be dismissed as the distorted imagination of a village romantic. This is part of the lessons that have to be learnt from the First Development Decade, from the spectacle of "poor and undeveloped" Viet Nam standing up to the onslaught of the "rich and mighty" U.S.A. and from Chinese leaders standing alongside the people, understanding their real strengths and weaknesses, and learning from them the essential meaning of the liberation struggle. Confident concepts of the past are being questioned. What is "rich" and what is "poor"? What is "developed" and what is "undeveloped"? What is "cultured" and what is "uncultured"? Above all, how is development to be achieved? Merely by modernization and technology? Or are revolutionary structural changes necessary too, and revolution of the mind and spirit as well?

The "People's Prophet" then went on to further enlighten us: “The record of the Christian schools in Sri Lanka was very creditable. Nearly all the leaders in the public eye of the country and of the professions came

from them. Five of six Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka were educated at Christian schools and the sixth came from Royal which had a predominantly Christian staff”.

That is to say, me Christians are supposed to be proud of the fact that they, a small minority of the country, have monopolized the plums of office in the land and have done precious little to basically change the system whereby such a monopoly is perpetuated! It matters little whether the monopoly passes in time from "Christians" to "Buddhists". What matters is that a particular class is still basically monopolizing office,* whatever me changes of government and modifications of legislation that may have been forced upon them.

Bishops College and Ladies College - the "sister schools" - were not to be out-done by Trinity (Three-in-One). Bishops had Three Thanksgiving Services this year instead of One, a notable advance in the field of indigenization! (Ceremonies of three religions). More Elite Elegiacs to the Glory that was and is Bishops! But we are not told that there was any place in this scheme for Confession (or Self-Criticism). How about a Day of Penitence for the combined sins of exploitation of the Christians, Buddhists and Muslims of Bishops College through the years?

Ladies College also had Three Functions in One Day, but not an advance in me field of indigenization. They confined themselves to a Christian Service but also had a Public Meeting and a Private Dinner. The Bishop of Kurunagala had to come post-haste from Kurunagala to Colombo to Preach the Sermon, "as there was no one else" and had to speed back to Kandy for the Trinity Celebrations. But the Bishop of Colombo, just up from his sick-bed, had also to be present at all three functions. His Grace the Metropolitan Emeritus (a fictitious title, by the way) was also present to Grace me occasion. It was not reported which particular "bon mot" he contributed to the day's doings, but on a previous occasion when Ladies College had won the inter-school relay in record time he congratulated them on producing the "fastest" girls in Sri Lanka!

So much for the Holy Trinity of Anglican Elitist Privilege in Sri Lanka! St. Thomas's has not been included because that would make it Quaternity, rank heresy! Actually, there are eleven Anglican private schools, some more elitist than others, in Sri Lanka. (A good number for cricket but one short of the Twelve Apostles!) in short, they have contributed precious little that is really creative towards the solution of the problems of the people. Basically, they can’t do so because their life is isolated from the life of the people.

But it must not be thought that other elitist schools of other religious or government background such as Royal, St. Joseph’s, Ananda

or Visakha are essentially any better. They too primarily protect and preserve class and vested interests, despite occasional excursions into social service, Kandyan dancing, etc. and latest of all, of course, “educational reform!” but what good will educational reform be without a real dialogue with the people, without real sharing of power and people’s participation and real accountability to the people?

March 1975

* IN a sample taken of 5 elite schools, namely. Royal College, St. Thomas's College, Ananda College, St. Joseph's College and Trinity College, the following facts were noted:

1956 1970

Total number of M.P.'s 101 157

From 5 elite schools 38 (38%) 48 (31%)

Total number in cabinet 14 20

From 5 elite schools 8 11

(There are over 2000 secondary schools in Sri Lanka)

Peasants per se are conspicuously under-represented. Rural constituencies are generally represented by urban notables or absentee landlords. 46% of the current National Assembly are lawyers, teachers and businessmen.

These facts are taken from an Article entitled Elite Politics in the New States: The Case of Post-Independence Sri Lanka written by Tissa Fernando, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of British Columbia, in the Journal Pacific Affairs. Fall 1973