British imperialists made Sri Lanka one of their colonies on 2nd March, 1815. It was bringing the whole of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) under British jurisdiction through the notorious Kandy convention. The British colonial rule that existed since then officially terminated on 4th February, 1948. It was however, a step to hand over the country to trusted locals who were more British than the British. It was not a genuine independence as there was no struggle that was active in social, economic, political and cultural spheres.
Before 1948 Sri Lanka existed as a British colony. On 4th February, 1948 it changed from the state of a colony to a new colonial scheme. It is the truth. Today, 4th February, what is being commemorated is this deformed independence. It is the ‘independence’ we received as an indirect result of the decision taken by British colonial heads to give up India. This ‘independence’ has not given Sri Lanka or the Sri Lankan the genuine social, economic, political and cultural independence
Any country and its people have the right to commemorate its independence. Any nation will commemorate with dignity the independence they attain. However, Sri Lankans do not have an independence to commemorate with dignity and honour. Hoisting Sri Lanka’s national flag instead of the union jack or rulers of the country being Sri Lankans or having a clause that states Sri Lanka is an independent, sovereign country doesn’t mean we have genuine independence. A country would be independent only if it is independent socially, economically, politically and culturally. Until then Sri Lanka would have an economy that is subjected to imperialists; politics interfered by imperialists and a defeated mentality. ‘Independence’ is only an empty word then.
Sri Lanka is commemorating 68th ‘Independence Day’ at a time the people in the country are burdened with the cost of living and distressed due to inability to make ends meet in a dilapidated economy. It is at a time fraud, corruption and waste have become an inheritable characteristic of administration as well as the society; a state where poverty, unemployment and social crimes have escalated and implementing law and order has collapsed. All this is none other than the produce of the seeds sowed during the 68 years of the so-called ‘independence’.
Today the state has been submerged in a debt burden and made impotent economically. For more than half of the 68 years our rulers have followed a new liberal economic policy. During this period various capitalist governments dazzled people’s eyes with ‘promised lands’ but trapped us in colossal debt to drag us towards the present crisis. The rulers brought Sri Lanka towards this fate of bondage while filling their own pockets. However, it is the general public that had to carry the burden. In such a situation the people’s clamour for taking action against fraudsters and thieves and taking over the plundered wealth by the state is extremely justifiable.
The country has been submerged in a burden of debt that the income is not sufficient to settle the interest and installments for foreign loans that have been obtained under very high interest rates. High taxes have been enacted in a bid to plunder directly or indirectly the meager incomes of the people. The governments have voluntarily neglected earning money through production. The whole nation has been brought down to the doom of depending on foreign debt. The direct result of this is the sovereignty of our country has been made a dice before the countries that are economically powerful. Many foreign powers including European powers as well as India, the regional power, attempt to get the government to bow down to plunder our wealth; they are in a bid to find solutions for their issues. However, the rulers of our country, who have no economic policy to develop the country and the living standard of the people, attempt to while away the time with money that falls down from the hands of the likes of James Packer or George Soros. The escalating crime rate, drugs, cultural deterioration has taken the society towards threshold of barbarism.
This is the environment that exists when the country commemorates the 68th ‘Independence Day’. The theme of the government for this ‘Independence Day’ is ‘One country – great power’. However, Sri Lankan capitalist regimes has not made Sri Lanka one land. They have not built national unity and peace. The country has not been made powerful; it has been made weak and is being further weakened. Hence, genuine independence is not what we have achieved but one that remains to be won.
It should be emphasized to the country that struggles should not be restricted to mere scuffles carried out against breakdowns of each sectors but should be widened to a broad transformation of the whole social, economic and political system that the country yearns for. Sri Lanka cannot achieve a genuine independence or Sri Lankan Nation cannot be genuinely independent Nation without winning the challenge of transforming the existing socio-economic system. It is the responsibility of the whole Nation to resolve to rally for this second independence struggle. We invite the whole Sri Lankan Nation that commemorates the so-called independence to rally to achieve genuine independence.
Anura Dissanayaka’
Leader
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna.
04.02.2016