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| Sunday, 26 December 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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The year that was ***
It was an year where nature continued to be destructive and man continued to wage war on the environment and his fellow beings. It was an year of escalating prices with oil prices hitting an all time high. Carol Aloysius looks back at 2004 and the year that was and recalls some of the significant events in Sri Lanka and elsewhere that made the year what it was.
*** 2004 was an year of contrasting moods and emotions, of achievement and progress, sadness and joy, conflict and peace, failure and success, despair and hope... In the local scenario, politics more than anything else played a vital role in shaping the lives and future of the people of this country. The year which began on a disconcerting note when Parliament was dissolved unexpectedly, struck an optimistic note when the general elections in April, which followed the dissolution of Parliament, concluded peacefully in contrast to the violence filled elections of the previous year. The entry of the Buddhist clergy into the arena of politics and the PA-JVP alliance marked a new phase in the political history of the country, with several trailblazing events taking place in the Well of the House. For the first time since the Parliamentary system was introduced to this country, saffron robed members of the Buddhist clergy representing the newly formed Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) took their place next to non-clerical parliamentarians. The sentencing to prison of former Minister of Samurdhi and Youth Affairs S.B. Dissanayake created a stir in the political scene with frantic efforts on the part of the UNF to have him released. The assassination of High Court Judge, Sarath Ambepitiya, the first such murder in modern legal history in Sri Lanka was an event that shocked both the members of the legal profession as well as the public as a whole, underlining the growing trend of violence and scant regard for the law in the country, reflected in the increasing number of shootings and killings in broad daylight in recent months. The incident prompted President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge to re-introduce the Death Penalty, making it applicable on those convicted of murder, rape and drug trafficking. The death penalty was abolished more than a quarter century ago, but efforts were underway to re-introduce it in the wake of increasing crime. Judge Ambepitiya's death was followed by the grenade attack at a concert by well-known Indian film star, Shahrukh Khan. Two people were killed and several others were injured in the attack, which followed days of protest by a group of Buddhist monks, demanding the concert be cancelled on account of the day being the first death anniversary of Ven. Gangodawila Soma thera, who passed away in Russia, in December 2003. Two key posts in the army and police changed hands when Lt. General Shantha Kottegoda was appointed as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army and Chandra Fernando was appointed as the new IGP after the retirement of Indra de Silva. The nation was saddened by the untimely passing away of Srimani Athulathmudali, a former minister, and Gamini Fonseka, an icon in Sinhala Cinema, former Speaker, and Governor for the North-East. In the field of Drama, the nation mourned the sudden death of veteran playwright and lyric writer Dharmasiri Gamage, a former editor of several Sinhala publications at the ANCL. It also celebrated the international recognition given to Inoka Sathyangani for her film Sulan Kirilli at the recent film award ceremony held in India. Health-wise, the long suffering citizens of this country were forced to endure much hardship in the face of repeated and regular strikes on the part of almost all sectors of the Health Ministry with little hope for a once and for all end to future strikes by this vital sector. At present, an outbreak of a mysterious flu now identified as influenza B, which has led to the death of nine persons in the Matara district is causing concern among health officials who have sent out a nation-wide alert to avoid an epidemic. In the field of education several changes for the better were introduced to give the future generation a promising start in life, while thousands of unemployed graduates were also given employment and training under a new innovative scheme by the present government. On the war front, the split between the LTTE leader and his former Eastern Province Commander Karuna was one of the biggest set-backs to the LTTE which is currently waging an ongoing war against Karuna and his breakaway group. Sri Lanka joined the elite Peace Keeping forces when its first contingent of solders left for Haiti in mid year. The release of Dinesh Rajaratnam held captive in Iraq from October this year was cause for celebration as the country joined his family in welcoming back the 37 year old father of three to his home in Sri Lanka late this month, in time for Christmas. The birth of quintuplets to a young mother at the Castle Street Hospital late this year was an unique event and a number of organisations including the Sunday Observer have raised funds to help the struggling young couple to feed five extra mouths. The nomination of Jayantha Dhanapala for the post of Secretary General of the UN has raised hopes that a Sri Lankan candidate might finally become the successor to this prestigious post currently held by Kofi Annan. Spiralling prices and the weakening of the dollar in the global market had their repercussions on the domestic economy and the stock market, with the cost of living soaring to an unprecedented high, forcing the government to import certain essential food items, in order to relieve the burden of the local consumer. The adverse effects of heavy rains and floods in the Eastern and Southern provinces were compounded this year, following recent tremors in Gampaha and Colombo, which have raised fears of a future earthquake which could have a devastating effect on the country. On the world scene, the controversial Iraq war, that has now degenerated into guerilla warfare, ended with the capture of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. It was undoubtedly the most important event in international politics. Al Quida leader Osama Bin Laden however remains elusive and very much in command as he continues to send out orders and threats to the international community supporting the war against Iraq. The American elections ended with the re-emergence of the Bush Administration, when George Bush won the election over opponent John Kerry, resulting in a renewed war against rebel groups in Iraq. In neighbouring India, Sonia Gandhi, wife of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was elected as the leader of the Congress by an unprecedented majority, but decides to hand over the leadership to Manmohan Singh, the first Sikh to be appointed as Prime Minister of India. Palestine leader Yasser Arafat, founder of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) passed away after a four-decade struggle for a Palestinian state, raising hopes of a final resolution to the Israel-Palestine war. The recent unification of two opposing parties in Israel has further kindled hope for peace in the Middle East in the not too distant future. Natural disasters in the form of tornadoes, earthquakes and cyclones have swept across the world leaving millions of people in China, Taipei, Bangladesh and India without a roof over their heads. Yet in spite of these tragedies, both natural and man-made, the spirit of Christmas and goodwill continued to stay alive as men and women celebrated the birth of Christ even in war-torn Bethlehem. For Sri Lankans, living with the threat of another war perhaps the greatest blessing this year has brought, is that the Peace Accord between the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE continues to hold, although a permanent resolution to the 20-year conflict seems still a long way away. |
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