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| Sunday, 22 May 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Re-enactment of historic scenarios From Bandaranaike-Chelvanayagam pact to Post-tsunami Operational Management Structure - POMS by Janadasa Peiris
There is a famous aphorism 'History repeats itself'. Its meaning is very clear.The instances of events that took place once, taking place once again some time later, perhaps in the same form or with a little difference are numerous in history. We are reminded of this maxim when we look back upon the nearly 5 dacades of our recent history. When we examine various agitations coming from different quarters against the proposed POMS of the LTTE and the Government relating to the North East Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation Programme, we are constrained to foresee a repetition of history, in the same form. Following the victory of 1956, Prime Minister Bandaranaike made Sinhala, the only official language of the country. There have emerged various opinions to justify or abrogate this step.
Whatever said and done, Bandaranaike took two steps promptly to rectify any injustice, if there was, caused to the Tamil community as a result of this move. One was the Bandaranaike-Chelvanayagam Pact, which was the foundation for the proposed District Councils Bill. The other was the Language Pact agreed upon with the Federal Party. Bandaranaike had to rescind both these pacts in the face of public agitations that cropped up at that time. The demonstration walk to Kandy in protest of the proposed District Councils Bill was led by J.R.Jayewardene who was the Leader of the United National Party at that time. J.R.Jayewardene had to bring a halt to that walk at Imbulgoda, Gampaha, where the demonstrators were opposed by a counter group led by S.W.R.D.Bandaranayake who came to be known as "Imbulgoda Weeraya" following the confrontation. Nevertheless, the influnence of the anti-Tamil agitation aroused by the UNP that day continued to flourish. The Imbulgoda incident took place in October 1957. The Bandaranaike-Chelvanayagam Pact came to be annulled on April 9, 1958. Bandaranaike had to take this step because a group of 100 Buddhist monks led by Sinhala Jathika Sangamaya President Ven. Baddegama Wimalawansa Thera sieged the Prime Minister's Rosmead Place residence demanding cancellation of the Bandaranaike-Chelvanayagam Pact. The monks announced that they will not leave the place unless the Premier changed his decision. Wimala Wijayawardena, the then Health Minister approached the monks to explain matters. In view of the chaotic condition that arose, Bandaranaike announced that the pact will be cancelled. The other reason that prompted Bandaranaike to change his decision was the fact that by then the Federal Party had initiated their anti-Sri campaign. Bandaranaike said that in view of the course of action initiated by the Federal Party it was impossible to implement the pact. The Bhikkus' influence was so dynamic that they went to the extent of demanding the withdrawal of instructions to have the official seal of all the outgoing correspondence in all the three languages. Bandaranaike then had to announce that he had already instructed the Treasury to withdraw the orders. Commenting on the decision to cancel the Bandaranaike-Chelvanayagam Pact, Dudley Senanayake, the UNP Chairman at that time said that he was happy to note the Premier's decision not to implement the pact. He also said that he knew from the very beginning that this unfortunate pact was destined to end in this manner. The Federal Party too expressed a similar opinion. Its leader S. J. V. Chelvanayagam in a communique issued in this connection stated that this was not a situation that he did not anticipate.He further said that the Tamil People's path for liberation was not going to be an easy one. That is how the attitude of the UNP and other extremist elements pertaining to the District Councils Bill and Bandaranaike-Chelvanayagam Pact that envisaged provision for reasonable use of Tamil Language, has gone down in history. The nett result of this stance was the eruption of the first communal riots in this country towards the latter part of 1958. The idea of history repeating itself came back to my mind when I read the media reports relating to the recent walk of certain members of the Buddhist clergy, challenging the POMS. The UNP, which opposed the B-C Pact in 1958, carried out a propaganda campaign during the 1960 election period accusing Sirimavo Bandaranaike of aligning with the Marxists to divide the country. Yet, when the UNP after coming back to power in 1965 set about to pass the Tamil Language Special Provisions Bill in 1966, Dudley Senanayake had to confront a crisis similar to the ones that came in the way of Bandaranaike. On that occasion, not only the SLFP which clung on to communal slogans, but even the main leading leftist parties opposed the Bill. On January 08, 1966, at Kollupitiya, a demonstration in protest of this Bill was fired at under the Dudley regime. Ven.Dambarawe Ratanasara Thera, one of the protestors, came by his death as a result of this shooting. The May Day Rally that followed in the same year was heralded by extremist communal slogans like "Dudleyge Bade, Masala Wade" and the leftist parties that joined this fray on that occasion must be ashamed of themselves when they look back upon their past history. It may be that those were the slogans uttered impromptu by participants quite outside party decisions. Thus ended the second attempt to solve the national problem as a result of protests by the opposition. History was re-enacted in the same guise but with different actors. The communal crisis that dragged on for the worst in this manner marked a decisive turn at one stage. That dawned with the black July of 1983. That was a cruel and barbaric course of action adopted by the then Government to repress the Tamil people. This was a repetition of the 1958 flames but more painfully. It marked a fresh episode in the communal drama enacted on the stage of history. Multifaceted strategies adopted to end the which war originated from that point proved futile because of the lack of sincerety on the part of the then Government. Its strong anti-Tamil, anti-Indian policy antagonised India to the extent of invading Sri Lanka. In 1987 Indian aircraft dropped dhal on the soil of Jaffna Peninsula. It became incumbent for J.R.Jayewardene to sign the Indo-Sri Lanka Pact.He had to accede to the Provincial Council Programme whether it was for the better or worse. The Indian Peace Keeping Force arrived in the island in the meanwhile. To be continued |
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