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| Sunday, 09 April 2006 |
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Features |  |
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Tortured
Island
Power packed journey through Sri Lanka by Malinga H. Gunaratne As a foreigner in Sri Lanka, I visited the country in connection with the Tsunami Tragedy. I was privileged to have been invited by the publisher for the launch of this book . The Chief Guest at this simple but elegant ceremony was the Late Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, Lakshman Kadiragamar. I was very deeply impressed by the very high standard, and quality of the speeches and contributions made at this launch. This could well have been an event held, at the highest forum in the world, where the English language is spoken It is the 'Tortured Island' however, that held my attention from beginning to end. The author has had resounding success with both books 'The tortured Island' and 'For a Sovereign State' The first Edition that was launched on the 6th of June 2005 has been sold out. The second edition has been just published with a tribute by the author to his friend The Late Lakshman Kadiragamar. The late Foreign Minister's speech at the launch is carried in full. 'For A Sovereign State' has run into the 4th print and the publisher tells me that this too is now fully sold out and that the 5th print is on the way. 'The Tortured Island' today is compulsory reading for all those interested in the well being of this island nation. Malinga Gunaratne brings forth, to my mind the only valid and persuasive argument against `conferring exclusive rights and powers to the LTTE. He bases his arguments not on ethnicity, but on man and land, that unalterable equation affecting the human condition all over the world. He argues that if the demands of the separatists are ever agreed to, that the country will eventually become a ghetto, which will be embroiled in a permanent battle for survival in the years to come. The foreign governments that are involved in this conflict will need to pay close attention to the arguments articulated with such simple facility by the author. Sri Lanka has entered a very crucial stage in this conflict, with the LTTE once again waging an undeclared war to secure a separate state by whatever name it will be eventually called. To solve this problem it will be necessary to find answers to the stark questions raised by the author. I am confident that the honest intervention and appreciation by the parties to this conflict, to the factors raised in the book will bring about a lasting peace, instead of seeking a solution to this problem within the confines of ethnicity, It may be necessary, as the author points out, to look at the realities on the ground. It is in this regard that 'The Tortured Island' has contemporary validity. The book also deals with the social and political problems in the country. The chapters on Caste, Class and Religion outline with great lucidity the complexities facing the nation. If a book has to be recommended to a foreigner giving an insight into the complexities of the Island, I would unhesitatingly suggest 'The Tortured Island'. This 205 paged book gives a power packed journey through Sri Lanka. Foreign powers involved in resolving the Island's dilemma will do well to take careful note of the Authors arguments. The authors first 4 chapters deal with the consequences of separation,by whatever name such an arrangement will ultimately be called. He laments the lack of concern and appreciation of the situation by the rich and powerful, who live in the capital city. He takes the captains of Industry to the hangman, for their fawning and ingratiating attitude towards forces that are inimical to Sri Lanka's national interests. The author devotes one whole chapter to Astrologers, Soothsayers, Witchcraft, Mumbo-Jumbo and Hocus-Pocus. He shows with humorous irreverence, the widespread practice of the occult in Sri Lanka. He argues that Buddhism has been diluted by various favour granting deities to whom the political elite pay obeisance. The chapters on Buddhists, Christians, and Hindus deals with the apprehensions and fears and indeed the disadvantages, faced by those who held on to the Buddhist doctrine, despite many temptations to embrace other faiths. He is not complimentary to the Buddhist clergy. He brings them to the bar of national opinion for fragmenting the philosophy of the Buddha. The Buddhist clergy is divided on the basis of caste' he claims. How can they, then, unite the country' is his query. The second edition of 'The tortured Island' is dedicated to the memory of the Late Foreign Minister, who paid with his life, for the most enduring contribution to his country. So many have died to preserve a Sovereign State. The author's moving tribute to the late Foreign Minister whose last words at the launch of the book 'I remain totally committed to the Sovereign State' in a way symbolizes the theme of this book. No country in the world has lost so many leaders to terror as Sri Lanka has, over the years of this conflict. The Prime Minister of India, a President of Sri Lanka so many Ministers, including an aborted attempt at the assassination of the previous President Chandrika Kumaranatunga are in the catalogue of terror by the LTTE. If the world refuses to accept the reality of the international ramifications of the machines of terror, then terror will be enthroned as a method of gaining political objectives not only in this small island but all over the world. Reviewed by Peter Hendrickson United Kingdom. |
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