A different perspective on the Middle Class

by Prasad POLWATTE

Our Motherland has again been brought to a historical juncture by the courageous military measures taken by our leaders, wiping off 30 years of brutal civil war and taking over the total administrative control of the entire land. Without any reservation we must honour our leadership and Armed Forces for defeating the world's deadliest and most brutal terrorist organisation. Now it is the time for consolidation and the commitment and sacrifices from all Sri Lankans is required and especially the commitment of the Middle Class is extremely vital in this process. The Middle Class of Sri Lanka being identified as highly educated and intelligent element of the society and most of them have proved their capabilities in other parts of the world as well. Thus, it is important to analyze the contributions made by the middle class on our national issues and also their sensitivity towards our burning national issues.

Historical background

One of the most shameful and controversial acts of Sinhala Royalty took place in 1583 in the Kingdom of Kotte, which at that time was the main Kingdom of Sinhalay. Don Juan Dharmapala, grandson of King Buvanekabahu, had ascended the throne with the help of the Portuguese in 1551. His marriage to a Kandyan princess gave him an additional claim to Kanda Udarata. As he was without an heir, in gratitude, and under the influence of his Portuguese friends, on the 15th of August 1580, he bequeathed the Kingdom of Sinhalay to King Dom Henrique of Portugal. Don Juan Dharmapala explicitly endorsed the document in such a manner that at his death, no Sinhala prince, by any right, could claim inheritance to the Kingdom of Sinhalay (the Last Kingdom of Sinhalay pp 40).

In 1739, at the death of King Narandrasinghe, the line of royalty in Senkadagala took a steep turn in an entire different direction.

Narendrasinghe being childless from his three Madurai queens, had no clear acceptable prince to follow him as the King of Kanda Udarata. He did have a son, Unambuve Bandara from a lesser wife. The lady, though not of royal blood, was from a Sinhala Kandyan noble family. The ever so divided Kandyan aristocracy of the Senkadagala court was not in favour of Unambuve Bandara.

The objections were due more too internal family jealousies than their belief in the procedure followed in passing the crown. Thus, though their petty divisions, the Sinhala aristocrats of King Narendrasinghe's court passed on the kingdom of Sinhalay to the Nayakkar royalty of Madurai. The brother of Narendrasinghe's queens ascended the throne as King Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe, the first South Indian to become the King of Kanda Udarata. That was the beginning of the Nayakkar dynasty, which became the rulers of the Kingdom of Sinhalay through three Kings up to the year 1798.

The Sinhalese believed that a foreign nation would never be able to capture the Kandyan Kingdom due to its complicated mountain terrain. However, on 15th February 1815 the belief became a myth when British troops entered the Kandyan Kingdom with the collaboration of the Kandyan Chieftains. They dethroned the king and captured power without firing a single shot (Paradise in Tears, pp 10). Kandyan Chiefs handed over the 2000 years of civilization started from King Vijaya to the British without any resistance.

A small group became socially elite after making use of business opportunities created by the capitalist system developed during the British period. They had openings in the arrack and graphite industries, wholesale and retail business, suppliers of commodities and services. Sometimes people with the most humble beginnings amassed wealth making use of these avenues and achieved VIP status. Among the elite class, there were two groups, i.e., affluent feudal Chiefs and Low Country mudliyars. These groups acquired a significant share of property of Sri Lanka and their marriages were arranged between these families and the country's wealth accumulated among the so called elite class. The British expanded the education system in 1850 from English language and initially the children from the elite class had the privilege of following the new education system. Further, in early years of British rule, overseas education was confined to families of low country Mudliyars and eventually they evolved as national leaders of this country.

Period after independence

Without making any aggressive socio-political struggle or creating a strong anti-British independence movement Ceylon gained independence from the British. Therefore, the different communities were not united in gaining independence. Instead, the people became further divided by race, religion, caste and language. The Government, which came to power after independence, passed two acts which led to the denial of citizenship for the Indian labourers.

Communal riots in 1958 started after an attack on the Federal Party members at Polonnaruwa on their return from their convention. A State of emergency and curfew were imposed but only four days after the incidents. In the 1970s the Government presented to Parliament an official report on the district quota system and the standardisation process introduced for university admissions.

This process rapidly reduced the intake of Tamil students to the Science Departments which led to protests by the students.

JVP militant activities

Seventy six percent of Sri Lanka's youth population lives in the rural areas. They comprise a larger percentage of the low income earning groups.

The families to which they belong are larger. Often there are eight to twelve children in one family. The burden falls not only upon the parents but also on the first child of the family. He or she has no opportunity of furthering education, but has to fend for the rest. At rural level, virtually no English is taught. This closes a large percentage of avenues towards securing a job. The importance given to English has grown in more recent years and this has destroyed the aspirations of even the bright youth from the rural sector.

The policy of open economy has its strengths and its weaknesses. Certain control measures which are imperative for national trade to flourish have been neglected. This due to a large extent has affected the rural youth of the country. Self employment which has taken from the cottage industry and traditional craft continues to suffer. This is a result of the Third World consumer inclination for imported goods over locally made goods. The handloom industry is a classic example. This policy affected northern and eastern Sri Lanka, and in some way aided separatist terrorism. The farmers had difficulty in selling onions, potato and chili grown in the dry zone as the government permitted the import of these essentials from abroad. The number of youth employed in the agriculture sector has declined, and also, industrialisation and mechanization has limited the manpower requirement.

Sri Lanka Middle Class

The middle class is the income group layer in-between the poor and the elite class, and they represent the majority of the workforce. The poor is only concerned about basic needs and the elite are aiming at self-actualization needs, but the middle class has much diversified needs such as: security, social belongingness, and esteem compared to others (Abraham Maslow, 1943).

These needs are contradictory in nature and therefore the middle class has become most ambitious segment in any society. Sri Lanka middle class emerged from the Colebrook reforms introduced by the British; it abolished the main features of the Sinhala Feudal system called Rajakariya and gave the people the right to choose an occupation they like rather than one determined by their caste. The government's monopoly in trade was abolished and it was opened to anybody who wanted to practise it. The rapid expansion of school education also, created a middle class white-collar workforce. White-collar employment opportunities were created for locals in plantations, banking, schools, and government departments.

Until 1977, Governments of Sri Lanka adopted closed economic policies and the middle class had a simple living style. Certain professions such as teachers, bankers and the government clerical service earned a reasonable income compared to their living expenses and were treated respectably in the society.

After 1977 the economy was opened to the international market and a free flow of imported goods came to the country and the middle class got used to a different consumption pattern. A new breed of entrepreneurs such as; importers, retailers, building contractors, and private transporters emerged. Multinational companies, foreign investors, and foreign banks came to the country and offered highly paid jobs to some local middle class.

The new high income middle class created an income disparity. Thus, a competition created within in the middle class to share resources such as; primary and secondary education, university education, employment, land and housing and as a result unrealistic prices were created for most of these services. The middle class changed their spending patterns and got used to an indebted culture. Certain fixed income earners and some government servants were unable to maintain competitive lives in the society and lost recognition in the society. Some determined to migrate to a developed country or to seek overseas employment. The low remunerations deteriorated the quality and productivity of government service and also, the level of bribery and corruption increased in private and public sectors.

The majority lost their values and ethics due to this competition. Security needs became the main concern of the Middle Class, i.e., children's education, luxury house, motor vehicles, and belonging to a power group at workplace or in society, and also, when opportunities arises they become very vicious and competitive.

The majority of political leadership and regulators represent the middle class. The middle class is directly or indirectly involved in most of the decisions taken during different regimes. Further, the so-called middle class is adequately benefited from this system.

However, the saddest part is that our middle class tries to camouflage them as a neutral innocent group and points fingers at the political leaders and regulators as the culprits for all today's problems.

These self centered and introvert middle class attitudes are unique to Sri Lanka; in contrast the middle classes of our neighbouring countries and most of other countries are highly organized and actively involved in forming opinions on their national issues.

Before independence the country's decision making was restricted to the Sri Lanka aristocracy, but after independence the middle class got actively involved in the national development process. S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, J. R. Jayewardene, and R. Premadasa encouraged and brought the middle class into active politics. Most of the senior government and private sector officials and bureaucratic positions were manned by the middle class. Now we have come to a most crucial time and the active involvement of the middle class has become a paramount factor in national development.