Dr Sudath Gunasekara 1.2.2018

I am penning these few words in response to the excellent write up on the following article that appeared in yesterday’s Lannkaweb by Shenali Waduge (31.1.2018).

Nothing to celebrate about a Dominion Status in 4 February 1948. Sri Lanka must celebrate 22 May 1972 Republic Day”

While I commend Shenalis article to everyone to read I would like to add few more ideas to her attempt to argue that we have not got any independence either in 1948 or even up to date.

Are we an Independent Country? Who says we are Independent. Are we not still ruled by the forces and elements left behind by the British colonial rule? I am one who has been consistently maintained and argued that Sri Lanka has not been given Independence by the British or no have our leaders been able to negotiate full independent status for this country in 1948. It was only a camouflage and a fake independence ceremonially conferred on this country by the British keeping all colonial reins tightly in the grip of their own hands. The Independence Act of 1947 and the Soulbury Constitution ensured that the country will be governed under their legal prescriptions by their own local agents nursed and indoctrinated by them over the years in the manner the British wished to happen until their vicious objectives of destroying the Sinhala Buddhist Civilization in this country is complete. This is exactly what they are pursuing even today through various International agencies dominated by them like the UNO, their Embassies and the World Bank under the pretext of helping us using their own concepts like democracy, human rights, reconciliation, R2 , economic and institutional re-structuring etc that are both alien and irrelevant to our historical traditions, culture and customs.

Talking about independence, to begin with, have we got our motherland freed from the clutches of colonial rule on Feb 4^th 1948? Have we got legislative, executive or judicial freedoms as a free and independent country? Instead they planted the Westminster Parliament, the Senate and the judicial system reserving appellate power with them. Have we got the vacant possession of the motherland occupied by the invaders in 1815 and subsequently populated with immigrants they imported to work on their various exploitation projects both in the North and the Central hill country? Have we got the right to dispense our administration, justice, education or any other thing in our own language as it was done before 1815? Have we got at least the name of the country, Sinhale, that we cherished and loved for millennia restored that was handed over in 1815?  Have we got the freedom to think and act as an independent nation? Have we been able to re-name the place names, or names of people or institutions at least, just to name a few only. We still perpetuate place names like Kandy, Colombo. Jaffna, Batticalloa Galle, Chilaw, Mannar, Negambo and personal names like Silva, Perera, Fernando, Peiris, Stanley Lionel Peter, Mary, Rosy, Ernal, Junius Richard, Don Stephen, Alwis, Simon etc extensively used by the natives. The national resurgence movement started by Anagarika Dharmapala and others in the late 19^th century also has died a natural death and completely disappeared after 1948 with the introduction of the Political Party system. A foreigner going through the above list will naturally get the impression that this country had been a part of Britain or Portugal once upon a time. Our politicians today are not concerned at all about these issues. Thought they are called people’s representatives they represent only their interests. They are only concerned about political power to amaze wealth and enjoy life at public expense. They have got reduced to the level of vote hunting greedy vultures. They have no country, a nation or a religion in their mind. They have only money, wealth and power haunting in their minds day and night. This country will never be free , independent or prosperous until and unless we find a leader who puts the country and the wellbeing of the people first, second and last in keeping with the sacred teachings of the Buddha.

 Celebrating Independence on Feb 4^th

While I fully agree with Shenali’s discourse I urge all true patriots of this country to boycott all celebrations connected with this shear political function, rather the political gimmick, by not hoisting the national flag in any place private house or any other building or vehicle in protest against having National Independence day celebrations on Feb 4th at least now and stop servility and abject stupidity to British Colonial invaders and assert as a proud nation that inherits a much longer history than the British invaders and celebrate national Independence by hoisting the national flag on 22^nd May every year.

The fact that this Government has invited Prince Edward the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth clearly shows the stupidity and the slavish mentality of our politicians that has permanently settled down in their empty heads. I only hope this Government will not plead the Prince to visit the Tamils in the northern, Eastern and central hill country areas to witness how the British conspiracy of divide and rule has successfully gained ground on this land of the Sinhalese and also to meet Vignesvarana and Sambandan and ordinary Tamil people there and discuss as to what more Britain should do to make their joint conspiracy and the dream of ruining this country.

As it is too late to cancel the function on the 4^th and cannot afford to disappoint the Prince and the Queen with whom Sirisena has had the privilege and honour of shaking hands (even sans gloves) in 2015, I suggest the he marks this as the last Feb 4^th Independence Day in Sri Lanka and I call upon the Government to recommence celebrating the Republic Day again on May 22 the day Sirimavo Bandaranayaka’s Government declared this country a fully Independent Republic in 1972 since it was ceded to Britain on 2^nd March 1815 and 74 years after the 1948 fake independence conferred by the British and accepted by the then UNP leadership in lock stock and barrel including the British political, legal, administrative system also  with their language as the official Language thus ignoring and denying even the right of the natives to their mother tongue, that was there for 2600 years when both India and Burma had already did otherwise. All this was imposed on us through the made in England Soulbury Constitution. In short the Independence given by the British was only by name so much so only the jockeys were changed the horses were the same as it was pre-designed.  The white jockeys were replaced with browns but their language, manners, dress, food and all values remained fully English. I have pointed out this in several articles before in this column and also in Sinhala media way back in 1998 (Divayina Independence Day supplement), where I have clearly argued and pointed out that we never got Independence in 1948 for the following reasons.

1 The right over the motherland was not returned as nearly 600 000 acres of land in the central hill country remained under British Sterling companies.

2 It was only Dominion status under the British Commonwealth of Nations where they reserved the power to appoint the Governor General, the appellate power of the judiciary which were changed only in 1972.

3 The name of the country Sinhale that was ceded in 1815 under the Kandyan Convention March 2 was not restored in 1948

4 Katunayaka and Trincommallee British Air bases were also kept in their hands until Badaranayaka took them over in 1957

5 Over I million Indians estate labour brought by the British to work on their plantations and who were British citizens at that time were left behind on our land leaving behind an eternal headache and a burden of feeding them, with the intention of creating a future Tamil State right at the center of the Island to deprive the Kandyan peasants of their heritage land with the vicious plan for achieving the colonial policy of divide and rule to destroy this country.

So now you see what a faux pas it is to call Feb 4th 1948 the Independence Day of this country?

I think the people of this country should openly protest against the British Prince and his retinue who had already arrived on a holiday at our tax payer’s expense in the Island thinking that this country is still a colony of theirs on the invitation of our stupid and servile politicians who continues to worship the descendants of colonial invaders who have plundered and destroyed this nation for 143 years and who still continue to do so both directly and indirectly through all their subversive activities.

It is high time that at least now the patriotic people of this country start a massive public agitation movement to make this country once again a free, independent, prosperous and proud nation as it had been in the distant past.

In fact the SLFP Government under Sirimavo Bandaranayaka stopped this February joke in 1972 and it continued until 1977. It was again changed to Feb 4th as the Independence Day, with no protest by any, by the UNP under JR and restored the colonial servility of the UNP which they embraced in 1948. Thereby the UNP took back the nation again to pre- colonial status. This aptly demonstrates the stupidity and servility of the outdated, outmoded, decayed, decadent, fossilized, unpatriotic, anti-Sinhala and anti-Buddhist policies of the UNP.