So, another February comes along. It’s
time to celebrate “freedom”. The British Raj packed up and left 71 years ago,
12 days before Mummy set me free into this big blue marble. The Dutch and the
Portuguese had called on us before, leaving behind many traits of their
culture, food, dress, music, and even seeds. Just imagine if the Frogs* had
chosen to hop across the waters of the Indian Ocean just to savor a sip of
Paradise? We could have ended up with a “Little Pondicherry” in some corner of the
island, today.
And the flags will flutter, the anthem
will be sung (in all three languages, mandatorily nowadays), speeches will be
made, and the warm Feb air will be steaming with the sweat of nationalism for a
day.
So what really happened after Feb 4,
1948?
Political parties had already been
formed in 1947, colors assigned, and, symbols branded. The first parliamentary
election, under the Soulbury Constitution established in 1944, had also been
held in 1947 and the results declared. The UNP, under the leadership of the
late Premier, Don Stephen Senanayake, had won. Power was transferred,
accordingly. The British Governor was replaced by a Governor General, Sir Henry
Monck-Mason Moore GCMG KStG, who governed
until 1950. A “son of the soil”, now, sat on the throne as the Prime Minister. We
were now an independent country under the British Commonwealth of Nations. The
hearts and minds of the nationalists of that era, who clamored to be rid of
their chains, must have felt a sense of relief?
Since then, we have seen so many general
elections come and go, bringing in new people, parties, and portfolios, while
booting out their predecessors into defeat and shame. Each transition has had
its own flavor of a mixed grill of trauma, conflict, violence, corruption, and
poll rigging.
And, as I look back at the 71 years I
have lived, first as a Ceylonese, and then as a Sri Lankan from 1972, I am
beginning to think that, maybe, we are still being colonized, the only
difference being that it’s being carried out by our own people now.
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*sharing an opinion on the use of the
word “Frogs” to refer to the French without being racist.
quote: Anyway, the question of
whether it’s acceptable to call the French frogs is asked only because we live
in an age of suffocating political correctness. For those who seek rhetorical
counsel, my advice is not to worry about saying it. If anybody gives you a
funny look, just add, “Pardon my French.” Unquote
[JOHN J. MILLER,
Why “Frogs”? – The National Review – Politics & Policy – Jan 12, 2005 - https://www.nationalreview.com/2005/01/why-frogs-john-j-miller/]
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Fazli Sameer - Feb 2019
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