Nidahasa

2006.02.05

Guest post by Mahangu Weerasinghe

Yesterday Sri Lanka celebrated 58 years of independence from colonial rule. While watching the military parade and President’s message in the morning, I couldn’t help but tick off a few things we have been through as a nation.

  1. Two attempted socialist revolutions.
  2. A civil war spanning two decades.
  3. Many major economic depressions.

And yet, we’re doing alright. Sure, our credit sheet with the IMF doesn’t look that nice, and the rupee is on a downward dive. And yes, the majority of us still do live under the poverty line. No, we don’t have total democracy, but it’s something we strive for.

However, our media is free, something which was not the case a few years ago. Our literacy rate is one of the highest in Asia, and IT penetration is increasing everyday. In short, I think we’re headed in the right direction. Despite the changes in government, the constant threat of war, and the vascilating stock market, I still see hope. Heck, we can use the web without censorship. We do have things to be thankful for.

In Sinhala, we use one word for both independence and freedom. Nidahasa. It embodies something we often forget - that one cannot exist without the other. Today, after 58 years of ruling ourselves, I’m happy to be a Sri Lankan. I strongly value my Nidahasa, and the country that gives it to me. Thank you, Sri Lanka.

Permanent Link | Filed under: Sri Lanka, Thoughts

3 Comments

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  1. Jack Point

    February 6th, 2006 at 2:01 pm

    I am a bit of a pessimist and I think the country is marching down a one-way street. The major turning points were 1956 and 1983. The minor turing points were 1970/71 (socialist governemnt + revolution) 1994 (corruption & spending expands under CBK, budget goes out of control) and 2005 (Mahinda elected).

    The forces that are gnawing away at the very foundations of the state are:

    1. Rampant corruption.
    2. The gradual breakdown of law and order
    3. The civil war

    These forces are linked in unholy alliance.

    Look to countries in Africa, they went down the same path that we are on , it is just that they raced ahead. The same factors that I have listed above were (in most instances) the cause of the problem.

  2. SweetIdiot

    February 6th, 2006 at 5:54 pm

    I for one can guarantee that the media in this country is in fact NOT free!

  3. deane

    February 7th, 2006 at 2:25 pm

    “..I for one can guarantee that the media in this country is in fact NOT free!..”

    it’s not? hmm.. perhaps not completely.. but there are papers like Ravaya, The Sunday Leader and many others.. who will go any and everywhere and they operate.. perhaps under threat.. but they operate.