8/11/2019 Lanka Left in the Lurch by Rajan Philips

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Lanka Left In The Lurch by RajanPhilips

Tampoe’s last march, the death of Sam Wijesinha, and

-06/09/2014 

The wee !elon"ed to #alaTampoe, to the hono$rin" of one of %ana’s most $ni&$e post-independence personas,

who passed awa' on Septem!er 1, which ironicall' is %a!o$r (a' in some western co$ntries that do not cele!rate

)a' (a' !eca$se of its re*ol$tionar' connotations+ n )a' (a' this 'ear, )r+ Tampoe was photo"raphed tain" a

pillion ride on a motor!ie to address the ). )a' (a' rall'+ That wo$ld !e his last )a' (a'+ Tho$sands marched

with him for the last timeon rida', and amon" the mo$rners who went to pa' their respectsto the late ). hief

as he la' in state in his own defiant wa', was the ead of State, resident )ahindaajapasa+ Tampoe was a man

of man' talents who pla'ed man' roles in %anan p$!lic life and !ecame a coloss$s in the trade $nion field+ e will!e remem!ered !' the e'lon )ercantile .nion that he n$rt$red and shaped, and the tho$sands whose li*es he

to$ched+ is death taes awa' perhaps the last of the prominent Sama Samajists who were !orn !efore the

fo$ndin" of the %SS in 193, and will tri""er another ro$nd of pro"ressi*e political reflections+ or now, let $s dip

the red !anner and hono$r#ala Tampoe+

The wee also saw the death of another prominent Sri %anan, Sam Wijesinha, who !ecame an instit$tional fi5t$re

as the Secretar' eneral of arliament for nearl' two decades and m!$dsman for another ten 'ears+ 7lmost the

same a"e, Wijesinha and Tampoe were on different trajectories of personal and professional li*es, and their

contri!$tions were worlds apart in s$!stance and in st'le, !$t what their li*es and accomplishments had in common

were their intellect$al and c$lt$ral !readth 8 not j$st ed$cational &$alifications, professional competence and

commitment to the p$!lic "ood 8 all of the hi"hest order+ The' were "reat e5emplars of their "eneration for personal

accomplishments and p$!lic ser*ice, aspects that are diffic$lt to come across amon" s$cceedin" "enerations+

There was no room for charlatanism in their presence, !$t charlatanism is what is in char"e now in most places in

Sri %ana+

The lives and times of Bala Tampoe and Sam Wijesinha are also remarkable for the public and

 political spaces that enabled the two men to pursue fundamentally divergent goals and make

vastly different contributions, while respecting all the time human and democratic rights,

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tolerating differences, and promoting justice and equality.

n 1963, the port worers strie that #ala Tampoe spearheaded !ecame an all island strie, and ridin" the tide of

worin" class militanc' )r+ Tampoe and the $nions defied the emer"enc' powers in*oed !' the "o*ernment of

)rs+ #andaranaie+ The *er' ne5t 'ear, when the "o*ernment decided to sec$re la!o$r peace !' enterin" into a

coalition with the %SS, and the %SS at its historic 1964 onference *oted in fa*o$r of the coalition resol$tion, )r+

Tampoe led the !reaawa' of the art' mem!ers who opposed the coalition mo*e+ That same 'ear, Sam Wijesinha

!ecame the ler of the o$se, steppin" into the position after a few 'ears of preparation as ler 7ssistant+ is

name wo$ld !ecome s'non'mo$s with the island’s parliament, j$st as #ala Tampoe’s name !ecame s'non'mo$s

with the island’s trade $nion mo*ement+

The point, rather the connection, am tr'in" to mae is that tho$"h seemin"l' ideolo"icall' irreconcila!le and poles

apart, the parliament and the trade $nion mo*ement in Sri %ana had drifted into an e5istential relationship at the

time of independence, with the two needin" each other for m$t$al s$r*i*al+ t was the fear of worin" class

militanc', more than an'thin" else, which h$rried the #ritish to transfer power to its compradors and lea*e the

island in 194:+ #ala Tampoe, at the a"e of 2, was in the thic of the 194; strie which while settin" the sta"e for

independence also p$lled Tampoe o$t of academic o!sc$rit' into the limeli"ht of worin" class leadership+ 7+<+

Wilson in his s$per! o!it$ar' on =+)+ erera, descri!ed the trade $nion mo*ement as the stron"est !$lwar of

democrac' in Sri %ana and credited =) and the %SS for !$ildin" $p the trade $nion mo*ement in Sri %ana+

wo$ld ar"$e that the re*erse >parliamentar' democrac' !ein" the protector of the trade $nion mo*ement? was

e&$all' tr$e in the specific conte5t of Sri %ana+ What ma' not ha*e !een e*ident when o$r parliament was @ali*e’

and the trade $nion mo*ement was *i!rant, can !e m$ch appreciated at the present time with o$r parliament @dead’

and the trade $nion mo*ement politicall' powerless+ 7s we mo$rn the deaths of #ala Tampoe and Sam Wijesinha,

let $s also acnowled"e and cele!rate their e5traordinar' contri!$tions to the two once mi"ht' !$lwars of o$r

political societ'+

%ana left in the l$rch 7t the same time, let $s deplore the h'pocris' and charlatanism of the c$rrent leaders of state and "o*ernment who

steal the political th$nder !' leadin" the official mo$rnin" for #ala Tampoe and Sam Wijesinha, while doin" nothin"

to restore Sri %ana’s parliament and its trade $nions to their former hei"hts, and doin" e*er'thin" to destro' them

f$rther+ erhaps it is !ein" *iewed rather self-ser*in"l' in some "o*ernment circles and amon" their cheer leaders

that what earlier "enerations of "reater Sri %anans co$ld not achie*e are !ein" accomplished now+ The con*enient

e*idence trotted o$t in s$pport of this *iew is the alle"edl' s$ccessf$l completion of the war, the apparent

!ea$tification of olom!o, and the o*er!$ildin" of ph'sical infrastr$ct$re at serio$s costs and d$!io$s !enefits+ The

incon*enient tr$ths are a different stor', more e5perienced than told+ ostwar Sri %ana has ma"nified its prewar

pro!lems and is !ein" o*erwhelmed !' m$ltiple narrati*es of the war witho$t an' s'stematic effort to resol*e the

pro!lems that led to the war and the additional pro!lems that were created !' the war+ The social welfareinfrastr$ct$re, that was !$ilt o*er 0 'ears primaril' !' the dialectic !etween a responsi*e parliament and an

asserti*e worin" class, is now totall' !roen+ eople are now e*icted o$t of their lands and ha!itats in the name of 

national sec$rit' in <affna, or for the f$lfillment of casino aspirations in olom!o+ There are no parliamentarians to

petition their pli"ht and no worin" class leaders to protest on their !ehalf+ The' were seamless in the "lor' da's of

the %eft+

political s'stem fallin" apart

A*er' wee, if not e*er' da', we hear somethin" new a!o$t how thin"s are fallin" apart in o$r political s'stem+ Two

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wees a"o we heard how tr$ant o$r parliamentarians ha*e !ecome+ The' sta' awa' from parliament, and e*en

when the' are in the premises the' stra' awa' from the proceedin"s+ arliamentar' staffers ha*e to "o a!o$t

corrallin" wanderin" )s to "et to the cham!er to mae $p the &$or$m+ Those in power, while officiall' mo$rnin"

the death of Sam Wijesinha, are dail' dismantlin" the instit$tion that he was so m$ch a part of+ %ast wee, former

hief <$stice Sarath Sil*a dropped a !om! of a le"al opinion trashin" the le"alit' of the c$rrent resident seein" a

third term, !ased on his reasonin" that the e5tended >2B? term-!enefit of the 1:th 7mendment is applica!le onl' to

f$t$re presidents and not the c$rrent inc$m!ent+ f onl' <$stice Sil*a co$ld ha*e !een half as honest and consistent

in his j$dicial performance as he is cle*er in his le"al reasonin"C le*erness witho$t credi!ilit' co$ld all !$t ill-ser*e

the ca$se that he is now wont on can*assin"+ #ala Tampoe was an e5ceptionall' cle*er law'er, !$t his credi!ilit' as

a person and a trade $nion leader was e*en "reater+

Sam Wijesinha pro*ided instit$tional contin$it' as Sri %ana l$rched from one constit$tion to another in the lifetime

of most of $s+ #ala Tampoe opposed these l$rches from the o$tside and won si"nificant *ictories a"ainst state

oppression, the instit$tionaliDation of Ecriminal j$sticeF, and the infrin"ement of worers’ ri"hts+ e saw leaders

come and "o, or sent pacin" !' the people+ e welcomed the chan"e of the co$ntr'’s name, in 19;2, from e'lon

to %ana, or lanai, !$t he opposed the pre-fi5 ESriF as !ein" s$premacist+ !elie*e he alwa's $sed the term

E%anaF instead of Sri %ana, and now of two others who ha*e followed his e5ampleG e*+ a$l aspersD and

Silan Hadir"amar+ #ala Tampoe saw the end of the <a'ewardene-.= r$le, and passionatel' championed the

creation of a Worers harter $nder the new dispensation after 1994+ #$t the hopes of 1994 ended in fr$stration

and not their realiDation+ e wo$ld ha*e !een happier to ha*e a Worers harter esta!lished than to ha*e a

presidential cae for his 90th !irthda'+ That is the difference !etween their "eneration and o$rs+

IThis article was first p$!lished in The slandJ

Posted by Thavam