Selling birth right of Sri Lankans
The British understood the value of land and distributed land on a long lease, initially for 99 years. Land is an asset that belongs to the people of this country and no one has the right to sell it especially to non-citizens
by Ashley de Vos
( June 25, 2016, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Traditionally the King controlled the land and its distribution. Land was endowed to Temples and Devalas and to exceptional individuals. These Nindagam lands were for Bukthi Vidinna or for enjoying the benefit from it, but as a principle it could be withdrawn if one fell out of favour with the King.
The British understood the value of land and distributed land on a long lease, initially for 99 years. Land is an asset that belongs to the people of this country and no one has the right to sell it especially to non-citizens
Suddenly, in early 2000 land was sold freehold to foreigners especially along the west coast. Many were quite surprised. It was a disaster for the country, the free environmental quality was selfishly interfered with. Today the sea side from Galle and Matara is closed off by a high wall, a colonial wall built to seal off the activities within and a view of the sea from all. As one drives along the coast only sudden glimpses of the sea is available as though a colonial privilege is being afforded to the natives. A view of the sea and the coast is the birth right of the people of this country, it has been forcibly and deliberately taken away.
Madam Chandrika Bandaranayke Kumaranatunghe should get the credit, she saw through this wrong decision and had the regulation revoked. However, foreigners continued to buy land but in lesser quantities, with some members of the legal fraternity finding the smallest loop hole to enable the free sale of this birth right. Land should always remain the exclusive birth right of the people of this country.
Now again in 2016, a desperate decision is being re-examined to sell this birth right to foreigners.Sri Lanka is a small country with a high population density and limited land area. Very limited, considering the essential environmental considerations that should be reviewed, but instead, are being pushed under the carpet. Maintaining the environment in as pristine a condition as a sustainable entity, is of paramount importance to ensurewater security. If this precious environment is not protected and enhanced, no tourist will ever visit this historic country again.
Whatever any other country wishes to do is not Sri Lanka’s concern. This valuable Sri Lankan birth right should never be up for sale. With the crumbling of the exchange rate, Land in Sri Lanka would be available at a pittance to the foreigner, especially considering the enhanced rate he would get for his dollars. It would create an unrealistic increase in the cost of land and in the unequal balance, the innocent Sri Lankan would not be able to buy even a square inch of his birth right. Only the speculators and foreigners with artificially inflated funds would be able to buy land. Sri Lankans would be isolated and progressively reduced to penury in this new government sponsored colonial enterprise. Sri Lanka wither goest thou!
Land is the birth right of the people of this country, no one has the right to sell it especially to foreigners unless there is a clear mandate from the people. A mandate no one in his right mind would ever give. We should only lease land and that for limited periods of time. Land is an asset that belongs to the people of this country it is their birth right it should remain inviolate.
