National Anthem: A keystone in Sinhala politics

November 22, 2019, 9:34 pm

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa certainly scored big with his decision to prohibit the hanging of photos of the President and Prime Minister at government offices and premises. This was a colossal waste of public funds, with key ministry personnel taking quick decisions on the framing and size of these photos, and often a battle between departments to get such a photo exhibit on their premises. There is nothing more than the symbol of the State that needs to be displayed in these public offices, as the purpose of all these ministries, departments, corporations and other institutions is to serve the State and thus the people.

One hopes this decision of the President will also extend to the photos of Ministers and Deputy Ministers that are also found on display and ministries, departments and other State institutions, coming under the addicts of such political display. This is certainly a good beginning for one who promises the establishment of a meritocracy in a country that is burdened with the total absence of merit in official decision making and administrative performance.

Along with the ban on the photos of the President and Prime minister at such cheap display, but at much cost to the public, there was also the reduction in the back-up vehicles in the entourage of the President, and hopefully of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Ministers who will soon be forming the new Cabinet. Such trends in cutting down the costs, hubbub and brouhaha of display politics is certainly in the right direction, which has good meaning for those who expect meaningful change in a national leadership and government that has come in after the massive humbug of Yahapalanaya or Good Governance; where Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickremesinghe were the key performers in a naadagama of deceit.

There is certainly, much more to be done in the move to a meritocracy and intelligent governance, which includes bringing down the role of the astrologers and others giving directions and advice based on their reading of the zodiac and its impact of people and society. This is a dangerously growing trend moving society far away from the scientific thinking that is at the core of this Digital Age. These are certainly not easy tasks to achieve, but is a necessity in the search for a meritocracy.

With the worthy honour and applause gained by these initial decisions, there is another decision that raises many questions about the trend of the promised meritocracy of Viyath Maga - the scholarly or leaned path to progress. It is the decision to do away with the singing of the National Anthem in Tamil. There is no doubt that this comes more from the achievement of Sinhala Buddhist glory in the recent presidential election, and the acceptance by many, especially political activists of the purple and blue hues, that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa being elected by the Sinhala Buddhists and none other.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is accepted by the millions who ensured him of the outstanding victory as the long awaited saviour of Sinhala Buddhists in Sri Lanka. We are clearly moving in a direction where Sinhala Buddhist dominance, and its continuing impactful influence in Sri Lankan society and politics is not expected to be worn down by rational thinking or social analyses that emerge from the core values of Buddhist teachings. We are now in the Glorious Rise of Sinhala Buddhism. Amidst such glory there is no time to recognize the fact that the singing of "Namo Namo Matha" in Tamil was initiated by the first Prime Minister of independent Ceylon – D. S. Senanayake, who is widely known as the Father the Nation.

There is no room for such national paternity today, when we are celebrating the glory of Sinhala Buddhist revival in the post-colonial and post-LTTE and Tamil terror situation, to which has also been added the Easter Sunday tragedy of ISIS terrorism. Raising the issue of Tamils singing the National Anthem in their own language, brings out a barrage on the importance of Sinhala dominance. The boundary lines of the North and East are shown as proof that November 16 proved the necessity for such dominance. The talk today on political realities is far away from the Viyath or learned, scholarly and realistic thinking.

Just look at some examples on national anthem singing the world over – not necessarily in a country with a 2000 year civilization. In South Africa the national anthem is sung in five languages – Xhosa, Afrikaans, Zulu, Sesotho and English. It was the land led by Nelson Mandela, after that great fight for freedom. That is not impressive. South Africa remains a land of tribalism is a ready response from non-Viyath followers of Viyath punditry.

Why should Sri Lanka, with its great Sinhala civilization follow the national anthem practice in another Commonwealth country? ‘0 Canada’ is sung both in English and French because these are two official languages, and it is also sung in 11 or more regional dialects of the multi—cultural Canadian society. But why bother with such things, when we have a Sinhala tradition that goes far beyond any Canadian history?

New Zealand has two national anthems –God Defend New Zealand and God Save the Queen. It is common tossing the ‘God Defend’ in both English and Maori – with the first verse in Maori. God Save the Queen is of course only in English. Should this bother any Sri Lankans who are against Tamil singing Nao Namo Maatha? Certainly not. New Zealand has given a place to its aborigine Maoris; does it mean that our Veddahs too must have their own version of our national anthem? Come on, this is the land of the Sinhalese.

Why not look at Switzerland – with its referendum based democracy. The ‘Swiss Psalm’ was written in German and today it is sung in German, French, Italian and Romanish. But why bother about such a Switzerland tradition, which is a federal state. The Tamils singing our national anthem could also lead the more federal thinking.

As the country continues to celebrate the Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Pohottuva victory, with the new situation of the Elder Brother Prime Minister moving to meritocratic governance with his younger brother President, we must keep looking at new traditions that will be built for the continuance of Sinhala civilization. We are moving in a new era of politics in Sri Lanka; the one language national anthem is a keystone in this political trend.