The entire philosophy of governance of the past was based upon enshrining the human rights of the people of this civilisation – aka – ‘Sinhale’. Anyone who set foot in this land and settled in it, for however short or long term, was recognised without prejudice as people of ‘Sinhale’

By Surya Vishwa 

‘Sinhale’. Siwhela. Thun ‘Sinhale’. Sihaladeepa. Thambapanni.

These are some of the ancient names for this land that we are living on which we today call Sri Lanka. For someone schooled only in Western interpretations of the vicissitudes of this nation, imparted through post-colonial schooling, one may conclude that some of these above names to be those which have ‘communal’ tones. 

Heritage specialists and especially contemporary historians and writers (Prof. Nimal de Silva and Dr. Rohitha Dassanayake to name two of them belonging to different generations) have pointed to the fact that while power struggles within kingdoms and between kingdoms were common as is normal in such scenarios there was never ‘ethnic’ or ‘communally’ prejudiced mentalities in the monarchs of this land. 

Likewise, the use of the term ‘Sinhale’ for this nation can never be insinuated in these lines although Sri Lankans or others with abysmal link with the past of the nation may be quick to do so. ‘Sinhale’ was the name for the land on which primarily the Sinhalese lived but which was also occupied by Tamils and Muslims who arrived in different time-frames and was encompassed into the Siwhela, Sihala or ‘Sinhale’ identity. 

It is well known that the Muslim traders who arrived in the country for trade from pre-Islamic times were loyal to the ancient monarchs that ruled this country and to Buddhism; the religion of the nation. The Dharma of Buddhism was upheld in the land and this served the country positively at all levels. 

The entire philosophy of governance of the past was based upon enshrining the human rights of the people of this civilisation – aka – ‘Sinhale’. Anyone who set foot in this land and settled in it, for however short or long term, was recognised without prejudice as people of ‘Sinhale’. The rights of all the people were ensured so that they did not have to degrade themselves depending on the hand-outs of foreign nations. 

The monarchs of the land ensured that there were well-trained engineers to build enough irrigation in diverse small, medium and large scale, ensured that no rainwater was wasted, ensured that the healthcare of the nation received the pride of place in governance. Sustainability and self-sufficiency were therefore not mere words spoken at political platforms. 

Several kings and queens of this land were trained physicians and chemists, taking up the scholarship of the Deshiya Chikitsa (Sinhala Wedakama)/Ayurvedha and where the ‘Sinhale’ kingdoms had physicians of Siddha/and even Unani as ancient records indicate, where they respected and drew knowledge on the ancient medical sciences of other cultures. 

The ancient manuscripts of the land were respected and used for practical knowledge, ensuring that each generation was familiar with the expertise of this civilisation in diverse spheres.

Health and food security are basic and fundamental rights of the people of a nation and this was considered in practical application of policy. The ancient monarchs knew that the lack of attention to these results in weakening the security and economy of the country. 

The skill and knowledge of keeping the country abundant by conserving, protecting and using its natural resources to the full potential was something that the ancient monarchs of this nation mastered. The number of industries perfected in the land were numerous and the economy was stable.

Although today we go to learn the pseudo discipline of human rights from other nations, (irrespective of the fact that some of these nations were founded upon genocide of the original citizens of those lands), we have forgotten that the ancient monarchs of this land that was called ‘Sinhale’ were one to which all were welcomed and all cultures embraced without bias. Racism was unheard of because divide and rule were not a policy of the governance pattern of this land. 

If we learnt it during colonial rule, it is about time that we submit this psyche to the trash bin of history. Enough of damage has already been caused by this dysfunctional imperialist aberration. The ancient war on the Cholar invader Elara and his ethnic identity cannot be confused with Sri Lankan Tamil identity as explained clearly by renowned scholars such as Nimal de Silva.

Great civilisations cannot be conquered permanently and they cannot be killed except by ignorance.

Therefore, the education system of this land has to be reversed from the meaningless, rote learning waste of time that it currently is. We do not need more sets of walking talking human photocopy machines who faithfully memorise chunks of theories and produce it in exact likeness on exam papers but do nothing for the progress of the country. 

If this country had an education system that merits that word, we would not have this economic crisis because we would have produced leaders who knew, valued and knew how to strategically use the indigenous medical, agrarian and soil/water/nature-based resources of this land for national prosperity.

We certainly would not have an energy crisis if we had ensured that our natural resources were equated with the encouragement of innovation and invention.

What would have made a reality of the above would have been an education system based on the Mahasammathawadaya of the ancient governance structure which respected the rights and maximise the capacity of each person in a multi-dimensional way.

Education is often about re-learning and unlearning. There is much that we have to unlearn as a nation. Having thus unlearned, there is much we have to relearn. However, the challenge in this is that a major component of the vital knowledge we need, ranging from governance, our ancient values of human rights, water and soil management, bio-dynamic/bio-diversity based agrarian traditional sciences and the knowledge of the art of diplomacy based on national wellbeing and traditional engineering is lost. 

The primary casualty that we have suffered is the loss of the knowledge on how to unleash an education system based on national resources, unity and wellbeing of all the people that are upon the land. 

The biggest mistake to have made is to not sustain or re-enact the pre-colonial Gurukula and Dharma centric education that existed prior to the colonial model of schooling.

If we have strived to include and inculcate the authentic values and principles enshrined in Buddhistic wisdom into our education policy soon after Independence from the British, we probably would not have had to deal with half the country being turned into mayhem for 30 years. 

We can see the world over that the wisdom-based paths of Buddhism are embraced more and more by the Western world, and in India those such as Ambedkar started the trend in order to ensure equality amongst citizens. 

Thus, it is an urgent need that our local governance, economic and diplomacy policies are created upon the foundation of Buddhistic compassion to better enable seeing reality as it is without delusion.

Hence, for the internal and external challenges we have and especially the economic challenges and national curses such as corruption and wastage we must cease to look outside and turn within. Our solutions are within this country and having ensured this fortification we must work in magnanimity and not dependency with foreign nations.

To ensure the human rights of all persons who were part of this nation referred to as Siwhela, ‘Sinhale’, Thun ‘Sinhale’ and Sinhaladeepa, it  is our responsibility to our ancient monarchs, the land, to ourselves and the integrity of every single person of this civilisation. This we should do because this is what we should do. It was and is our duty to prevent abominations such as riots based on ethnicity or religion (which never occurred during the pre-colonial times).

Therefore, what we should first do is strengthen our education system to create a knowledge base cantered upon an integrated system where spirituality or the dharma is integrated into all things.

Acknowledging the discussions with Dr. K. Dahanayake who is part of a team who are introducing the concept of self-sufficiency integrated with dharmic education that is interlinked and not separate from national economy, the following suggestions are made for national model of wellbeing for all citizens of this land (hela bhoomiya). In the jargon of the UN, we can call it a ‘domestic mechanism’ for reconciliation, equality and human rights.

Mainly to be acknowledged in relation to the below suggestions is the work of writer and promoter or traditional knowledge in national policy, Frances Bulathsinghala and her development of an indigenous knowledge and intangible cultural heritage based national Dharmic/inter spiritual wellbeing (peacebuilding) model.

1. To introduce at school level the subject of traditional knowledge, covering practical national heritage based expertise that includes indigenous soil nurturing, knowledge of indigenous plants/herbs and nutrition, the Deshiya Chikitsa medical science of the Sinhalese (Sinhala Wedakama, the Siddha medical science of the Tamils of this nation, and the Unani medical science of the Persian heritage and practiced by the Muslims of this nation.

The knowledge of using the ancient science of bio-dynamic agriculture promoted by the monarchs in their authentic patriotism for this land could be adopted at school level islandwide, thus promoting food security in both the short and long term.

To educate children (and teachers) in this branch of expertise is to free the nation from the shackles of debt and dependency as well as the criminal squandering of the country’s financial resources based on the purported superiority of Western science based chemical agriculture. 

It is necessary once and for all to break the back of this myth and the only way to do so is to save the humans, the soil and the biodiversity by teaching future generations about the superior knowledge of mother-nature which taught our ancestors how to follow natures’ decrees in creating a luxurious and abundant harvest. 

2. The ignorance of our traditional sciences/knowledge has cost this nation, impacting the micro and macro-socio-economic framework. This realisation should ensure that our children will not grow up to be economists schooled in the Laissez-faire concept alone but learn to think anew, shaping economic systems suited to the uniqueness of the nations’ unacknowledged heritage based resources.

3. There is much potential for a national unity framework to be created through the domain of indigenous knowledge of the country. Conferences and seminars could be held using traditional agriculture, traditional medicine and promoting the related practical use and knowledge for preparing the nation against global pandemics aimed at saving money otherwise paid to global vaccine companies. 

4. There is much potential for a diplomatic framework to be created and taught from school to university level in this country built upon the principles of the Dharma and traditional knowledge with the goal being to accelerate good relations with all countries while consistently working towards national self-sufficiency (so that diplomacy is not confused with dependency).

5. The subject of human rights has to be introduced to every child in this country based on how our ancient monarchs governed. This is imperative to ensure that the monstrous head of ethnic riots and division of people based on religion and ethnicity does not occur. Any person who has adopted this land as their home (irrespective of the time span) should be encouraged to stand loyal to its unity, integrity and non-division. 

Policies based on the Buddha Dharma that increase this loyalty have to be envisaged so that no citizen has to depend on a foreign nation for any justice they want meted out. Current and future generations of this land have to be taught that no citizen should need to depend on any ‘foreign mechanism’ to have a sense of freedom to live in this land. 

The cosmopolitan nature with which the ancient Lankan civilisation engaged with the world has to be imparted to younger generations. They should be taught to be authentic diplomats of their country wherever they go and while appreciating and learning from all that is good of other nations, to be able to have impartial objectivity in critique. 

Current and future generations should be taught to dispense with having a servile mentality to anything ‘foreign’ and to promote invention and entrepreneurship that is based on the indigenous knowledge of this country.

6. Entrepreneurship and innovation based on heritage knowledge as well as modern technology should be taught from primary school. 

7. The subject of health science should be taught from primary school focusing on basic and simple everyday practical application of traditional medical knowledge such as ath wedakam (first aid) with the primary goal being to prevent needless national expenditure on imported medicines. 

The current terminology ‘alternative medicine’ used for indigenous medicine of the nation should be re-examined and the more rationalist use of that term for Western medicine explored. Compulsory herb cultivation and identification for common cures should be encouraged in every school. Inter-provincial traditional medicine conferences could be held every year as part of cultural unity and national reconciliation.

8. Renewable energy and innovation could be introduced as interconnected school and university subjects and used as inter province conference themes every year at both school and university level to promote national unity and assist in the transition from fossil to green energy.

9. The Republic Day of Sri Lanka (22 May) could be explored as National Peace Day to ensure that no devious forces, whether local or international, would destabilise the country anymore by exploiting its past. 

The commemoration of a peace day is recommended not for ceremonial purposes but to ensure that a sense of authentic patriotism is instilled in every citizen who learns to abhor violence as per the Buddhist ethic and helps to usher in a future based on the concepts of Metta, Muditha and Karuna. 

Respecting these concepts within the Buddha Dharma, the equality of language rights could be established ensuring that Sinhalese is promoted locally and internationally upholding it with due recognition of Tamil as an official language of the country and English as the link language.

10. Unity between expatriate Lankans could be encouraged at international level where each Lankan embassy abroad could have coordinating officers for the explicit purpose of uniting Lankan expatriates using heritage knowledge including spiritual heritage.

SL’s back and forth sojourn with the UN

Foreign Minister Ali Sabry has stated that any ‘external mechanism’ will be opposed by Sri Lanka at the 51st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

The UNHRC is scheduled to be held from 12 September until 7 October in Geneva. Sabry in his capacity as the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka is scheduled to address the session on 12 September.

The Foreign Minister addressing the media prior to his departure had stated that Sri Lanka is looking for a ‘lasting solution’ in response to the psyche of what the UN expects in Sri Lanka. Thus, responding to that particular condition Minister Ali Sabry has stated that Sri Lanka would advocate for a domestic mechanism on human rights issues and would ‘oppose any international mechanism’.

A draft resolution on Sri Lanka is expected to be presented on 23 September after which a vote among the Member States on the new draft resolution is expected on 6 October. 

This back and forth sojourn with the UN is now 13 years and has been occurring since the military defeat of the LTTE in May 2009. 

The main article in today’s Harmony Page is expected to assist in the possible creation of a national model of peacebuilding, wellbeing and self-sufficiency because Sri Lanka needs it and not for any other reason.