Opinion

The Road from Gaza – II

Published

8 months ago

2025/10/8

Sahan Weerasooriya

Mishra

The World After Gaza by Pankkaj Mishra (Fern Press, London) 2025

(First part of this article appeared in The Island yesterday.)

In its early years Israel attempted to establish strong diplomatic, cultural and economic ties with the newly independent Asian and African colonies. But in the wake of the 1967 War these ties deteriorated and even collapsed as Israel was increasingly seen by the former Afro-Asian colonies as a Western-style colonial state. In 1975 the Organisation of African Unity said ‘the racist regime in occupied Palestine and the racist regimes in Zimbabwe and South Africa have a common imperialist origin.’ This was followed by the UN General Assembly equating Zionism with Racism. The following year John Vorster, the South African Prime Minister and a former Nazi supporter, was welcomed on a state visit to Israel.

Pankkaj Mishra deals sensitively with the dilemma of two fragile and enlightened Jews. The Austrian Jean Amery (1912-78), son of a Jewish father and a Catholic mother, was what at that time in Europe would be referred to as an ‘assimilated German Jew.’ Though named Hans Chaim Maier at birth, he grew up without a Jewish identity. But the terrible anti-Semitism of the interwar years changed his self-identity. He wrote, “being Jewish equates to feeling the burden of yesterday’s tragedy within oneself. I bear the number from Auschwitz on my left forearm.”

An existential connection with Israel was almost forced on him. So like many assimilated European Jews who survived World War II at the end of which only three million out of the continent’s nine-plus million pre-War Jews remained, Palestine seemed the only refuge for “all the humiliated and libelled Jews the world over.”

Amery was haunted by the prospect of Israel being militarily overpowered in a catastrophic war as well as its repression of the Palestinians and finally Right-ward drift that Israeli politics would take after Begin assumed office in 1977. The following year he committed suicide.

The other was Primo Levi (1919-87) an Italian Jew trained as a Chemist. He served in the armed resistance against the Nazis during World War II. An author of short stories, poems, a novel and essays he wrote Survival in Auschwitz. He committed suicide 1987.

Irgun – Hā Irgun Ha-Tzvaʾī Ha-Leūmī b-Ērētz Yiśrāʾel – the National Military Organization in the Land of Israel – was formed in 1931. Until his death in 1940, its leader was Vladimir Yevgenyevich Zhabotinsky (later Ze’ev Jabotinsky) a Russian Jew. The number of members of Irgun varied from a few hundred to a few thousand. But Jabotinsky’s influence survived his early death, his ideas being carried forward by Menachem Begin (Israel’s Prime Minister 1977–1983) and the son of his secretary Benzion Mileikowsky, Israel’s current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In 1942 Menachem Begin, a Polish Jew, enlisted in the Soviet Union with the Polish Armed Forces in the East, commanded by Gen Władysław Anders, which was later relocated to Palestine. On arrival Begin joined Irgun, which was reeling from the recent loss of its military commander David Raziel and ideologist Ze’ev Jabotinsky.

Jean Amery was a prolific writer and his works like The Limits of Solidarity (1977) and On Suicide: A Discourse on Voluntary Death (1999) expressed the torment of his experiences. He was a prophet who sensed the gathering storm and pleaded with Israel to “acknowledge that your freedom can be achieved only with your Palestinian cousins, not against them.” Aged sixty-five, and still living in Austria but “profoundly disturbed by reports of torture in Israel,” he finally committed suicide in Salzburg in 1978.

Mishra is of the opinion that Gaza may be “the defining event of the Twenty First Century!” He, unlike most other commentators openly poses what should be the critical question: Why is the West so supportive of the victims of war in Ukraine and opening their doors and purses to them, but so indifferent to the plight of the Palestinians? Indian-born Pankaj Mishra is brutal. “Palestine as George Orwell (author of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four) pointed out in 1945, is a ‘colour issue.’”

This is glaringly reflected in US politics. In the words of James Baldwin, the Black American writer and civil rights activist, “the Jew is a White Man. When White Men rise up against oppression, they are heroes; when Black Men rise, they have reverted to their native savagery.”

Novelist Jurek Becker a German Jew said in 1977 “Jews in the Near East have established themselves as a master race and are practicing a kind of politics that I can only describe as predatory. And this became a reality in June 1982 when under Prime Minister Begin, Israeli soldiers and Lebanese Christian militia killed hundreds of men, women and children in Lebanese refugee camps. In the words of the French writer Jean Genet, “from one wall of the street to the other, the black and bloated corpses that I had to step over, were all Palestinian and Lebanese.” The Jewish writer Gunther Anders husband of Hannah Arendt, in an open letter lamented that “Israelis had obeyed Begin as blindly as the German people had obeyed Hitler!”

There was also intra racism. “Ben-Gurion had a low opinion of Jewish immigrants from Arab countries who faced racist discrimination from the country’s Ashkenazi ruling class of European ancestry.”

But even as Tel Aviv drew closer to Washington, Primo Levi insisted that “Israel came into being to serve an anti-imperialist function; hastening the collapse of British Colonialism…the Israeli Constitution is solidly constructed on a socialist and democratic base.”

Levi was one of the few who after being liberated from Auschwitz realised that the Shoah would spawn more bitterness, more hatred “an inexhaustible source of evil…the pathologies of survivalist nationalism (that) had infected the Yeshiva, the pre-state Jewish Community in Palestine.”

Primo Levi who by coincidence was visiting Auschwitz during the Lebanese massacre confessed that the “two experiences were superimposed in an agonising way. In 1984 not long before he committed suicide Levi wrote insisting that “the centre of gravity of the Jewish world must turn back, must move out of Israel and back to the Diaspora.”

Journalist Dorothy Thompson on a visit to Mandatory Palestine in 1945 realised that Zionist extremists were growing in influence. She would write: “This amounts to making anti-Semitists by appointment of everybody who either does not believe in Zionism or criticises any phase of Zionist or Israeli policy” (Commentary March 1950). And this is precisely what the Israeli Government is doing today!

As early as 1928 Hans Kohn who lived in Palestine and saw the reaction to the murder of two Arabs in Jerusalem cautioned that “we have degenerated in a horrible way due to our nationalism.” And in 1946 the Jewish political scientist Hannah Arendt, in a letter to philosopher Gershom Scholem – first professor of Jewish mysticism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem – warned of the “danger that a consistent nationalist has no other choice but to become a racist.”

“Israel’s existence (was) reconceived in the 1960s as a preparation for another Shoah (so) continuous aggression seemed the only feasible solution to the Palestinian Question.” Marek Edelman the commander of the Warsaw Uprising in the Ghetto came to characterise Israel as “a chauvinist religious state where a Christian is a second-class citizen and a Muslim is third class!”

“The idea that Nazis are always present among us, especially among Arabs, was the beginning of an enduring trend in the Israeli nationalist narrative.” The focus of the early settlers, European Jews, on the Shoah experienced a setback in the 1960s. By then Jewish immigrants from Arab countries had suddenly become the majority in Israel. “Ben Gurion had never expected this demographic setback. Only after 1945 did he realise that in order to proclaim a Jewish state in Palestine with a Jewish majority he needed to deliver a million Jews from the Arab countries, a plan wholly alien to the original Zionist Programme…and to educate oriental Jews about the Shoah and European anti-Semitism (neither of which they were familiar with) – an imperfectly imagined community.” When the Oriental – meaning West Asian – Jew arrived in Palestine some were sprayed with insecticide by their European Jewish hosts!

In the US by the 1970s “Jews were the most educated and prosperous minority group and were increasingly irreligious.” While “fanatical American Protestants, long hostile to both Islam and Judaism, viewed Jews in Palestine as a precondition for the Second Coming (of Jesus Christ)…At the March for Israel in Washington in November 2023 Pastor John Hagee claimed that the Fuhrer had been instructed by God to help the Jews reach the Promised Land.”

Mishra Pankkaj concludes that “White Supremacy, historically exercised through colonialism, slavery, segregation, militarised border controls and mass incarceration has entered its most desperate and dangerous phase.” (To be continued)

Unattributed quotations taken from MISHRA, Pankkaj The World After Gaza (2025) Fern Press, London

By Jayantha Somasundaram

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Opinion

Can a punishment-free child become a threat to Sri Lankan society?

Published

8 hours ago

2026/06/19

Thilina Walpola

Children are the future of every nation, and the values they learn during childhood shape the society they will eventually lead. In Sri Lanka, where family traditions, respect for elders, and social responsibility have long been important cultural values, the way children are raised remains a topic of great interest. In recent years, many parents and educators have moved away from traditional forms of punishment and embraced more child-friendly approaches to discipline. While protecting children from physical and emotional harm is essential, an important question arises: can a child who grows up without any form of punishment or consequences become a threat to Sri Lankan society?

To answer this question, it is necessary to understand the difference between punishment and discipline. Punishment is often associated with penalties imposed for wrongdoing, while discipline refers to teaching children self-control, responsibility, and respect for rules. Modern child psychology generally discourages harsh physical punishment because it can cause fear, anxiety, and resentment. However, completely removing consequences for inappropriate behavior may create a different set of problems.

Sri Lankan society has traditionally emphasized discipline within the family. Parents, grandparents, and teachers have often played active roles in guiding children’s behavior. Respect for elders, obedience, and good manners have been considered important virtues. While some traditional disciplinary methods may no longer be acceptable, the underlying principle of teaching accountability remains relevant.

A child who never faces consequences for wrongdoing may struggle to understand the boundaries that exist in society. For example, if a child is allowed to insult others, damage property, or ignore rules without correction, they may develop the belief that their actions have no consequences. Such attitudes can become problematic when the child enters school, the workplace, or the wider community.

Sri Lankan schools already face challenges related to student discipline. Teachers often report difficulties in managing classrooms where some students refuse to follow instructions or respect school regulations. When children are not taught accountability at home, educational institutions may find it harder to maintain a productive learning environment. This can affect not only the individual student but also classmates whose education is disrupted.

Another concern is the development of entitlement. A child who is never told “no” may come to believe that personal desires should always be fulfilled. In a society where cooperation and mutual respect are essential, such attitudes can lead to conflicts with peers, teachers, employers, and even family members. Sri Lanka’s social fabric depends heavily on community relationships, and individuals who fail to respect others can weaken these bonds.

The influence of social media and modern technology has added another dimension to this issue. Today’s children have access to information and entertainment on an unprecedented scale. Without proper guidance and consequences, some may misuse technology, engage in cyberbullying, spread misinformation, or develop unhealthy habits. Parents who avoid setting limits may unintentionally expose children to risks that affect both personal development and social well-being.

The workplace offers another example of why accountability is important. Sri Lanka’s economic development depends on a workforce that is disciplined, responsible, and capable of working with others. Employers value punctuality, respect, and professionalism. Individuals who grow up without learning responsibility may find it difficult to meet these expectations, affecting both their personal success and the productivity of organizations.

However, it is equally important not to interpret this argument as support for harsh punishment. Research has shown that excessive physical or emotional punishment can have serious negative effects on children. Fear-based parenting may produce obedience in the short term but can damage confidence, trust, and mental health in the long term. Therefore, the solution is not stricter punishment but more effective discipline.

Positive discipline provides a balanced alternative. It involves setting clear rules, explaining expectations, and applying fair consequences when those rules are broken. For instance, if a child neglects schoolwork, they may lose certain privileges until responsibilities are fulfilled. If they damage property, they can be required to help repair or replace it. Such consequences teach accountability while preserving the child’s dignity.

Sri Lankan parents, teachers, and community leaders all have a role to play in nurturing responsible citizens. Families should create environments where children feel loved and supported but also understand that actions have consequences. Schools should encourage character development alongside academic achievement. Religious and community organizations can reinforce values such as honesty, compassion, and respect for others.

A balanced approach is especially important in a rapidly changing society. As Sri Lanka continues to modernize and integrate with the global community, young people must learn not only their rights but also their responsibilities. Freedom without responsibility can lead to selfishness, while discipline without compassion can lead to fear. The challenge is to find the middle ground.

A punishment-free child can become a concern for Sri Lankan society if the absence of punishment also means the absence of discipline and accountability. Children who never learn consequences may struggle to respect rules, authority, and the rights of others. However, harsh punishment is not the answer. The most effective approach combines love, guidance, clear boundaries, and fair consequences. By raising children who understand both freedom and responsibility, Sri Lanka can build a future generation that strengthens society rather than threatens it.

Saumya Aloysius

(An essayist, children’s writer and freelance writer who holds a Master’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Kelaniya)

Opinion

SriLankan Airbus struck by lightning

Published

8 hours ago

2026/06/19

Thilina Walpola

A representational image

On Friday 12 June, 2026, a SriLankan Airlines Airbus 330 was en route from Colombo to Sydney, Australia was about 45 minutes into its flight when a loud bang was heard, accompanied by a blinding flash. In what was assumed to be a lightning strike, the airplane’s left (No. 1) engine was damaged, forcing the aircraft to return to BIA-Katunayake, where it landed safely.

Lightning travels from cloud to cloud or cloud to ground. Because the aircraft is not electrically ‘grounded’, or ‘earthed’, it must have been in the path of the thunder bolt purely by chance. There is also a phenomenon whereby the aircraft may travel through an electrically charged atmosphere (for example a cloud) where an electrical charge could build up and strike, or be emitted, as lightning. In such an instance, pilots hear electrical static in their headsets before the strike. Usually, when lightning strikes an aircraft in flight, the electrical charges remain on the outside, as on a ‘Faraday’s Cage’ apparatus, and the passengers and crew are perfectly safe.

To help the efficient and safe discharge of static electricity from the airplane’s structure, static wicks, or static dischargers, are fitted at the trailing (rearmost) edges of the wings and tail surfaces. When an airplane has landed after a lightning strike, ground engineers count the number of wicks that may have been burnt out to ensure that a minimum (recommended) number is available for a subsequent flight. Sometimes, there is minor damage, like pitting of the paintwork at the points where the charges left the aircraft.

The last instance in the USA of an airplane believed to have been lost due to a lightning strike was on December 8, 1963, when a Pan Am Boeing 707-121, en route from Baltimore, Maryland to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, suffered a fuel tank explosion, later determined to have been the result of a lightning strike. Since then, aircraft have been rendered immune from lightning damage thanks to extensive research conducted by manufacturers using high-voltage currents.

Interestingly, modern airliners have electronic instrument displays which don’t even flicker when the aircraft is struck by lightning. By a process of connecting all the metallic parts, known as ‘bonding’, the entire fuselage effectively becomes a protective cocoon, so electrical charges caused by lightning will always reside on the outside of the aircraft.

What is unusual in the recent SriLankan Airlines incident is the extent of damage to the left engine. Did it encounter hail or ingest something?

Only a thorough, independent inquiry by aviation safety investigators will reveal the cause.

GUWAN SEEYA

Opinion

Beyond diagnosis: A strategic design for 7% growth by 2029 (Part I)

Published

1 day ago

2026/06/18

Sahan Weerasooriya

“Vision without execution is hallucination.” – Thomas Edison

Introduction: Stabilisation Is Not Transformation

Sri Lanka has come a long way since the economic collapse of 2022. Inflation has been brought under control. Foreign reserves have improved. Debt restructuring has advanced. Government revenue has increased significantly through taxation reforms. The exchange rate has stabilised, and confidence has gradually returned to financial markets.

These achievements deserve recognition.

However, stabilisation should not be confused with economic transformation. A patient discharged from intensive care is not necessarily healthy. Likewise, an economy that has escaped collapse has not necessarily achieved sustainable prosperity.

The central economic question facing Sri Lanka today is no longer how to avoid another crisis. Rather, it is how to achieve sustained economic growth of at least 7% per annum by 2029.

Unfortunately, much of the current policy debate remains trapped in economic diagnosis. Policymakers, economists, and commentators repeatedly identify familiar problems: (i) low productivity, (ii) weak exports, i(iii) Inadequate innovation, (iv) poor competitiveness, and (v) insufficient investment. While these diagnoses are correct, they are not new.

Sri Lanka now needs economic engineering.

The country requires a clear, measurable, and actionable National Growth Strategy for 2026-2029 that identifies (i) where growth will come from,(ii) what investments are required,(iii) which institutions will lead implementation, and (iv) how success will be measured.

The difference between diagnosis and engineering is the difference between describing a problem and solving it.

The Missing National Growth Target

One of the most striking weaknesses in Sri Lanka’s economic discourse is the absence of a publicly articulated growth target supported by a detailed implementation framework.

Successful economies establish measurable objectives.

Sri Lanka should adopt the following growth trajectory:

2026 – 4%

2027 – 5%

2028 – 6%

2029 – 7%

Such targets would provide direction to investors, public institutions, universities, exporters, and development partners. Without a destination, even the best policies risk becoming disconnected initiatives.

Today, many policy interventions appear fragmented—valuable in isolation but lacking integration into a broader national growth framework.

Growth Will Not Come From Consumption

For decades Sri Lanka relied heavily on consumption, imports, remittances, tourism, and external borrowing.

That model has reached its limits.

No country has achieved sustained prosperity through consumption-led growth alone.

The countries that transformed themselves—Singapore, South Korea, Ireland, Vietnam, and China—generated growth through productive investment, exports, industrialisation, and integration into global markets.

Sri Lanka’s future growth must therefore be driven by investment and exports rather than domestic consumption.

The challenge is not increasing spending but increasing productive capacity.

Export-Led Growth: The First Pillar of Transformation

Every successful Asian growth story has one characteristic in common: exports.

Exports generate foreign exchange, create jobs, attract investment, encourage innovation, and improve productivity.

Sri Lanka should establish an ambitious target of doubling export earnings within the next decade.

This requires moving beyond traditional exports and expanding into:

High-value agriculture

Food processing

Information technology services

Logistics services

Advanced manufacturing

Professional services

Export growth must become a national mission comparable to post-war reconstruction efforts seen elsewhere in Asia.

Without a major expansion of exports, sustained 7% growth will remain elusive.

Manufacturing: The Forgotten Growth Engine

Manufacturing remains the single most important source of rapid economic transformation worldwide. Vietnam provides perhaps the best recent example.

Through (i) industrial zones, (ii) trade agreements, (iii) infrastructure development, and (iv) targeted investment attraction, Vietnam became deeply integrated into Asian production networks.

Sri Lanka possesses strategic advantages:

A prime Indian Ocean location

Strong port infrastructure

Educated labour force

Proximity to India

The country should establish specialised manufacturing clusters focusing on:

Electronics assembly

Medical devices

Processed food products

Boat building

Rubber-based products

Engineering components

Rather than attempting to compete with every country, Sri Lanka should specialise in selected niches where competitive advantages can be developed.

RCEP: The Strategic Door to Asia

Sri Lanka’s future lies increasingly in Asia.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) represents the largest trading bloc in the world and includes many of the fastest-growing economies.

Membership or closer integration with RCEP supply chains could provide Sri Lankan exporters with access to markets, investment, technology, and production networks that are currently beyond reach.

Unfortunately, discussion on RCEP remains limited compared with its strategic significance.

A dedicated national roadmap for RCEP engagement should become a top economic priority.

The question is not whether Sri Lanka can afford to integrate more deeply into Asia.

The question is whether Sri Lanka can afford not to.

Knowledge Economy: Turning Universities Into Growth Institutions

Sri Lanka’s universities produce thousands of graduates annually, yet their contribution to commercial innovation remains limited.

Globally, universities have become engines of economic development.

Research institutions should not merely produce graduates; they should produce patents, technologies, startups, and commercial solutions.

A national innovation framework should:

Link universities with industry

Encourage commercialisation of research

Support technology transfer

Expand startup financing

Reward innovation and entrepreneurship

Knowledge must become an economic asset rather than an academic exercise.

Dairy, Agriculture, And Import Substitution

Export growth alone is insufficient.

Sri Lanka must also reduce unnecessary import dependence.

The dairy sector offers a compelling example.

For decades, billions of rupees have left the country through dairy imports despite favourable climatic conditions and substantial agricultural potential.

A comprehensive dairy development strategy should focus on:

Improved genetics

Feed production

Commercial farming

Processing investment

Farmer productivity

The objective should be import substitution combined with rural income growth.

The same principle can be applied selectively to other sectors where domestic production is economically viable.

Creating A National Investment Targeting Agency

Sri Lanka does not need another bureaucracy.

It needs a professional institution dedicated exclusively to investment targeting.

Instead of passively waiting for investors, this agency would actively identify and attract strategic investments aligned with national priorities.

Its mandate would include:

Identifying priority sectors

Marketing opportunities globally

Coordinating approvals

Monitoring outcomes

Facilitating technology transfer

Singapore’s Economic Development Board and Ireland’s Industrial Development Agency demonstrate how targeted investment institutions can transform national economies.

Sri Lanka requires a similar mechanism adapted to local realities.

From Economic Diagnosis To Economic Engineering

The next stage of Sri Lanka’s recovery requires a fundamental shift in thinking.

The policy debate must move beyond identifying problems. The country already knows its problems.The challenge is implementation.Every policy proposal should be evaluated against a simple question:

Will this contribute to achieving 7% growth by 2029?

If the answer is no, resources should be redirected.

Economic engineering requires focus, prioritisation, accountability, and measurable outcomes. The era of fragmented initiatives must give way to a coherent national growth strategy.

Summary

Sri Lanka has achieved significant macroeconomic stabilisation, but stabilisation is only the first step toward sustainable prosperity.

To move from recovery to transformation, Sri Lanka should adopt a National Growth Strategy for 2026-2029 built around five pillars:

Export-led growth

Investment-led growth

Manufacturing expansion

Knowledge-economy development

Regional integration through RCEP and Asian supply chains

Supporting sectors such as dairy, tourism, logistics, and information technology should be strategically developed within this framework.

Most importantly, investment must be targeted rather than scattered, supported by specialised institutions and measurable performance indicators.

Conclusion

History demonstrates that no nation has become prosperous by accident. Economic success is rarely the product of isolated policies or short-term political initiatives. It is the outcome of a deliberate strategy pursued consistently over many years.

Sri Lanka stands at a crossroads.

One path leads to modest growth, periodic crises, recurring debt challenges, and continued vulnerability. The other leads to transformation through investment, exports, innovation, manufacturing, and regional integration.

The choice is ultimately strategic.

The time has come for Sri Lanka to move from economic diagnosis to economic engineering.

The future will not be determined by how successfully the country stabilised after the crisis. It will be determined by how effectively it builds the foundations for sustained growth thereafter. If Sri Lanka can articulate and execute a coherent investment-led growth strategy today, achieving 7% growth by 2029 need not be an aspiration.

It can become a national objective—and a national achievement, economic Engineering

The writer, among many, served as the Special Advisor to the Office of the President of Namibia from 2006 to 2012 and was a Senior Consultant with the UNDP for 20 years. He was a Senior Economist with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (1972-1993). He can be reached via asoka.seneviratne@gmail.com