Monday 13th May, 2024

An Indian-born physicist, Basab Dasgupta, residing in the US, tells us in his article published on this page today that his seat of higher learning in India became a breeding ground for the Naxalite movement in the late 1960s; it faced a prolonged closure, and its prestige and reputation suffered as a result. He draws some parallels between the ongoing Gaza protests in universities across the US, and the situation he experienced in India, more than half a century ago. He points out that such protracted disturbances could take their toll on US universities. His observations, in our book, bear relevance to Sri Lanka, where universities are characterised by frequent boycotts of lectures, strikes by teachers and non-academic workers, closures, inhuman ragging, violent clashes among rival student groups, etc.

As for frequent disruptions that Sri Lankan universities have to contend with, the main culprits are the JVP and its off-shoot, the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP). One may recall that in the late 1980s, the JVP disrupted not only universities but also schools in the name of its campaign against ‘Indian expansionism’, the introduction of the 13th Amendment, which paved the way for devolution, and the establishment of the Provincial Councils.

It coined a catchy slogan for its campaign: Palamuwa Mawbima, devanuwa igenuma/upadiya (‘Motherland first, education/degree second’). Democratic dissent was brutally crushed in universities, and even children in primary classes of state-run schools were made to protest against the Provincial Councils! Universities faced frequent closures, and hapless undergraduates lost more than two years altogether.

State universities in Sri Lanka are in the clutches of ultra-radical political groups, and there is no guarantee that they will not be hotbeds of violent politics. This is one of people’s main concerns, which the JVP in the NPP’s clothing ought to address if it is to allay fears and suspicions in the public mind. The JVP remains cadre-based and ideologically-driven to all intents and purposes although it is thought to have shown some signs of being transformed into a mass-based political entity during the past several years.

Some political analysts’ claim that the JVP could revert to its old ways is not baseless, as evident from the spree of retaliatory violence we witnessed in the aftermath of a brutal SLPP goon attack on the Galle Face protesters in May 2022.

Meanwhile, a recent statement made by JVP stalwart Lal Kantha has created quite a stir. Critics of the JVP have used it to bolster their claim that JVP cadres might take the law into their own hands in the event of capturing state power. Lal Kantha said something to the effect that under a JVP/NPP government, the people in villages would be able to exercise some judicial powers. The JVP has a history of conducting kangaroo trials and executing its rivals mostly for defying its illegal orders in the late 1980s.

It is therefore only natural that the statement at issue has caused so much concern. Is it that the JVP is contemplating the establishment of something like India’s Panchayat Raj or the system of self-governance, in rural areas? But Panchayats are without judicial powers.

In August 2010, the Indian Supreme Court (SC) reportedly held that the verdicts of village Panchayats were devoid of legal sanctity. It said so, handing out a ruling in a case where a Panchayat had granted divorce to a soldier. It reversed the divorce decree. So, the JVP owes an explanation to the public about its plan to vest villagers with judicial powers.

Dasgupta argues that if the big-name universities in the US lose their glamour due to current unrest with smart students who usually attend them opting for other universities, there could eventually be some equity in education. One may go along with his argument where America’s prestigious universities and the impact of prolonged protests thereon are concerned, but trouble in universities has brought about a different scenario in Sri Lanka, where frequent closures of state universities, etc., have led to an expansion of private higher education institutions and a huge increase in the demand for overseas education. Sadly, this is something the self-proclaimed defenders of free education, who unflinchingly disrupt universities to compass their political ends, have chosen to turn a blind eye to.