‘Gama’ as symbol of people’s aspirations

The “Gama” (village), set up at the Galle Face Green subverts the generally accepted notion of social progress, which is exemplified by a process of a village gradually shedding its rural features and changing into a city. Today, we have a rare occasion of a ‘village’ suddenly springing and flourishing in one city adjacent to another city, the two cities being the First city of the country and the Port City of dubious reputation. Many would never have imagined that the Port City, which was built with such pomp, supposedly to save the country from much of its economic woes, would be eclipsed by a mere Gama ‘invented’ in a bid to rid the country of a corrupt regime and a 74-year curse of opportunistic politics operating behind a façade of parliamentary politics. “GotagoGama”, with its easy accessibility to all and sundry, stands a stone’s throw from the obscure Port City, in mock contrast to the latter’s air of exclusivity and aloofness. No prizes for guessing which of the two cities is becoming more dynamic and illustrative of people’s interests.

A few moons ago, life began to change when deprivation started stalking every layer of society, from the bottom upwards. This overwhelming destitution of the nation, which has thrown together all the people, has revived the communal instinct of “one’s destiny is the destiny of all”, characteristic of the fellowship of the folks in early agro-based villages, where, for example, a severe drought affected all equally damagingly. Thus, the historic agitation-site at the Green being called a “Gama“, a village of sorts, is relevant in terms of its predominant mood of solidarity, resulting from a sense of common destiny imposed by a devastating economic drought, as it were, bequeathed to us by the present regime.

The Galle Face Green phenomenon, among other things, seems to offer the promise of prompting some positive changes in our cultural landscape. For one thing, the campaign has easily outdone the cultural institutions customarily expected to stimulate fellowship, social cohesion and moral progress by creating a space for many segments of society to work together towards ridding the country of a sinister political system – one, which has eventually caused dysfunction of nearly all organs of administration. It is true that there had been sporadic flare-ups resulting from a sense of being let down by the regime in power but all such resistances would easily be stymied by our resourceful rulers. Any residual disaffection would usually be made fertile ground where superstition and all forms of culturally recognised divisions based on race and religion, prospered. This time round it was not to be; deprivations have hurt too many people, too much, too soon.

The newly established Gama has become a wide platform for the disillusioned citizenry. A few weeks ago, some people, obviously with extra courage, had thought “enough is enough” and came out to the streets to ask the government to “go home”. Since then, people who had been schooled to minding their own business, have been volunteering in their thousands to amplify and enliven the stridency of the protest. It seems unlikely that they would return to their familiar indulgences to seek redress to their lifelong privations. The realisation that politics is a lot more than the five yearly ritual of casting the ballot is sinking in fast even in the most complacent of minds.

With the prices of basic necessities soaring beyond all levels of belief, and the stunned populace clamouring for no better luxury than bare survival, the politicians and their happy families, who have ruled the country for 74 years, raking in wealth every, which way, are still indulging in lusty visions of their accustomed opulence and glory. No doubt that they are sickeningly predictable in what they are blabbering about better times ahead for us and in the way they are playing their familiar manipulative number games in Parliament. Their only fervent prayer is that this ‘unusual tide’ will surely ebb pretty soon and they will be able to live happily ever after, in their ministerial and magisterial positions, doing their usual business. The island-wide protests growing in intensity would hardly be soothing to the ears of, these political past masters eagerly waiting for the masses to retreat in embarrassment to their former positions of political apathy wondering whether all this ‘fuss’ about demanding a system change wasn’t a bad joke.

For decades, even May Day rallies have been hijacked by the ruling clans to divide the masses and parade them up different garden paths all day long to return to the same point, no wiser but hoarser than they began. This time round it seemed that people were becoming both hoarser and wiser much before the workers’ day. They demand nothing but their right to live with dignity.

Parallel to the political awakening symbolised by the nonviolent ‘aragalaya’ at the Galle Face, there have been progressive changes in the country, one of which is the unceremonious exclusion of politicians from formal ceremonies. Recently, a subway in Matugama was opened by a toddler. More recently, a few Primary Grade students ceremonially opened a new school building. In Kesbewa, politicians were conspicuous by their absence at the opening of a jogging track. The residents who participated said the track was constructed with people’s money. The trend is catching and no one would dare pretend to know what similar and more exciting changes are on the cards without appearing to be ostentatious. Today, ceremonies are conducted, sans political bigwigs, who were ever ready to ‘grace the occasion’. That’s “government of the people, by the people, for the people” in the making. This can be a bit disconcerting for wannabe politicians, who must be thinking what the world is coming to when politicians are to be on the wrong side of the TV cameras.

The masses being cornered like a wounded animal have no time or patience for constitutional ins and outs. The aphorism, “necessity is the mother of invention” has no better opportunity to prove its cogency. The parliamentarians, if they want to be on the side of the people at least for once, can no longer run with the hare and hunt with hounds. This is their moment of truth-their only chance for consideration for clemency in the eyes of the general public. What our bungling representatives, who wish to be considered worth their salt at least at the eleventh hour and the fifty-ninth minute, can do is to seek the help of the legal fraternity pledged to stand by a beleaguered populace to pull the nation, teetering on the edge of a constitutional cliff, to safety. Surely, on a scale erected on the edge of the cliff, people outweigh the constitutional nuts and bolts. The impossible economic miracle that would save the country will follow suit, though it would be hard to guess how, prior to moving into that new sphere of reality.

Susantha Hewa