Features
New Peradeniya pays tribute to old Peradeniya
by Liyanage Amarakeerthi
Text of Speech made at at a function held on August 9, 2023 to celebrate the handing over to Professor Gananath Obyesekere’s personal library, the Obeyesekere Collection, to the library of University of Peradeniya.
When I was invited to speak on Professor Gananath Obeyesekere’s work, I said, ‘even though I am more than happy to speak and I am quite familiar with his work,’ I asked, ‘wouldn’t it be better if someone younger, such as Dhammika Herath speaks representing the department of Sociology.’ Here we are, representing the New Peradeniya in appreciating, paying tribute to the old Peradeniya.
My background is literature, and my training is in comparative literature, literary theory, postcolonial studies, Cultural Studies, and so on being the components of that training. In my speech, I will highlight what Professor Gananath Obeyesekere’s work has been to me as a scholar in above subjects teaching in Sri Lanka.
Prof. Gananath Obeyesekere
Let me begin with a short anecdote. In 1993, I was a third-year student at the university of Colombo. On one July day, the inter faculty drama competition was taking place. For the competition, I had written and directed a play. When my play was about to be staged, I peeked through the curtains to take a last look at the panel of judges to make sure they were ready to see the greatest short play in the world. The chairperson of the panel was an elegantly dressed lady, a beautiful madam, who spoke mostly in English.
After many hours, the competition was over but not the intense discussion of the panel. After a while, however, it also ended; my play won all major awards the best play, best script, best actor and so on. Soon after the awards were given away, professor Sarath Wijesooriya, then a lecturer, came to me and said, ‘Anna Ranjini Madam enna kiwwa.’ I went into that special room hoping very much that she would not speak to me in English. Ranjini Madam was that elegant lady, the chairperson of the panel of judges. She talked to me in Sinhala and appreciated the play, and asked me to meet her at Lauries Rd, Bambalapitya.
Gananath and Ranjini Obeyesekere at the book gifting event at Peradeniya
There we met not only in that summer, but nearly every summer after that, when Obeyesekeres were on vacation. In one of those conversations, I heard ‘Fulbright fellowship’ for the first time. In 1997 I won it; after winning the scholarship, I had to send out applications to universities. In that summer too, Obeyesekeres were in Sri Lanka. Professor Gananath Obeyesekere mentioned ‘the University of Wisconsin.’ In those were pre-internet days, and such little pieces of information mattered a lot. Now, it is 2023, and during the last 30 years, Professor Ranjini Obeyesekere has been my mentor, friend, and an inspiration for working tirelessly in my field. Though history is not always the best judge, let’s hope madam, that your mentee will be judged fairly.
Professor Obeyesekere’s work has been inspirational for me in many ways. Primarily, he has been one of the role models for me and some others in Sri Lankan academia, especially in the faculties of arts, where such role models are extremely rare. He has been an inspiration in speaking truth to power, in keeping a critical distance from all centers of power, and in feeling at home in the loneliness that often comes to you when you keep that distance.
Let me explain briefly, how I have worked some Obeyesekere thoughts into the curricular that I teach at the department of Sinhala here at Peradeniya. Last semester I taught a part of a course, recently introduced to our curriculum, and it deals with the European/colonial representations of Sri Lanka. Edward Said is, of course, an essential thinker there. Our own Obeyesekere is equally important, if not even more relevant. None of my students read scholarly books in English, but when I used Professor Obeyesekere’s Cannibal Talk, and The Apotheosis of Captain Cook translating some sections and explaining some more, my students could see a great thinker at work.
They are intelligent enough to see the main point. Cannibalism has been a conceptual tool of colonialism, the European colonizers representing certain groups of human beings as cannibals. Even more than Sati in India, cannibalistic practices, which were extremely rare, were over emphasized by the colonizers when representing certain groups of people. We have learned from Said’s Orientalism that representation of other people, Asian, African, American, and so on, in colonial discourses is mediated by power, and that power to represent overlaps with power to govern, power to punish, and power to murder.
In there, ‘knowledge’, the knowledge of ‘other’ constructed with the aim of subjugating the other, is a form of power. Foucault may have shown that knowledge is power. Obeyesekere’s work, especially the works mentioned above, shows a much more complex picture of that ‘knowledge/power’ axis. Once a discourse is constructed around a subject and a knowledge is produced within that discourse, many people contribute to sustaining it and giving it a life of its own, as ‘The Doomed King’ amply demonstrates.
Professor Obeyesekere has taught us, how to challenge the received knowledge in a field of study. In Medusa’s Hair, he challenges Edmand Leach, an intellectual giant of the field of anthropology, and one of his teachers. Such debates are now almost nonexistent in our faculty. Some of the debates created by Obeyesekere are of a global scale. His famous book, Apotheosis of Captain Cook, generated a lasting debate with the famous anthropologist Martin Sahlins. Two great anthropologists of our times responded to each other by writing book-length responses.
That debate generated some other debates; other famous anthropologists such as Clifford Geerts, Stanley Thambiah, and so on dedicating special conference panels to the Obeyesekere-Sahlins debate. As I understood it, the thrust of Obeyesekere’s argument was that Hawaiian natives were not epistemologically naïve to accept colonizing Captain Cook as a powerful deity of a new order which was too powerful to resist. Sahlins did have extremely interesting points about what happened when the Old-world colonizers met the New World, the American continent. But my postcolonial Sri Lankan mind tend to agree with Obeyesekere.
Professor Obeyesekere is the most important theoretically oriented scholar in recent times. His psychoanalytic approaches and extremely agile and fluid readings of classical historical narratives and historical characters have rendered them much richer than they had been represented in some colonial, nationalist, or postcolonial readings.
His book, The Work of Culture, one of my favorite Obeyesekere masterpieces, is an extraordinary work beautifully demonstrating a great mind of our times at work. One of the greatest prose writers to be produced by Peradeniya and its department of English, Obeyesekere uses the paradigm of Oedipus to reexamine historical Buddhist characters such as Asoka, Dutugemunu, Kashyapa, and so on.
Given as a series of lectures in 1982, under the general title of “Psychoanalytic Anthropology and some problems of Interpretation,” the book, The Work of Culture, is a rich summary of the author’s previous work, and a demonstration of how a great thinker can work with already familiar materials and yet come up with new insights with surprise, delight, and wisdom. The book, as the case with Obeyesekere scholarship, is an exhibition of putting English language at work to make rich scholarly arguments in beautifully crafted prose, that is not threateningly difficult but yet deep and complex in thought.
In this book, Obeyesekere revisits his famous argument on the Dutugamunu’s conscience, and shows us once more that Gamani was a complex character with a complex personal history. Estranged from his father, under the shadow of a strong mother, married to a woman of whom the dominant historical narratives prefer to be silent, having a brother with whom his relationship is a ‘typical case of sibling rivalry,’ and then, and finally as a king who is forced by contemporary politics to kill a virtuous king. For Obeyesekere, the troubled conscience of Gamini as a son, brother, husband, father, and a ruler, can be used as a metaphor of reminding us of the need for a society conducive to have much more peaceful conscience not only for rulers for all of us.
Not surprisingly, this rich reading of historical events and characters was misunderstood, Obeyesekere was turned into a national villain in extremely one-dimensional nationalist/racist by the Sinhala press. Peradeniya university that produced Obeyesekere was to produce scholars who argue that Dutugemunu, by extension Sinhala people, has no sense of guilt in their conscience! No wonder that Sri Lanka has descended into the political, ethical, cultural abyss that it is in right now.
Obeyesekere has been a leading critic of European enlightenment rationalism. In ‘Medusa’s Hair’ he uses the theories of personal symbols and psychoanalysis to understand mythic-religious experience at the level of religious magic. His critique of Western rationalism finds its best expression in the ‘Awakened Ones: Phenomenology of Visionary Experience,’ a stunning book close to my heart since I have been a writer and scholar looking for all possible alternatives to naturalist realism.
The critique of Western rationalism has been something fashionable in our country, with extreme cultural relativists getting themselves lost in the domain of Natha deviyo. Obeyesekere’s critique of rationalism is the kind that would not end up producing or promoting the racists such as Channa Jayasumana.
Professor Obeyesekere critically defends the enlightenment tradition, supplementing Cartesian rational cogito with all kinds of other forms of insight, intuition, or vision articulated within the European enlightenment tradition itself and beyond. Descartes famously said, ‘I think therefore I am.’ There, ‘to think’ means rational thought.
But meditative insight, vision, the sudden vision or the epiphany of poets, or what Freud calls, ‘lucid dreaming’ have been ‘forms of knowledge’ in nearly all traditions. Obeyesekere’s study is the only book-length treatment of these phenomena in recent years.
That brings me to another point I want to make: ‘comparative nature of Obeyesekere scholarship.’ Some of his books are large, intimidatingly so. But written in elegant and unpretentious prose, they are invitingly readable, and once you get in, you would not come out of them without a feeling of remarkable expansion in your consciousness and awareness. Take for example, ‘Imagining Karma: Ethical Transformation in Amerindian, Buddhist, and Greek Rebirth.’ Before I encountered this book, I did not know that the idea of Karma as a form of ethical rationality and as a form of causality explaining human life beyond our mundane world or this life, can be used as a theoretical category for intercultural understanding.
Karma, not necessarily in the Buddhist sense of the word, has existed in many other cultures. Deep, reflective thinking, and philosophical formations on life after death have not been unique to a single culture. This book, as several other Obeyesekere books and essays, demonstrates that serious big questions about life such as the meaning of life have been raised everywhere.
Sometimes, human beings have learned from each other the art of asking those questions. Sometimes, similar questions have been asked independent of each other. In many ways and on many times, Obeyesekere scholarship has shown us our shared humanity. I have tried to pass on that message to my students hoping to get them out of parochial nationalisms they have been brought up in for decades in our country.
Speaking of parochialism, let me touch on Professor Obeyesekere’s recent book, a lovely little book, ‘The Many Faces of the Kandyan Kingdom’, that invites us to reconsider the cosmopolitan nature of Kandyan kingdom through the 16th and 18th centuries. Several Kandyan kings such as Rajasingha II, enjoyed having foreigners in Kandy. While those foreigners were useful as servants, interpreters, craftsmen, soldiers, mechanics, gunners and so on, it was not for instrumental reasons, the king liked having international visitors around.
The king enjoyed seeing the many faces of humanity in his domain. With such cosmopolitan outlooks, the king and the elites were not threatened by the presence of cultural difference. There is no wonder that the subtitle of the book is ‘lessons for our time.’ In ‘our time, even when we beg for more tourism dollars and foreign support, those very nationalist forces that brought the country down, can be seen promoting extreme chauvinism and xenophobia.
Social theory has been something fashionable in Sri Lanka for decades. But many theory persons are insanely pretentious and esoteric. Some theoreticians are just name-droppers whose pretensions do no more than dulling the epistemological cutting edges of those theories. Obeyesekere, in contrast, demonstrates how theories can be applied in analyzing texts and rituals in a way the theories themselves are better honed. ‘Medusa’s Hair’ is a beautiful example of that fact. Even when one does not agree with Obeyesekere’s theories, one can still admire the way theories are used.
In Medusa’s Hair, the main theoretical approach was Jungian and Freudian psychoanalysis. The book deals with folk priests and priestess who perform magical religious acts. Abdin is one of them. He uses religious trance to bury himself in a grave for hours and come back unharmed. Obeyesekere spends years observing him. At one point, he asks Abdin if he ever had ejaculation while in the coffin, and Abdin answers, ‘Yes. Every time.’ Perhaps Freud is right in arguing that many of such religious-mythical heroics can be sublimations of unfulfilled sexual desires. We really do not know if Abdin lied. Obeyesekere was able to ask that question because he had a good grounding in psychoanalytic theory. All Obeyesekere books are full of such examples.
As a scholar in literature, let me wind up highlighting another hallmark of Obeyesekere scholarship, which is dear to my heart. Professor Obeyesekere has a rich literary mind. In fact, it runs in the family, Obeyesekere family. Gananath and Ranjini are the most celebrated literary couple in the country. In addition to Ranjini translating Sinhala literature into English, Gananath constantly uses literary works in his research. In using literature, especially narratives, for research Obeyesekere does not reduce them to mere facts but attends to the richness of narrative literature by paying attention to layered-meanings, connotations, sub-texts, the meanings of narrative structures and so on.
That requires a deeper understanding of how literature works. The younger generation of sociologists of this country must pay attention to the way Obeyesekere reads, interprets, and engages with literary works. It was clear from the early work of Obeyesekere that the taste for good literature was a hallmark of his work, and his early essays in Sinhala and English attest to the fact that he could have become the literary giant of this country in the generation after Sarachchandra and Ludowyke, had he stayed in the field of English or Sinhala. Nearly all his work contains constant reference to literature both European and South Asian, especially Sinhala.
I said earlier that Professor Gananath Obeyesekere has been one of my role models. Let me now qualify that statement a bit. We have a group of younger academics here at the faculty of Arts, who constantly speak of the ways of waking up from the nightmare of mediocrity we are trapped in. When mediocrity is the majority, the nightmare is, for them, their sweetest dream ever. A group of us regularly meet, informally, to discuss this issue.
The name Obeyesekere, both Gananath and Ranjini, constantly appear in those discussions. Both of them are role models for all of us. But here comes the qualification: I wish Professor Gananth wrote more in Sinhala. If he did so through 1980s through 1990s, the parochialisms that led to the nightmare mentioned above would not have engulfed all of us. I also wish that the group of excellent scholars made of Ganananth, Michael Roberts, Stanley Thambiah, Siri Gunasinghe, Sugathapala de Silva, Kithsiri Malalgoda, C.R. de Silva, H. L. Seneviratne, and so on did not leave the country. For example, the vacuum created by Siri Gunasinghe by leaving the country and not writing enough in Sinhala, was filled by extremely one-dimensionally nationalist ideologues.
Yet again, if professor Obeyesekere did not leave country, when he did, and if he did not write in English until he became a leading anthropologist in the world, he would not have been able to build up the rich personal library donated to us today, and, perhaps, he would not have been able to write the great books, I mentioned above. I invite younger scholars in our faculty, and the brightest of our students, to learn your English well and come of your parochial worlds, here we have now the biography of Obeyesekere and, his library, a road map of his intellectual journey, and make them your own.
I own twelve of his books, I can be the only one to own a copy of the Pattini book in my generation, because it is so rare now. But I don’t have time to touch on all of them here. Let’s organize ourselves into a group, and collectively read Obeyesekere books, and the Obeyesekere collection.
by Geewananda Gunawardana
It is encouraging that the piece on agnotology and ethnicity (The Island December 4, 2024) elicited an erudite discourse (‘Ethnicity and genetics – A non-racial academic response’ and ‘Ethnicity – a synonym for confusion,’ The Island December 11 and 16, 2024, respectively) concluding that ethnic divisions have no biological basis. However, we cannot overlook the fact that humans have an evolutionary tendency to belong to a group, clan, or cult for survival purposes; we are social animals. Not having fangs, claws, venom, or any other protective anatomy, tribalism is the way humans have chosen to defend themselves. Unfortunately, the same evolutionary force makes us blind to the hazards of this habit. Throughout human history, this vulnerability has been exploited by story tellers of all stripes and spots to bring us under their fold and fatten themselves. We Sri Lankans tend to fall for such stories at an alarming rate with grave consequences. That is the focus of agnotology: the investigation of our weakness in believing stories, or the resulting culturally induced ignorance, and its effects on our society. It goes beyond ethnic relations.
One thing must be made clear, there is no point in continuing endless academic discourse and hoping for problems to go away. What is necessary is to find ways to reduce and finally eradicate culturally induced ignorance, or the habit of adhering to baseless, false stories that are harmful or counterproductive, and put them into action.
It is a fact that unlearning is much harder than learning. Therefore, it is best if we can stop learning such baseless, fake stories in the first place. The unpleasant truth is that it can be too late for some segments of society as such stories are deeply engraved in their minds. They will reject the facts, and we have no choice but to look beyond their objections. Therefore, the best remedy is to stop our children from learning culturally inherited myths, beliefs, and practices that disrupt harmony, waste valuable resources, and stop us from joining the 21st century. We must tell them the truth that they are poems, myths, and beliefs, etc., and they should not be accepted as undisputable truths. We must train the younger generation to think critically and have the skill to separate facts from fiction, instead of being blind followers. If the Buddha could say that about his teaching, why cannot we say the same about fabricated stories with hidden agendas?
It is inevitable that there will be a deafening outcry that such actions will ruin our proud culture and heritage. There is absolutely no need to let that happen; we can continue culturally and religiously important activities intelligently if we knew their true meaning and that we are not manipulated by some storyteller for their benefit. We must give our children the facts and train them to make sensible decisions rather than blindly following rituals. Even Buddhism teaches us that following rituals blindly is a barrier to liberation.
We have paid dearly for inflaming ethnic division. Let us not forget that the civil strife had cost the nation more than twice the current debt. Should we continue to spread questionable theories that try to prove one is superior to the other or one arrived before the other and has a larger claim to the land? Is it necessary to impress children by glorifying the battle between Dutugamunu and Elara that happened two thousand three hundred years ago? Or, is it more important to convince them that divided we will continue to wallow in misery?
Let us not forget that whether it is the iron age or the 21st century, the root cause of these evils is the elite that manipulate these stories to their benefit. We managed to sideline the old elite, the establishment, or the aristocracy, but there is a new elite trying to raise its ugly head: the so-called academic elite. Please do not jump to conclusions. There is no need to explain again when elite becomes a dirty word but let us be clear that there is an honourably learned community that provides a valuable service to the country. We value them. It is the fake academics that we must be weary of. Let us admit that it is the cream of the cream that enters our public universities. Whether they exhibit additional letters before or after their names or not, we must bear in mind that they are the smartest lot the country has produced. Whether the country reaps the investment made in them or not is a different issue.
Those who could not get in are not necessarily inferior, it is just that the others did better; and if they can afford it, they continue their education in private institutions here or abroad. Unfortunately, this is where elitism raises its ugly head; we want meritocracy for good reasons, but did everyone get an equal opportunity to collect such merits? We have a habit of giving more weight to foreign degrees, a residue of elite veneration, without verifying the quality of the granting institution or the veracity of their claims. It is no secret that it is possible to buy a degree in some countries. Even worse, I know firsthand an individual who worked as a checkout clerk at a pharmacy chain abroad and paraded as a doctor back at home! However, in this internet age, there is no need to be ignorant, to be gullible and believe their stories; few questions and a quick search of the web can verify their claims, and stop the emergence of a new elite, the bad kind. Let us ask not what letters they have added to their names but ask what they have done or can do to solve problems (my apologies to JFK).
We shamelessly propagate many stories that originated in the iron age without ever questioning their relevance to the 21st century. The ugliest of them is the caste system. We must question the value, or the purpose of following a social stratification system started by nomadic farmers from the central Eurasian Steppes to safeguard their feudal system four thousand years ago. Once again, it was their elite that deceived the humble peasants and took advantage. Imagine starting a similar system by treating descendants of computer programmers differently from those of civil engineers, for example. Force them to have different naming systems, prevent intermarriages, live in segregated enclaves, and assume one is above the other. It is a disgrace that we keep this system and go to the extent of forming separate voting blocks.
Another antiquated practice we hang onto is astrology, which started in Mesopotamia. They used the cyclic movement of celestial bodies as a calendar to plan their agricultural activities. Their geocentric models of the cosmos did not allow them to realise that the seasonal changes are the result of the tilt in earth’s rotational axis and varying distance to the sun. This ignorance made them elevate seasonal changes to acts of divinity. It is true that the gravitational force of the moon causes tides, but how can nuclear furnaces that are light years away impact human lives on earth? Science has yet to discover any such forces or find any evidence that astrological predictions have any basis. There are billions of people who lead healthy successful lives in this world without ever following astrology. Instead of astrology, let us teach the children astronomy, so that they will understand that climate change is not a hoax.
The Age of Reason along with scientific revolution started in the 17th century helped humanity get rid of baseless beliefs and myths that were used by the elite to retain power. Unfortunately, we seem to have missed that revolution and are still trapped in the past. That is no accident either: the elite had done their part to limit our access to knowledge. The underlying reasons that resulted in the widespread tuition business that sells knowledge are good examples. The disparity in the quality of public schools between urban and rural areas is another; do the elite send their children to rural schools? According to one report, over eight hundred rural schools had been closed permanently by 2023. The school dropout rate due to poverty is estimated to be about 30 to 35 percent. Is there any doubt that quality education is only for the elite?
Not only that many practices we engage in have no real value, but they also funnel our precious resources to nefarious activities. Unfortunately, these stories are so deeply engraved in our collective psyche that we do not have the will to challenge them. That is the power of storytelling, and its role in shaping our destiny. This is particularly ironic for one important reason. The goal of the ‘Age of Reason’ and the ancient tradition that most Sri Lankans venerate, protect, and give their lives to preserve have the same goal: understanding the natural world and humanity’s place in it through reason: knowing reality. Unfortunately, instead of following that guidance, we have shrouded that timeless truth we inherited with practices based on beliefs, myths, and mysticism. We have legitimized many primitive practices such as rituals centered on appeasing deities, demons, ghosts, clairvoyant reading, and other numerous spirits bringing them under the umbrella of that venerated tradition and blinding ourselves to truth.
We fail to see that communicable diseases are caused by germs and not by angry spirits, and the absurdity of appeasing higher powers for cures instead of using proven medications. The facts of a simple biological event such as reaching puberty are often buried under rituals; the associated taboos impact females from participation in education and in the work force and, at times, risk their health. The period poverty is discussed in high circles, but does it help the needy? These practices teach our children to leave their destinies at the mercy of mystic superpowers instead of taking control of their lives themselves. There lies the biggest obstacle to prosperity. These are all difficult subjects to deal with, but we must initiate a dialogue on the information gap at a minimum if we must move the country forward.
There are many more practices and beliefs that hamper our progress. Hopefully, we will have the courage and wisdom to have that discussion, someday. Until then, we can do one thing at home: let us tell our children the truth. If our practices have artistic, cultural, and economic values, let us tell them so without wrapping them in mysticism. Let us teach them poems for their literary value but not as historical facts. Let them know that history is written by the victors and often gives the writer’s perspective. Let us teach them the value of rational thinking and help them join the 21st century along with the rest of the world. Let us have no doubt that a prosperous country can be built only on fact-based information that is objective, and not on opinions, beliefs, or assumptions inherited from the dark ages. Let elimination of such culturally acquired ignorance be our new year resolution.
“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”
Cassandra quotes below a poet she never could enjoy – Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809 – 1892). He was 1st Baron Tennyson and Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria’s reign. To her he sounds pompous but his Ring Out Wild Bells is a simple poem and she found it apt at this time. Two stanzas of the poem go thus:
Ring out the want, the care, the sin, / the faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes/But ring the fuller minstrel in.
Ring out false pride in place and blood, /The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right, /Ring in the common love of good
.I am certain you reader will guess the implied meaning Cass has in mind when quoting these lines. Yes and a loud YES; Sri Lanka is ringing out the bad, ugly, mean, corrupt, pompous pride and bloated egos of those who ruled us. The majority of us have hope in our hearts and look forward to an all-round improvement in how the country is governed. We also are sure the new people at the head of government and state are very different from those Big Wigs of this year before October and down the years, who so drastically dragged the country down to the very depths of deprivation and bankruptcy.
Tennyson rings out the want, the care, the sin; the faithless coldness of the times.
Yes, the times of waiting days in queues for essentials is over. Some may remind Cass it was Ranil W, who did away with queues by taking the right economic decisions. Yes, partly, but during his time as Prez he could have done much more to ease the lot of not only the poorer segment of Sri Lanka’s population but all who suffered. And this while 90 odd persons were advising him and running around in luxury cars while we suffered deprivation.
There certainly was ‘faithless coldness’ during times past when decisions were taken to please the very small minority of the rich at the expense of the rest of Sri Lankans. Coldness we associate with Prez Gotabaya and ‘false pride in place and blood’ during the years Mahinda R was Prez with his favoured persons doing just as they please, not caring one jot for those they made to suffer. Cold unconcern. Coldness is attributed to Ranil W. Comes to mind Keheliya Rambukwella and Lohan Ratwatte, the former importing medical drugs that were ineffective or lethal; the latter strutting in prisons at night with a thigh exposing woman friend. The list of crimes is very long.
Tennyson calls for a ringing in of love of truth and right and common love. AKD, Harini, Vijitha Herath and others of the NPP are ringing in truth and honesty; right government ensuring people’s rights; and intending to end the evils of corruption, nepotism, favouritism and family bandyism of concern only for the wellbeing of families.
A sense of empathy and concern for the country and its people by those in power is definitely in the air, which was never present, except as far back as when DS Senanayake, Dudley Senanayake and John Kotelawala were in power. Kotelawela showed concern in his own brusque way. They were not self-centered and we do not expect our new leaders to be this, even to the slightest degree.
Cassandra’s summation on the state of the country and people’s perceptions is optimistic. The country will sure improve and Ministers in the Cabinet will work to improve the country and its people, not themselves. When honesty, commitment and selflessness are apparent in political leaders, lesser ones too will follow. Thus, we could expect bureaucrats who serve the country with honesty and dedication.
Accidents and apparent incompetence
We are glad the Police have taken due note of the far too many road accidents and have started preliminary findings to arrive at the root of the serious trouble. As the Editor of this newspaper commented in his editorial on this subject, common causes of road accidents are incompetent drivers; road unworthy vehicles; buses plying competitively for fares; and drivers and bus conductors addicted to drugs or intoxicating drinks and being at the wheel under either influence. Also, their being over-worked with far too long spells driving. All these can be remedied. Strict supervision of drivers and vehicles; bus owners being law abiding; the Police taking preventive and punishing action; and punishment meted being severe.
Cassandra experienced the crass incompetence and, perhaps, the debilitating influence of drugs on a driver of a motorbike. She was informed by a friend that a parcel was being delivered to her by one of the delivery services now having good business during this season of gift giving. The delivery man was to be expected around 8.30 pm, the friend said. Cass waited till 9.30, her equanimity fast disappearing and her ire rising. She phoned her friend who contacted either the delivery service or the courier. She was promised he would be at her door in 20 minutes. The clock hands showed 10.30 pm. The driver contacted her. She gave him detailed directions to her home, which even an idiot could follow.
No delivery. She phoned the delivery man, thrice. Each time she heard the motorcyclist ask people directions to Cass’ abode and they gave very accurate directions. But the man could not follow them. She called him. He was just a couple of yards away but at a cross roads, which he should never have been in. Directions were given – simple, easy to follow and unambiguous. No man, no parcel. She sent her domestic to the end of the lane leading to her place. Man finally appears at 11.45. Cass was beyond throwing a tantrum and closer to a stroke or heart seizure.
She was sure, though inexperienced in dealing with druggies, that this driver was under the influence of a drug which dulled his senses to near zero. Her Man Friday tells her that young men are recruited from places far distant from Colombo and do not know its roads and streets. No excuse at all. Glaring faults of employers are non-caring and greed for profit at any cost. Fault of employees: sheer incompetence and immorality in being under the influence of drugs or drink while on the job.
This anecdote is to highlight possible-to-be-remedied faults of businesses. Even government offices had don’t-care-less employees. That will change, and sure must already have changed. Thankfully, Prez AKD gave govt employees a strong pep talk: do your job or you will be made to quit.
Cass ends this Friday’s optimistic Cry with wishing each of her readers a very happy New Year with much less burdens to bear and life improving with hope and anticipation. Gratitude to those who govern us can be given again, replacing the disdain and dislike, hate too, felt earlier. A New Year to the country we love so much of increasing prosperity, equal rights to all and peace!
Features
Navigating the Dragon’s Den: Sri Lanka’s strategic balancing act ahead of President AKD’s visit to China
by Professor Chanaka Jayawardhena
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is scheduled to embark on a state visit to China early next year, following his recent diplomatic success in India. As Sri Lanka rebuilds from the ashes of an economic meltdown, this visit will serve as a pivotal moment, shaping not just bilateral relations but also the island’s broader economic and geopolitical trajectory. While the allure of Chinese investments may offer short-term relief, the stakes are high: the decisions made during this visit could either cement Sri Lanka’s recovery or deepen its vulnerabilities.
The Economic Promise: Opportunity at the Doorstep
China’s economic might is undeniable. As the world’s second-largest economy and a leading investor in developing nations, China has demonstrated a remarkable ability to deploy vast sums of capital into infrastructure projects and industrial ventures. For Sri Lanka, a nation grappling with limited fiscal space, Chinese investment could unlock opportunities in critical sectors such as energy, transport, and manufacturing.
The Hambantota Port stands as a testament to the scope of Chinese involvement in Sri Lanka. Despite initial controversies, the port has emerged as a strategic hub, offering potential for revenue generation and job creation. However, the same cannot be said for the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, often dubbed the “world’s emptiest airport.” While envisioned as a key logistical and passenger hub, the airport has yet to realise its potential, serving as a reminder that infrastructure investments must align with realistic demand projections and comprehensive planning. Addressing this gap should be a priority during discussions with Chinese counterparts, ensuring that such projects contribute meaningfully to Sri Lanka’s economic landscape.
Additionally, enhanced trade relations with China offer significant upside. As Sri Lanka seeks to diversify its export portfolio, targeting China’s vast consumer base could invigorate key industries such as apparel, seafood, and tea. Establishing favourable trade agreements during this visit could pave the way for sustainable economic growth, moving beyond aid and debt reliance.
The Geopolitical Tightrope
The geopolitical stakes for Sri Lanka are both immense and intricate, requiring delicate balancing between its key regional partner, India, and the opportunities presented by China. India remains Sri Lanka’s closest neighbour and has historically shared deep cultural, economic, and security ties with the island nation. India’s contributions during Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, including emergency financial aid, are a testament to its enduring commitment. However, India also views any expansion of Chinese influence in Sri Lanka with heightened concern, perceiving it as a potential security threat within its sphere of influence in the Indian Ocean region.
President Dissanayake must walk a fine line during his visit to China, ensuring that the agreements forged do not alienate India or exacerbate regional tensions. While pursuing Chinese investments, Sri Lanka must communicate its intentions transparently to India, emphasising that its engagement with China is rooted in economic pragmatism rather than any geopolitical alignment. Joint initiatives with India, such as collaborations in regional trade and maritime security, can serve as confidence-building measures to assuage Indian apprehensions.
China, on the other hand, presents unparalleled economic opportunities. Investments in infrastructure, manufacturing, and renewable energy could provide Sri Lanka with a much-needed economic boost. However, Sri Lanka’s leadership must remain vigilant to avoid the pitfalls of overdependence on China, as evidenced by the debt crises faced by other nations engaged in the Belt and Road Initiative. The priority must be projects that not only bolster the local economy but also preserve national sovereignty.
To emulate the success of nations like Vietnam, Sri Lanka can adopt a “bamboo foreign policy”—firmly rooted in its national interests yet flexible in adapting to the complexities of great power politics. Vietnam’s ability to maintain economic ties with China while cultivating strategic partnerships with the United States, Japan, and ASEAN countries offers a valuable model. Sri Lanka, too, must engage other global players, ensuring a diversified set of partnerships that prevent over-reliance on any single nation.
Moreover, Sri Lanka’s policymakers must focus on ensuring that the benefits of Chinese investments accrue to Sri Lanka itself, rather than serving external strategic interests. This includes rigorous scrutiny of project proposals, transparent procurement processes, and an unwavering commitment to prioritising projects that yield tangible economic returns for the Sri Lankan people.
The challenge lies in balancing these dynamics while maintaining Sri Lanka’s sovereignty. A comprehensive, long-term vision that places Sri Lanka’s national interests at the forefront is essential. Investments should align with the country’s development goals, fostering economic resilience and reducing external vulnerabilities. Ultimately, the success of this balancing act will determine whether Sri Lanka can emerge as a stable and independent player in the region or remain a pawn in the larger geopolitical chessboard.
Potential Pitfalls: Lessons from the Region
Sri Lanka’s impending engagement with China is fraught with risks, many of which have been experienced by other nations. Laos, for instance, has faced severe debt distress due to over-reliance on Chinese loans for infrastructure projects under the BRI. Similarly, Zambia’s excessive borrowing from China has resulted in contentious renegotiations and fears of asset seizures. These examples underscore the importance of scrutinising loan terms and prioritising projects that deliver tangible economic returns.
Another potential pitfall is the erosion of sovereignty. Nations that over depend on Chinese investments often find themselves compromising on key policy decisions, whether in trade, security, or governance. Sri Lanka’s leadership must ensure that economic agreements do not come at the expense of national autonomy.
Moreover, transparency is critical. Corruption in procurement processes and project implementation has plagued many BRI initiatives, undermining public trust and long-term viability. President Dissanayake’s government, which has earned public confidence for its anti-corruption stance, must maintain rigorous oversight over any agreements signed during this visit.
Charting a Vision for the Future
While the immediate focus of President Dissanayake’s visit will likely centre on securing economic investments, the government must adopt a comprehensive vision that extends beyond short-term gains. This vision should encompass three key pillars:
=Economic Sustainability:
Sri Lanka must prioritise investments that align with its long-term development goals. This includes focusing on renewable energy projects that reduce reliance on fossil fuels, thereby lowering energy costs and improving environmental outcomes. Digital infrastructure development, such as expanding broadband access, can drive innovation and attract high-value industries, while skill development initiatives can prepare Sri Lanka’s workforce for the demands of a modern economy. By diversifying its economic base, Sri Lanka can reduce its vulnerability to global economic shocks and ensure sustainable growth.
=Geopolitical Balance:
As Sri Lanka engages with China, it must simultaneously deepen partnerships with other nations, including India, our immediate neighbours in the SAARC region and the rest of both the western world along with the global south. Strengthening ties with India, its closest neighbour, ensures regional security and cooperation, while partnerships with any country with the means can provide access to alternative sources of investment and technology. A multilateral approach will mitigate the risks of over-dependence on any single nation and enhance Sri Lanka’s global standing. By actively participating in regional forums and initiatives, Sri Lanka can position itself as a bridge between competing powers, leveraging its strategic location to attract diverse opportunities.
=Social Cohesion:
The benefits of Chinese investments must be equitably distributed to avoid exacerbating social inequalities. Infrastructure projects should include components that directly impact local communities, such as job creation and skill development programmes.
Transparent planning and community engagement are essential to ensure that large-scale projects do not displace vulnerable populations or create environmental degradation. By fostering inclusivity and addressing the needs of all segments of society, the government can build public trust and strengthen social stability, which is vital for long-term development.
A Positive Path Forward
President Dissanayake’s forthcoming visit to China represents both a challenge and an opportunity. By adopting a cautious yet ambitious approach, Sri Lanka can harness the economic potential of Chinese investments while safeguarding its sovereignty and geopolitical balance. The lessons from countries like Vietnam, Laos, and Zambia serve as valuable guideposts, highlighting both the promise and perils of engagement with global powers.
Sri Lanka’s recovery journey is far from over, but the foundations for a brighter future are being laid. The government’s ability to navigate this complex landscape with transparency, vision, and pragmatism will determine whether the nation can emerge stronger, more resilient, and truly independent. As the president steps into the dragon’s den, the world will be watching—and so will the people of Sri Lanka.
(Views expressed in this article are personal.)
(The writer is Professor of (Chair) of Marketing, University of Surrey, UK. Linkedin: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/marketingchanaka, Email: Chanaka.j@gmail.com
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