Dr Sudath Guanasekara: Former Permanent Secretary to Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranayaka and the founder of the HADABIMA Authority of Sri Lanka.
10th. Oct. 2024
It is an accepted truism that the central highland of this island by its location, right at the center of the country and its unique geomorphological formation with all the 103 reivers of the island having their sources here is often called the geographical heartland (HADABIMA) of this country, both in analogy and function. The rivers that have their sources on these hills flow down in all directions watering the lowlands in to the sea. Their water again come back to the hill country as rain, via the hydrological cycle. These rivers function as arteries of a human body that caries the waters to the sea. In this context I compare the central hill country to a human heart. Just as the man or any other being dies the day its heart stops, similarly the entire life system of this Island nation will also disappear, on the day the physical stability of the hill country is gone. “The Central Hill Country: The ‘Geographical Heartland (Hadabima)” of Sri Lanka: A New Geographical Interpretation in Lanka.” (Pl see my article in Lanka web December 2nd, 2017 for details)
Sudath Gunasekara 1991
Full implementation of the development plan outlined below will also bring redress and justice to our heroic ancestors, the legendary Kandyans, who protected the motherland and its heritage on our behalf, paying with their lives and sacrificed everything they had inherited for millennia, within a period of 310 years (1505 -1815), from three savage Western colonial invaders, like no other, in the whole world.
This master plan includes the following five major components.
*Protection of the central hill country as the heart (The Hadabima) of this Island nation from where all the 103 main rivers begin.
*The creation of “A High-powered Hill country (HADABIMA) Rehabilitation, Development and Protection Ministry under the Head of the State as recommended by the Kandyan Peasantry Rehabilitation Commission of 1951.
*The establishment of “A Hill country Rehabilitation, Development and Protection Authority (HRDPA) of Sri Lanka” under the above Ministry as the only Agency in charge of carrying out the activities of the Master plan within the Project Area
* Abolition of all Ministries and Agencies presently catering only to the alien estate Tamil community in this area and transferring all their functions and assets to the above HRDPA, as having such Ministries and Agencies only for estate Tamils amounts to a gross discrimination against the hereditary rights of the Sinhalese, the sons of the soil and it is also a violation of their basic human rights.
*This will lay the foundation for the permanent socio-cultural and political integration and reconciliation between the native Sinhalese and the estate Tamils, ending a centuries old intractable politico-national problem.
Introduction
In pursuing this mission, it is incumbent on the part of the government to take immediate steps to arrest the following disasters taking place at present in this part of the country, in order to achieve the afore said national objectives of the proposed Ministry and the HRDPA as soon as possible in order to protect the Sinhala Buddhist nation and its civilization from the following imminent and irreversible disasters.
1.From the ongoing continuous physical devastation of the Central Hill Country, by people who have no love, regard or respect to our motherland or the Sinhala nation such as the Indian Tamil laborers in the central hill country and its surroundings, the Indian Government, International organizations and our own vote hunting unpatriotic and self-seeking politicians, who acts only as the agents of the colonial British, who left the Island in 1948.
Bogawanthalava pigenhole settlemets on steep fragile hill slope at land over 5500 ft msl
2.From getting the hill country converted in to a mono Tamil enclave remotely controlled by India.
3. From getting this island converted to become the 29th State of the Indian subcontinent thereafter, a dream India had been craving from the days of Rama and Ravana.
4.Finally, the extinction of the Sinhala nation, who founded and protected the civilization in this country at great cost, from all Indian invasions even from 5000 BC (The legendary times of Rama and Ravana in prehistory) and from the 2nd century BC to the 13 century AD Maaga invasion (1214 to 1255) and thereafter, from three powerful Western colonial invaders namely, Portuguese, Dutch and the British from 1505 to 1948.
This document is expected to serve as a blue print of a Master plan to protect the HADABIMA against the above imminent threats and disasters and the realization of the following main objectives.
1.The Restoration, protection and management of the central watersheds in this country, which is defined as the geographical heartland (HADABIMA -after Sudath) of this island nation, with a view to restoring its physical stability as the key factor to ensure the survival of the entire life system and the civilization of this island nation.
And thereafter to
2 Rectify the historical injustices done to the native Kandyan people by the British colonial invaders from 1815 to 1948 by,
a) Forcible taking over their ancestral land of nearly 1.3 million acres, including paddy fields, homesteads, grazing land and hena lands and wood lots by draconian laws such as The Crownlands Encroachment Ordinance No 12 of 1840, The Temple Lands Registration Ordinance of 1853 and the Wastelands Ordinance of 1897 and depriving the natives of their millennia old ancestral lands, which they owned from the inception of civilization on this Island.
b) Destroying the primeval forest cover of the entire hill country that led to large scale soil erosion and land degradation up on the hills causing untold misery in the lowlands thereby like flash floods and drying up of the rivers that had their sources on these hills.
c)Mass scale destruction of ancient villages by arson and mass murder and chasing out those who survived, in to the eastern jungles
d)Destruction of their irrigation works and converting even paddy field to tea estates and disrupting native social organizations like Gamsabhas that were hailed as one of the best social organizations in the East even by eminent British civil servants like Dickson. GA. CP.
e) Causing g large scale loss of fauna and flora native and unique to the region with mass scale forest clearing for Coffee and later Tea.
f)upsetting a major demographic imbalance by settling nearly 1.2 million imported south Indian slave labour force on these newly opened up coffee and tea plantations sprawling all over the hill country and leaving them behind when the white masters left this country with an ugly legacy of Indian Tamil labour force completely different in culture of the native Sinhalese, creating a major demographic, socio- economic cancer and a political volcano right at the center of this country where there was not a single Tamil before.
This master plan of development is designed to arrest the ongoing devastation taking place all over the hill country going up to even 8000 ft msl and its periphery haphazardly by the labour unions and settlers with the blessings of the Indian government, International agencies and even our own politicians even without getting the approval from the relevant technical agencies like the National Building Research Organization or the relevant Divisional and District Administration and to rectify all the historical injustices inflicted upon the natives of this region and lastly to usher in a new and vibrant social and economic development and socio-cultural integration and put an end to Sinhala Tamil conflicts for good, in this region and bring about full socio-economic development, peace, harmony and all-round prosperity for all the people.
The Kandyan areas more fully described below in this essay were the most affected firstly, due to political and economic isolation from the outside world for 310 years (1505 to 1815) due Portuguese, Dutch and British occupation of the coastal belt with intermittent attacks and secondly, direct and accelerated repression, oppression, destruction and exploitation by the British from 1815 until 1948. It is also the worst affected part in the country’s physical, economic, social and cultural spheres during the 133-year period of direct British colonial Administration (1815-1948) in this country. The two darkest black marks in the history of British occupation were the 1817-18 Uva Wellassa rebellion and the 1848 Matale rebellion. These two have gone down in history as the most horrendous and inhuman black marks in British colonial rule in this country.
What is even more despicable was that these areas were also the most neglected, discriminated and denationalized region by all governments since 1948-up to date with no regard for a great people who defended this country for 443 years, against the military might and the atrocities of three foreign invaders namely, the Portuguese, Dutch and the British to protect the motherland for posterity at great expense.
Area covered
The Proposal referred to in this document covers mainly the Central and Uva Provinces referred to in the Kandyan Peasantry Commission Report of 1951, that were the main theaters of the freedom struggles waged by the patriotic Kandyan Sinhalese of the then Kandyan Kingdom in 1817-1818 and 1848, against the oppression and genocide by British invaders.
However, the area of implementation of the proposed development plan extends to a wider area covering all other, Divisional Secretary Areas in the districts adjoining the central hill country in other provinces as well, recommended by the proposed Authority or requests made by the public so that it will cover some parts of Sabaragamuwa, Southern, NWP and even the Eastern province in the Ampare District, as they all were within the affected Kandyan areas, where in the people were also victims of colonial rule suffering the same colonial victimization. Initially, it will be implemented within the project area and broaden the spillover benefits of this project to a wider segment of deserving citizens in the country covering almost 1/3 the area of the whole Island as it gathers momentum.
The oppressive and exploitive rule of the British for 133 years (1815-1948), constitutes one of the worst criminal records of British colonial administration in the world, as John Davy has once said.
I quote,
“John Davy commenting in the aftermath of the 1818 observes that “The history of British rule in Sri Lanka after 1818 rebellion cannot be related without shame. None of the members of the leading families in the Kandyan families in the Kandyan country have survived. Small-pox and privations have destroyed those spared by the gun and the sword”. (John Davy. Scholar, Army surgeon and physician in attendance on Brownrigg during 1817-1818.)
Their criminal records of oppression and suppression and extra judicial murder and genocide committed during the 1848 Matale rebellion, by Torrington were even worse and were more savages according to extant historical records.
Kandyan areas
The Kandyan Kingdom (Kandaudarata) at the time of annexation to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1815 was that part of the country covering nearly 90 % of the Island of Sri Lanka/ Sinhale, bordered by a narrow maritime belt that was under the Portuguese, Dutch and the British consecutively, for 310 years from 1505 to 1815. This Kingdom was found by King Wimaladharmasuriya in 1594 with Senkadagala as its capital and continued as an independent Kingdom until it was ceded to the English by a convention between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Sinhale on 2nd March 1815 singed as two sovereign Kingdoms.
The Sinhale Kandyan Kingdom thus handed over was the legitimate successor to the ancient Lankadhiipa /Sinhale Kingdom, historically found in 543 BC as Mahahavansa says, and it was also the last link of that great Sinhala Buddhist Kingdom that protected its sovereignty and independence for 2358 years until it was ceded to the British crown in 1815 by deception and intrigue on the part of the British led by a cunning British Civil Servant called John D’Oyly, who was supposed to be the best spy in the whole British empire, due to disunity and lack of farsightedness among the native leaders.
Had the Kandyans also not resisted and not fought against the invaders, during this 310-year period, definitely, the Sinhala nation too would have got extinct, just like what happened to the native N&S Americans, Australians and New Zealanders due colonial invasions by the Western invaders. It was those patriotic and brave Kandyans, (a term coined by a British naval Captain Robert Percival in 1805 to call those who lived on the hilly center of the country) who protected the motherland for posterity, a historical fact never recognized by our historians or politicians.
It was these Sinhala patriotic people called Kandyans who fought fearlessly and died in the battles against three invaders to protect the heartland of the motherland and sacrificed everything they had, including their lives in tens of thousands on behalf of all those who lived even in the maritime belt of this land during the colonial rule.
Therefore, the present-day generation not only Sinhalese living all over the country with no distinction as Kandyan or low country Sinhalese, owes the greatest debt to the brave and patriotic Kandyans, the brave sons of Mother Lanka who sacrificed everything they had cherished and jealously guarded for 2 ½ millennia including their land, system of government, legal system, religion, culture, traditions and customs and personal belongings including their loved ones, wives and children and finally, their own life to protect this land for us to live today.
Therefore, it is the bounden duty of not only the Sinhalese living all over the world but even all other communities such as Tamils and Muslims who have made this country their home, to join hands with the government to solve the socio-economic problems of the people in these areas and also to agitate for reparation for the crimes done to a country and a nation with a rich culture, by the British colonial rulers, who built an Empire, where the sun never set as they boast, with riches plundered and robbed from countries like ours.
Proposed Master Plan to develop the Kandyan areas
Desamaanya Dr Sudath Guanasekara
24.10. 2023.
A sad tragedy we all should be ashamed of
Although, historically that is the stark truth, we all should be ashamed that nothing had been done to rectify the historical injustices done to our own heroic ancestors in the former Kandyan Kingdom, by the colonial invaders for 443 (1505 1948) years by any government that took over the reins of government of this country in 1948, even though 75 years have lapsed, since the invaders have left the shores of the country.
Kandyan Peasantry Commission 1949
Although a Commission called the Kandyan Peasantry Commission was appointed in 1949 by the then Government in an attempt to look in to the problems of Kandyan people (calling them peasants- a social group never existed in this country since the advent of Buddhism in 307 BC), its objectives were limited, as it said “To inquire in to the socio-economic conditions of the Kandyan people and make recommendation to ameliorate them” This in my opinion was only a very superficial scratching of a deep rooted national problem manifested by Western colonial plunderers over a long period of nearly 500 years (1505-1948) of brutal and savages colonial destructions of one of the greatest millennia old Eastern civilization in the world.
The KPC never addressed the basic issues of a nation robbed of its natural wealth such as millions of acres of land, its vast 1.3 million acres of pristine forests and making hundreds of perennial rivers dry and a nation pauperized and culturally poorer, due to ruthless colonial exploitations and depredation. The restoration of their robbed birth rights and the heritage starting from 1815 up to 1948 was not given any attention. Firstly, by returning their ancestral land to their original owners, the right to restore the premier forests cover destroyed by the invaders on the prime watershed in order to restore the lost physical stability of the nation’s Heartland that led to acute soil erosion and land degradation, and the depletion of water resources and the loss of bio diversity in the geographical heartland of the country. The demographic complication of the presence of a foreign worker force of nearly 1.2 million Indian labour, imported by the British and planted right at the center of the country that would bring about internal demographic, political and socio-economic problems and future geopolitical problems that threatens the political stability of an Island nation and finally, the reparation of the lost rights of the native Sinhala people, the sons of the land who owned it for millennia
It may be that both the politicians and policy makers of the time had been debarred from looking in to other critical problems like, touching the tea plantations, (the hen that laid golden eggs as some politicians of the time had said) the issue of the Indian labour and the crimes committed by the British on native Sinhalese, including their war crimes, genocide and murder, their draconian land policies that made thousands of native Sinhalese landless.
To that extent the KPC Report, although it was one of the best after the Kannangara Commission on Free Education, is also an incomplete public record that has failed to do justice by the Kandyan and their land.
What is worse was that even the extensive recommendations made in the KPC Report which made to ameliorate the socio-economic conditions of the Kandyan peasants, were never implemented as recommended and left justice denied to them up to date.
For example even the first and the only 6 Year Plan 1953/54-1959/60 prepared under the findings of the KPC Report 1951 still remains unimplemented fully, due to non-provision of funds and absence of necessary institutional arrangements and more specifically due to objections by some of the so-called low county Sinhala politicians like M.D.H Jayawardha, the then Finance Minister who raised his objections against special treatment for a particular area and a particular group and refused to give allocations. This evinces how the black white rulers have treated their own ancestors of the Kandyan areas, who had died on behalf of all Sinhalese of this country.
The chronic apathy on the part of the present day Kandyan politicians (from 1948 to date) on the other hand who should have fought the battle on behalf of their own people is even worse. The disinterest on the part of all Sinhala politicians in the Parliament, who have no feeling for their country or for their own people who had fought and died to protect this country for them, who were and who are more interested in estate Tamil votes and their own narrow party politics than the destiny of the country and their own Sinhala voters whose ancestors had died in tens of thousands in battle under extremely deplorable and pathetic condition as Davy had mentioned above, to protect this country, for them to do politics today and enjoy the lavish privileges of political life are responsible for this unfortunate situation. (See Annex 111 for details)
Two other eyewashes.
Meanwhile two other “political” eyewashes to deceive the Kandyans, were also made in recent times by the same genre of politicians who were never committed to rehabilitate the Kandyan areas.
The first was the formation of the Udarata Development Authority under Act no 26 of 2005. This was closed down on Jan 1st 2014 by Minister Basil Rajapaksa to from his own pet project Divineguma.
The second attempt was made in 2017 to form an Authority called a Statutory Board for the protection of Kandyan Heritage. Those who sponsored this were also never concerned about the rehabilitation or the welfare of the people. This Authority has no final Cabinet approval or an Act passed by the Parliament up to date. But it continues to operate rather illegally in the Kandy town in a rented-out building in front of the Trinity college, paying a monthly rental of Rs 1.2 million spending millions of public funds, looking after their own benefits, while nothing had been done to ameliorate the problems of the Kandyan areas or its people.
A Nations Indebtedness to Kandyans
Although the whole nation is eternally indebted to the Kandyans who sacrificed their lives for 443 years on behalf of the Motherland and its people which enabled us to have a country to live today as an independent nation, no one has cared for their misery up to date.
This sums up the 75 years of an appalling and tragic story of how the successive governments since 1948 have treated the brave and patriotic sons of the soil who had fought and died in battle in tens of thousands to liberate this country, from three western colonial enemies for, four centuries and forty-three years.
Therefore, the crying need and the timeliness for formulating, and implementing a comprehensive rehabilitation and development Programme, not only to uplift the Kandyan peasants but also the whole the whole Kandyan areas to uplift these forgotten, neglected and betrayed sons of the soil whose ancestors have protected this land by paying with their lives in tens of thousands, for us to live today in our beloved motherland and to do justice to these neglected people at least now, though belated. It is not only deplorable but shameless too to note that all government, except that of Sirimavo Bandaranayaka, since 1948 had been fighting only on behalf of the slave Indian labour force to woo their vote. Just imagine how poor and deplorable the Sinhala politicians had been over the past 76 years in nation building.
It is on behalf of these patriotic freedom fighters who died on our behalf for 443 years and their victimized and destitute decedents who are landless, poverty stricken and therefore helpless, today, I am making this request for their rehabilitation, reparation and upliftment in order to do justice by a patriotic generation of people.
Needless to say, the whole nation is eternally indebted to the Kandyans who sacrificed their lives on behalf of the Motherland and the posterity.
At the same time there is also a legitimate and moral need to rectify the historical injustices done to the country and the people as a whole. We must, at least now, put an end to this ungratefulness on our part, by a great nation although we have miserably failed in our bounden duty for 76 years.
First, by the colonial invaders, more specifically by the British by way of reparation and an open apology for the destruction and devastations done to this country and its people and
Second, by our own politicians who succeeded the colonial rulers in 1948, for the criminal negligence committed by them on their own people who protected a country for 443 years for them to live up to date.
This proposal is made with the onerous mission of rectifying that long neglected and over delayed duty by a great nation
The area proposed to be taken up for rehabilitation and development under this Authority covers 1/3 the total area of the Island also with a beneficiary population of 1/3 the total population of the country.
Proposed Political and Administrative mechanism to implement this programme
1. A proposal to establish
“A powerful Ministry of Kandyan Peasantry Rehabilitation, Development and Protection under the Head of the State “as proposed by the Kandyan Peasantry Commission Report of 1951.
(ශ්රි ලංකා කන්ද උඩරට පුනරුත්ථාන, සoවර්ධන සහ සුරැකීමේ අමාත්යාන්ශය)
and to create
2. A Kandyan Areas Rehabilitation, Development and Protection Authority of Sri Lanka under the above Ministry as the Agency in charge of carrying out the activities of the Master plan
The mandate of the proposed Kandyan area Rehabilitation, Development and Protection Authority.
1.First,
To complete the implementation of the recommendations made for rehabilitation in the Development programme given in the first six-year plan 1954/55-1959/60 made under the Report of the KPC 1951.
2.Second, to complete the other recommendations of the KPC Report 1951.
3.Third, to carry out a comprehensive socio-economic development programme to ameliorate the present pathetic and deplorable situation in the area through an intensive and sustainable agricultural livestock, small and medium industries and tourist development program geared to employment and income generation within the rural sector on this 1/3 the total area of the Island with a view to raising the standard of living of nearly 7 million people, there by rescuing them from abject poverty and all-round discrimination.
4.Fourth,
To implement a comprehensive infra structure development programme like roads, irrigation facilities (anicuts, village tanks and canals ect) hospitals and Ayurvedic centers, schools, multipurpose cooperatives with banking facilities, Agrarian service centers, marketing facilities, and postal facilities etc throughout the project area.
(See Annex 1V for details.)
5.Fifth,
To implement a Settlement Development programme to settle 250,000 families within the areas between 1000-3500ft msl in the above three Provinces and in the selected Divisional Secretary Divisions mentioned in para 2 to solve critical socio-economic problems prevailing in these areas such as landlessness, unemployment and abject poverty rampant and acute. This settlement and development package to be based on the NADSA Development model implemented in the Districts of Kandy and Kegalla (1985-1991) that was extended to Monaragala, Badulla, Rathnapura, Nuwaraeliya from the year 1992, after its resurrection with a 12.5 m us$ WFP package obtained by me as its then Executive Director under the new name HADABIMA Authority of Sri Lanka)
The original NADSA project (National Agricultural Diversification and Settlement Authority was confined to Kandy and Kegalla Districts, was a UNDP project started in 1978 August with the three-fold objectives of
1 Watershed Protection (management)
2 Settlement Development and
3 Agricultural Diversification
In addition to these objectives the new proposal is also geared to employment and income generation within the rural sector. leading to overall socio-economic development in the country.
6.Sixth,
To initiate a program of returning the lands of native Sinhalese confiscated by the British to their legitimate inheritors. (See Annex 1V 12)
8. Seventh
This will be followed by a call for reparation, compensation and apology from the British government both for natives who were robbed of all their belongings including the mother earth and even the Indian estate labour who had been exploited to the rim under the most inhuman treatment. (See Annex 1V 10&11)
9 And finally,
To engage in any other activity the Authority deems appropriate to meet the lost rights and grievances of these great people and improve the standards of life of the permanent residents of the selected Divisional Secretaries Areas.
Part 11
This includes
Physical heritage reparation.
This proposal also includes a programme of physical heritage reparation. Among other things it includes mainly three items; they are,
Forest
The restoration and rehabilitation of the destructions done to the forest, land and water resources of the central hill country, as a top national priority as it forms the foundation of the entire life system and the civilization of this Island nation. It is estimated that over 600 000 acres of prime forest had been removed for coffee and tea plantations.
Land
It is estimated that 1.3 million acres of land owned by the native people, Buddhist temples and Devalas had been illegally taken over by force by the colonial government under draconian legislations like Land Encroachment Ord No 12 of 1840, Temple Land Ordinance 1853 and Wasteland Ord 1897.
Rivers
In the process 103 perennial rivers, watering the lowlands around the hill country were made to dry up due to deforestation of the main watersheds in the central hills. Deforestation also led to heavy soil erosion and loss of bio diversity due to land degradation, landslides (in the hill Country) and other calamities like recurrent downstream floods and river siltation causing heavy losses to people and property in the lowlands.
Therefore, protecting the central watersheds above 3500 ft MSL is the most fundamental and crucial factor not only for future development but also in deciding the fate of the entire life system and the future civilization in this country.
In view of this despicable backdrop of failed governance with regard the Kandyan areas for 75 years as stated above, I seek the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers to this historic proposal to do justice by a great people who had sacrificed everything they had under the sun, including their own dear lives, to defend the motherland against the enemy over a period of 443 years, for us and the generations unborn.
Therefore, Cabinet approval is sought for the creation of the
1) Kandyan Areas Rehabilitation, Development and Protection Ministry under the Prime Minister/President The Head of the State as stated under the KPC Report of 1951.
2) The Kandyan Areas Rehabilitation, Development and Protection Authority of Sri Lanka to be in charge of the implementation of the objectives mentioned in Annex 1V and all matters incidental to those objectives
3. To transfer the present Sri Lanka Hadabima Adhikaariya and the Kandudarata Urumaya Surakiime saha Savibala Ganviimei Adhikaariya with all their assets to the Kandyan Areas Rehabilitation, Development and Protection Ministry
4) to enlist the services of an expert on employment and income generation as given under item 3 above in order to make this national mission a full success.
5)To implement all the praposals listed in Annexes 11, 1V and V below
6 * Abolition of all Ministries and Agencies presently catering only to the alien estate Tamil community in this area and transferring all their functions and assets to the above HRDPA as having such Ministries and Agencies only for the Tamils amounts to a gross discrimination against the hereditary rights of the Sinhalese, the sons of the soil and also it is a violation of their basic human rights.
I am confident that this will
1.lay the foundation for the Restoration of the much-needed physical stability of the central hill country of this island (HADABIMA) by reducing erosion, land degradation and earth slips and bring back the grand vista redolent of the glories of the pristine past.
11. enable to make the nation’s 103 main rivers to be perennial that will provide abundant water for the downstream agricultural development, household needs and increase the islands hydro electricity generation potential, while minimizing downstream flood as well.
111)Create a mixed settlement development belt 2500 ft wide, right round the hill country between >1000-3500 ft msl like the Great Chinse wall protecting the HADABIMA of this nation
1v give rise to socio-cultural and political integration and reconciliation between the native Sinhalese and the estate Tamils, ending a centuries old intractable national problem.
In pursuance of these noble national objectives, I seek Cabinet approval for the above 1 to 6 proposals given under “Proposed Political and Administrative mechanism to implement this programme as given above including those areas covered by the annexes 1.1V below, and an interim budget of ? million for the project formulation pending the submission of the detailed budget for this project
I vouch this all-round development proposal, if implemented, will go down in history as a turning point in the long saga of this great Island nation.
…………………………………………………….
The President/Prime minister of the Republic of the Democratic Socialist Republic Sri Lanka
Date.
Annex 1
The next area of rehabilitation and reparation is heritage destruction.
Usually, who write on heritage include only the cultural side. But to me it means two things, that is both cultural and physical as they are always interlinked, inter related and inter dependent. Therefore, in any programme of heritage rehabilitation and development it is important to take both these aspects in to consideration, if the desired results of rehabilitation and development are to be achieved. This is specially so in the context of our country. (Pl: see annex 11 for details)
conventionally, literature on heritage of any nation implies only the cultural side like language, religion, arts and crafts, architectural and religious monuments like buildings, statues, temple and dagabas and paintings and frescoers songs and literature, food and drinks, dresses, customs, rituals and traditions indigenous technology, administrative and legal system, the economic system. their dress and habits, human attitudes like patriotism and bravery and other nuances of human behavior.
But they don’t include the physical or natural assets like the nature of the land and its physiography, soil, its rivers and other water bodies like irrigation tanks and canals, biodiversity in fauna and flora the development and conservation of which sometimes become even more important for the survival of life and man’s survival on earth than the protection of some of the cultural heritages.
In this case the best example in our context is the central hill country of Sri Lanka. Geographically it is like a human heart both in its formation and function. It is located almost right at the center of the Island, sloping down towards the coastal plain right round. All the rivers in the country (103) starts there and flow down in all direction watering the rest of the country providing the water needed to sustain life in the country. If these rivers stop flowing one day, the curtain will fall on the entire life system in this country. Continuous river flow depends primarily on the physical stability of the central hill country. The stability of the hill country mainly depends on its forest cover. The physical stability of the central hill country determines and dictate the survival of the entire life system in this country. To this extent the central hill country plays the role of a heart of the “living being” that is Sri Lanka. Therefore, just like a man dies when the heart stops “the Being” Lanka also, will die, the day the physical stability of the central hill country is gone. Therefore, the crucial need to protect the physical stability of the Central hill country at all cost. This lesson has to be taught to each and every child from his kindergarten days and every man and woman in this country should add here to this concept as a religion.
This was done during the days of the Sinhala Kings by banning all settlements and clearings on land above 3500 ft above sea level. The only exceptions were Kotmale, Welimanda and Mandaram Nuwara. All forests above that level were declared Thahanchi kele strictly prohibited forest even to enter, by Royal decree. This was done to guarantee the perennial flow of the rivers starting on the hills that keep the entire life system in the island alive which in turn guarantee the civilization in the whole Island.
In order to achieve this objective, we have to take the following steps very early.
1)Declaring all forests and lands above 5000 ft msl in the Island as a strictly protected, prohibited and conserved forest
2) Limit large scale tea cultivation to land below 5000 ft above sea level. They should be managed by large scale Boards either State or private, but all settlements should be banned within it confining to tea factories and offices only.
3)All settlements in the hill country should be confined to land below 3500 ft
4) land between 1000 ft and 3500 ft should be used for settlement of small holder farm families on 2 to 2 1/2-acre farm lots of diversified farms. It is suggested that the landless Kandyan villagers and the displaced estate Tamils of this country who are citizens presently occupying on land between 3500-and above to be settled on these lands as diversified village expansion settlements. That will put an end to mono Tamil settlements in the central hill country and will end Indianization of the heartland of this Island. But those who get citizenship are expected to divorce all connections with India and get fully integrated to the native society just as it has happened in the past. These settlements will also provide the labour required for the tea plantations between 3500-5000 ft.
This arrangement will guarantee the much-needed physical stability of the central hill country that will in turn guarantee the survival of the entire life system and the civilization in the whole Island.
(However, the Nuwara Eliya Town, Bopaththalaawa farm and the Hakgala Botanical may be exempted from this rule. But all other hill country towns like Hatton, Talavakele and Bogawanthalawa etc should be necessarily relocated in suitable places within the 1000-3500 belt. Those who refuse to adjust to this new situation and wants to remain as Indian has no alternative but to get back to India or ask UK to provide lands for them to settle down in UK as British citizens, as they had been so, before 1948. Because you cannot allow “two nations, one Sinhalese and another Indian’ to operate right at the center of this land of the Sinhala nation
Once this arrangement is complete then again, the paradise on earth in Sri Lanka often eulogized by many a Western traveler such as Marcopolo in the medieval times will definitely reappear again on this land.
Annex 11
Although a Commission called the Kandyan Peasantry Commission was appointed in 1949 by the then Government to look in to the problems of Kandyan people on representations made by people like A. Ratnayaka, the MP for Dumbara and the Minister of Home Affairs at the time, its objectives were limited “To inquire in to the socio-economic conditions of the Kandyan people and make recommendation to ameliorate them” only.
Even though this Commission had done an excellent job by producing a comprehensive Report on the socio-economic conditions of the people at the time, I think “The Kandyan Peasantry Commission” also has missed the wood for the trees. The Commission has failed to look at the problems of the decedents of war victims of 1818 and 1848 and their legitimate dues in a broader perspective of some vital areas like,
a) rectifying the historical injustices done to the natives by the invaders, by returning the lands illicitly takeng over by force under draconian land grabbing laws to their descendants of the war heroes of 1818 and 1848/
b) paying compensation for the chain of genocides committed on thousands of native freedom fighters, in two rebellions 1818 and 1848 calling them rebels, savagely, violating all accepted civilized norms, executing some of them even without proper trials and banishing some of the national leaders like Ahelepola to distant countries beyond the seas to places like, Mauritius and leaving them to die as prisoners of war and criminals, in unknown lands, for the noble act of defending their motherland against the invaders.
c)It also had not made any reference to the illegal, immoral and unethical Royal proclamation No 21 of Nov 1818 made by Brownrigg and the crimes committed under its cover, which unilaterally abrogated the Kandyan Convention of March 2 even before its ink was dry and the repressive military rule carried out by the invader thereafter, as prearranged.
d)There is also no reference to continuing their governance under exploitation, repression and oppression, undemocratically under their Royal Proclamations ever since 1818 almost up to 1948, denying all civilized and accepted principles of natural justice to the citizens of the Kandyan Kingdom.
e) There is also no mention about the untold destruction and devastations and loss done to this country, its rich natural and physical resources, social and economic assets, age old customs and traditions and above all to Buddhism the fountain of our culture, by them by vandalizing Buddhist monuments and conversion.
f) There is also no reference anywhere for the need to restore what was destroyed by colonial vandalism and the need to claim compensation and to demand an apology from the oppressors for the wrongs they had done and left.
g) But the Commission supported the continuation of their tea plantations all over the hill country as a foreign exchange earner, calling it a hen that laid the golden eggs without realizing the irreparable damage it has already done and continue to do, for the physical stability of the central highlands without realizing the environmental damage its doe to this Island nation up to date.
h) no mention about the 12.5 million Indian labour gang that was already pausing a major demographic, political, economic and social problem to the country even by that time, not to mention perceiving future problems. I do not know as to how the KPC was planning to solve landlessness among Kandyan peasants (which they had identifies as a major problem among them) when 12.5 million Indians were occupying their ancestral land, illegally taken over by the British by force.
i) a) There is also no reference to the crying needs to restore the physical stability of the central hill country that was there in the days of the Sinhala Kings, that was functioning as the virtual heart of the body Sri Lanka.
What is even worse is The KPC Report which made extensive recommendations to ameliorate the socio-economic conditions of the Kandyan peasants, also never implemented as recommended, and left justice denied to them up to date.
Annex 111
The objectives of the Kandyan Areas Rehabilitation, Development and Protection Authority of Sri Lanka (Udarata Punaruththaana, Sanvardhana saha Surakiime Adhikaariya).
(The Kandyan Areas Rehabilitation, Development and Protection Authority of Sri Lanka)
1 Completion of Rehabilitation of land and people by implementing the projects identified in the KPC Report to uplift the social and economic standards of people living within the Central, Uva and the Sabaragamuwa provinces and the Div. Sec Divisions of the other provinces as decided by the KARDA Board through other government line departments relevant to the subjects.
2.Implementing an aggressive and sustainable rural economic and social development through agricultural, small industrial and tourist development programme geared to employment and income generation in liaison with government departments and private organizations and individuals.
3. Implementing a Settlement Development programme in the mid country (1000—3500) by the Authority on2- 2 ½ acre small holder diversified farm lots. (depending on the availability of land) Under this scheme it is envisaged to settle 250,000 families in the 3 provinces within 5 years
4. Funding development projects initiated by other government departments. Here each line dept is expected to identify their own projects and submit them for funds. We provide funds after project evaluation and monitor implementation to guarantee successful completion of the said projects in time.
5.Implementing other development project identified by public agencies or individuals within the project area through the subject departments and monitoring their successful completion in time.
6) Taking action to restore the lost Physical Stability of the Central Hill Country (The Geographical Heartland- HADABIMA) of Sri Lanka on which depends the survival of the entire life system and the civilization of this country.
7) Initiating action to rectify the historical injustices done by the British to the Kandyan Sinhalese from 1815-1948 and more particularly in the 1818 and 1848 Freedom Struggles.
8)Taking action to implement a comprehensive development plan to solve the problems of landlessness, unemployment, underemployment, acute poverty and other socio- economic problems of the people living in these areas.
9) Taking action to attend to their social and infrastructure needs like roads, domestic water needs, irrigation, health, education, cultural needs marketing and administration
10) 14) Taking action to put an end to ethnic discrimination and create a socio-culturally and politically homogeneous, integrated and inward-looking Sri Lankan society in the central Sri Lanka.
11.Initiating action to demand reparation and compensation from the British Government for the destruction and devastation done to millions of acres of our land, forest, water resources and from the British government.
12 Initiating a global movement to seek compensation for centuries of land theft, genocide and cultural imperialism, large scale violation of human rights by Britain for native Sinhalese as well as Indian estate labour during the period 1797-1948.
13) Taking action to claim compensation for a) displaced native Sinhalese, their land taken over by force under draconian land grabbing laws such as the Encroachment upon Crown Land Ordinance No 12 of 1840. Temple Lands Ordinance of 1853 and Waste Land Ord of 1897 and loss of life b) compensation for the Indian indentured labour who had been subjected to exploitation from 1830s to 1948 and ill- treatment by low wages and despicable living conditions as British citizens and leaving them behind as a destitute and a stateless lot and C) the catastrophic political and economic problems willfully left behind by the British for the government of Sri Lanka.
14) Taking action to seek redress and compensation from the British Government for the native Kandyan Sinhalese as well as the laborers of Indian origin for violation of their human rights by the British colonial Government from 1815-1948.
15) Taking action to seek compensation for the destruction done by the colonial rulers to the forest, rivers, water, land and biodiversity and the havoc done in the downstream areas by flood due to largescale deforestation on the highlands.
16. Taking action to return the land confiscated by the British to their original owners
The Project area covers 1/3 the area of the Island also 1/3 the population of the country.
That also means 1/3 the voters of the country. So obviously the government that implement this programe will firstly, go down in history as the only Government that has addressed the problems of the forgotten Kandyan people and that did justice by them at last. As such the people of this area will decide as to who should govern the country in future.
Annex 1V
Head Office of the Ministry and the Adhikaariya Office
It is proposed that the Head office of this Ministry and the Authority should be located in Kandy being the central place of the mandated area considering the ease of delivery of services to people from an operational angle and easy access to the people in the periphery on the other hand. Space for this office could be provided in the present CPPC building office at Pallekele after the abolition of the Provincial Counsil system
Staff of the Ministry and the Authority
The Secretary of the Ministry who will have authority over all activities of the Ministry and the Authority will also function as the Director General who will coordinate the work of the 3 Divisions of the Authority stated below.+
Staff of the Ministry and the Authority will be kept at a bare minimum at the beginning
Board of Directors
It will be headed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of KRDP who shall be an officer of Cabinet Secretary rank (SLAS)
The Ministry and the Secretariat will function from Kandy once the Cabinet paper is approved
Implementation of this programme (other than the settlement Development Programe vide item 2 above) in all three provinces will be carried out through the district administration and other government departments where the GAA/District Secs, Divisional Secs and Graama Sevaa Niladharis will act as the coordinating officers of the activities of the Authority in their respective divisions. The services of field officers of the line ministries and departments at field level will be coordinated by the Divisional Sec and Grama Seva Niladharies
(All legislative enactments Statutes enacted exclusively for the estate Tamil community of Indian origin only, will stands repealed. Ministries and all statutory organization including the Ministry for Hill Country Village and Infrastructure Development (with a ten-year special development Project with UNDP funds obtained as loans exclusively to develop the Tamil settlements on the hills), and the Upcountry new Village Development Authority etc should be abolished with immediate effect.
All funds asset allocated to these institutions should be transferred to the New KARDA. (Kandyan Area Rehabilitation and Development Authority)
This Authority will operate as the sole legal Authority that deals with settlement of people living in the Kandyan provinces in future. The funds lying in banks and all assets belonging to them will also be transferred to the Fund of the KARDA immediately
Special Advisory Committee/ Board Members Few proposed names
Prof Gerald Peiris (Emeritus-Geography)
Prof C.M Madduma bandaara (Former Vice Chancellor University of Peradeniya)
Mr. Senaka Weraratna Attorney at Law
Dr. Garvin Karunaratna (Settlement and Rural Industries Expert) and any other 3 persons well versed Finance, (say Treasury rep) Livestock sector and minor cash crops as decided by the Minister in charge of the Ministry.