Proposed Action Plan to develop Kandyan Areas

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Submitted by the Mahanuwara Sinhala Bauddha Jesta Purawesiyange Sanvidhanaya

Dr Sudath Gunasekara President 20th July 2015.

Introduction

For Kandyan Sinhalese who lived on this land for millennia from the dawn of history the Kandyan Kingdom was their beloved land inherited from their ancestors. It was taken over by force by the British in 1815.This was the land their ancestors lost for the British and on which they died in battle in tens of thousands in defense of the motherland. This is the only land on this planet where they have to fall back and pray and get buried when they die.

Now let us first take a closer look at how the successive Governments have treated the sons of the soil since the country got Independence in 1948. Although Kandyan Peasantry Commission Report of 1951 prepared by few patriotic Sinhala leaders was a Magnum Opus on the problems of the Kandyan Peasants that included proposals for the alleviation of their problems and a department of KPR was formed in late fifties it was a lame duck that had no power, money or political will and backing to implement an effective development plan that could have covered at least 5% of recommendations in the KPC Report. Though the report had been in existence for 64 years since it was published in 1951 the KPR Department has failed miserably to alleviate grievances of the Kandyan Peasants up to date. Finally it was wounded up in Jan 2014.

Thus all Governments since Independence have failed to address the historical injustices done to these heroic people. They have failed to carry out any meaningful work to alleviate their basic problems like abject poverty, landlessness and malnutrition and infrastructure needs like housing, roads, irrigation, health facilities and schools of these people. .

Besides not taking any interest in the Kandyan people isn’t it a big tragedy that none of these politicians including the present Minister of Plantations have been able to grasp the seriousness of these problems. On the other hand the present Government has created four Ministries to look after the South Indian plantation community who were brought here in the latter part of the 18^th century to work on British owned plantations who only toiled like slaves to earn a living for themselves which they repatriated to India while the British filled their coffers of England

Ministries created to look after labourers of Indian origin by this Government

1 Ministry of Plantation

2 Ministry of Plantation infra Structure Development

(both Cabinet rank)

3 State Ministry of Plantations and

State Ministry for estate Education

This Government also has appointed four Ministers for these Ministries, two holding Cabinet rank.

While the Government gives preferential treatment to 7 lacks Indian estate labouers in this manner it has shamelessly betrayed and forgotten 7 million sons of the soil- the Kandyan Peasants by not having a single Ministry to attend to their rehabilitation. At least it should have re-established the KPR that was closed down in 2014.

Meanwhile the present Govt has already deployed an intensive development programme for the estate Tamils under the proposed ‘social development of the plantation community’ programme. Under this plan present Government is planning to dig and disturb the already fragile highlands which the British had ruined for centuries and thereby destroy even the remaining little physical stability of the heartland of this Island nation that decides the fate of the entire life system in this country.

For the native Sinhalese on the other hand who had been here from the dawn of history, whose ancestors died in tens of thousands in battle against the invaders in defense of their motherland, after 443 years of subjugation, exploitation colonial depredation and bitter struggle to liberate their motherland in search of freedom this is how all Governments have treated over the years.

Proposed Action Plan to Rehabilitate and Develop Kandyan Areas

Therefore we strongly suggest that the Government should immediately Re-establish the Kandyan Peasantry Development Authority as recommended by the KPC in 1951. Setting up this Authority should be the first logical step under this programme. It should also come directly under the Head of the State with sweeping powers and resources (of course with additional power and new mandate to enable it to resolve the current situation). Their problems that need to be addressed include areas like landlessness, roads, poverty, education, health and socio-economic as listed in more detail by the KPC.

In the process,

First, declare the Central Hill Country above 5000 ft Msl as a strictly reserved forest and a protected area. Even on land below 5000ft all new development activities that disturb the forests, rivers and the land and soil on these fragile hills has to be strictly controlled. It is better to confine tea to mid and low country in future. Even here an aggressive soil conservation programme needs to be adhered to, to arrest further soil erosion and degradation of natural resources. Restoring the physical stability of the Hill Country therefore should be the priority number one of all development in this country as it forms the bedrock on which rests the survival of the entire life system and the civilization in this country

Second, and foremost is the need to solve the problems of the Kandyan peasants, the true sons of the soil, taking the recommendations of the KPC Report as the basis and

Third, Formulate an Estate Village Integration programme through a mixed settlement system where Sinhalese and Tamils who get citizenship under the Nehru-Kotalawala Pact will live together thus paving the way for permanent social integration as one nation and put an end to Sinhala Tamil dichotomy forever in central Sri Lanka. And in the long run they will cease to be Indian anymore and be an integral part of the Sri Lankan society like the Karave and Halagama people.

In my opinion this should be adopted by Parliament as a State policy in this country, at least now.

Objectives

1 Rectifying the historical injustice done to the sons of the soil – Kandyans (amounting to about 7 million) by the British and the post Independent Sri Lankan Governments.

2 Rehabilitation and Development of both Physical (Land, Forest and Water resources) and Human resources (Economic and Socio-cultural) of the Central Hill Country, the Geographical HEARTLAND of this Island Nation and its entire peripheral region.

3 Enhancing and improving the water resources of Sri Lanka for Agriculture, Industries and Hydro power potential through better water shed area management

4 Finding solutions to Landlessness and unemployment among the Kandyan peasants and providing better employment opportunities for all including the estate sector

5 implementation of a well designed Village Estate Integration Programme with the twin objectives of inventing an appropriate development model to the central hill country and finding a permanent solution to the Estate Tamil problem in Sri Lanka.

In sum this package envisages a holistic and integrated approach in watershed management, economic and socio-cultural development and social integration in the Geographical HEARTLAND of the Island

This gigantic task includes the rehabilitation of the entire Hill Country and its peripheral areas destroyed and devastated by the British Colonial invaders over a period of 133 years and that is being continued to date by their local agents and the forces left behind when they left the Island in 1948,

Firstly, the proposed action plan will directly and immediately benefit the entire populace of five Districts namely Kandy, Matale, N’Eliya, Badulla and Monaragala with every landless Kandyan Peasant family getting a plot of land.

Secondly, it will include a broad development package covering economic, social and cultural spheres that had been overlooked for the past 64 years since Independence so that people of this region will also reach equal status with those in the other parts of the country.

Finally, the spillover benefits of increased perennial water resources will usher in a new era of agricultural and industrial development in the country.

Proposed Institutional arrangement

Setting up the Kandyan Areas Development Authority (KADA) Udarata Sanwardhana Adhikariya- USA) proposed by the Kandyan Peasantry Rehabilitation Commission of 1951.

(This should be set up directly under the Prime Minister with special powers as stipulated by the KPC Commission 1951with suitable adjustments to suit the present situation and it should be amalgamated with the HADABIMA Authority of Sri Lanka)

Areas of development

Rehabilitation of Land, Forest, Water and People (Declare all land >5000 as Strictly Reserved Forests)

Divisions,

1Forestry and Land rehabilitation

2Plantation, Tea-Plantations, Coop Estates and Small holdings:

3Agricultural Diversification Coffee, Cloves, Pepper Nutmeg Cardamom Under Village Expansion-Mixed settlement

4 Citizenship temporary. {Nehru-Kotalawala Agreement 1954)

5 Animal husbandry and horticulture

6 Infrastructure: Housing, Roads-Irrigation works, Health, Education, Mini Hydro

(Each Division should be put in charge of a subject specialist in the respective field))

KADA-Board

1 Chairman should be a Ministry Secretary level Officer