Towards a Civilization State
October 2, 2016, 12:00 pm
A book by Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekara
A COMMENT BY PROF. G.L. PEIRIS
Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekara’s work, ‘Towards a Civilization State’, is a very timely analysis of the multiple crises in which our society is at present embroiled. The central aim of the book is an assiduous search for the roots of a culture which needs to be rediscovered and revived as the only meaningful way forward.
The author presents cogently the nature and magnitude of the crisis: an agenda driven by foreign forces, in concert with local collaborators, to bring about nothing short of destruction of the civilization which has nurtured our society for generations.
The Constitution now being drafted is identified as the centerpiece of these initiatives. The writer comments on the accompanying components of the strategy. A two-thirds majority in Parliament is to be cobbled together by bringing into Parliament candidates decisively rejected by the people; by Members of Parliament elected by voters specifically to oppose the policies of the UNP ending up as instruments for the implementation of those very policies. These contradictions are aggravated by the myth of what Dr. Amarasekara derisively describes as a ‘pseudo-consensus government’ which really represents the use of the SLFP as an appendage of the UNP to give effect to the core programmes of the latter; by the bizarre spectacle of an Official Opposition which, quite patently, is a creature of the Government; by the leadership of the SLFP being the most prominent presence at the celebration of anniversaries of the UNP; and by the emergence of a situation in which not one local authority elected by the people is functioning and, what is more, no one is able to say when the elections will be held.
The extent of the malaise, then, is apparent. Critical scrutiny of the underlying causes is the main thrust of Dr. Amarasekara’s thesis.
The author finds the principal element of the explanation not in the foibles or idiosyncrasies of individuals but in systemic anomalies of institutions left behind by the British, at the end of colonial rule, as their lingering legacy. These consist of the Party system, the Westminster style Parliament, and a particular interpretation of the democratic process. These are all firmly rooted in British social and cultural conditions, as they evolved over centuries. Isolated from these contextual factors, the institutions themselves have been subject to abuse and manipulation, of a degree which has resulted in total erosion of public confidence in the integrity of our political culture.
At a time of great turmoil in every sector of public life, there is clearly much force in Dr. Amarasekara’s central contention that the need of the hour is to revisit the foundations of our heritage. He places emphasis on the hallowed tripod – the King, the Sangha and the People – which formed the essence of the Buddhist Polity, as epitomized in the Ashokhan State. The Maha Sangha, in the pristine civilization of the Anuradhapura era and beyond, never exercised political power directly or in their own right, but was fundamentally influential in offering counsel and guiding the hand of the ruler.
The author reminds us that King Dutugemunu, in a famous utterance, insisted that he went to war not for self-gratification or the enjoyment of regal opulence but for the protection of the Buddha Sasana. This is a reflection of the Ashokhan ideal which is characterized by Max Weber as "a patriarchal, ethical and charitable ideal of a welfare society".
Dr. Amarasekera demonstrates, analytically as well as by reference to precedent, that a State is woefully incomplete without deep consciousness of the wellsprings of its civilization. This is brought out powerfully in the observation by Martin Jaques, quoted by the author, that, as a concrete example, "When the Chinese use the term ‘China’, they are not usually referring to the country or nation so much as Chinese civilization – its history, the dynasties, Confucius, the way of thinking, the role of government, the relationships and customs, the family and values". Confucius pointed out that the roots of China’s distinctive concept of education and parenting lie deep in its civilizational past.
Dr. Amarasekara’s line of argument derives vigorous support from the empirical evidence presented by K. Saver, in his work ‘Dharmic Society’, in support of his assertion that a society founded upon firm conceptual bases had indeed been constructed and nourished in the countries now known as Sri Lanka, Burma and Cambodia. It is this valuable aspect of human experience, the author reflects, that is masked by the Western concept of a ‘universal civilization’ and by the ‘one size fits all’ myth.
A long intellectual tradition imparts vibrancy to the author’s thesis. It is of special interest to note that Dr. Amarasekara’s previous work, "I Saw the Glimmer of Dawn in the Midst of Darkness", was published seven years before the appearance of Samuel Huntington’s celebrated work, ‘The Clash of Civilizations’, in book form.
Dr. Amarasekara usefully traces the development of the ideological tradition of Jathika Chinthana in Sri Lanka. Its initial impetus came from the inspiring work of Anagarika Dharmapala without whom, the author trenchantly points out, there would have been no SLFP. He refers to Dr. Ananda Guruge’s account of the Anagarika’s travels through the villages of Sri Lanka with H.S. Olcott, and the subsequent work of writers like Martin Wickramasinghe, representing continuity of this indigenous tradition.
The author, in his current book, explores in greater depth some of the themes which he previously addressed two years ago, in his work, "Was Anagarika Dharmapala A Marxist"? With great relevance, he observes that the foreboding to which he gave expression in that work, regarding the unprecedented crisis which our country would inevitably face if it continued to tread the same perilous path, is sadly but amply vindicated by contemporary happenings.
The writer persuasively recommends a way out of the woods. An essential ingredient of this prescription is the Grama Rajya concept outlined by the Institute for Participatory Interaction in Development, in their work, ‘Democracy and Governance in Sri Lanka’. This concept of political power emanating from the grass roots and extending upwards from layer to layer until it reaches the apex of the constitutional structure, certainly has resonance in the setting of the ongoing debate on constitutional reform.
Highly pertinent in this context, Dr. Amarasekara, throughout his treatise, underlines the reality that any political or social transformation must, of necessity, have strong cultural underpinnings. What we would otherwise have is a mere veneer, bereft of substance.
From this perspective, he sets out succinctly a series of irreducible features of the genuine Civilization State. The economic dimension receives appropriate emphasis. The writer accords paramount importance to the overarching edifice of the Welfare State, not merely in terms of aspiration but in the practical mechanics of delivery. Of particular interest is his exegesis on distinct models for the accomplishment of social equity, identified and evaluated by Professor Ralph Pieris, one of the pre-eminent sociologists of our time. Dr. Amarasekara’s withering criticism of privatization ideology, again a subject of intense debate in our country at present, certainly carries conviction.
No one who attended the launch of Dr. Amarasekara’s book on 13th September could have failed to be struck by the unmitigated enthusiasm with which the work was received. This response came from Sri Lanka’s leading intellectuals, among clergy and laity alike, who packed the hall, not leaving a single seat unoccupied and even making it necessary for many to be content with standing accommodation. This, to my mind, is the most telling evidence of the reaction by the thinking, reflecting, discriminating segments of our society to the current governance of this nation by its present day rulers