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PROFILE: London Bridge is down

17 Sep 2022

By Rajasinghe Within minutes of Queen Elizabeth II’s death at Balmoral Castle – the holiday residence of British Royals in Scotland – her Private Secretary activated the meticulous funeral and succession ceremonies, which had been planned several decades ago and were updated again this year. They began with the code words ‘London Bridge is down,’ which were humming across the global communication system to world leaders within minutes. The first to get the message was the newly-appointed British Prime Minister, Liz Truss. This was followed by messages to the heads of state of the Commonwealth countries. President Ranil Wickremesinghe was among the earliest to be so informed, marking the close relationship between our two countries and the warm regard the late Queen and the new King, Charles III, held for Sri Lanka. The British sovereign is also the head of the Commonwealth, which grew from eight white nations during the time of her father to 36, including Asian, African, and other newly-liberated countries of the British Empire. This change was symbolised when the Queen famously danced the waltz with the rebellious Ghanaian Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah soon after Ghana became an independent nation.   The Queen, Sri Lanka, and Kotelawala   Sri Lanka was well known to Queen Elizabeth. In 1954, the young Queen Elizabeth, just four years after her coronation, visited Sri Lanka with her husband Prince Philip during the regime of Sir John Kotelawala. Kotelawala (JLK) was well known as an opponent of communism and an admirer of the West. Perhaps this visit was designed to bolster his image as a ‘freedom lover’ at a time when newly-independent nations tended to turn left. In Bandung, JLK was to challenge Chinese Leader Zhou Enlai and earn a rebuke from Jawaharlal Nehru. But his phrase, probably coined by Esmond Wickremesinghe, ‘Colonialism in all its manifestations,’ entered the political lexicon after many years of anti-imperialism talk. If the West thought that it was helping Kotelawala by sending the Queen and later US Vice President Richard Nixon to enjoy his famous egg hopper hospitality at Kandawala, it was badly mistaken. The left, as well as the incipient nationalists, pilloried him. He was called ‘Bandung Booruwa’ by Colvin R. de Silva and the name stuck since it was circulated by the D.B. Dhanapala-led Lankadeepa newspaper, which was the main contributor to Kotelawala’s historic defeat and S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike’s victory of 1956. One of the early acts of the Oxford-educated Bandaranaike was to kick out the British Army from Trincomalee and with great glee pull down the Union Jack. Ironically, his widow Sirimavo, when threatened by a military coup led by her kinsman F.C. de Saram, had to turn to the Ceylon Air Force Commander who was a British officer, since she was not sure of the affiliations of the ‘nationalist’ Sri Lankan military.  She retained Elizabeth as the country’s monarch till 1973, when Sri Lanka became a republic under the Colvin-Doric Constitution. The Queen remained as our Head of the Commonwealth. This was a formula adopted by Nehru, who was an anglophile and wanted to retain the age-old connection for the newly-emancipated Indian Republic.   Fascination with Sri Lanka   There were many reasons for the young Queen to be fascinated by Sri Lanka. Her husband Prince Philip, who was in the Royal Navy before he married her, had spent some time here during the war in Trincomalee. The car he drove from Colombo to Trincomalee is still an exhibit at one of our hotels. Philip’s uncle, the éminence grise of the Royal Family, was Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was stationed in Kandy during the Second World War as the Head of South East Asia Command (SEAC). He was a lover of our country and was always available to lend a helping hand. Professor G.P. Malalasekera, who was our High Commissioner in London, would reminisce how Mountbatten helped to release the elephants in Whipsnade Zoo for a Buddhist procession in the streets of London to exhibit the sacred Buddhist relics lodged in the British Museum, which were returned to Sri Lanka. They had been deposited there by the Archaeological Commission of India under John Marshall during colonial times [King Charles’ grandson has been named Prince Louis after Louis Mountbatten]. While the Queen, who was on a week-long tour of the country, visited Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, and Sigiriya, Prince Philip was invited to see the magnificent campus that was built in Peradeniya. It is a little-known fact that the Public Works Department, which was under Kotelawala, was instrumental in building this remarkable centre of learning. JLK was also the minister who lit up the steep climb to Adam’s Peak with electricity generated from the Laxapana Power Station. Philip visited the campus and declared the administration block, which was already functioning, as ‘more open than usual’. The brains behind this unusual opening ceremony was Sir Ivor Jennings, who had selected the phrase used by English small traders who kept their shops open even on the Sabbath and national holidays. An amused Philip went along with this invention of the Vice Chancellor. Many Sri Lankans who met the Queen in the UK spoke of her concern, especially during the tsunami when she personally sponsored relief initiatives. Her second visit was during the tenure of President J.R. Jayewardene (JRJ) when she inspected the Victoria Dam – a project which was one of the biggest in the history of bilateral assistance. In a way, it was a symbol of the West’s faith in JRJ, who was reputed in TIME magazine to be the first Asian leader to ‘roll back socialism’.   End of an era   The end of Elizabeth’s 70-year reign marks the end of an era. The new King Charles, who also knows Sri Lanka well, faces new challenges – not the least of which is the growing anti-monarchist sentiments of a new generation. During his mother’s time, many Third World countries escaped from the yoke of colonialism. The British and their Queen were astute enough to incorporate them in a newly-minted Commonwealth, which gave them the strength to punch well above their weight in global affairs. Now the British Union itself is under threat. Scotland, which features so heavily in the funeral ceremonies, is straining at the leash. The Scottish Parliament has a majority of members who want independence. Brexit has ignited fears in North Ireland and just across the border is the Irish Republic, which looks to the European Union for safety and economic growth. In the UK, Parliament is in chaos as prime ministers have short tenures and another election in which Labour is fancied to win looms large. King Charles has a tough job ahead of him. But some of us in Sri Lanka, especially those who have been privileged to know him and appreciate his endearing qualities, will no doubt wish him well.  

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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!


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