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Ancient
and Pre-Colonial Sri Lanka:
Attitudes
to Bribery, Corruption and Other Social Evils
K
N O Dharmadasa
Abstract
This
article is an attempt to explore references to instances of
bribery, corruption and alcohol abuse in ancient Sri Lanka.
The citations are from classical Sinhala texts and the Pali
Buddhist texts produced in the island from about sixth century
to fifteenth century CE. Also, we have a tenth century inscription
providing a glimpse into such malpractices perpetrated by
royal officials. The edificatory Buddhist texts, in Pali and
Sinhala, narrating legendary stories containing such practices
could well be critiques of contemporary social evils. On the
whole, however, those social evils appear to have been few
and far between because of the decisive role played by Buddhism
in moulding personal and social behaviour.
Governance
and the Electoral Processes in India’s North East
Monirul
Hussain
Abstract
The
North East of India is a strategically important region surrounded
by China, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan and connected with
the rest of India through a narrow corridor and a precarious
communication network. It is home to several national minorities/ethnic
groups belonging to different races, religions, colours, cultural
persuasions and linguistic groups which stand at uneven levels
of socioeconomic, cultural and political development. A similar
unevenness is also apparent of their integration and identification
with the pan-Indian nationalism.
The
first part of this article attempts to give a broad picture
of the state of politics and governance in North East India
in general and Assam in particular. The second part analyses
the relationship between governance and the electoral process.
Tamils in Ancient and Medieval Sri Lanka: The Historical
Roots of Ethnic Identity
Sirima
Kiribamune
Abstract
The
ethnic conflict between the Sinhalese and Tamils in Sri Lanka
has proliferated a vast literature. Interested parties on
both sides of the divide have tried to use the past to legitimise
different standpoints. This article attempts to set the record
straight from a historian’s point of view.
The
archaeological evidence of the pre-Christian period is important
for an understanding of cultural identities and the perceptions
of the early Pali chronicles of Sri Lanka provide certain
insights to the problems of ethnic identity and its historical
roots.
It
is suggested that the Tamil community in Sri Lanka was the
result of peaceful migration, trade contact, political domination
and military recruitment. There was a continuous process of
absorption of these people into the macro-culture which began
to stall with the large influx of Tamils as mercenaries in
the 8th and 9th centuries and the Cola occupation of Sri Lanka
at the end of the 10th century. The invasion of Magha with
South Indian troops brought the relationship between the Sinhalese
and the Tamils under severe strain and finally the emergence
of a Tamil dynasty under Pandyan hegemony in the 14th century
became a rallying point for the Tamils of Sri Lanka. The mutual
cultural influences between the two communities, Sinhalese
and Tamil, are a noteworthy feature of this relationship.
A
Sociological Analysis of Political Actors and Power Networks
in Pakistan
Rasul
Bakhsh Rais
Abstract
The
article looks at four major political actors—military,
religious groups, mainstream political parties and ethnic
outfits. It examines their political visions, social support
base and how they interact with one another. The main argument
is that the military has been and continues to be a dominant
player in Pakistani politics. It has grown more confident
about its ability to rewrite the fundamental principles of
the Constitution and reshape political institutions according
to its view of good politics. None of the other three has
posed any real challenge to the military; rather a larger
section of them has preferred to be co-opted than confront
it. Political parties have some constituency, but their roots
are shallow. Nor have ethnic groups or religious parties been
able to attract wider support in the society. The present
military regime using liberal concepts of devolution and grass-root
democracy has entirely changed the political system of the
1973 Constitution, which is closer to the executive presidency
than the parliamentary system. We also speculate whether or
not the present system would continue when the present leadership
of the military is gone.
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Ethnic
Studies Report Abstracts: Vol XXII No. 1