Too hot a climate?
Sri Lanka is and has, always been described in the most superlative terms. So, why is there such a craving to leave the country?
Everybody seems to be dreaming for this chance to go abroad.
I have a few hunches, which I have listed below. Please click a topic and see what I have to say...
Education?
Conflicts?
Corruption?
Economic reasons?
Political reasons?
Transportation?
Perhaps the desire is to travel to broaden the mind, as the saying goes. It is not only not a bad idea, but also something to be encouraged, and even funded by public funds.
This kind of travel and funding does occur in the case of higher education. Some do at their own expense. Unfortunately, not all the people who go abroad searching wisdom return to the country. There was a time when people had to sign bonds, legally binding contracts in order to get a chance to study abroad. For various reasons, people elected to dishonour the agreements and decide to stay away, even risking "persona non-grata" statuses.
Leaving that issue aside, if the paradise is here, why are so many Sri Lankans so keen to go abroad? They are prepared to go to any length, risking life and limb, to go abroad. What drives them to do so?
There have been a few notable conflicts in the recent past, which led to mass exoduses from the country. The first incident I can recall is the legislation to make Sinhala the only language of the country, in the 50's. Many Burghers migrated to countries like Australia and Canada.
The same issue saw Tamils migrating abroad.
Then, the 70's brought the first JVP insurrection. It was a "real" insurrection, meaning firearms and other "real" weapons were used in the conflict. I cannot definitely say whether the conflict drove anyone abroad. Perhaps it did.
Then came the black August incident in 1983, when large numbers of Tamil people were harassed and massacred in the name of an illusive nationalism. That incident saw an exodus that practically emptied the country of Tamil people. That gave a common vehicle for people to seek asylum in countries perhaps not even dreamt of before.
That was followed by the second JVP insurrection and the counter attack. During the period when the insurrection had the upper hand many potential, as well as imagined victims sought refuge in other countries. During the crackdown, which followed, JVP supporters, real and imaginary, sought refuge in other countries. So, that particular event spawned two migratory streams.
It is not to say people migrate in protest against corruption on principle. Perhaps some did, and will. A more likely reason would be by those affected in some way by the prevailing corrupt practices in the country, either as perpetrators or as victims.
What sort of corruption? Your imagination is perhaps better than mine!
Although safety of life and limb is paramount, economic reasons cannot be far behind as a cause for deciding to emigrate. This is specially so when the country is relatively free of violent conflict. As of now (06-01-2009), there is the ongoing conflict in the north. Yet, many people, Sinhalese included, still attempt, at great risk, to sail to other countries in search of better lives.
There are harrowing stories of the suffering of the people who find their way into these countries in search of such life.
No, this is not a case for pointing fingers or piling blame on anybody.
Living conditions are not getting easier for anybody these days, whether here in Europe, or in Sri Lanka. What makes the difference between here and there is the existence of a safety net, which guarantees a minimum life status for the citizens in Europe. This is also under great strain under economic pressures.
But, to get on to this net, one has to be legally registered. Things were easy at one time, but not any more. Domestic pressures pile up on Governments who are forced to toughen up on laws on immigration. The story is indeed very sad, looking from both sides of the divide.
Those who have successfully joined the mainstream are, very happy to mention, doing pretty well, in spite of language and cultural hurdles.
One cannot definitely say people do leave the country because of cultural conflicts. It did once, when Burghers decided to emigrate in the 50's and 60's. Still, from what I hear, they continue to cherish the lives they had in Sri Lanka. Though it is doubtful whether they would be enticed back to Sri Lanka by such nostalgic forces.
What seem to happen is, people, I know a few in UK, who returned to Sri Lanka, having uprooted themselves from UK, to lay their roots again in the home country, returning to UK claiming "we cannot fit in there", or "our children found it difficult over there...", and stories of that nature.
I too had plans of returning to Sri Lanka after my retirement. This plan has changed somewhat over the years. It is perhaps a dream I may not be able to realize. For several reasons:
I left Sri Lanka in 1973. It was a very easy-going, restful country at the time. I can remember the days when we would decide to, say over a weekend, to drive to Walawe, and set off on Friday night. A perfectly normal thing to do. There were friends who were willing and available for excursions of that sort.
The country - physically as well as demographically has changed a lot since. The familiar landmarks are gone. The culture is different. There is an uneasy feeling about traveling at night. More than anything - all the friends are no more free!
At old age there is the question of health. These are concentrated in Colombo. Would I retire to Colombo? Not likely to take up in the present frame of mind. I leave out what the rest of the family will say about this…
I am not sure whether this topic should come under "Conflicts". Well, now that I have opened it, I will continue. Why would anybody leave the country for political reasons?
Perhaps to avoid persecution? This is probably the quoted reason for applying for asylum: political asylum. The assumption is, when the causes for persecution fade away, the claimants would return to their home country. Many claim, especially by right wing politicians, that this system has been grossly abused. Perhaps there is truth in this claim. How can one be sure?
Marking time in a foreign country until the political climate is right for the moment to return, is another reason why people take up residence abroad. This type of emigration is quite well known, and happened in Sri Lanka too.
How would the countrymen view such transitions, for the leaders to stay away while the followers suffer in their homelands?
Just to point out that it happens at all levels, the Dutch royal family sought refuge in UK during the world war II, when The Netherlands was occupied by the German army.
This is the classic case of forced migration! One conduit ran from Africa to Americas, another from India to countries colonized by the British, then another from Britain to Australia.
I heard on the news last week (today is 06-01-2009), that another form of "transportation is being planned, or requested by US, from the Guantanamo Bay prison camp to Australia. Apparently the request has been turned down. Do I hear cries of "history repeats"??
While those who suffered the first two "transportations" continue to suffer no less, the last transportees were endowed with a continent for themselves!
So, is it a lost paradise then?