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Kultur Dokumente
by L. Vijayanathan - on 06/03/2015
challenging task. There are different reasons attributed for this mainly from
the RPCs. High labour costs and maintenance of non-working population by
the limited productive labour force in the plantations has been few of the
complaints by the RPCs unaddressed. On the other hand burden remains
with the RPCs though not effectively to support the welfare of the estate
residents that continue to be obscure ending up with no bodys
responsibility.
In a seminar sometime back on Facilitating the Service Provision to Estate
Communities one of the prominent planters shared a point that out of the
total resident population of around 800,000 only 200,000 are employed in
the plantations. There is an increasing attempt by the youth to exit the
plantation economic activities finding greener pastures driving the
plantations to a greater risk. While the figures may not be so accurate but
what it can indicate is that there is an increasing tendency to migrate out of
the plantation system. In the same seminar it was brought to the notice
out of a research project that the term estate Tamils demotivates the
young to be within the plantation system.
When inquiring in to the issues hindering transformation of the PC to cling
into development mode if not to attain on par status with the rest in the
country, the above gave a background setting of the PCs and their life.
Pursuing the question I would like to ponder in to several parameters in line
with the imperatives that need political overhauling with some dedication
and prudence.
Development of a Community will be advanced by many factors; key
among them will be education, resourceful skills of the population, access
to land and capital for economic activity, access to meaningful employment
in the region or elsewhere and many more. If one looks at these factors or
more and map with the plantation system it becomes obvious that the PC is
far behind in reaching these critical factors.
Interventions on social welfare in this sector population have always been
external in a supply mode with a dependency syndrome. Basic human
needs such as food, housing and shelter have been addressed by an
external intervention through structured institutional framework with the
participation of management and the state apparatus for many years. Upon
fulfilment of such basic necessities the plantation management moves to
justify a content workforce expecting returns in the form of high
productivity and obedient labour force. Trade unions play a justifiable role in
maintaining that order with a monitor role bridging the worker and
management. This was the style in the plantation system over several
decades. Supply of the basic needs and Improvement to the living
Trade Unions and the Trade Unions would never dilute those contours that
support their dominance.
It is abundantly clear that the economic development and social
empowerment of the PC has been affected with above predicament in place
for a long time with no concrete efforts by any of the main actors involved
with the PC. To make matters worse is the political regression with no vision
and or concerted efforts to readdress the situation.
With to my indicated position in the first paragraphs of this memoir that a
complete overhauling of political dimensions for the PC is needed for a
holistic development of the community, I would further like to rationalize
my supposition from as seen prevalent with the PC that needs a change
preferably immediate.
Political determinants to development and its status
A retired civil servant and a senior writer Neville Jayaweera in one of his
memoirs analysed the two main types of political leaderships. Most
commonly seen are those who ride on the popular mood of the masses to
attain his or her goals of power and then keep it going without making
changes. He describes that such leaderships are like surfers ride the waves.
They keep changing as per the mood of the masses and take advantage of
the state apparatus to keep such a mood without seeking to change it. This
type of politicians are common in south Asian region. There is No vision for
the masses they seek to dominate and rule upon or is there any effort to
transcend to bring about positive changes in the life of the people. On the
other hand the masses too are weak and only seek to fulfil their immediate
needs. As a general measure it can be seen that political offices and
officials chose to address reparation of existing housing, provision of water
lines and sanitation facilities, support child care centres, support to worship
places, support youth clubs with sportswear and materials. These are handouts that are given by politicians local and others to keep the momentum
going for them. Therefore one could see that in the plantation regions it is
rather easy to ride on popular mood since the masses do not seek to
transform their life in to higher order and bring about a change within them
and the society. There seems to be NO PUSH from the community. Long
isolation and plantation raj system of governance have suppressed the
community from voicing their rights or concerns and deprived status. Their
popular demand will be to address their immediate needs rather than to
seek for interventions that will transform their life to higher order. On the
other hand the TUs and or political movements be it a national or regional
have not raised a discontent (except during disenfranchisement period) in
the line of development needs and political emancipation of the community.
This situation allows the political leaderships to keep riding on the PC as far