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Sri Lanka Modernization and Reform
According to Sri Lankan historian Zeylanicus, each of the
three epochs of European rule on the island lasted roughly 150
years, but rather than being assessed separately, these epochs
should be thought of collectively as a "mighty cantilever of time
with the Pax Britannica as the central pillar." Many British
institutions have survived and currently have a direct and
lasting influence on cultural and political events. Historian
E.F.C. Ludowyck concurs, stating that whatever the Portuguese and
Dutch did, the British improved upon. He attributed this
accomplishment to British grounding in liberalism, a belief in
the emancipation of slaves, the absence of religious persecution,
and conscious attempts to maintain good relations between the
rulers and the ruled.
When the British first conquered the maritime provinces of
Sri Lanka, the indigenous population of the island was estimated
at only 800,000. When the British left a century and a half
later, the population had grown to more than 7 million. Over a
relatively short period, the island had developed an economy
capable of supporting the burgeoning population. Roads, railways,
schools, hospitals, hydroelectric projects, and large welloperated agricultural plantations provided the infrastructure for
a viable national economy.
In the early years of British colonization, Sri Lanka was not
considered a great economic asset but was viewed instead almost
exclusively in terms of its strategic value. By the 1820s,
however, this perception was changing. As governor, Sir Edward
Barnes was responsible for consolidating British military control
over the Kandyan provinces through a program of vigorous road
construction. He also began experimenting with a variety of
commercial crops, such as coffee. These experiments provided the
foundation of the plantation system that was launched a decade
later. In administrative matters, the British were initially
careful not to change the existing social order too quickly and
were not inclined to mingle socially. A sharp distinction was
made between the rulers and the ruled, but in time the
distinction became less defined. The governor, who held all
executive and legislative power, had an advisory council made up
of colonial officials with top posts filled by members of a civil
service recruited in Britain. The governor was under the director
of the Colonial Office in London but was given whatever
discretionary powers he needed to balance the colony's budget and
to make sure that the colony brought in enough revenue to cover
its military and administrative expenses.
By the early 1830s, the British had almost finished
consolidating their position in Sri Lanka and began to take more
of an interest in securing the island's political stability and
economic profitability. A new wave of thought, influenced by the
reformist political ideology articulated by Jeremy Bentham and
James Mill, promised to change fundamentally Britain's
relationship to its colonies. Known as utilitarianism, and later
as philosophical radicalism, it promoted the idea of democracy
and individual liberty. This philosophy sponsored the idea of the
trusteeship, i.e., that new territories would be considered
trusts and would receive all the benefits of British liberalism.
These philosophical abstractions were put into practical use with
the recommendations of a commission led by W.M.G. Colebrooke and
C.H. Cameron. Their Colebrooke Report (1831-32) was an
important document in the history of the island. G.C. Mendis,
considered by many to be the doyen of modern Sri Lankan history,
considers the Colebrooke-Cameron reforms to be the dividing line
between the past and present in Sri Lanka.
Data as of October 1988
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