Gajalakshmi Paramasivam – 27 October  2015

Gotabaya Rajapaksa & Karuna Amman

Democracy Going with the wind

The Hindu report headed ‘Ex-LTTE Commander Karuna To Join Pro-India TULF’ brought to mind the Sinhalese saying ‘Vaasi Pathatta Hoiah’ – (Vaasi=Easy; Pathatta=side; Hoiah=tassels in the cap). As per Uthayan Newspaper:

[2004 ஆம் ஆண்டு  தமிழினத்தின் போராட்ட வரலாற்றில் மிகப்பெரிய துரோகம் நிகழப்பெற்ற ஆண்டாகும். அந்தத் துரோகமானது சிங்கள தேசத்துக்குப் பெரியதொரு வாய்ப்பை ஏற்படுத்தியிருந்தது. இதற்கு சூத்திரதாரியென இன்றைய பிரதமரான ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்கவைத் தமிழர் தரப்பு எண்ணியிருந்தது. விடுதலைப் புலிகளின் கிழக்கு மாகாணத்தின் கட்டளைத் தளபதி என அழைக்கப்பட்ட மட்டக்களப்பு கிரானைச் சேர்ந்த கருணாஅம்மான் என அழைக்கப்பட்டு வரும் விநாயகமூர்த்தி முரளிதரனின் துரோகச் செயல்களும் அவர் மேற்கொண்டிருந்த படுகொலைகளும் உலகத் தமிழர்களால் மறக்க முடியாததும் மன்னிக்க முடியாததும் ஆகும்.]

[The year 2004 was the year in which the worst act of disloyalty happened in the history of the Tamil struggle. That act of disloyalty became a great opportunity to the Sinhalese Nation. Tamils  accused today’s prime minister the Hon Ranil Wickremesinghe  as the causer of this. The Disloyalty and the Killings of  Eastern Commander of the LTTE  Vinayagasmoorthi Muraleetharan, known as Karuna Amman – cannot be forgotten nor forgiven by Global Tamils]

If this were indeed true – then Global Tamils had/have  the duty to  publicly condemn ‘Disloyalty and/or Murders’ by any Tamil – including within LTTE’s Northern Leadership. Any Tamil who condemns Karuna has the Responsibility to first dismiss from her/his mind all victories in the battlefield due to Karuna. That would help us embrace the path of Truth. We need to question also -  the deservedness of the Northern LTTE Leaders who recruited Karuna and promoted him to the high position.

I myself met Karuna in 2003 through a UNDP project.  Since as per my own assessment -  I have been an Observer of the LTTE from a higher position – I observed Karuna on the same basis as other LTTE Leaders whom I happened to meet. As a leader – he demonstrated control over his men. I learnt that he had deep intuition about war in his ‘home-territory’. I wrote a couple of days back  ‘The parallel of Mecca happened to Batticaloa in Eastern Sri Lanka during Tsunami Act of God.  Karuna Amman – who defected from the LTTE in 2004 became ‘foreign’ to Jaffna Tamils of Northern Sri Lanka. The timing of major events that personally affect us – would show us the connection.’

We seem to often ‘forget’ that Truth has its own pathway and whenever Its members have a need, Truth manifests Itself. The only pathway through which Jaffna Tamils got to know Karuna was through his performance in Battlefield – under Northern LTTE structure. In terms of  social culture – Batticaloa Tamils rank lower than Trinco Tamils and higher than Hill Country Tamils in the mind of the Jaffna Tamils. I do not know of a Sri Lankan Law or Global Law that makes it illegal to  so rank on the basis of culture. Countries like Australia where majority are migrants need laws to prevent such influence. But countries like India and Sri Lanka – with very low percentage of migrants need to preserve Human Hierarchy through the subjective system.

When Karuna submitted to  the Rajapaksa Government in 2004 – he did not take with him just the winning skills. He took also  the ‘curse’ of the Northern LTTE. In turn LTTE by failing to eliminate Karuna – confirmed that their elimination of Tamil Politicians – claiming that they were disloyal – was FALSE. Thus LTTE manifested its own ugliness in 2004 itself. Their return came through Karuna himself who empowered the Rajapaksa Regime to eliminate Northern LTTE from then on – the final blow coming in 2009.

There is a ‘human system’ and there is Truth. Where we know that our ‘system’ is lower or higher than that of another group in our environment – and we seek equality - we need to be driven by Truth to come to Zero Base start – as in rebirth. This is not easy for those who have invested in the higher pathway – such as the National or Global  pathways. Foreign funders who ‘used’ the LTTE for their own selfish reasons – paying money,  made ‘servants’ of the LTTE.  Likewise, migrants who take welfare money without feeling Equal to senior migrants. By accepting such money the LTTE accepted their lower status. Karuna was first to declare freedom on that basis. One would find such ‘domestic’ minds playing the global game – through a submissive Diaspora – amongst the Sinhalese also. Just this morning one such coward wrote ‘I am away from home often on family-related matters’ when requested by a fellow member of the Sinhala Diaspora to organize a petition to the UN. Like girls and boys getting married and still clinging to the ‘family comforts’ of parents these guys desire the ‘benefits’ from both worlds. They are often allergic to ‘structures’. When blessed by a true elder  the structure goes with them.

As per my mind, taken as a total package –- a  Tamil has,  to her/his support -  stronger  culturally developed hierarchical system than Sinhalese. The Suya-Gowravam / Dignity of the Self - as been more strongly preserved by the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka – often resulting in invoking insecurity in members of the majority who get physically close to such Tamils. Northern LTTE by not surrendering but dying in the battlefield – have confirmed this. We may give up on ourselves and our Suya-Gowravam towards ‘free-floating’ benefits. But the true investments of ALL to whom a block of Land was/is ‘home’ will manifest the Truth to protect its Suya-Gowravam as Motherland – when there is even one individual at that time who is in need of such manifestation. I do not know about others but I needed this in my Motherland and Mother culture.

Like Scarlett O’Hara of Gone with the Wind – Karuna Amman was driven by the Business of armed struggle. He had more ‘freedom’ in the East towards this than Velupillai Prabhakaran had in North or Mahinda Rajapaksa had in Colombo. (As per latest news - President Maithripala Sirisena revealed on 22 October that there is a palace with luxury facilities thirty feet underneath the President's House located in Fort, Colombo.) Like Scarlett – Karuna disrespected People structures. How could Karana then be ‘judged’ by Jaffna Tamils who used him as a ‘servant’ instead of an Equal owner?

My mother said that once money influenced a relationship – family values got diluted. Often in People rich countries – Human Values become the end of relationships. Human Values bypass money values and we find it easier to relate as per positions. This was the strength of Jaffna Tamil relative not only to Southern Sinhalese but also all other Tamil Communities. Thesawalamai confirms this Human Value structure. Thesawalamai may not be actively used today. But the true value continues to support anyone whose actions fit Thesawalamai code.

Often Northern Tamils are accused of caste based excesses. But given that caste was part of the employment hierarchy – its net value is still positive where both sides are true to their respective ancestry. It’s not different to Aborigines v White Australians on the basis of work hierarchy. So long as it protects the WHOLE – the leadership in that hierarchy is ‘right’.

It is now reconstruction time in Sri Lanka and the worst affected areas are also the ones with least structure. Be it JVP or LTTE  - after a point – leaders abandoned the human value relationships with their cadre. Where the lower cadre were of socially lower hierarchy one needs a zero base start in any relationship. Majority Jaffna Tamils rely heavily on the caste system as it is convenient for them to do so. To the extent this is matched by the respective Human Value structure – it is their ‘right’ to take higher or lower position and face the consequences. The higher position has the responsibility to bless and not to fight as the Sinhalese Government keeps doing. Those who ‘train’ them to the higher level as per their current positions often encounter challenges due to lack of appropriate mind structure.

One such leading trainer – Fellow Australian  Dushan Perera who has been training youth from Jaffna at Iceman Technology in the Colombo suburb of Kandana – shared with us his insight into this need as follows:

‘The current day kids expect a full salary, even during the training period and that mentality will take a while to adjust’

To which, I responded as follows:

‘They also fail to respect their elders in the field because they have easy money from elsewhere.’

You have highlighted this with :

[It is better to get smaller refrigerated trucks if required by fisheries societies and they should not be given free of charge by NGO's]

To which, I responded as follows:

[I agree totally that funding ought to be on loan basis rather than ‘donation’ basis. Donations/Aid – weaken the natural structures in a particular area. ]

The Tamil Diaspora seriously damaged  the internal infrastructure of the Community by giving out easy-money towards ‘wins’ – in the business of war. We have learnt through experience that ‘Summa-money’ / welfare-money -  without a need – damages our Suya Gowravam. Truth leads us along the highest pathway possible for us and our group of Common Belief. Truth needs to be facilitated to lead. The UN could be such a facilitator for Sri Lankan leaders. But local leaders need to facilitate their own true spiritual leaders. This need not be religious leadership. This could be political or administrative leadership.

Karuna is a clever political businessman. That’s his natural makeup. He should not be judge through Jaffna eyes. We don’t need to promote him nor condemn him. LTTE  ought to have devolved power before 2004.  To the extent Batticaloa Tamils believed in Northern Hierarchy, Batticaloa’s compensation was facilitated by Tsunami Reconstruction Funds from the International Community. That is the way Truth compensates the truly needy group. Even India which facilitated the 13^th Amendment to the Constitution did not have this insight into the Tamil Community of Sri Lanka. How could one expect UN to win where India has failed? Truth never fails.