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Jetwing Jaffna |
Governor or CEO?
Last night, our son Pradeep forwarded to me
the report about the opening of their Jaffna branch from Jetwing Hotels. To me
part of the motivating power is his heritage from me and through me my investment
in Travel Industry. When I worked at Air Lanka, the institution became part of
our family –not just through my work but through the social events held at our
home. Thus Air Lanka staff became our relatives. Later – through Air Lankan
common values – as developed and shaped through that group – which included
Singapore Airlines mangers also – we became higher relatives to each other.
This is the value of higher institutions. They become part of the biological family
– even if it is seen through only one person - myself. In terms of Air Lanka –
we have many such persons including in my immediate family – starting with my
children. When I therefore received the above email – I felt appreciated for my
investment in Air Lanka – a place that I have not been physically part of since
1982 when I left Sri Lanka – to earn more money to build a home in Sri Lanka.
Later when I was invited by some of those
Air Lanka relatives to be part of the 25th Anniversary celebrations,
the deepest contribution I made was to reject my gift of honor on the basis
that the then managers failed to recognize the pioneers who groomed us but were
no longer alive. I became a nobody like them – even though I was physically
present there. I gave up my share of current benefits and thus became a heritage
owner like our ancestors. Even though I did not do it for that purpose – I had
the experience as if I was the whole of Air Lanka and not just a part allocated
by the current custodians of power to me.
To my mind, the current problems faced by Sri Lankan Airlines is due to their
forgetfulness of this heritage – including at employee level. The current
government in turn is promoting its own persons to write reports without any
recognition of this ‘forgetfulness’ by current activists.
The above happened in 2004. By then I had completed
my relativity with the University of NSW and become an owner – even though I
myself did not fully recognize this higher status until much later. The
indicators were there – with both Chancellors of my time – Sir Anthony Mason followed
Dr. John Yu – expressing in action their support for me – even though I
had not physically met either of them. In
turn the Vice Chancellors – starting with the one from America – sent me to
prison. Strangely, Daily News became a relation through that visit – due to my
response to Justice Weeramantry’s
article on Ahimsa and Gandhi. Daily News published the response on the day I
was declared by the Mental Health Service of NSW – to be following in Gandhi’s
path. To me it was no coincidence. It was as if Gandhi himself was clearing my
name through the system of Truth. It would have been the end of the road for me
as a migrant who did not deserve the time of the CEO – even after the
Chancellor endorsed me. I see this pattern happening again in Jaffna.
Last December when my husband and I were in
Jaffna – our son strongly recommended that we stayed a couple of nights at Jetwing
Jaffna. I asked him ‘who will pay?’ He said ‘Daddy will’. Given that Daddy
earns enough – he has the duty to pay and he would if I chose to stay there.
But mentally, my little cottage in Thunaivi is my home-hotel in Jaffna. If I
stayed at Jetwing I would not have enough for the development projects in Sri
Lanka which contribute to prevention of war program - without which prevention Jetwing will not have the business it needs to
be economically viable. I said to our son - that our staff whom we trained is already
working there and that was good enough for me. It motivates me to train more
staff – each as per their own inherited skills.
The staff – Ragavan who joined us as a trainee
after the post-election restructure of the Jaffna public service unit he was
with – got his first break on the day he accompanied the children of Thunaivi –
to participate in the 50th Anniversary ceremony of Saint Yoga Swami,
held at Nallur. The call for the interview came from Jaffna Heritage Hotel and
Ragavan sought and received my blessings.
I felt happy – when he announced that he was successful. Later when Ragavan
sought my blessings to join Mackwoods and became Jetwing staff – I felt that the
value of my training was further elevated.
In the eyes of outsiders – this would not be visible. The
article for example says:
[The project has also succeeded in providing
employment for over 80 youths from Jaffna, who were provided with training in
hospitality industry by Jetwing Hotels. Among the institutional investors is
Leon Holdings, headed by a Sri Lankan expatriate hailing from Jaffna, who is a
partner of a successful business venture in Europe.]
Like Truth - True Governors often become
invisible and rightly so. But a real CEO would never overrule the True Governor. At the
University of NSW – I invoked the person in that Governor’s position by
following Due Process. Even though I did not appreciate it back then – I was
drawing up the pathway of my own Truth – as to what one should do when faced
with a blank wall in the CEO position/Executive Government? Giving structure to
my pathway naturally empowers all those who believe in me to do ‘right’ as per their
position and when ultimately faced with that blank wall of indifference – to submit to Truth. One who accepts reality
after having tried her/his best – submits to Truth.
But I did not know back then that my Truth
invokes the Truth in others to work the universal system naturally. This leads
to enjoyment through others and not just by ourselves and those biologically
close to us. To me, every institution
with cultural diversity due to physical separations – needs this Governor to be
higher than CEO under a hierarchical structure but be an Equal alternate to the
CEO in a democratic structure. I am still part of the University of NSW due to
these Chancellors/Governors – but only because I accepted the reality that the
University was not yet democratic. I myself often play that role within Jaffna
groups and in the less democratic parts of my family and community.
The current Sri Lankan Government formed
the current structure due to desperation to get out of the problem of monarchy that the old structure was promoting by
combining the CEO and Governor positions. The Governor’s power comes from
her/his experience of Truth. The CEO’s is limited to the lawful structure of
the highest Administrative position. Where these are hierarchically arranged – a
governor must ‘wait’ until the person seeking the services passes position boundaries.
This is also the boundary of local ownership. In terms of religion – one who
feels God without needing to ‘see’ or think – has come past that religious
boundary. One who needs to ‘see’ and know through conscious thinking of
principles – is still within the religious boundaries and that person’s highest
authority is the Administrative leader. This would often include god-on-earth –
for example as Jesus or Krishna.
Otherwise it is the priest.
Where the CEO’s powers are activated to
override the true Governor and is done so within the law – it is confirmation
of top-down control that has the effect of suppressing one’s sovereignty /
freedom. Often in Universities and other institutions of high status – this happens
due to blind copying of others’ systems
foreign to us. Continuing with old systems after majority are new-entrants –
also promotes such copying.
Applying the above
basis in Sri Lanka which is in the process of
giving new form to its Constitution I form the following picture: –
In a hierarchical system the Sri Lankan
Prime Minister is the CEO and the President is the Governor. So the opening of
Jetwing Jaffna confirmed that Jaffna is of heritage value due to the war –
explained as follows:
[President Maithripala Sirisena who opened
the facility said that the hotel project demonstrated the investor confidence
on the Northern Province in general and Jaffna Peninsula in particular, as well
as resilience of the people in the peninsula]
The problem with this is also that we
invoke the spirits of war – as confirmed by Leon Holdings headed by a Sri
Lankan expatriate hailing from Jaffna - being the main ‘institutional investment’. Wikipedia
reports about the founder as follows:
‘In
Sri Lanka Rasiah R Leon founded Pentag Asia Group at the age of 21, growing it
to a successful company with more than 500 employees. Upon arriving in Norway and
getting political asylum he started working as a cleaner and later as a sorter at
the Norwegian Post. Starting first part-time as a seller for the calling card
company Telesenter Scandinavia, he rapidly rose to the position of Sales
Director for Norway.
In 2001, he made friends with two other Tamil colleagues,
Ratheesan Yoganathan and Baskaran Kandiah, who eventually became his business
partners creating Lebara Group.
In 2001, Rasiah Leon, Baskaran Kandiah and Ratheesan
Yoganathan founded the Lebara Group, a company which they still own and operate
successfully. The three partners have later ventured into other business areas
with their mutually owned LBR Investments BV which again mainly invest in
hotels and real estate.
Rasiah Leon's ownership in Lebara Group BV and LBR
Investments BV is organised through the Norwegian investment company, Leon
Holding AS.]
The worker / professional in the founder of
Leon Holdings is Norwegian who gave up his origin as Sri Lankan when he claimed
asylum. That worker/professional is NOT Sri Lankan. Those who claim asylum from
their country of birth are overriding local territories and are claiming to be
global citizens. They have the duty to act as global citizens.
If the CEO of Leon Group was being hailed on
merit basis for global business – then such ought to have happened through the
Prime Minister and/or the Minister for Tourism. If Jetwings is to benefit from the heritage
value of Jaffna created by the war – it needs to seek and find a true governor
of Jaffna or ought to have facilitated the Elected Chief Minister to take that
position in Jaffna, until it finds such a true governor. It is disrespectful to
promote business to current generation on the grave of the older generations. Such
happens often due to deterioration of heritage values.
The deterioration of the Governing position
is visible even at UN level. I noted that our former Australian Prime Minister
Kevin Rudd has put his hand up for the position of Secretary General of the UN.
The UN website highlights the requirements as follows:
[As the symbolic head of the UN, the Secretary-General
serves as both its top diplomat and
its chief administrative officer. As
the UN Charter postulates, s/he is responsible for performing various functions
entrusted to him/her by UN bodies, and also for "bring[ing] to the
attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten
the maintenance of international peace and security."]
To my mind, there is no Australian who is
better suited than I to meet the requirements of the above position – on the
basis that I do not know of another Australian who has actually practiced the
laws and principles of the UN at least as much as I have. It was on this basis that I put my hand up in
2006 as Australia’s representative – to match Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala who was
the candidate nominated by Sri Lanka. From a Governing aspect – I doubt that
Dr. Dhanapala would have endured anywhere near my pain and loss to uphold his
Sovereignty. If he did that ought to have been highlighted as the best qualification he had for the job. The
UN wrote to me that all nominations needed to be through the Government and
there ended that project. But my investment in the UN became deeper due to the
genuine effort made.
As per the Guardian:
[Much of the debate around the replacement
of Ban is focused on the question: will it break the glass ceiling and see the
appointment of the UN’s first female leader? Four out of the eight candidates
who have thrown their hat into the ring so far are female, including the
Bulgarian Irina Bokova, who heads Unesco and is seen as Moscow’s favorite for
the job.
In December, both the president of the UN general
assembly and the president of the security council – the US ambassador,
Samantha Power – wrote an unprecedented joint letter to all member states
urging them to nominate female candidates. An Equality Now online campaign
calling for a woman to be appointed secretary general has also attracted more
than 30,000 supporters.]
To my mind, both the above officers are
promoting their own and hence diminishing the democratic value of the UN. They
require a self-nominated Citizen without ‘attachment’ to leadership powers to
become the UN President alternatively - which must rank Equal and Opposite to
the Secretary General’s position. If the powers are vested in the Secretary
General’s position – then the old position needs to be dissolved. Likewise,
promotion of women as if they are minority powers – below the Common Citizen
without special portfolio. That Common Citizen must nominate her/himself and
demonstrate the opposition shown as an Equal to the CEO of the country - through Due Processes.
Such persons have the natural entitlement to lead the UN.
Today, I learnt for the first time that
there was also the position of President of the UN. But like the Chancellors of
the Australian Universities the president seems unknown to most of us. Sri
Lankan Government and/or the Tamil Community ought to have had the opportunity
to take their plight to the President of the UN for the verdict of Truth. In a flat
democratic structure –the Governor must
be an Equal alternative to the CEO. I ought to have had the facility to go
direct to the President when my actions through Australian processes failed to
uphold my true investment in Equal Opportunity values.
Given that the incumbents of the position
of Secretary General failed to make this discovery - the title of Chief Diplomat needs to be taken
away from the above portfolio.
In a Democracy - the Governor decides as
per the ‘heritage’ value and CEO on
merit basis. It is difficult for one person to be the same at the one time. As
per the current makeup – there is no recourse for minorities to access the real
powers of the UN – until the UN Administration itself is questioned due to
death and destruction – as happened in the case of Sri Lanka. Those who claim
heritage powers – to confirm ownership – must have that position shown as an
Equal parallel to the CEO who must be responsible for currently active
structures needing merit based assessment and allocation of status and money
benefits.
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