Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

16 November 2018

Domestic Violence in Sri Lankan Parliament

Sri Lankans who are dependent on Politicians inherit the Domestic Violence genes from the Parliament. This was confirmed by the members of Parliament yesterday. I myself learnt about it from our ABC news here in Australia.

While majority are trying to focus on the latest saga – as Counsellors we need to observe and look for the root cause. Is it in the marriage itself?

As per Colombo Gazette report Madam Kumaratunga has stated as follows about her feelings on this:

[Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga said that she is watching with concern and regret the efforts by some Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) members to betray the peoples’ demands for a better Sri Lanka which gained victory on January 8th, 2015.

Kumaratunga said that the SLFP, together with most other parties and civil society, built a massive unprecedented movement to win the struggle for a decent, honest and prosperous Sri Lanka.

“It is regretful that some sections of our beloved Party finds it fit to betray all our policies and once again join hands with a political group that destroyed fundamental rights, democracy, democratic institutions and built a destructive network of graft and corruption” ]

But this was bound to happen.  Mr Sirisena on his own could not have become president in January 2015, due to Mr Rajapaksa being SLFP leader who was active in the leadership position.

Whether Mr Wickremesinghe of the UNP  would have, depended on Tamil voters who were naturally connected to Sinhalese voters. It was for this reason Mr Rajapaksa won the 2005 Presidential elections after the LTTE threatened Tamils and successfully prevented them from exercising their right to vote/franchise.  

In 2015, unless this had happened, Mr Wickremesinghe would have become president in his own rights. In the  2010 Presidential elections, Tamils overwhelmingly voted against Mr Rajapaksa which went in favour of Mr Fonseka – the war-time army leader. This  had similar effect  as not voting in 2005. But in 2015, Tamils were ready to vote for Mr Wickremesinghe again due to the simple reason that Tamils in Colombo and Kandy were demonstrating greater integration with Sinhalese.  I have continued to feel this in many ordinary ways. This was not put to the test by SLFP ancestors. SLFP  was saddled with Mr Rajapaksa and his family.

Madam Kumaratunga who did have more in common with Mr Wickremesinghe than with Mr Rajapaksa, may have had her doubts due to not identifying with Tamil pain on language basis – especially the pain of those like us – to whom Sinhalese was not a working language. SLFP may have forgotten it after the 13^th Amendment to the Constitution which  rendered Tamil also National status.   But the fact of our experiences becomes one sided Energy until we balance  it with the other side and make it ‘common’. Once it is ‘common’ it is easier for minorities and juniors to be not handicapped by ‘status’ intimidation in their own minds. The Sinhala only legislation had the effect of suppressing minorities – just as Buddhism foremost continues to influence Buddhists who are not committed to respecting other religions as Equals. A junior Buddhist Police officer working at Vaddukoddai started preaching in our class about Vishnu and Krishna right in my presence. As his English teacher I gave him an English exercise to help him stay within his position as student. Later I quietly shared my Hindu knowledge with him – as an equal.

These are true sharing –experiences that infect us for better or for worse. There are thousands of such Tamils who share naturally with Sinhalese and hence exponentially influence the voting pattern – provided the voters are not tempted by money one way or the other. Our energies work naturally in a free environment.

The recent manifestations have confirmed that despite Buddhism and Sinhala being common to SLFP and UNP – they are unable to live in harmony in a ‘free’ unstructured environment that the Parliament became in August 2015. The more we intimidate on the basis of culture – the more internally divided we become. Where cultures are different – we must respect each other as Equals. I do this all the time with our children in certain aspects. In formal education – I insist on holding my Senior position – including with my husband because I sacrificed more for education than anyone else in our family. Since I do not ‘show’ that seniority through my ‘certificates’ but I AM, and I show only for the need that the other has – the ‘gap’ of relativity becomes Shakthi / Energy. When such persons bless – the junior is Energized.

This is the power that Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe shares with Tamils who feel common with at least one other culture – through religion, language gender etc.

Seniority through majority is artificial and seniority without common belief is immoral. At political level, Mr Sirisena, to the extent he did not have common belief through Law – with Mr Wickremesinghe felt intimidated by him. It was easier for him to become Mr Rajapaksa’s junior than to share the leadership with Ranil Wickremesighe with globally acceptable credentials. The tool used to overpower Mr Wicremesinghe was threat of majority power demonstrated through Local Government elections  in 2018. That was the parallel of Buddhist foremost clause in the Constitution. But Tamil and Muslim Politicians overwhelmingly supported Mr Wickremesinghe and they were empowered by educated Tamils & Muslims who have common investment with educated Sinhalese. THAT is how unseen and less known powers work. Those close to the roots know intuitively to the extent of their needs.

In terms of law – Mr Sirisena behaved like the Buddhist police officer preaching to a class of Hindus about Vishnu and Krishna. He probably thinks that they are Buddhist gods – just as Mr Sirisena has demonstrated that the law is junior to the Sinhalese president.

If the President believes that he is right – in the interpretation – then Tamils and Muslims who do not oppose it at least in their minds,  become subservient to Sinhala Buddhists and that would dilute Sri Lanka’s Sovereign powers, leading to Sri Lanka in turn becoming subservient to other countries like China.