Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

21 March 2019

Mr Rajapaksa & Mr Howard

[But in an election as close as this – a YouGov Galaxy poll on Monday identified a big, 5.2 per cent anti-government swing in Penrith – the tragic events in Christchurch might swing the government's way.] Financial Review article ‘NZ's tragedy could shift NSW election

The above connection between the New Zealand tragedy and our State elections confirms the thinking that majority voters hold a government responsible for national and international problems. We often do not make such connections for national and international Opportunities.  Hence we are accepting that we are citizens only and are not yet self-governing.  The self-governing citizen would vote for the party that actually demonstrated her/his values as the government’s.

The Truth we experience is the root cause of our expressions of government. As an individual – the Australian who attacked Muslims in a mosque, may seem right to him if he had not been facilitated to invest in multicultural Australia. The likes of Pauline Hanson are his gurus. To many migrant communities whose pain caused the downfall of Mr Howard, Mr Howard who did not discipline Ms Hanson when Ms Hanson  was in his party, would seem part of the root causes of the New Zealand  tragedy. That is how heritage is naturally shared. Where the common measure is not actively practiced, Truth is the reliable measure. I was this Truth – that I was part of the government of Australia – that led me to resign from my position at the University of NSW and demonstrate my opposition to complacency by majority race.

Many Sri Lankans criticize the current Sri Lankan government as being ineffective. But to me – this government was valid by being passive. This meant, I was able to share my governance values more during this period  than when the government was active militarily, under Rajapaksa rule which naturally invokes the militancy in Tamils.  

Pro-Eelam activist Ms Usha  Sriskandarajah, for example has posted on Twitter - ‘India your actions disgust me’

Ms Sriskandarajah refers to the article ‘UNHRC Resolution, Guided by India, to Give Breather to Sri Lankan Government’ published by ‘the Wire’. In essence, it refers to the additional time rendered to the Sri Lankan Government to solve the ethnic issue ‘internally’. The Sri Lankan parallel of Mr Howard is Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa. They were both toppled by apparent minorities who became Australian and Sri Lankan respectively, despite suppression and denial of earned rights and benefits during their reign. India to Sri Lanka is the big brother that Australia is to New Zealand. Hence in Truth there are no boarders between the two.

Through my investment as a global Tamil, I see advantages to Tamils currently living in Sri Lanka, being  facilitated to continue with their recovery, if  Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe – however passive he may be –becomes the winner at the next national elections. The NSW parallel of  Sri Lanka’s UNP -  is Labor. They both promote self-governance by the ordinary migrant more than their opposition in government.

As per India’s Truth – war would be promoted under the Rajapaksa regime which would be disastrous to the Indian government’s investment in Tamil Nadu which as per my knowledge ranks as the sixth (out of 29) largest state in terms of votes. It is also the state where former Indian Prime Minister whose son Rahul Gandhi is contesting in the upcoming Indian elections, was killed by the LTTE of Sri Lanka. Politics is a one-way path. It’s when the other side is recognized that it becomes Administration. Groups/States/Provinces that are self-governing due to their diversity – hold greater power than is apparent and/or known. The attack on the former Indian PM could be taken as Tamil Nadu’s attack on Central Government.

Likewise, the NZ attack could be taken as being against NZ government that has moved towards multiculturalism – starting with indigenous New Zealanders. To one who is strongly attached to status through White-Australia policy – such a government would be a group of ‘traitors’ and hence the attack is political. Likewise to LTTE supporters like Ms Usha  Sriskandarajah who lacks investment in the victims currently living in Sri Lanka, India’s support to the UNP led government would seem like an attack on gun-activism. If Tamils voted against UNP led by Mr Wickremesinghe – Mr Rajapaksa and his heirs would return to the throne. Each independent voter adds also her/his Truth to governance as per her/his pathway. To that extent the pathway will be open to her/him when s/he is in need.  

Where we lack intellectual structures to include all concerned – our own Truth must guide us. Truth being of Universal value, would protect us from real devaluation of our true values – including when we die at the physical level. During election mode – we should not oppose the side during whose regime we self-governed. Here in Australia, I was punished under the regime of Mr Howard, for seeking to self-govern. However clever the current Liberals may be – the moment they include Mr Howard in their election campaign – I have the duty to oppose that side through my vote. That is the Truth I share with Sri Lankans also.