Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

16 May  2019

Opposition Karma

[A short statement released by the Opposition Leader’s office said the Opposition Leader could do little other than expressing his views to the public both within and outside Parliament. But it was up to the Government to take decisive steps to investigate the Easter Sunday attacks, and assist people affected by the anti-Muslim violence that swept through at least three districts this week.    Taking decisions relating to the present situation prevailing in the country is the responsibility of the President, the Prime Minister, and the Cabinet of Ministers. The Leader of the Opposition can only perform the task of the Opposition in Parliament. He can move resolutions and express his views in Parliament on matters of national importance, and also if necessary apprise the general public outside Parliament,” the statement said. ] Daily Financial Times article ‘MR unhappy with Govt.'

The above confirms lack of investment in Democracy – even at Parliamentary level, leave alone at the Citizen’s level. In democracy, both have Equal power. One does not ‘wait for time’ to become government. Time difference needs to be zero in democracy. If the Government is acting on behalf of the victims, the Opposition needs to become the perpetrators’ side to ensure that their rights are upheld. The more quickly we mark one side or the other right or wrong, the quicker the why? search-path ends. Since the apparent victims in the most recent problem are Muslims, the Opposition needs to take the side of the attackers Muslim and ensure that their lawful rights are being upheld. When the Government’s work and the Opposition’s work come together in Parliament – at the same time – they would confirm that truth on which an intellectual decision would be made. In this instance – it should not be to pass laws but rather to uphold the balance needed for harmony. The need for such action would also confirm the obsolescence of relevant existing laws – including PTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act). One who ‘waits’ for his time in governance is confirming autocracy and would not add strength to democracy.

Yesterday’s Island Editorial included the following passage:

[Both President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, when asked why they had not taken action to prevent the NTJ attacks, claimed they had not been aware of the intelligence warnings of terror strikes. They, like everyone else, were fully aware that some fanatics were planning to attack the Muslims after the Easter Sunday calamity, but did precious little to forestall the eruption of communal violence. Why weren’t the military and the police ordered to use maximum force to prevent violence?]

Information overload is a common problem. We need common intelligence to pick each other’s mind. Once we find fault – say with India – then our mind separates itself from the common pool of intelligence. Respect provides the natural access. Hence one side or the other in government leadership – needs to take NTJ’s side – as if they are right to themselves. It is the Human Right of every individual to be heard on the basis of her/his truth – as measured by her / him. Hence the Opposition needs to become the representative  of the side that is being prosecuted / judged by the government.

The big problem in Sri Lanka is Buddhist supremacy. Those who do not know the law and / or not committed to the law would use weapon available to them to get even. 9/11 and the ISIS war – has informed Muslims all over the world that they could win posthumously if they worked on their own. Every person who joins the armed forces – official or de facto knows this. Discrimination that is not acceptable to a person would lead to depression in the junior mind, revenge in the equal mind and deeper ownership in the higher mind. If Tamils had not protested against unjust discrimination – they would have become depressed and that would have been true genocide of the mind through assimilation. Excessive retaliation became reverse discrimination.  Tamils of higher common mind structure absorbed the pain and became deeper owners. This was upheld by their parallels in Sinhalese community and hence the political victory in 1977 and 2015 when Tamils become Equal Opposition in National Parliament.

In the case of Muslims – Muslim Nations have become the parallel of Tamil Nadu for Tamils. If Western countries contributed to unjust discrimination against Muslims those who are conscious of their divine sovereign powers would tend to look for avenues through which to get even. Those who are over enthusiastic about it – including due to lack of support from within their own communities – would take an eye for an eye and sometimes both eyes for the loss of one. That is when they deviate from the path of Dharma/Natural Justice. If Christians are facilitated to emigrate to Western countries – then Muslims who as per their interpretations of reality – have been wronged would find radical pathway the express outlet that would prevent depression in their minds. Let us take a Muslim who studies in Australia but is not able to enjoy Equal recognition as a White-Australian student who is recognized more by prospective employers. The mind of the Muslim is likely to feel depressed especially when s/he does not have family responsibility earn. I believe – that so long as I had to support my family financially – I absorbed the discrimination pain. This was also the case with most Tamils who worked in Sri Lankan Public Service – which made a strong contribution to the Vaddukoddai Resolution 1976.

Had the government listened to the Voice of Truth – that was heard in 1977, there would have been no civil riots in 1977 the remnants of which erupted as Black July in 1983. If the Opposition does not become the minority side in this then we would not have Black July but 9/11 in Sri Lanka. All because of ingratitude by the then Government and its heirs in the current government.

Once we attribute credit – we do not ‘see’ as much. The further away that source to which we allocate credit is – the stronger the accumulation of interest. It’s like interest on savings on time basis. Now the Opposition that stole the position from Tamils last year – is lost – not knowing what to do.

In Autocracy – we need to ‘wait’ for time to tell. In Democracy – we need to Trust the other side to ‘show’ their outcome.