Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

29 July  2019

Brother’s Healer or Sister’s Warrior?

Many years ago, a senior academic at the University of NSW said that his senior had ‘there were warriors and healers and that the senior academic was a healer’.

I was reminded of this yesterday, when  I received communication directing me to Prashan De Visser’s presentation of the Sri Lankan problem under the heading ‘ I am my Brother's Healer’ – at the The Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute. https://youtu.be/dIPp75alzO8

Very impressive and came with the note ‘ THE ENGLISH EDUCATED TARGET AUDIENCE MAY BE LESS THAN 1% OF THE POPULATION’

Out of that 1% - not many would identify with the problems of  other ethnicities as if they were their own. Take for example – the Tamil community of Sri Lanka. Majority Tamils who live in North will not be a true part of this audience – even if they attend. More importantly they would not relate to statements such as ‘Sinhalese have a minority mindset’ . The simple reason for this is they have been ‘given’ the mindset that  Sinhalese have a ‘majority mindset’. A Regional thinker would be able to see this reality. 

Prashan goes on to share his knowledge of social injustice in all this. But at that level – should he not be contributing to correct the mindset of the legislators? The Constitution is the first ‘structure’ through which we are required to relate to each other. Did Prashan not ‘see’ the  ‘fear’ that produced the 6^th Amendment to the Constitution – after the 1983 riots?

The Sixth Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution which became effective on 08 August 1983 (i.e. after the Black July experience), to my mind  confirms the anxiety felt by the then political leaders. It includes the following:

157A(1) No person shall, directly or indirectly, in or outside Sri Lanka, support, espouse, promote, finance, encourage or advocate the establishment of a separate State within the territory of Sri Lanka.

To my mind, this is in breach of articles  10 & 14(1):

10. Every person is entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.

14. (1) Every citizen is entitled to – (a) the freedom of speech and expression including publication ; (b) the freedom of peaceful assembly ; (c) the freedom of association; …………………………………………….

Those driven by ‘visible outcomes’ would be weak investors in structures. That is true and natural logic. Desire or Fear driven outcomes contribute to chaotic conflict. Principles/structures driven Conflict would uphold justice. It is understandable that the Sri Lankan government would make and use laws that would protect its ruling territory. But to be democratic – it needs to bind itself by the very laws that it used on others it claimed to govern. It needs to also ensure that the changes to structures through which we relate to each other do not breach the fundamentals and/or other leading parts of the structure / constitution. Laws based on truth would confirm this balance.

Articles 10 and 14(1) are now proven to be false as per the evidence that has evolved. They prevail to impress others including the voters who think they are democratic. This is where Gandhi’s way would help. Every voter / person who believes in and practices democracy in Sri Lanka – empowers Articles 10 and 14(1). This could be a foreigner from Australia touring Sri Lanka. When such connections become more powerful than say Buddhism foremost article – the minds of the creators of that article and their heirs would naturally lose identity with such articles that are fundamental to a democratic structure.

Tamil politicians at that time refused to take the oath with the above amendment – because the intent as per their perception was to weaken the power of Vaddukoddai Resolution which made them kings of Parliamentary Opposition or Princes in that democratic government. Armed militants who needed to ‘see’ to ‘believe’(that was their mindset) wanted them out of the parliament – and wanted to capture the leadership positions in a separate ‘country’ .

Outcomes without structures – lead to loss of order in the mind structures. Most mental disorders happen due to such disorder. But if we practice a particular structure because we need it – our minds become and we connect to others of similar mind-structure.  Emigrants who left Sri Lanka as genuine refugees mind-merged comfortably with their parallels in the nations they emigrated to due to these structural commonness. Those who carried weaker structures but desired quick leadership in victim communities – were actually ‘foreigners’ by mind-structure  in those nations. Most diaspora leaders – from Sri Lanka are of this category. In effect they ‘forget’ the structures and use status made in Sri Lanka – to ‘capture’ positions in the community. Unless the community as a whole becomes of the same structure as the host nation – the community – Tamil, Muslim or Sinhalese in this instance – becomes isolated. This leads to radicalisation which according to my mind is more show and less substance in any position.

That was how Sri Lankan Politicians became radicalised. Such groups when active become warriors – as LTTE leader’s group became due to the abuse of caste system. Article 12 of the Sri Lankan constitution states:

[(2) No citizen shall be discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion, language, caste, sex, political opinion, place of birth or any one of such grounds :]

Discrimination in favour of one becomes discrimination against another. When LTTE leader who was from fisher caste – did recruit from his immediate circles – the effect was caste based and majority cadre confirm this basis. But this gave them the natural mind-connection to work as a team. Within that group – the leader would have been naturally accepted as leader on merit basis. But at social level – old men and women who see themselves as leaders – naturally downgrade such folks. To the extent the junior castes do not hear them – it does not affect them. Hence they separate and isolate themselves once they have enough employment in common areas which are more regulated by common law. This was extended to community level and hence the Vaddukoddai Resolution which confirms Peaceful Assembly and therefore the highest level of Democracy – became a ‘substance’ in the custody of armed leaders. The more we celebrate Vaddukoddai  Resolution – the more we invoke Universal Democratic powers. The more we use outcomes of war – the more chaotic our thinking becomes. One who invests genuinely  in truth for her/himself – has this power even though they are least visible in society. They will surface themselves as Avatars / Incarnations – to cure various groups. Those driven by outcomes need firm structures that would be in harmony with the Constitution. The Avatars repair those structures and hence their work becomes our scriptures.

Discrimination on the basis of religion – for or against – is part of the Sri Lankan constitution. If one could be sued only for ‘against’- then the ‘for’ is entertained at mind level. What happens is interpreted by various persons in diverse ways. Unless the victim who has proven injustice on merit basis is taken as ‘right’ until objective evidence evolves to establish otherwise, discrimination on the basis of race, religion, caste, gender will prevail for better or for worse. So longs as we eliminate merit based injustice – our genuine pain develops as structure in our home-environment. We can access that Energy anytime, anywhere we seek to manifest that structure. But the moment we go beyond our true level – that Energy is no longer with us. When politicians used Vaddukoddai Resolution structure – it worked for the Tamil Community to go along the democratic path. The moment it was taken-over by armed militants – the structure was downgraded to their level. When the makers were murdered – we become truly chaotic.

I experienced the parallel of Vaddukoddai Resolution – here in Australia – through my complaints of unjust discrimination in law courts. I was dismissed by the courts but my pain kept accumulating until it was tall enough to connect to national and global levels. That I believe went towards dismissing the then Prime Minister  John Howard from politics. That was my parallel of Tamil Political group winning leadership position in National Parliament – through  1977 elections.

Yes, each one of us who self-govern as individuals and/or small groups do contribute to National and Global outcomes. But towards this we need to travel through the tallest structure in our environment and go beyond. That beyond confirms the invisible ownership energy. Such folks need to be facilitated and not dictated to. Reliable structure help us identify with such individuals. Those who make their claims at the visible level – place ceilings on their spiritual growth. When they continue to show – they become warriors and not healers.