Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

19 September  2019

Executive Presidency & Terrorism

The system of  Executive Presidency in Sri Lanka, came into being through the 1978 Constitution. As per my feeling for Sri Lanka – this was  due to fear – when Tamils became the Equal Opposition in National parliament in 1977 due to Mrs Bandaranaike Government failing to satisfy the expectations of majority race. Had Mr Jayawardene listened to the system of Truth through his belief   in Sri Lanka – he would have identified with the structure that truth manifested and gone along with it. He ought to have become the mother who feels. Instead he became the father who thinks and decided to override truth.

 As per my discovery – Mothers are Feelers and Fathers are thinkers. Nothing to do with gender.  A man who feels more and thinks less is a mother.  Likewise a politician. A Governor is a feeler and an Executive is a thinker. This is brought out beautifully in the legend of King Solomon’s judgment in relation to the baby who was claimed by two women. This is also the manifestation of Truth above Intellectual discrimination which lacks the root of experience. A good example of the latter was manifested by Ms Arundhati Roy who stated:

[The American way of life is simply not sustainable because it doesn't acknowledge that there is a world beyond America………Today the world is run by three of the most secretive institutions in the world. The International Monetary Fund; the World Bank and the World Trade Organization – all three of which are in turn dominated by the US. … Nobody elected them… nobody said they could make decisions on our behalf. ….]

Elected leaders have the power of People and even if a few of them believed in the leader – that merger would sustain the whole. Hence the voting system in Democracy. The above however was not stated by Ms Arundhati Roy as a feeler but rather as a thinker. On 31 May 2019 - Ms Roy is reported to have stated as follows during an interview with the Guardian:

[Gary Younge: So much of your work is rooted in India, but a lot of it translates beyond. We’re talking about ecology, environment, corrupt government, fascism, communalism. When you travel the world, do you find the connections easy to make between your work and where you’re visiting?

Arundhati Roy: That’s a very interesting question. The God of Small Things is about the small village where I grew up in south India – a very specific culture in that sense. And it has been translated into 42 languages. I would go to Estonia and someone would say: “This is my childhood, how did you know about it?”

I had a lot of foreign magazines and newspapers saying: “Will you write for us?” But I was sure of one thing, which was that I don’t want to become this interpreter of the east to the west. I don’t want my language to be edited into the formats that fit these publications. I want to write the way I want to write. If it fits you, fine; if it doesn’t, fine; I’m writing for here.]

I myself got cranky with a Tamil lady who corrected my ‘style’ in my book ‘Jaffna is my Heritage and not my Dowry’. Hence I identify with  Ms Arundhati Roy’s above statement – ‘I don’t want to become this interpreter of the east to the west’]

Then what about her statements about ‘The International Monetary Fund; the World Bank and the World Trade Organization?’ Is the lady not interpreting the West to the East?

It is neither feelings based – nor through balanced intellectual thinking. To my mind, it  is more through the desire to impress.

Likewise, the statement by current Speaker of Sri Lankan Parliament – ‘Mr Jayewardene would be happy if the executive presidency is abolished some day’:

[Addressing a ceremony held to mark the 113th birth anniversary of late President Jayewardene, the Speaker said the former would be happy on the day when the executive presidency is abolished though he was of the opinion that it would never be abolished.

“Late President Jayewardene was of the opinion that the executive presidency could never be abolished as the person who is appointed to that position will never do it when he begins to enjoy its powers. However Mr Jayewardene would be happy if the executive presidency is abolished some day”, the Speaker said.] – Daily Mirror

If Mr Jayewardene did state as above – that confirms that he was disconnecting from the pathway that brought him to power. The Parliamentary system relies on collective power at the primary level as well as at the tertiary level – beyond Executive level. Sovereignty of the People is thus recognized through voting system at each level. If Mr Jayawardene had respected the feelings of the People – he would not have changed the system that connected him to the People’s belief. In many ways – the Executive Presidency ‘blocks’ democracy and therefore Equal Opposition above Parliamentary level. There is no way that a member of a minority community upholding her/his diversity - would become President nor his Opposition – simply because there is no Opposition at that level. Those who are directly elected by the People MUST have an Equal and Opposite position to confirm Sovereignty. The secret message by Mr Jayewardene was that as Executive President, he did not have opposition. He blocked that pathway for minorities through the Constitution and activated his equal other side – the secret self-appointed opposition of Velupillai Prabhakaran  backed by India. This resulted in the 1983 riots in July and the walk out by the Tamil politicians in October 1983 – invalidating the mandate of the People in 1977.

But Truth being Truth – the 13^th Amendment happened through India’s power during President Jayewardene’s reign. This resulted in devolution structure which naturally devalued the Monarchical power through the 1978 Constitution.

This continues to be the case even now – as confirmed by the absence of People’s power in Northern Sri Lanka after 23  October 2018. On 26 October President Sirisena used Executive powers to remove the elected Prime Minister and appointed Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa who, like Mr Jayewardene was a monarch in dealing with Tamil militants.

In October 2018, Mr Sirisena dismissed democracy which facilitated Mr Rajapaksa to become Prime Minister ‘appointed’ by the President. It was like suicide bombing – in which he killed himself as president and the duly elected Prime Minister. In turn  - Muslim militancy was free to rise and hence the 2019 Easter bombings. The truth manifests itself without favour to anyone but always to confirm the eternity of Belief.  

When there is Opposition – the truth manifests for all to ‘see’. When belief is strong – one manages ‘confidentially’. Ms Arundhati Roy calls this ‘secret service behind closed doors’. That is what Mr Jayewardene did – and it would have been ‘right’ if he did not have executive powers. Feelings are invisible. One who is directly elected by the People must have Equal Opposition that would manifest the truth in the language of those very People. To my mind that was what Ms Arundhati Roy did through her book ‘The God of small things’.

Feelings confirm that we have both sides in us. When People elect a person out of belief – whatever the leader does becomes theirs naturally. Those who lack belief ‘top it up’ to ‘show’ and also block the path of truth. Truth brings us the Universal support – beyond time and place boundaries.  If ‘global participants’ are blocked – ancestors would support the believer and v.v.

To my mind that is the message through Ms Roy’s statement ‘I would go to Estonia and someone would say: “This is my childhood, how did you know about it?’

When my book ‘Naan Australian’ went – seemingly on its own accord – to the National Library of Australia – followed by the New York Public library – I felt blessed by ALL Australians and ALL Americans. Those who feel ownership are the true decision makers. Others are passers-by.

Mr Karu Jayauriya has confirmed that he is a mere passer-by for the position of  President – with or without Executive powers. If indeed there is an Executive President elected directly by the People, article 3 of the Constitution needs to be repealed. It states:

[In the Republic of Sri Lanka sovereignty is in the People and is inalienable. Sovereignty includes the powers of government, fundamental rights and the franchise. ]

Belief is eternal power. If the People exercised their power through Presidential election  where there is no avenue for minority representation why do they need a Parliamentary system that closely follows the Presidential elections – to manage at the same level? One or the other lacks belief.  The longer the structure remains unchanged  the stronger the confirmation of belief.  When Tamil Opposition was eliminated / blocked – the Executive power became paper-power and lost its legitimacy. So long as Tamils Believe in our  homeland – and we follow the path of democracy  - the President of Sri Lanka would be a lame duck president. Every Tamil who believes in self-governance would exercise her/his vote to confirm this – as we did in 2015. If we believe in the same form of god in our home-area – for example Nallur Murugan or Our Lady of Refuge in Jaffna town – and one of us is active in  democratic leadership  - we would continue to disempower Executive Presidency.