09 December 2023

Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

 

 

 

 

SOUL POWER OF WAR

I decided to share my own feelings on remembering the dead, when I found the article headed ‘THE ONLY ME TAMIL’, written  on 16 September 2022. https://austms.blogspot.com/2022/09/httpaustms.html.

 

That article begins as follows:

‘Significant number of Diaspora Tamils claim that the ethnic war, using weapons was due to Racial Discrimination. I also attributed Racial Discrimination as the reason for the pain I felt at the University of NSW. I fought on that basis in courts of law. They all dismissed me.’

 

The difference between the Tamil Diaspora claim and mine is that mine is direct experience, and the reasoning is also mine. The judgment is a conclusion of the reasoning.

 

The conclusions in the Sri Lankan ethnic war are being written by various political groups, including local groups but not limited to them. Why is it important to honour our dead? What happens if we make a profit out of it?

When we die, we become of heritage value. Some positive and others negative. When we value the person through positives, we inherit the positives. If we fail to value them, and we are indebted to them, we inherit their sins. Hence it is better to memorialize than not to.  

As per Economy Next article ‘Sri Lanka FM hits out at double standards of Western nations on human rights’

 

“What we advise is people can do memorialization. We don’t have an issue with that. Even the parents of Prabakaran (LTTE leader) can have a remembrance event for their son. But don’t glorify LTTE,” he said.

“Memorializing your loved ones, we have absolutely no problem. But glorifying a banned terrorist organization which brought violence to this country, which sent a generation of Tamils backward, we don’t want a repeat of that. No one wants that.”

 

I disagree and Oppose the above claim. It is the Fundamental rights of those Tamils who believe in the LTTE, to memorialize them.  It is a fundamental right to so mourn, as per article 14, of the Sri Lankan Constitution:

 

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;

 

Belief is the essential requirement to qualify to practice the fundamental right. It must be practiced within the sovereign borders of one’s belief. If it interferes with the practice of an alternate faith, it is proven to be less than belief.

Minorities who exercise their right as per the law, are honouring the political ancestors who gave us those laws. If we allow those laws to die, or worse, kill them by overriding them through likes and dislikes of majority, that is like disrespecting those elders, many of whom are also dead.

 

Referring to the LTTE as ‘terrorist organization’ confirms that the government does not believe that the LTTE is dead. Hence the fear.

The weapon of minority is to believe in the law and adherence to the law.

If minorities react to majority, they would also be equally unlawful as majority.

Majority is linear measure. Truth is invisible and its spread is exponential.  Hence when majority fail the law, minority need to oppose it through the invisible, time based pathway. The closer we are to the Absolute, the stronger the exponentiality of the spread. Those driven by the physical would need majority rule. If minorities also seek visible power, they become separatists.

 

Minority who resorted an intellectual solution in 2018, defeated the government elected by majority. If affected Tamils take Court action, when arrested  for practising their faith, the merged spirit of the Hon G G Ponnambalam who demonstrated belief in Equal Opportunity, and the Hon J R Jayawardene would complete the Sovereign circle of Sri Lanka. Time based power is power of One. It would defeat majority power when belief is the base.

That is how tradition, practised quietly defeats visible linear power of majority.