Nallur Murugan & Karthigai Flower with 

Six petals depicting Multiculturalism

Gajalakshmi Paramasivam 

Multicultural Tamil Community

The feedback from the Tamil Diaspora confirms overwhelming support for Tamils to participate in the Presidential Elections. Most Diaspora leaders have expressed in favor  of Tamil participation in the Presidential Elections. Those of us who are seeking a Political solution need to participate more actively than others.  Every member of the Tamil Community who identifies with the US led resolution at UN level – has the duty to actively promote Tamil voters to vote in the Presidential elections. That is when we invest in the political process of identifying  a leader to represent us. When we invest of our own free will, to be recognized at home-level Politics – we earn the opportunity to be recognized at community level and when we invest  at community level we earn the opportunity to be recognized as wide as our feelings of  ownership spread. The Presidential Elections are a National level opportunity to invest in a Political solution. Those who recommend abstinence are effectively promoting dictatorship structure that we claim to be fighting against.

As per news received today,  Mr. Wigneswaran, the Chief Minister of Northern Province, has stated in relation to this:

‘At the outset I must say that the TNA as a coalition party has made a decision to support the common candidate Maithripala Sirisena. It is not important whether their decision is right or wrong.’

This clearly confirms to a person who can read Mr. Wigneswaran’s mind that he does not interpret the decision made by TNA to be in support of Mr. Sirisena the individual – but our participation in a democratic process. The stronger our feelings of ownership the more forceful our influence on voters through Natural systems.  When responding to a young Australian of Lankan origin on the basis of my article ‘Tamils Need to Respect Democracy’ http://austms.blogspot.com.au/ , I highlighted that in place of Common – one could use the Multicultural  path and combine the outcomes:

1. [If I may make a humble comment, perhaps we need to change the “us and them” mentality when it comes to Tamil and Sinhala. ]

Response : As you know – there are limits to our commitment to ‘united social order’. We need to recognize that there are strong degrees of separation within the two communities. When it comes to politics – this surfaces more strongly than at any other time.   I believe that it is better for us to identify that we have irreconcilable differences beyond a certain point. Every group would be productive to our society as a whole, when it shares its True discoveries instead of the ideal which is not likely to be reality during our times.  As per my assessment of  my generation – majority Tamils as well as majority Sinhalese do have the ‘us and them’ mentality.  Only a small section are Sri Lankans.  I realize also that both – Tamil groups and Sinhalese groups – are accepting of such Sri Lankans. That Truth motivates me to continue to engage with both sides separately – than to think of Reconciliation.

2. [We are all people, human beings with the right for equal rights and opportunities. ]

Response : The ‘rights’ come from our investment in the common wealth of  our home group.  Tamils who have invested in Tamil Only structures – do not have ‘rights’  in Sri Lankan structure – except through the law. Likewise Sinhalese. Both have rights within their respective groups of common faith. The rest is as per the law – which is not likely to be realized by the oldies in these groups in their current life time.  Young ones like yourself – could identify with the Truth and then structure your own goals and pathways as per your own environments. If this is One Sri Lanka – that would be great.  Oldies like us would lay the foundation by going through all  side experiences.  At the moment I am interacting more with Sinhala only groups and with General Colombo groups with majority Burghers and Colombo Tamils. I do not mix them but combine the outcomes through myself.  I believe this would prevent my juniors in each group from harming their counterparts in the other. I believe that through genuine interactions I have surfaced to the public level – the inner thinking in all  diverse groups – something a common group would have great difficulty accessing – even in a democratic country like Australia.

On the basis of  the above, one could conclude that TNA was/is  doing likewise – to satisfy all angles of Tamils.  Hence at the Provincial Council level they gave recognition to  LTTE’s contribution. Now at National level – they need to give recognition to assimilating Tamils who are already in Colombo or are likely to go to Colombo seeking national and international opportunities. Both these groups would be in Mr. Wigneswaran.

Mr. Wigneswaran however, needs to also recognize that in Development of Democratic Administration – he is as slow as Mr. Rajapaksa. I conclude that this is why he is not able to identify with Mr. Sirisena as a leader fit to be President of Democratic Sri Lanka. This is purely a Political exercise without strong motivation to Develop Democratic Administrative Structures. If therefore Mr. Sirisena succeeds at National level due to need for change – then TNA’s Common Opposition is likely to succeed in Northern Province at the next elections. This is UPFA-EPDP alliance led by Rajapaksa-Devananda coalition.

If TNA met with the Common Opposition to pick their minds – that is fine. But by recommending that Tamils vote for Mr. Sirisena, TNA leadership is diluting its own investment in true Democracy and in Natural Justice Itself.  In 1976, Tamils made the Political declaration of Independence through Vaddukoddai Resolution and the rest happened as per the true failures of Sinhalese who were weak in Administration.  This time TNA has interfered with that flow of Natural Justice. Mr. Wigneswaran and TNA need to promote the side that would facilitate their sharing of their independent discoveries freely with the younger generation. At the political level – the two ethnicities have high level  of irreconcilable differences. Tamils therefore need to vote with the candidate through whom they could best identify with their own investment in Governance. The Tamil Community itself is multicultural. When we feel common to all sections – we would be common to all societies we are a part of. This is also confirmed by Lord Muruga with six faces