Gajalakshmi Paramasivam – 10 June  2015

 

Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran

Drug Trafficking & People Smuggling

My attention was drawn to the views expressed during the recent press conference by the Chief Minister of Northern Province of Sri Lanka – the Hon C.V. Wigneswaran in regard to Drug Trafficking in Northern Sri Lanka. http://www.tamilguardian.com/article.asp?articleid=14987

The report quotes:

[“Our people feel that various sections from armed forces which have deliberately introducing various aspects of these dangerous drugs, to stop youngsters form coming up having a good education and having their sense of freedom,” said Mr Wigneswaran. ]

If indeed these feelings are genuine, and the solution is to remove the Armed Forces as suggested – should we apply that also to anyone who causes such trafficking to happen – even if they were unarmed Tamils? Mr. Wigneswaran confirmed through this press conference that he believed in feedback from grassroots level. Unless we live with the People as part of them – so they would think it is ‘safe’ to be natural – we would not get to know problems that they themselves do not consider to be problems. There are parts in Northern Sri Lanka that are known for smuggling activities. This includes people smuggling. To acknowledge the positive contribution by LTTE and other armed groups – one has to be part of their reality. Towards this one has to lose consciousness of any higher ‘position’ authority one has and therefore not give structure to one’s higher knowledge. It has to be dealt with through the pathway of Truth.

Here in Australia, there came a time when I had to make my choice between more sacrifice or compromise to continue in professional positions. When I felt that there was no Australian senior who would acknowledge that my work was essential for her/him to perform in her/his role – I resigned. It was painful alright but I did not know of any other way. The trauma was due to my expectations as per the ‘system’ I was in and my own inner Truth. I took the painful pathway to feel my freedom/equal status. That was when I received miraculous confirmation through Swami Sathya Sai Baba – even though I was not His devotee then. That’s how I started realizing that Truth supports those who uphold Truth. Now I am able to identify through that Truth the way my brain works.  In other words Truth is the silent observer and curer. I had to stay in that Truth to be able to share with the needy. This would not have been possible so long as I was part of the official system in Australia which failed to recognize my work on merit basis.

My investment in the Higher Australian structure did not get wasted.  There are others who believe in me through whom my investment brings me the returns I need when I need them. That has become of heritage value.

When Mr. Wigneswaran became a Politician and Chief Minister – he was taking on an apparently  lower position than his position as  Judge of the Supreme Court. That is the parallel of the  Head of School of the University of New South Wales becoming the Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo. Outwardly we may give the right answers – that we are Equals because  the positions are Equal.  But the Truth is that to the average Australian – Sri Lanka is of lesser status. Likewise unless LTTE is included as part of the Tamil Political leadership, to the average Armed Officer – Tamils are weaker than the Sinhalese. As Judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka – the Hon Justice Wigneswaran would have punished the LTTE as per the relevant laws or failed in his duty as a Judicial leader. But as a Tamil Politician in current Sri Lanka – he has the need to ‘include’ them or be marginalized by the Sri Lankan Government which reacted to the LTTE.

As Mr. Wigneswaran has acknowledged – drug use has been in Northern Sri Lanka over a long period. I myself sensed  it in Thunaivi-Vaddukoddai in 2006 which was later confirmed in action in 2008. As per Mr. Wigneswaran’s assessment – trafficking is not an internal problem. I do identify with this about current Jaffna. But Mr. Wigneswaran identifies with usage being an internal problem. Hence his suggestion that school children be educated. To me that is an inappropriate suggestion because it places the spotlight on students. This could result in actually removing the fear of discovery from the students. If it is largely an external problem – then it is appropriate that it be dealt with by National Authorities.

Take for example the students who were arrested for damaging Jaffna Courts during the rape inquiry. Where we accept those of lesser status than us taking over power – as LTTE did – we lose the authority over our children and students. These very same students would not have protested if they had been groomed by Mr. Wigneswaran – the Judicial expert. Sri Lanka invested in Mr. Wigneswaran as a Judicial Professional and it is Mr. Wigneswaran’s duty to uphold that investment through the structures developed by him. We must not become the mouthpieces of our children who think they have taken over power from us. When we do – we abandon our children.  The students who protested are the children of armed groups and not the judiciary.   The rape victim’s family had the right to protest. But that ought to have been of their own free will. The question needs also to be asked as to why school girls are not accompanied by parents or other elders when travelling to school.  If parents thought that it was ‘safe’ then there is no validity to the claim that they feel it was due to the Army.  If I FELT that my children were not safe due to the presence of the Army or any other source – I would have accompanied my children to protect them from such perils.  Parents who abandon their children to the environment – do not have the moral right to point the finger at others in whom they did not invest to develop such protection. In terms of the victim herself – after the emotional reaction – she would have been protected by her own Truth. The mind cuts off after that point. That is the way God made us and we saw this happening with Myuran Sukumaran – the Bali 9 leader who was executed by the Indonesian Government for Drug Trafficking.

Enjoyment of pleasures and pain are relative due to time and place borders. In many cases Drugs replaced strong alcohols. Even during Mr. Wigneswaran’s time as student – some Jaffna students would have used ganja and Mr. Wigneswaran may never have known about it.. Toddy was the officially accepted intoxicant and hence we have the Nalavar caste. Even today – those to whom that is a job – do it with dignity. If they go into majority Farmer / Vellala caste – they would feel small due to the job based hierarchy. Removing the traffickers (Army in this instance) is the parallel of the death penalty in Indonesia. Would the Indonesian Government give the death penalty to human traffickers?  If they did that would solve a large part of Australian Government’s Boat Refugee problem. Likewise would Mr. Wigneswaran recommend  life imprisonment for People Smugglers in Sri Lanka’s North?

We identify with problems as per our natural environments. We then deal with them confidentially – as we do in family – as if they are a part of us. If drugs have become a public problem – then all politicians of that area – be it Sri Lanka’s North or Indonesia – have failed due to lack of ‘positive power’ through abstinence/sacrifice. If majority Indonesian Politicians for example were teetotalers – then they would naturally cure the weaknesses of their People just by including them. Given that drugs have become a National Political Problem – we learn that Politicians themselves lack this true power to quietly cure. Hence the problem has come past families and political groups to national and international levels. Once this happens – we need the global system of Democracy – through which we self-administer – for better or for worse.  Hence decriminalization of drug use. Then it becomes a private problem of the individual.  

If we are still needing the common pathway - we need to know the real group that we can naturally lead in relation to such problems and that becomes our true electorate. Once it becomes public – the right thing is to deal with it Transparently  through Administration using National and Global principles. Using the Death Penalty or Removing the Armed forces – is cover-up of our own lack of qualifications to be politicians showing ‘virtues’ that we do not have. If the problem is not in areas over which we have belief based influence – it is NOT our problem but is the problem of the individual  concerned – to be directly administered by the official Administration.  If they learn through wider investment – they could use those pathways. Otherwise they always have God to turn to. If they are true to themselves – they invoke that God power which is the only power that never fails.