Gajalakshmi Paramasivam – 02 July 2015

Despite the political differences Vijaya Kumaratunga had with the J.R. Jayewardene regime, he had come forward to negotiate with the LTTE and succeeded even in making the outfit releasing the seven bodies which were displayed to a massive gathering of civilians near the Nallur Kanthaswamy temple premises in the mid eighties, to the Army.
Vijaya even became the first southerner to directly negotiate with the LTTE top rankers such as S. Krishnakumar alias Kittu and Thileepan who later fasted unto death in protest against the Indo-Lanka Accord, in 1987. - Ceylon Today

Devolution or Unitary Control?

The upcoming Parliamentary Elections in Sri Lanka is in a way about whether we seek to practice Devolution or seek to function under Unitary Control system? The current government seems to move towards a combination of  both :

(1)   Parliamentary structure of the Westminster system to which has been crowned the Presidential position  for special areas such as National Security.

(2)   Devolution through promotion of  Business activities.

Power seems to have been shared Equally between the President and the Prime Minister as twin heads of States. To my mind, THIS is the best achievement of the current Government and is the consolidated value of the delivery of the 100 day promises.

It is now the turn of the Citizen to decide which structure they want ? – the fighting one that would continue to lead to wars or the self-governing one that  requires one to manage conflicts at local level?

Dr. Dayan Jayatilleke said in his article ‘Opposition To Devolution: The Three Real Reasons’:

[A TNA run Provincial Council will be good for democracy and therefore, for all the people of the island. Why so? A hazardous ideology is being tested out and preached to our armed forces in which ‘national security’ is said to be “the foundation of our freedom” (as the Secretary to the Minister of Defence, Mr Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said in his keynote speech to the Kotelawela Defence University). National Security was regarded as the foundation by regimes ranging from Hitler to Pinochet. By contrast, the universally accepted and proven foundation of freedom is democracy and the recognition of the inalienable equal rights of all citizens. National security is not the ‘foundation’ but could be described as the ‘protective wall’ of freedom.

The Northern Provincial Council will be an Opposition led council and will provide a much needed counterweight in a situation in which the traditional checks and balances including the separation of powers are being eroded and fundamentally questioned.]

In other words, when National Security becomes the ultimate goal of a country – it is no longer a democratic country  in the global context.  It is when the country is ‘free’ of anxiety concerning National Security – that the country becomes a Nation and merges naturally with other Nations. Democracy facilitates this through systems with least top-down control.  Below is a communication with an  Educationist-responder to my yesterday’s article ‘Opposition Tells Now’ :

Educationist: Gaja, whether in a country, in local government or in an enterprise, there have to be leaders, and acknowledging the existence of such leadership yields the same effect whatever the level. The argument that the smaller unit is more democratically acceptable than the larger as an expression of independence is a fallacy. The argument of the smaller being more conducive to effective democracy is not true, and in a social animal like the human, that level of autonomy can extend only insofar as the individual is concerned.

Gaja : In my case I believe I realized self-governance bottom up.

Hence your statement ‘The argument that the smaller unit is more democratically acceptable than the larger as an expression of independence is a fallacy.’  does not hold true in my case. It is not more acceptable than the larger one. It does not have to wait for time – if it seeks to be independent at the smaller level. Hence the need for devolution. Do I then take it that you are against Devolution?

Educationist: ‘Equal and Opposite Truths exist only as transient situations.’  

Gaja: Truth at the seen / fact level is Equal & Opposite. The opposite side waits for time in the top-down system. It manifests itself or is manifested at the same time in democracy. Here time stands still. In the above, place stands still and hence One person One culture etc.

Educationist: Gaja, your issue which I addressed was regarding leadership and monarchy, their place in a democracy, and their operation within small v. larger units. I explained that whether at the smaller unit level or the larger unit level, in human societies it is the leaders who manage the society, i.e., the principle is the same whether the unit is small or large. If an individual wishes, like you, to participate at the level of the small unit, that is his/her choice. It is this freedom/independence which democracy ensures to the individual.
But one cannot dispute or dismiss that management at the wider level too has to be accomplished in a country. I have no problem with devolution to the smaller unit, Gaja, although for peaceful progress (which is what I think we all aspire to), while the smaller units must have a participatory role in the whole, they must peacefully persuade on differences should such exist. Challenge to the whole arises when the small unit comes into conflict, especially armed conflict, with the larger unit.

As for the Truth...there is Time needed for the top-down and the bottom-up to merge at some level into the One Truth - at which an equilibrium point is reached.

Gaja: Thank you for that wise analysis.

 I do believe in the big picture and I have demonstrated this through my actions against our former Prime Minister John Howard. But not all develop the standards to contribute directly at that level. At the same time when the top fails to include others as part of her/himself/itself  – those below get left behind – even in families. They don’t get to ever feel part of the big picture.  

The facility must therefore exist for such persons to produce their independent outcomes at their levels – which level must  seem like ‘top of the world’ to them. The outcomes produced could be included by the top unit or left out. The top unit has that choice.  

You state ‘while the smaller units must have a participatory role in the whole, they must peacefully persuade on differences should such exist’

Gaja: Part of that persuasion is not to question the central unit through Process once the devolved unit declares independence and shows its work independent of the central unit.  If not devolved the responsibility to persuade rests with the top and not the smaller unit

During this year’s Presidential Elections in Sri Lanka, the party  - ‘All Are Citizens, All Are Kings Organisation’  which got only .03% of the total votes demonstrated the above ideal through its name. If all or any of the .03%  actually believed the above to be true – then they would work the whole system – irrespective of whether it is Democratic or Autocratic. Truth works for believers in the form through which they believe.

Devolution to a unit whose majority members are emotionally/politically driven, would  lead to smaller autocracy. Unless the emotions/politics are largely on the basis of Belief – the smaller democracy is likely to become a dictatorship – as happened through the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) – once their belief  based motivation was weaker than their ‘cleverness’ based motivation.  Likewise the Government of Sri Lanka under the Rajapaksa Presidency.

BBC News says ‘Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said that he intends to re-enter politics and stand in parliamentary elections next month.’

As per Infolanka news: ‘Rajapakse, an autocratic ruler accused of siphoning off millions during his tenure, said he would spearhead a faction at parliamentary elections in August.

But he stopped short of saying whether he would contest a seat himself, after his hopes of standing as a prime ministerial candidate were blocked by his successor as president.

"I have no right to refuse the people's call," Rajapakse said at his home in Medamulana village in his southern stronghold of Hambantota where pictures of the former president with "I am ready" were posted.

"Therefore we must contest the upcoming general election," he told supporters, flanked by a handful of his former ministers.’

If Mr. Rajapaksa’s side wins – then as his brother said – and was quoted by Dr. Dayan Jayatilleke – he would try to make ‘National Security’ the leading agenda  of the Government. If  our Parliamentarians are wiser now, Mr. Rajapaksa himself would go back to being very ordinary – as he was when Madam Kumaratunga was the President above him.

If Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe wins – the issue of armed conflict would be retained by the President and majority of civil issues would be effectively devolved to the Prime Minister. Once the latter becomes stronger than the former – Sri Lankans would naturally become more and more democratic and therefore global.

Diasporas of both ethnicities  are becoming such examples of this shared responsibility – as is TNA (Tamil National Alliance)  to a lesser degree. If the supporters of armed rebellion and armed government - become symbolic – unless the other side hits first – and civilian community issues are devolved to Democratic Managers – both would support their roots in Sri Lanka – even if they do not physically come to Sri Lanka. Truth travels beyond place and time borders.

Politics like emotions and physical level enjoyment is one sided. One who uses both sides through the higher mind is good Administrator driven by the Higher Common Laws. One who uses both sides at the ‘seen’/physical  level is steady  business person.  Such a person exhausts her/his credits at that level and hence is not natural with application of  ‘rights’ based authority. Those who claim credits/wins  through war are of this category and end up being abusers of ‘rights’.  We’ll find out through the elections - the make up of the Sri Lankan electorate through the above aspects. Those of us who provide higher service – would naturally restructure to suite this picture which would be drawn also by Truth through genuine voters.

Most in the Diaspora groups I interact with – are carrying old transactions as they are. The problem with his is lack of order due to floating information. Below is how I explain the value of consolidation:

‘Our body senses help us enjoy at the physical level and at that level we pay the cost by working the system to work efficiently. When we enjoy excessively at the physical level – the loss happens later – through Time. But if we learn to keep the ‘other side’ in our mind – we enjoy steadily and for longer time. Today’s pleasure is thus raised and saved as Common peace and happiness – in our brain – through our brain that can ‘see’ the other side.  It’s like our Superannuation / Provident Fund savings. Within the various forms of enjoyment – sexual enjoyment usually is of a higher level in humans due to this ‘savings’. Once raised to the brain – and delayed – the value is higher.  Likewise family, institutional and national values. Hence a PhD graduate is recognized to be of a higher value than a high-school graduate. If the high-school graduate invests in research and shares her/his discoveries with the community s/he is a part of and the PhD graduate does no research but largely teaches and uses status to ‘tell’ – as University academics often do – then in real terms that high-school graduate is the power that works the University system within her/his community.’ Beyond Consciousness.  Devolution is to honor such real investors and raise our own standards of Civilization.

 Politics like emotions and physical level enjoyment is one sided. One who uses both sides through the higher mind is good Administrator driven by the Higher Common Laws. One who uses both sides at the ‘seen’/physical  level is steady  business person.  Such a person exhausts her/his credits at that level and hence is not natural with application of  ‘rights’ based authority. Those who claim credits/wins  through war are of this category and end up being abusers of ‘rights’.  We’ll find out through the elections - the make up of the Sri Lankan electorate through the above aspects. Those of us who provide higher service – would naturally restructure to suite this picture which would be drawn also by Truth through genuine voters.