Gajalakshmi Paramasivam – 06 July 2015

Devolution or Globalization?

Truth when experienced renders Universal Power of Independence.  One reader was critical of my sharing of personal experiences through my writing work. This was also raised by a senior academic – and from time to time by Diaspora leaders. This particular reader stated:

‘Whilst writing somewhat readable articles painstakingly you spoil them by bringing in your (Personal) 'Testamentary Action' into it every time. Please grow out of it. It is not the be all and end all. There is a wide globe waiting for you outside!’

I responded to the above reader: ‘The globe is ‘outside’ if not experienced. Universal power is experienced inside’

The above brought to my mind, the personal crusade of Eddie Mabo – who established the Indigenous Right to use land through Personal Belief. It was a one man fight.  Our then Prime Minister the Hon Paul Keating said about the successful ruling regarding Native Title :

"Well the biggest pressure came at the end. The greater body of the parliamentary caucus in the form of senior people in the cabinet wanted me to give it up towards the end... and I said you've got to be joking, you've got to be joking, but they weren't joking. You know they didn't think I could get it through." ABC

The above response from within the Tamil Diaspora similarly confirms the resistance to Truth – as a Universal Power. The Native Title ruling is healthy for Australia – because it recognizes the Truth that Australia was not Terra Nullius when White Immigrants landed here and started setting up Government.

The parallel of that for Sri Lanka are the Customary Laws – not only of Jaffna Tamils but also others including Kandyan Sinhalese. The above mentioned Testamentary case would have been an emotional settlement – needing confidentiality in case of conflict. Likewise, Political differences between cultures within Sri Lanka. While the above member of the Diaspora refers to it as being ‘personal’ there were other young ones who – on learning about it through my writings – sought my assistance to resolve similar problems in their own family circles. In any case – I did not publicize the matter until the other side made it public. The parallel of this for  Sri Lanka is the Government going public and seeking the assistance of UN in regards to the LTTE problem. To many large Western countries including Australia – the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils would have been very much ‘personal’ just as Eddie Mabo’s legal battles were to a large majority of Australians.

This raises the question of whether Tamils of Sri Lanka need Democracy through Devolution of Power – so they could be a smaller version of the Parent who devolves or whether we need Globalization with the principles and values of Transparency and Accountability – even at the primary unit level – as our grandchildren now explain to us how they  make rotti (Sri Lankan bread)!

The two ways are discussed below:

[Where there are wide gaps between cultures – it is important that we lose consciousness of our past authorities – and instead use current observations of current outcomes. Towards this one needs Objectively measurable evidence to mark someone right or wrong.

Our marriage and the values on which our branch of the family was developed is of higher value as per Australian culture – upholding multiculturalism in the system of marriage. In our family - there are those who married only once; There are those who married more than once and there are those who never married. They are all family and they are all entitled to their share of the Common status of  the family.  Likewise in the Tamil community with diverse political affiliations. Once the LTTE claimed it represented Tamils, it did not have the right to separate within and call other Tamils ‘traitors’ – except when they were ‘caught’ damaging the Common Values. Given that the most Common value that Tamils contributed to was Education – the LTTE needed to first punish itself for actively damaging our investment in Education which is of heritage value.

The moment my husband left Vaddukoddai to live in Colombo and beyond in Australia – he had the responsibility to restructure his thought order to suit his new environment. Likewise, all migrants to new environments. A good migrant does not replace – but merges – as in sharing. New debts to systems are developed through education and training by seniors in new environments. The more independent ones would tend to learn on their own. Such persons contribute to the wider Common society – as I believe I did in Australia. Our debts are therefore not owed only to our biological families and communities. Until we pay off our debts – we do not have the power to work the common system. Everyone has the power to pay off by paying their respects. When we do so of our own free will – the debt is cleared even if the other person does not accept it or knows about it. Those who repay as per a ‘system’ – cultural or official – need to expressly confirm that the debt has been paid as per that system’s pathways/laws/policies.

Hence in the case of my sister-in-law,  SHE was disrespecting the Australian law which endorses our marriage; Worse – she was disrespecting the Higher Common Values that my husband had contributed to. If she were true to herself – she would now go back to Vaddukoddai where it is possible that there is a group which would identify with her. Now that I live as a  Vaddukoddai Resident when in Sri Lanka – to my mind my sister-in-law’s group would be limited to a few close relatives and neighbours. This I believe is the case of the Muslim mother who left her children in Australia to join the armed group fighting for Islamic State.

Our Brain-Order is raised to the higher level of thought when we use Common Measures/Laws/Policies/Values. Truth is Universal and there is no higher law than the pathway of Truth. Truth is therefore the express pathway to Independence.

If my husband or I had been ‘caught’ in an act that would be considered shameful by our common culture – for example indulging in sexual pleasures with other partners – then such assessment is on merit basis and is valid. Likewise if I had acted violently at the University – the University Security had the right to take action to remove me. If I had acted violently outside the gates of the University – the Police had the right to take action against me. Given that there was no such action – I had every right to be at a Public institution. It is a clear case of the University Administration being at the mercy of the citizen to leave on her own accord. Likewise, in a family – every member has the right to be in common areas and/or lead in subject matters where in the past they have demonstrated leadership – as I had in Democratic Resource Management at the University of NSW. I was part of the team that was recruited for this very purpose. I identified with the need of the University and made the need of the University my need. Then the service is provided by me to myself. It’s when the customer is brought within us that we provide the best and deepest customer service. 

Given that the outcome expected of the officer was placed in his mind before he could make independent observations and use appropriate laws with due diligence to mark me right or wrong – as per the law -  the brain would have needed a driving force to act. The natural driving force of superiority led  to downgrading of  my status – below his so I would be obedient. It’s like quietly using abusive language to demean the opposition batsman when playing cricket. It’s a form of sledging.

The real causal reason is therefore the motivation power that drives the action.

In a Democracy where multiculturalism is accepted as a ‘right’ it would be difficult for juniors / minorities to identify with these forces of seniors / majority in power with whom they may never interact due to the ‘gap’ and lack of belief. Hence each one has the right to produce their own outcomes independently as per their belief – in an area where it would not adversely affect other cultures. But this needs to be not in breach of the law if that person / members of that group seek to interact with wider society also. If it is the punishment needs to be willingly taken – as Gandhi did.

Under this latter system – ‘effects’ are important.  Each group uses the motivation or demotivation power the ‘effects’ had/has  on them to work out their next step.  Hence producing objectively measurable outcomes is essential in Multicultural Democracy.    Hence Transparency and Accountability replace Confidentiality and Loyalty as the underpinning essentials of  Performance.

The alternative to producing Objectively Measurable outcomes for Public consumption is – delegation. This carries the risk of past masters getting involved due to their unsettled thirst for leadership power.

The most current news about LTTE is that some former LTTE leaders are committing themselves to Democracy. If this is based on production of Objectively measurable outcomes instead of asking for delegation – then they would merge with global powers and would be empowered by global powers. THIS is my preferred way (Appendix 8). This is also – Lord Muruga’s way.  

Those who are not strongly committed to acting within their position boundaries – are likely to draw on the above mentioned natural local order through subjective influence - to please those who seem powerful – to derive current benefits. If this natural order is based on narrower thinking than the common law – then the person is abusing authority  to reduce his status to less than national status. One who uses the law – would confirm the common ‘system’ and thus would think as per national order and beyond if those laws are practiced by others also.

Had this officer been respectful of his own British ancestors – he would have recognized them through my own conduct as well – for most of my education was based on the system when Sri Lanka was Ceylon – under British rule.

It’s a kind of self-delegation – as LTTE probably thought they were entitled to after the Vaddukoddai Resolution 1976. But for that to be valid – the declaration that they were the sole-representatives of Tamils needed to be based on Belief. Prescriptive rights are based on belief. They are needed so that Land does not idle.  To my mind – when first  migrants landed on this land which is now called Australia – and they believed it was Terra-Nullius – they were entitled to claim ownership. But not so when they have knowledge of or ought to have had knowledge of regular use of the land by someone who was already there. Hence the Mabo ruling during the time Mr. Paul Keating was our Prime Minister. I believe that leaders add their own Natural Energies – for better or for worse when they are in leadership positions. So long as they are facilities accessible to the common citizen – as our current Prime Minister the Hon Tony Abbott is – our Energies also combine to strengthen their motivating forces – even if they /we are not conscious of it.   Hence Facilities and not Administration for self-governing citizens.

If on the other hand my parallel – in that issue – the Vice Chancellor of the University of New South Wales had given evidence as a duty – he would have recognized his parallel structure in me – in diverse form.  But once we assume high position as per our convenience through majority vote/opinion – and place the other side below us – consciously and/or habitually – we would not be able to see this Natural Structure in the other person. Hence unjust discrimination happens. It is important to promote – allocation of equal status to the other person of a different race, gender, age or apparent disability  – until known otherwise – so that we do not habitually contribute to this injustice which develops into negative Energies uncontrollable by us. These I feel are the ‘Demons’.  

When we do contribute to a system and someone is genuinely hurt and we fail to take responsibility,  the order in which our brain works is of low level and therefore tends to be selfish – even if we are not conscious of it. The higher the order of the brain – the wider the coverage of care. Hence the need for common principles and laws. Positions need to be arranged in accordance with responsibilities and not active contributions.

Truth gives us the highest order of thought from within. It has the empowering Energy due to our own work to discover the Truth and/or due to the respect we pay those who have discovered the Truth. This empowerment is beyond knowledge. It motivates and/or prevents action as needed by us. Such a mind is independent and ‘free’.

Often I ‘resigned’ from institutions and relationships due to the difficulty of rearranging my order of thinking to suit custodians of power. This often resulted in loss of earned benefits and opportunities – but I was more free to think as per my orderly system. Unless we are on our guard against such ‘infections’ we are likely to start thinking like them. Assimilation happens when we allow ourselves to be so infected. Those who maintain their own independent order of thinking promote diversity and the two systems  integrate at the higher level. I believe I am contributing to such a multicultural system by first fighting against assimilation and then staying independent of such person/s in authority.  

Democracy could be developed in two main pathways :

(1)   By Delegating Power to a smaller unit – that is more or less identical to the parent unit and recognizing that unit to have Equal status.  This often carries forward cultural particular to a group.

(2)   By facilitating each independent group that declares itself to be independent  to produce their own outcomes of global standard but without any special delegation to that group. This requires moving to a ‘Business Unit’ approach.

This I believe is the preferred pathway for Sri Lanka as well as Australia.  This requires the minority groups to become global more actively than majority groups. Otherwise devolution and separation is the path that suits those who seek to be personal and confidential.] Beyond Consciousness