Gajalakshmi Paramasivam – 28 October  2015

Ownership of UN Resolution

A Diaspora Leader forwarded to me the video clip of the Hon M A Sumanthiran’s speech on 22 October, in Sri Lankan Parliament, in relation to the UNHRC Resolution. I was indeed impressed to note – the use of ‘ownership’ in Mr. Sumanthiran’s speech. THAT gave me the feeling that I was making that part of the speech myself. I believe that each time we sacrifice earned benefits – we develop natural structures. Each time we activate the Royalty due to us from such a pathway to uphold our investment – it become the Law that governs travel along that pathway and also the Protection of destination. When ‘effects’ are received without such travel they are most temporary and often lead to damage to the Natural structures and their pathways. Ownership is important to preserve structures and pathways not only for us to have inner peace but also for the next generation and wider world that includes us.

Yesterday I watched on SBS TV program – a White Reporter commenting on the skills of a Worker in a coconut oil factory. The Reporter commented that  he did not think he could break the coconut without hurting himself.  When questioned the Worker said that he had never hurt himself.  The Worker – however continued to fill his basket and he lifted the heavy basket and walked towards his next station.  The guy who takes care of our Temple garden in Northern Sri Lanka came to mind. They just go about their work – day in and day out – unaffected by external forces/distractions. The problem arises when locals are distracted by foreigners. They then tend to remain in the local structure but desire the benefits of the other.

Mr. Sumanthiran highlighted that Sir Desmond de Silva – a  British legal expert had recommended a full hybrid Court made up fully by outsiders in the case of Gambia but has  participated in the Sri Lankan inquiry as part of the Paranagama Commission ‘for saying what the Government wanted to hear’. The Gambian declaration was to my mind for the purposes of  Status from an International group. The Sri Lankan declarations were for money. Both are right in terms of  ‘employment’. Neither is appropriate from an owner. The Paranagama report itself was ‘internal’ and like declarations in Parliament – they would have helped those who subjectively followed their respective leaders to identify with their respective needs through a confidential ‘internal’ – process. By  bringing outsider into the problem – the then President denied Sri Lankans/Sinhalese the opportunity to seek and find an internal Political solution. On Equal Opportunity basis a Tamil Commission also ought to have been appointed – to facilitate internal Resolution. It is not for the purpose of ‘showing outsiders’. Towards this one needed a true Sinhalese for the Paranagama Commission and a true Tamil for the Tamil Commission. Once a problem is known to be due to a subjective factor such as ethnicity – the two sides involved need to be facilitated to look at their own contributions to the alleged problem; OWN their contribution and then decide whether they want to ‘keep’ it that way even though it may seem wrong to others OR find their own solution or declare that they are not able to find a solution and escalate it to the next higher level. The Gambian situation could have happened due to outsiders wanting to ‘takeover’ the problem prematurely while Gambians went about their life like the above coconut factory worker. Only a Gambian by contribution to the Gambian structure has the right to judge through the Local process. Foreigners have to wait until the problem becomes global and has global purposes. The outcomes should not disturb local contributions through local Commission. Hence the two should not overlap.

If the Paranagama report had been published before the UNHRC  Resolution – it would have denied the UN the mandate to take on areas covered by the local Commission – for the reason why there is now an inquiry against Sir Desmond de Silva. Paid officers should not rank above owners. At UN level – the inquiry needs to be through Objective evidence available – and the decisions need to be primarily for global purposes. A Hybrid Court of the Gambian type would not have suited Sri Lanka where a high percentage have invested in global life – especially through Education - long before this war. When Tamils did not get University places – they went overseas – Britain being their first choice. Tamils often sold their land towards this. They are entitled to draw on this investment during the time of their need. The British have so far not let us down in this regard. If the current Sri Lankan Government led by Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe is able to find its local solutions – then the UN Resolution would be completed and there would be no need for physical level involvement. The UN has to wait until the local processes are exhausted. Then too – the UN must have a further mandate to take direct responsibility for the parts unaddressed by the Local Government.

One of the issues that the Prime Minister seems to be addressing is the White flag issue at the last stages of the 2009 battle – when UN was part of the Decision making team. As per Daily Mirror Editorial  [ Referring to the white-flag issue, Mr. Wickremesinghe claimed, “this issue came up when the LTTE leaders and others were coming with white flags. The Commanding Officers on the spot should have decided whether that was a genuine surrender or a ploy to carry out an assault. But in this instance, the decision came from Colombo and was passed down to the Army. It was not a decision taken on the battlefield. Why did that happen? Whom did they want to rescue? They wanted to safeguard Pulidevan who made that deal of taking money in exchange for the LTTE telling the people to boycott the 2005 presidential elections. We will speak the truth. Who gave money to save Pulidevan? Who put the deal through during the presidential election of 2005? There are people here who are aware of it. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) members are aware of it. What is the truth? What was the need for Pulidevan to be rescued? But Pulidevan should be held responsible for the destruction caused to the Tamils. If Pulidevan was not there Mr. Rajapaksa could not have come into power. It should have been a decision of the Army to accept the surrender or not to accept those coming with white flags.”]

Here the actions of the non-army Government are being considered to be the root cause of the problem that happened. They say that all is fair in Love & War. To my mind, the message is ‘Don’t interfere with Truth once it is discovered’.  The old pathway needs to be forgotten and the new pathway for which the Love / Truth is the beginning needs to be followed.

In a recent experience in Thunaivi in Northern Sri Lanka – a Vaddukoddai resident strongly conscious of caste based status – tried to find fault with the persons of lowest grade involved in the problem. Given that Thunaivi folks have invested less in secular systems than Vaddukoddai folks – I seek and find their Truth and then bring them under our Training structure and explain to them where they failed me – their trainer. If I were driven strongly by ‘outcomes’ my mind would join forces with Vaddukoddai folks who are still carrying the caste structures – albeit largely  for their internal purposes. I disciplined the Vaddukoddai party as follows:

1.      If you seek to ‘judge’ then you need a position above them. The structure through which you have to do this is my secular structure and not your leftovers of social structures. Then you have the responsibility to Train them – because we are a Training group.

2.      If on the other hand you do not want to train them – then stay away as an outsider and take Equal position. Under those circumstances you have the responsibility to ‘wait’ until the visible outcomes produced by them become damaging to you and your structures.

Those who take Equal position must ‘wait’ until objectively measurable outcomes are manifested by the other side. Otherwise the pathway is open for reverse discrimination through those who lack investment in local culture and therefore subjective power. This often happens through quick Aid by foreigners – who bypass local leaders. Diaspora members who ‘give’ money without commitment to Common structures that integrate the past and the future through the present virtual reality are also in this group.

Through the above revelation in Parliament the Prime Minister has opened the Subjective pathway for both sides to address their own weaknesses. The successful leaders would use ‘internal’ methods confidentially to keep their side in lower positions as followers and not become active in the new common system. The side/s that fail would confirm that Sri Lanka, like Gambia is ready to be taken over by Foreigners. Tamil side has enough leaders to go global but not enough to make the internal corrections. The Chief Minister of Northern Province – the Hon C.V.Wigneswaran is one who has involved himself with the ‘internal’ corrections. The likes of the Hon M.A.Sumanthiran have the capacity to lead the global pathway once the internal corrections are made. Pulidevan got killed due to his own disloyalty to the LTTE’s stated cause of Independence – through which he raised his position above those of Politicians and Civil Administrators in the Community. If he did not mean to surrender but used the opportunity for survival – then he died a hero.

TNA together has the responsibility to facilitate both – the Truth about LTTE and other armed groups – and also the establishment of a Customized  Secular system that would suit Tamils as per their Diversity and facilitating the training of all Tamils through such a system – led by the Provincial Councils where Tamils have won Governance.

When the Sri Lankan Government cosponsored the UNHRC Resolution – the TNA as Leader of the Opposition was also cosponsoring it. It has Equal Responsibility as the Government to make it work as an Owner and not for status benefits, leave alone the cheap money benefits by which the LTTE got distracted. Australia also has cosponsored the Resolution and has the responsibility to actively work through the Sri Lankan Diaspora in Australia towards Common solutions – including in terms of immigration. Those of us who are Common Owners of both Nations would Naturally contribute to this Common Solution even if we do nothing – Summa Iru/Keep Still  - as Saint Yoga Swami says. When our mind is filled with Truth it is Still in virtual reality.