Gajalakshmi Paramasivam – 03 March   2016

Cardinal Pell’s Democratic Rights

It happened with Dr. Hollingworth and it’s happening again with Cardinal Pell. The authority to persecute on the basis of past actions/negligence  needs to be limited to the effective time of a structure, common to both parties. The principle of Equal Opportunity  applies Equally to migrants as it does to Traditional Australians. Former facilitates Place based cut off and latter facilitates Time based cut off. To the extent migrants are entitled to use of  current merit basis, Senior Australians born in Australia are also entitled to be measured on current merit basis except in the case of those who directly caused the damage. This was NOT Dr. Hollingworth back then nor Cardinal Pell now. There may be no law to prevent such persecution for past Administrative failures, but the damage to our investment in Democracy needs to be taken into account when making such inquiries public.

As I stated last night, here in Singapore when sharing with a women’s group: -  generation-gap is a strong contributory factor in the slowdown of development work in  Northern Sri Lanka trying to recover from the effects of war. Even though  the war is officially over, young ones – especially those who joined Public Service are unable to get back to the system as it was prior to the war.  Their seniors including within family expect them to ‘behave’ and often leave them  to the authorities when young ones try to have their say – as per their calculation of right and wrong. Most of these seniors did not protest when the Tamil Tigers used their own measures to find fault with community leaders. That negligence is now returning to haunt them. That negligence has become their fate now that the war is officially over.

The parallel  happened in Australia also when children were ‘left’ by their families, in the care of Christian institutions. Whether it is good or bad – today’s Australia carries that karma as part of its genes. It would be unfair for those who did not ‘inherit’ a net negative karma, to activate those genes today – to make them ‘current’ wrongs. Those who did inherit those genes could seek appropriate remedy – but not through the current Public Pathway.  If Institutional leaders are persecuted for Administrative failures then Parents and other family seniors who abandoned their children also need to be persecuted for their contribution to the Administrative failures.

In Hindu culture, we claim that only our Truth in past births is carried by us as our ‘fate’. Those who activate such ‘fate’ through current powers are as wrong as those who do nothing by leaving it all to  fate. Ultimately the individual is responsible for her/his own fate. Only that part that s/he is responsible for is carried by that person. We can override that ‘fate’ through current deeds of goodness – accumulated beyond our position duties. But true justice would not permit the two sides to be brought to face each other through current system.

In Democratic Australia, Cardinal Pell cannot therefore be tried by the current generation enjoying the freedom of  Equal Opportunity systems. It would be wrong to do so – as it would be wrong for Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa to be persecuted  by Sri Lankan war victims in Australia enjoying the benefits of Democratic Australia.

Only the Truth is carried beyond Place and Time borders. In the case of an individual the limit is the body. In the case of Institutions – the limit is the structures of the Administrative systems. When Australia moved out of ‘White Australia Policy’, the old hierarchical system of Administration died. Any persecution through old events, by those who enjoy the ‘freedom’ of Democracy, would damage their own mind-order. The empowerment comes from those of us who quietly endured similar persecution by our seniors – many of whom were younger than us in age. A true Australian would use current merit or choose to remain silent and leave it to the system of Truth and Natural Justice to punish and reward – beyond local borders.

As I advised last night a Chinese-Buddhist – who was struggling between her individual Truth and her position requirements – so long as we need jobs – our duties come first. Beyond our duty we could continue to contribute  but need to ensure that we do not damage our position structure and the larger structure that our position is part of.  This would ensure that we contribute through our feelings rather than thoughts influenced by external forces. This would prevent us from damaging the investment made by others in the system – believing it to be the right one for them until known otherwise. One who knows otherwise would have already settled her/his debt to that Institution/Community / Society. I know I did. The best expression of appreciation from the women’s group last night came in regards to my natural expression ‘I am Australian’ – despite looking ‘Indian’ and claiming Sri Lankan Tamil Heritage. That was an expression of Truth – made AFTER I had settled my dues to the cultural  system of  ‘White-Australia’ from which I also benefited.