Gajalakshmi Paramasivam – 25 April    2016

Muruga by Ravi Varma

Fear of Devolution

“Government insists will not allow country to be divided” Colombo gazette

I got off the Bus around 5 am at our Thunaivi Temple in Vaddukoddai District – the litmus of the claim of  Sri Lankan Tamil Community that we are self-governing. I believe that Vaddukoddai Resolution 1976 paved the way for the LTTE to spread its activities to become global.  I felt ‘at home’ and started walking towards our cottage. Jeevan our coordinator carried the larger baggage and was walking behind me. I noticed a dent in the steel fence erected by us to prevent dilution of the common positive energy that we have been developing in that area. That fence came with a big price tag and symbolized our policy of using local labor  even when it was more expensive and of lesser quality than the standards of work available in wider market. But to me it was about my feelings of ownership in that area through our family temple. In many ways that Vaddukoddai area is the parallel of Sri Lanka in relation to the global community. I mentioned to Jeevan that someone had tried to make a gap at that place. Jeevan said he had not noticed any damage. Jeevan being about the same age as my children – his physical senses would have been sharper than mine. Yet he did not observe anything amiss. I left it at that and made a mental note to inspect it later in daylight. A few hours later Jeevan returned and confirmed that someone had tried to cut open a gap in the steel fence. To my mind that was confirmation that the vehicle used in illegal trafficking of cattle and others with similar history would again be parked in our temple grounds.  Even though Jeevan was a frequent visitor to that area he needed his physical sense to register the information that the fence was damaged. I did not – despite going there only a few times a year. The difference was due to the sense of ownership which at the highest level of return has absolute power – the power of Truth/Love/God. That feeling that the fence was a part of me – representing my investment in lawful structures and activities – meant that the fence was no longer an inanimate structure. It was part of me and when it hurt, I hurt – not at the physical level – but at the shared value system common to the fence and myself. We both presented ‘Security’ in that area an area where Tamils declared their belief that we were better off self-governing than was the case at that time – where any mention of self-governance was treated as treason.  Through my own experiences I have learnt that once we leave it to the system of Truth/Love/God – we become observers from that point onwards. During the study circle sharing later that morning – I explained that there was a component of causal forces that happened due to God’s system and encouraged participants to identify with that force in their own experiences. To me, the Tamil Political Leadership becoming the Opposition in 1977 as well as 2015 happened due to this force becoming active within the voter. Even one such voter would empower her/his leadership to become government or its equivalent – the Leading Opposition.

In the Daily Mirror article ‘Lack of inclusiveness: Dinesh, Sampanthan in the same boat, Mr. M S M Ayub states:

‘One would agree with Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) leader Dinesh Gunawardane, who criticised R. Sampanthan for taking up only Tamil issues during his engagements with other politicians and the public instead of discussing national issues as the Opposition Leader of the country. 

Sampanthan, in response, had lashed out at the MEP leader and questioned as to whether Southern politicians had taken up issues that affected Tamil people in their engagements with the Government or the people. “They are concerned about the issues around them and we too are concerned about the issues around us” he had told media at a meeting in the North, according to the Tamil media.’

The parallel of the above in my case was whether I ought to address workplace weaknesses through Racial Discrimination pathway or through Industrial laws. Until my disappointment with the University of NSW – I used the General pathway – which needed me to often take lower position than most leading participants relative to whom my contributions on merit basis  were higher. It was painful but I absorbed it by learning to rely on my own valuation of myself. Unknown to me – that ‘gap’ in benefits – matured and became investments in the structures of those institutions and beyond - as common energy to work that issue through the system of Truth. One who sacrifices earned benefits – automatically gets share in the structure that produced those benefits. When that structure fails to return the due benefits – we get promoted to the global level – through the system of Truth – to become part of the real global structures. That I believe is how many of us empowered Sri Lankan leaders to have the confidence to participate at global level. The pain of war thus became investment in global structures for those who accepted defeats at the local level – despite having earned to win at the local level.

The above Equalization of   the Hon R Sampanthan –leader of the Opposition  and the Hon Dinesh Gunawardane MP, is inappropriate and confirms the disrespect for positions earned on merit basis. Mr. Sampanthan himself failed to uphold his higher position but instead, reacted to someone with a lower position as an Equal – the same way Mr. Rajapaksa became the Equal Opposition of the LTTE Leadership when he was President.

The above author goes on to confirm that Mr. Sampanthan:

‘had also pointed out that the southern politicians are normally a-pathetic to the problems faced by the Tamil people and leave them to the Tamil leaders.’ 

 The real picture as per my contribution to the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka is that the problem has been escalated to the global level – and focus on that issue of Racism – earns us membership in global community – provided we measure through global laws and/or our Truth alone. I used Industrial relations laws until the last job – because I of my stronger investment in that pathway than in the Humanitarian Pathway. We have the right to any pathway – provided we believe that it is an appropriate pathway to resolve the problem as we saw it.  If therefore the Tamil Community Leaders used the Racial Discrimination pathway – to inquire and determine – the Community becomes more global in its thinking than do those who use the general local pathways.

As per the Colombo Gazette report:

‘The Government insists it will not allow the country to be divided or National security to be placed in jeopardy.

State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardena said that while the Government and politicians in the North may discuss devolution of power, it will not be done at the expense of harming the unity of the country.

The Northern Provincial Council had last week called for a separate State for Tamil speaking people.

Wijewardena however said the Government will take all measures to protect the unity of Sri Lanka as it takes forward the reconciliation process.

A state Minister responding as an Equal other side to a Provincial Council – confirms that to that Minister – that is the maximum level of status he has earned. The Vaddukoddai Resolution 1976 was itself interpreted differently by different groups – with LTTE talking of Separate Country. Their actions in preventing Tamil voters from participating in Sri Lankan Presidential elections confirmed this further. Their parallels do exist in other communities. By responding outside his portfolio responsibilities and picking the Country separation picture through which to present his thinking, the Defence Minister has confirmed that he needed Tamil Tigers as his opposition to function as Defence Minister. They seem to think more about the Tamil Tigers than do we – the law abiding section of  the Tamil Community. It is as if they are speaking through the Sprits of the Tamil Tigers whom they see as their opposition. Truth manifests Itself at one level. TO the extent we manifest ourselves as ‘free’ persons – not accountable to anyone above us – we would also naturally recognize as our equals  - the other side. It is for this reason that Democracy facilitates Equal Opposition when one is considered a free citizen to make her/his own choices. The choices we make when we are unsupervised – confirm our true level. Accordingly, the above Minister’s level is the LTTE.

In Hinduism we have the personification of Muruga with two wives. Some say they represent the two Energies – Ichcha Shakthi & Kiriya Shakthi.   Ichcha (want) Shakthi is the motivational Energy and Kiriya (work) Shakthi is Kinetic Energy. In terms of  family, workplace and society – Ichcha Shakthi is the latent power of ownership shown through structures and  is developed through sacrifice of earned  benefits and/or by respecting as our elders, those who have developed structures. Kiriya Shakthi is the power generated by current work. Former is measured on the basis of Common faith and latter on the basis of Merit. Former tends to be subconscious and latter is consciously and/or  expressly calculated. Autocracy gives priority to Ichcha Shakthi and Democracy gives priority to Kiriya Shakthi.

Where the LTTE invoked the  Government to become Kiriya Shakthi – and  that was merit based  as per LTTE’s actions only – the claim of victory over Terrorists completed that picture. To carry it beyond the period of the active players – would confirm that LTTE has become the motivational force for the Government and that the Government has ceiled its development at that level.  Likewise when Tamils keep expecting to get even through ‘active talk’ of war-crimes – without reference to specific global laws that say such and such is a crime and ensuring that the LTTE which is included as part of the leadership is clean in that respect using the same measure. Without such approach we are abandoning our own contributions to law and order at global standards.

As per the law of  Nature – each unit of desire produces its equal other side – fear. If there are no true takers – the fear returns to the one who enjoyed the desire. Even though Tamils are in the minority as per body count – they became an Equal and Opposite force showing this ‘other’ side immediately – to the Government and the People. It is the duty of the Opposition to do this. Where it is done through the topic understood by Tamils through experience – it is healthy for Sri Lanka because of the global value of such an issue. There is no other issue that Sri Lankans are more passionate about than the ethnic issue and that is so only because Tamils showed the ‘other side’ from the time British vacated post.  One who enjoys more pleasures through inherited wealth – but without paying respects to ancestors/elders - is likely to ‘fear’ separation as division. The parallel of that in family life is Divorce. But where one is able to develop to a higher level through ‘privacy’ AFTER best contribution to the common system, would have the best of both worlds – enjoyment of two homes. Ultimately as per the law of nature – we do unto ourselves all that we do unto others. Those who cease being Accountable to the Truth within – would think that they would have the desire and the other side would have the fear. The above is an example of this. Hence Devolution is pictured as separation. LTTE confirmed that the cleverness of its members was extraordinary when they were in isolation. If this is recognized by the Government – as a common feature – it would use such separation to its advantage. If the government does not find a common opposition/enemy – the problem gets internalized and that divides the country – whatever we may call the divided parts. This would weaken both parts. Commonness confirms sacrifice and leads us towards absolute value. Where Tamils travel ahead by accepting defeats they own the whole in their minds. From time to time the system of Truth confirms this – and this has happened again. Everyone who accepts the TNA as the Equal Opposition to the Government – is confirming eligibility to be global citizen. This would not happen where there is no diversity and therefore separation of powers. Devolution to Tamils is confirmation of our Equality in value to Sinhalese who have majority at the physical level. Anyone who brings it down to lower level to suit their own desires – is demoting their eligibility to be leaders of global standards.