Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

17 August   2016

Americans owe Jaffna

I was faced with the choice between Indian only TV connection, Indian and Sri Lankan TV Connection or Sri Lankan only TV Connection for our Training Center at Vaddukoddai. The regional one was reported to be managed  by EPDP – the Political Party of the Hon Douglas Devananda. Mr. Devananda means different personalities to different people. To me he is the Minister who facilitated my submission of Tsunami Reconstruction proposal  to be personally presented to the then President – the Hon Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. Mr. Devananda was one of the forces that facilitated that passage and it was my turn to value his work as a customer.  I chose neither the Indian only nor the Sri Lankan only, but the Regional license.

Yesterday, in response to my article ‘Sinhala Also Policy’ I received email communication headed ‘U.S. to assist in drafting new Sri Lankan Constitution’ with a note from Ms Tamara Kunanayakam who represented Sri Lanka at the United Nations during the Rajapaksa regime. As per my feelings when Ms Kunananayakam was appointed to represent Sri Lanka – hers was a political appointment. In terms of my thinking order mentioned above – my Tsunami Reconstruction work was global standards and non-political. I performed as if I was the victim. Hence I was a governor of that work. That needed to be endorsed by the President with whom I did share common faith through Mother Vadivambikai of Muneeswaram. To the extent we are genuine – our prayers and feelings of gratitude accumulate to make the connection with those of common faith. They are the invisible powers that motivate us at root level. Nallur Murugan is a connection with Mr. Douglas Devananda who is remembered here in Northern Sri Lanka for his services as Minister for Hindu culture.

When we relate to a person as a whole – it is a political relationship. When we relate on merit basis – it is administrative. When the person is the medium of our own work – it confirms our position as governors.

The note dated 07 August 2015, from Ms  Tamara Kunanayakam goes as follows:

[With regard to US Ambassador Atul Keshap's statement, you might wish to re-circulate the piece (below) I wrote for The Island on 25 September 2015

"What the Ranil - Sirisena Government will not tell you! US draft resolution: A 'system change,'" analysing the infamous US-sponsored Human Rights Council's draft resolution on Sri Lanka, only 6 days before it was adopted (with minor amendments) with the blessings of the present Sirisena-Ranil regime. In that piece, I point out then that the draft resolution is all about system change, a complete overhaul of Sri Lanka’s political, legal, security and defence system to serve the global interests of the United States, and it is fully in line with Obama’s new National Security Strategy that was reflected in the May 2015 statement made in Colombo by the US Secretary of State. 

It is indeed very significant that the US Ambassador made his statement on board USS New Orleans!

It is vital that we mobilise ourselves on as broad a basis as possible, as Sri Lankans, because it has to do with our country's independence and sovereignty.  

Best regards,

Tamara]

  The article referred by Ms Kunanayakam is ‘What the Ranil- Sirisena Government will not tell you!; US draft resolution: A ‘system change’. It includes the following conclusion:

[There is no more Mahinda Rajapaksa to blame, no more pro-Beijing foreign policy, no more Non-Alignment, no more ‘megaphone diplomacy’ or ‘megaphone diplomats’, no more corruption. History dawned in Sri Lanka only on 8 January, before that, there was only darkness, violence and obscurantism. Today, enlightened leaders have flooded the land with newness, goodness, transparency, and unity, along with privileged relations with a much-maligned West.

So, what went wrong? A generous response would be our new, enlightened leaders read all the signs wrong. An accurate response would be they have something to gain from subservience to Washington’s interests.]

If it did go wrong for Ms Kunanayakam – then that is a political relationship. To me the new system is far more democratic than the old one because I am able to work the system better especially to place the Prabhakarans and the Rajapaksas in their places below civil administrators and more importantly to govern in places and issues where I feel ownership. Americans taking over from China is a global military part of Sri Lankan structure.  As the person who played the role of military governor during the war – Mr. Gotabaya Rajakasa – known also as a US citizen opened the doors for American military involvement. Dual citizens implicate one country in the other and where the citizen uses lesser of the two standards – there is a ‘vacancy’ created for the ‘gap’. The US led UN Resolution against Sri Lankan Government was therefore America v America. Hence we have to accept American involvement in Sri Lanka as Sri Lankan due to Mr. Rajapaksa and others like him who want it both ways but are governors of neither.  

Often we make the mistake of using largely the information in our conscious memory rather than including also our total investment in common with the person, side or issue through direct experience.  If we have not had the experience – then our expressions are largely for ‘show’. They would not travel naturally through to the needy.

Jaffna is in need of American compensation due to deaths of Tamils who were specially targeted by Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa – an American citizen. The Hon Nadaraj Raviraj – the Member for Jaffna in Sri Lankan Parliament is reported to have been personally targeted by Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Wikipedia reports as follows in this regard:

[Assassination of Nadarajah Raviraj

Nadarajah Raviraj, a well-known human-rights lawyer and a parliamentarian, was shot and killed in Colombo on 10 November 2006. At a magisterial hearing in Colombo on 26 February 2016, Liyanarachchi Abeyrathna, a former policer officer attached to the State Intelligence Agency, stated that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa paid Rs. 50 million to a terror organization led by Colonel Karuna to murder Mr. Raviraj.]

The American Government may have selfish interests in getting involved in Sri Lanka through military. Likewise  the Sri Lankan Government – be it the current one or the former regime. But the People of America – to the extent they have invested in democracy – through everyday living – have an opportunity to right the wrong that was committed by one of theirs – through positions he would not have dreamt of holding in the United States of America, due to the Sinhalese mindset. They owe it to Sri Lankans – especially to those of Jaffna due to Mr. Nadarajah Raviraj – the Governor of Jaffna being murdered by an American. Jaffna being the birthplace of Mr. Raviraj – is owed compensation for such killing of one of its sons undemocratically.

Common faith is the base needed for us to punish someone from a higher position in a relationship. When Tamils invest in democracy through everyday living in their personal environments – they are entitled to be protected by the system of Democracy and any leader who claims to be part of a democratic system. When the cumulative value of such lateral investment exceeds the value of the Administrator in the higher position – there is a responsibility for the system of  Nature to intervene when  a victim submits her/his pain to the Creator. Jaffna which is also my home – is protected by such democratic power. It will continue to facilitate global governance as represented by Lord Murugan with 6 faces – representing the global experience. I am confident that the American in the soldier will respond to my investment in democracy as the Sri Lankan in the officer responds to me as Sri Lankan. All we need is to feel ownership. Then we work the system through its positive values. The Politician experiences fear and desire alternatively. Hence Ms Tamara Kunanayakam’s fear. If Jaffna is happy with KFC – and it is – then why not the American solider?  Politically speaking – the Jaffna only person may find the American soldier from whom s/he could pick up some global fashion – more attractive than her/his Sinhala parallel. To Jaffna this is reverse migration and compensation for many of its civil leaders migrating to America.