Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

19 January 2017

Value of Land

 [Vavuniya Government Agent M.B.R. Pushpakumara said today the Omanthai Army Camp and Checkpoint on the A-9 Road had been dismantled after 25 years and the land occupied by the Army was officially handed over him to be given to its original owners] Daily Mirror

Here in Australia, at the beginning of a Public ceremony, we now attribute ownership to Indigenous Australians. In a way it is also saying ‘Sorry we did not let you continue to live in your own homeland’. That which was matter back then is now Policy that humbles the wrong-doers and their heirs. This includes the direct descendants of Indigenous Australians – for the failure on the part of their ancestors to continue with the resistance to takeovers – as is required by the laws of Prescriptive Rights – that the British also have upheld.. Ultimately it is the value of our work and sacrifices that determine ownership. By saying ‘Sorry’ and not returning the Land itself – as if it were a lifeless Jadam / mass – we are confirming our higher civilization in recognizing all contributors to the Land as it is today. Lord Krishna says in this regard:

‘That which  is yours today is someone else’s tomorrow

The day after it is someone else’s.

This is how the world functions and

This is the essence of    My    Creation’

The nature of the Land taken-over by the Sri Lankan Government 25 years ago – is very different to the land that is being returned now. That land now carries not only the work that Government officers carried out but more importantly,  the pain endured by many of us who were ‘checked’ to and from our homelands in Northern Sri Lanka. I myself went through such checks and once even missed the coach in the middle of the night, due to the delays by the armed forces. I had to carry my bags personally for the checking and keep an eye on the checking officer to ensure that my belongings were ‘safe’. As per my intuition – there were many in uniform who did not respect the ‘privacy’ of my property. I had overlook that by filling my mind with the 20% who were doing their jobs. When this contribution is less than 20% - we become a dependent group – ready to be ‘taken over’. That risk was more with the Government’s side than with us who accepted their checks as part of the DUTY of the Government – any Government. Some went through the process towards clearing the blocks in their own pathway to personal achievement. But those who accepted such checks strengthened their  self-governing forces within. On one occasion, I hired a tuk tuk and left Vavuniya town around 3 am to be early in the queue at Omanthai - to be checked and cleared to go to Nallur on the day of Nallur Ther / Chariot festival. When I was ‘checked’ at the LTTE parallel at Muhamalai – I disciplined them to expedite the process – because I was their senior in Civil Administration. I was transparent about going to Nallur and that humbled them as individuals.

The Land in the custody of the of the original civil owners can be a curse or a blessing to their further ownership – especially to those who did not register their ‘protests’ through avenues available to them. When I visited my aunt’s home on Brown Road in Jaffna town – I said to the occupying LTTE that it was ‘our home’ and to use it with care and respect. I mentioned also that I had worked with the Tamil Tiger Administration towards developing their Administrative structures. That puts them on guard and I realized much later why I was taken to Vanni in the first instance.

In every part of the Nation where such takeovers happen – the highest price for any property in that Province – needs to be paid as compensation to the original owners OR ownership needs to be attributed to the Community that those People belong to – by saying ‘Sorry’ to those on the side of victims and ‘Thank you’ to those on the side of the Government.

We the People must register our feelings – so our experiences are not rendered lesser forms. Those of us who sacrificed our earned benefits including status – are part of the structure itself. The People of Northern Province have earned the right to draw up their own policies as per the laws of the Province. The authority to do so was generated when we endured lesser status relative to the one earned by us on that Nation. It is ours to take and implement in institutions where we are the highest qualified in a particular area as per our assessment. I believe I am in the areas of  Jaffna and Vaddukoddai where I have been actively sharing my strengths in managing resources.