Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

10  July 2017                                          

Traditional Powers

There is a saying in Tamil that the ‘realised souls’ identify with all three periods – past, present & future. As per my direct experience at family level, those who are genuinely respectful of two generations above them tend to operate as a Sovereign unit. When they get displaced also – they show the lateral version of that heritage – which is multiculturalism.

The 1983 pogrom during which Tamils were left unprotected by an elected Government, invoked the Sovereign Powers of minority races to whom Colombo had become ‘home’. The genuine pain and loss due to injury and deaths when carried with forbearance  rises to the higher level until it becomes Eternal Power. Taking votes to this Homemaking power confirms good governance that would serve many generations.

The fundamental provision of ownership through Prescription is uninterrupted, undisturbed occupation,  adverse to or independent of the legal title-holder. One who believes would naturally demonstrate these requirements. The elected Government is the parallel of the legal title-holder to the position of Administration. One who occupies to demonstrate and confirm belief along the lines of Prescription Law – overrides the power of the legal title-holder due to belief being the ultimate goal and hence being of absolute power. Such an owner is the parallel of Prescriptive title-holder.

These are the values that need to be recognized if we are to prevent another war. Writing the new constitution on the basis of our Belief / Realised Truth – has the natural power to prevent future wars. We inherited the mind of the Hon GG Ponnambalam whose attempts to contribute to a balanced contribution is presented as follows in Wikipedia:

[The Board of Ministers established after the 1936 state council election consisted entirely of Sinhalese members, excluding minorities who together made up 35% of Ceylon's population. This was one of the drivers which led Ponnambalam to make his infamous 50:50 demand in a marathon speech to the State Council on 15 March 1939. He repeated the demand when he gave evidence to the Soulbury Commission in February 1945. Ponnambalam wanted 50% of seats in Parliament for the Sinhalese, 50% for all other ethnic groups.]

At that stage we did not have the advantage of the Experience of Democracy and the laws that it gave birth to. Now we do. If we write our true experiences – that would be the basis for a perfect solution. In the alternative, we need laws that best connect to our real experience.

Ceylon Today reports under the subject heading:

[TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran, while taking part in a debate in the House, called on the Government to fulfil its mandate of completing the task of formulating a new Constitution and to hold a referendum to seek the opinion of the people.

"Overcome all obstacles and go ahead with the enacting of a new Constitution and hold a referendum on it," he urged.]

If the opinion of the People is based on their desires – especially to enjoy ‘foreign’ produce, it is likely to be driven by majority power at that place at that time. There is no structure in the minds of Sri Lankans – except their own personal experiences – that would enable formulation of their own experiences raised to the power of their community. TNA has the duty to raise the suffering of Tamils to the power of the whole minority and adverse to the stand taken by the Government. THAT is the duty of the Opposition. It is not to advise the Government on how to do its job.

Now that the Government has categorically confirmed that Buddhism foremost would remain in the Constitution, other changes become more or less irrelevant to the minorities. The following confirms how Buddhism foremost has been received by a highly educated Catholic:

[One must posit some practical questions. If Buddhism is to be the foremost religion in the new Constitution, will militant Buddhist monks have a "constitutional right" to place stupas and Buddha statues next to Tamil kovils in Jaffna? ]

The answer is YES. Not only next to it but in front of it – as has already happened on top of Kathirgamam Hill where a new Buddha shrine has been installed in front of the Hindu shrine which has been traditional Hindu shrine ever since I started going to Kathirgamam. All believers in Kathirgama Murugan need to express their opposition to this at their own levels – so they do not participate in the negative karma when a Hindu devotee is treated as second class, relative to a Buddhist at Kathirgamam. Buddhists do not become Hindus just by virtue of  visiting Kathirgama Murugan temple.  I believe I invoked the powers of my Hindu ancestors at Kathirgamam in 2005 as follows:

I felt the urge to thank Kathirgama Murugan, after I was able to submit my Tsunami Reconstruction Proposal for the village of Mankerni in Eastern Sri Lanka. This area is of Vedda / Indigenous ancestry and lacked the intellectual capacity to do their own reports. Through a pathway of small miracles – I ended up submitting my proposal to the President – then held by Madam Chandrika Kumaratunga. My urge to go to Kathirgamam was as Thanksgiving to the unexpected invisible forces of my faith in common with those villagers. I had not booked accommodation and once I reached Kathirgamam I went around looking for a place and ended up finding one at the Government’s Transport Board lodge. I was hungry but went rushing to the temple to get priority place in the main shrine. Just before the main mass the Priest (Sinhalese) got talking to a lady (also a Sinhalese) next to me and facilitated them to ‘foremost’ placing.  After the mass, when we had to move out of the main shrine – this priest shoved a small parcel of sweet rice into my hands and said to wait for him ‘outside’.  I realised that he was mistaking me for that other lady and hence waited outside without eating the sweet rice. After a long wait – with no sign of the priest – I went over to the Ganesh shrine – sat there and ate the sweet rice which as per my belief came from Lord Muruga Himself.  Thus, since I had the NEED – the ‘foremost’ position by the official was overridden to confirm my Equal position to the foremost person.

When we elect by majority vote – it is more or less at the surface level – a mere sum of the individuals. If the population was of One belief any picture that represents the whole would be equally divided at the surface level. Even if all Sri Lankans were Buddhists, due to various degrees of belief - they would vote differently even in Buddhist affairs – leave alone in non-Buddhist affairs. Likewise, if we were all White here in Australia.

The system of Democracy,  needs an Equal start – bottom up. Hence, the side that gets lesser vote – i.e. the minority side is empowered by Law to be raised to the Equal level as the majority side. Now, if the minorities kept ‘crying’ over their minority status – they would be equal merely at the physical level. But those who invoke ancestral powers of ‘ownership’ through their belief in their ancestors – in those positions – would naturally become Equal at the total level and hence confirm the discovery  that the total is greater than the sum of the individuals.

This is why the Hon GG Ponnambalam asked for 50:50 when he felt anxious of getting disconnected with his investment in high positions on merit basis. Due to his higher achievements he himself was much more than one vote. Had the essence of that been accepted by the custodians of power – we would have prevented wars in Sri Lanka.

Raising the status of Buddhism which is a majority religion is not only in breach of the Fundamental laws of Democracy but promotes war due to religion.  It confirms the lack of confidence in the Buddhist community to be Sovereign – that it needs additional boost through the law.

Laws, like Scientific Theories, to be reliable,  need to have been proven  true at some time at some place. Truth has perfect order and hence we fill the gap with Laws – to maintain Sovereignty. Without this Equal position the Parliament would not show Sovereign picture and therefore would lack the power to make laws that maintain and confirm our Sovereignty. We borrow laws from ‘foreigners’ to complete the picture when we do not have enough belief in our own Sovereignty. Those of us who feel natural in those top positions (as the Hon. GG Ponnambalam did) – would invoke the natural powers of Equality to confirm the Sovereignty of the whole.

When this power is ignored like with the Sinhalese at Kathirgamam and the minority side has a need – Natural powers of that place and/or time, invoke themselves to satisfy the need of the minority. It is the DUTY of Nature / Truth to bring about this balance when there is a true need.  This requirement to be Equal is illustrated in the Indian Epic Ramayanam – through Lord Rama who says to his opposition – Ravanan, the King of Lanka – when the latter loses all his weapons – ‘Indru Poi, Naalai Vaa – Go today and come tomorrow.’ A true soldier would not fight against a lesser side. One who does is a coward. Ravanan as a soldier was a brave and clever fighter. Rama demonstrated recognition for that at the battlefield.

A true leader through majority vote  would  first empower the minority side so that the play would be on equal footing. Instead, Sinhalese Buddhists keep  empowering themselves with more and more Rights and are developing ‘cowardice’ in their voters who rely on this pampering.

The TNA has the duty to Tamils including political ancestors like the Hon. GG Ponnambalam to oppose Buddhism foremost at every stage of development and maintenance. When Minorities are equal in power to majority – they would naturally become one minded laterally – for example with Indians in the case Tamils, with Western world in the case of Burghers and Muslim Nations in the case of Muslims. TNA is not likely to win, but when it is truly committed – TNA will become the medium through which Sri Lanka becomes more global through the Non-Violent pathway. Ancestral powers are silent, invisible powers. Only deep believers in Sovereignty can invoke them. At the deepest level  - they empower through the person without the person often not being conscious of it at that time.

If the Constitution makers empower their side – then they are saying to the true Buddha ‘we don’t need you’.

The Northern Tamil’s pathway to claiming Prescriptive rights is through claim of ‘Independence’.  Our opposition in our Colombo Land matter stated that he did not see any of the legal titleholders enter his land for the said period. In other words he claimed he was independent of the Legal titleholder.  His lawyers on the other hand stated that he was claiming ‘Adverse Possession’.

One could claim Adverse possession only where one has knowledge of  some other form ownership claim. To claim Independent possession – one needs to prove no knowledge. The lawyers thus presented a case on their behalf and not that of their client. But when I invoked my ownership powers in the pathway of law, after terminating the services of our Barrister – I discovered the documentary evidence that the other side had lied to Court – that he stated he was living at our property when as per the documentary evidence stated by himself – he was living elsewhere. I believe I accumulated this real power when I accepted the ‘failures’ attributed to me in lower courts by those who relied on majority power.

Jaffna would overtake Colombo if it respects three generation elders in Jaffna / Nallur and/or laterally – facilitates at least three diverse cultures to make and/or maintain their homes in North. As per my knowledge Northern Sri Lanka has no record of civilians fighting against each other on religious basis. The LTTE did damage that record when they ousted Muslims from North – but that has since been more than repaired at the civilian level. To the extent other Tamils more than make up for the above damage – we restore our capacity to successfully pursue Sovereignty on cultural basis.

As per the above report the Prime Minister is already anxious that the ISIS is in Sri Lanka:

[Furthermore, the Prime Minister informed the House that the Police have commenced an investigation into reports of a possible ISIS attack on the US Embassy in Colombo.

He said, the Police had been instructed to obtain information from the media outlets that had reported of a possible ISIS threat to the US Embassy, in order to ascertain the accuracy of such reports.

"There is no room for spreading racism and religious disharmony. Those who do so will end up in the dustbin of history," the Prime Minister said.

"We have created an environment for Sinhala and Muslim people to live in harmony. The aim of extremists is to instigate people and create ethnic disharmony, cause instability in the country. Some media too, help in promoting racism, enmity and hatred among religious groups.]

One who promises to maintain Buddhism foremost is inviting Hindu foremost and Islam foremost and Christianity foremost  to maintain the balance of our True powers.  That is how minorities empower Sri Lanka to become stronger in value than the sum of its individuals. 

In the meantime – now that the current Government is not able to present a self-balancing Democratic Constitution – should the Consolidated Minority ask them to ‘Go back to the drawing board today and Come back Tomorrow’ as an Equal on the global battlefield armed with Democratic weapon/constitution?