Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

27July 2017

The Root Cause of the Nallur Shooting

[ Australia has already come forward to help. Sri Lanka has partnered with Monash University and the Australian Government last week to breed mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia, a low risk naturally occurring bacteria, to control the spread of dengue ] Daily News article ‘Jaffna shooting leaves unanswered questions’

We all know the answers we NEED to know about the Jaffna shooting. Consolidating those answers and publishing them in Common form is the challenge faced by the authorities. To the surface reader – the Australian Government’s partnership through Dengue control would seem to have little to do with the Jaffna shooting. To me – they are connected. Where was the Australian Government when Professor Sathananthan of Monash University was in 2009 looking for support for  Medical Services in the camps?  The Australian Government ‘waited’ to confirm whether it would benefit from investing in Sri Lanka and hence the current efforts. That is Business and not root level partnership.  The core reasons reveal themselves to the deeper reader. I an Australian of Lankan origin did respond to Professor Sathananthan’s call and did end up helping those in the camps through the small windows of service opportunities available at our consolidated level. To date, the Australian Government has not so much as acknowledged that service which continues under the name of Australian Tamil Management Service. They thus exclude themselves from those root opportunities.

The Canadian Government on the other hand is reported to have shared more deeply – as per the same article:

[President Sirisena instructed the IGP to fully investigate the incident. The Government was swift to contain any fallout from the incident, knowing that July 23 marked the 34th anniversary of the July 1983 communal riots that eventually led to a protracted conflict. The anniversary of the event drew international attention. Issuing a statement on the anniversary of Black July, the Canadian Prime Minister welcomed international efforts underway to achieve long term reconciliation and peace for all Sri Lankans. “As we pause to reflect on the dark days of the Sri Lankan War, we must continue to work to heal the wounds of all those who suffered. Canada welcomes international efforts underway to achieve long-term reconciliation and peace for all Sri Lankans, but we reiterate the need to establish a process of accountability that will have the trust and the confidence of the victims of this war,” the Canadian Premier said.]

Black July confirmed the Government’s attitude towards Tamils. That was the more easily readable reason – the parallel of connecting the Jaffna shooting to the hearing of Vithya rape and murder case. But what was revealed by Black July also was the Government’s own inner assessment of itself – that it was Equal to the LTTE and not higher. Those who react take Equal position and hence an eye for an eye. Records would reveal that it was after Black July that an overwhelming number of Tamil youth joined the LTTE and other militant groups. India knows this from its own training records. The records  would confirm to an independent reader -  that Rajiv Ghandi was killed by those Indian Forces that abused the Independence struggle to devalue Gandhi’s India. The Tigers by then were mere puppets of the Indian Government led by Mrs. Ghandi and recommended by MG Ramachandran who was also like a dual citizen between Cinema and Politics; Sri Lanka and India. These are natural forces that manifest their outcomes if there is no opposition to them. Equal Opposition is a must in democratic parliament. If there is no opposition and no one to manifest an outcome – the Energy is passive but not absent.

By connecting the Jaffna shooting to Black July tragedy – the Government confirms its intuitive connection between the two. To my mind also the two are connected not through the seen, the heard and the calculated – but through Common Belief. One driven by such belief would always be supported by Natural Forces. Without that support – I would have given up on Jaffna or been dead or seriously injured by now by the youth with militant mentality who keep empowering themselves through the LTTE status promoted by the seniors in Tamil Community – largely for their own selfish reasons including for idle gossip. Due to my Belief in my elders – especially my grandmother who lived alone in this part of  Sri Lanka – in her old age – I feel protected. On my mother’s side – my mother herself believed in her grandfather A M Pillai – who became highly successful in Business in Burma. My mother often said that it was due to her grandfather’s good services that we are still blessed.

My mother took care of the family temple inherited by her through her marriage – and I believe that my mother also continues to take care of me. When we believe we are assured of this care.  It’s a soul level connection through Belief. Yesterday for example – it was Aadi Pooram – the day Female form of Divinity is stated to have attained age/puberty – to become eligible as Mother. This festival has continued to be  strongly celebrated at our temple and I continue to uphold that tradition. Yesterday it was terribly hot here and I felt exhausted by the heat in addition to the normal disorders that are natural part of life here. Our coordinator Jeevan’s wife Para did most of the work to cook and offer the food. The priest came. I recalled my mother’s commitment and drew on my reserve energies to wear a sari and take my place as the Dharmakartha / Trustee of the temple. The priest who has previously expressed belief in me asked me to apply the holy ash on his forehead and did so publicly. To me that was the best return for my efforts.

Later our neighbour visited me and power went off. I gave her my extra torch-light. As she was about to leave – the lady said to arrange for them to have drinking water from our tank. I made this offer last week when she complained that they now had to go further away to get drinking water. Then I spontaneously made the offer. Our drinking water facility was abused previously under this lady’s supervision, causing me to close it down but we pay the basic charges to Water Board. Yet I felt sorry for the lady and hence the offer. But last night – when the lady was so casual about it – I realised I had to say ‘no’. I was then facing the side of the temple altar. I sit there and meditate. It was that Truth that guided me to say ‘no’. The logic came later – that this lady did not even know when our temple facilities were damaged again and again and they do not attend the weekly poojah at the temple but came to the temple for their own purposes. The parallel of that in my case would be  for me to stay close to my family in Australia. To earn the right to Public Service which is my service – the lady had to contribute through common activities. The minds of those who truly cared about our temple is invoked at the temple. When my service is damaged and I leave the rest to Divinity  the abusers get the punishment they deserve – with cumulative effect through their own system. The punishment is stronger that way than if I were to punish them. This is something that I feel the judiciary has to learn to do – instead of abusing the opportunity to exercise power.

That was how the Sinhalese who promoted the former President who bribed the LTTE Leader – got their own karma back when that government turned against them after using them for its own selfish wins. We have to wait with belief until both sides are in their respective  natural environments.

I have learnt that my rewards when they are not returned by the locals here – come at the far deeper level – through my immediate family – especially my children. Last night for example I received an email from our youngest daughter Gayathri who is planning on visiting Sri Lanka soon. Gayathri was seeking my endorsement on her itinerary and I felt happy about it. I thanked my mother for this, especially considering that Gayathri tends to go it alone on such matters.

These deeper connections cannot be logically explained but as Love / Truth / God – they are there – deep within. They are sweeter due to this unexplained part at the root of our connection – the soul connection. The contrast is to connect at hearsay level. Belief based powers  become active at sacred places and at sacred times. They did  - to uphold through Police Sergeant Sarath Premachandra the value of ordinary Sinhalese who felt for the ordinary Tamils through Common Deity Murugan. They diluted in a big way the Black July karma earned by the Government through its failure to protect Tamils in Colombo which I believe  was promoted by the placement of  Buddhism foremost in the Constitution. This means that every non-Buddhist has the authority to act as per her/his conscience foremost and the Government has no jurisdiction to judge once they are in that area of refuge. Due to Buddhism foremost clause – non-Buddhists are dismissed from the area covered by the constitution. Each time the law is used to punish non-Buddhists – and the one being punished rejects it – the Government earns debit points for providing a fundamentally flawed measure to work out justice. Unless a judge categorically excuses her/himself from that clause – s/he is taken to have used that ruling subconsciously.

Judge Ilancheliyan as per my knowledge did not free himself from that clause – at least by writing about it publicly. Hence he feels responsible in some way for failing to protect his body guard from getting killed. It’s time the Judiciary did its part to cure the root of the Law and Order system of its disease of separation. Nallur is the sacred ground where this judgment has been delivered. Both – the President and the Prime Minister were reported to sought the blessings of Lord Murugan of Kathirgamam before the elections. He has given them the answer in Nallur where there services are needed more right now. It needs to be continuous and not reactive when something goes wrong.  Let’s not waste the opportunity for which Sarath Premadasa died.