Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

20 February 2018                                    

Young Tamils Pay your dues please!

I learnt in high school Physics (Tamil Language) at Holy Family Convent, Jaffna, Sri Lanka, that there is kinetic energy and potential energy. In later years I learnt from my Accounting colleague Mr V M Perambalam  who shared with me his understanding of Tao of Physics by Physicist Fritjof Capra that the formation of Dancing Shiva was Kinetic Energy. I concluded for myself that Meditating Shiva was Potential Energy.

Over the years – I identified with this Potential Energy which helped me have insight into issues that others who had academically specialised in some subject matters had.  This ‘insight’ was recognized by Medical academics at the University of NSW – especially those whose earned credits were more than their attributed/received credits. To me that ‘gap’ is carried as potential energy  and could be drawn on, at our time of need.  I believe I developed such Energy through my workplace as well as family activities.

I learnt from the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, about the Doctrine of Separation between the Executive Government and the Judiciary. I identified with the fundamentals of this Doctrine, through the separation needed between the Auditor and Management – which was external knowledge to me as a student in accounting.  

To my mind, Executive Government is Kinetic Energy and Judiciary is Potential Energy

Applying that wisdom in the case of Sri Lankan Tamil Politics where the Separation is not strictly adhered to I find the group led by former Judge of the Supreme Court – Mr C V Wigneswaran misleading young lawyers in the political group Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), led by Mr Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, the grandson of the Hon GG Ponnambalam who gave us the 50:50 formula of democracy.

The reactionary move by young and restless Tamils in Northern Sri Lanka, under the apparent leadership of Mr Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam with the support of Mr Wigneswaran is confirmation that the self-appointed heirs of the LTTE are getting ready to be the opposition of the Rajapaksa clan. The Island reports as follows:

[Having eaten into the Tamil National alliance (TNA) vote bank in the Jaffna peninsula at the recently concluded local government polls, the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) has launched a fresh campaign to pressure the international community to set up an international war crimes tribunal against Sri Lanka or refer the matter to the UN Security Council.

The TNPF has declared its intention to collect signatures in the northern and eastern provinces in support of its move ahead of forthcoming Geneva sessions.]

The way LTTE copied JVP militancy and usurped Vaddukoddai Resolution 1976, which included the essence of the contribution to self-governance by the Hon GG Ponnambalam, TNPF seems to be usurping Tamil National power invested in the form of TNA which is confirming the 50:50 principle in National Parliament of Sri Lanka. They confirm this by copying Rajapksa clan in Southern Sri Lanka trying to falsely elevate local power to national level. Shame on Mr Wigneswaran who had the responsibility to escalate the thinking of juniors (lawyers) like  Mr Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam and our own lawyer Mr Visvalingam Manivannan who hails from a family of lawyers and has the potential to be an outstanding lawyer or part of the Judiciary. But when that potential is misdirected towards temptations from the world outside, Jaffna has neither the Executive Politician nor the Judicial minded Lawyer.

In politics, one starts from the bottom – based on the belief  (internal wisdom) of the ordinary citizen on behalf of whom laws have to be made by her/his elected representative in Parliament. That belief is the Potential Energy which becomes Kinetic Energy when the politician becomes part of the Executive Government or its other side – the Opposition. In judiciary one starts with External knowledge gained through academic work based on the potential energy / heritage that the ancestors  in the judiciary have reserved for their descendants. When the Judiciary becomes subservient to the Executive it demotes itself to the level at which law is actually practiced by politicians and is unable to take the higher position as per its inheritance. Inheritance when it is used at the lower level is wasted Energy. When called upon to judge those at equal level – for example ministers and the prime minister – there isn’t enough potential energy / heritage left for the judiciary to raise its mind  to the higher level of judicial structure through which to receive the problem. When powers are separated – it is easier for the Judiciary to use the higher structures of their judicial heritage.

Using the Local Government election outcomes as if it were Presidential or  national parliamentary level election outcomes is also such a demotion. The Rajapaksa clan is doing just that with Sinhalese and TNPF is doing likewise with Tamils who are attached to language level outcomes. TNPF has to successfully oppose TNA at the local government level by becoming a ‘facility’ through which it would accumulate potential energy to become National Opposition.

Had Mr Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam paid his dues to his grandfather – he would have had the potential energy to raise the issue through  National level to Global level. As politicians they have equal rights as TNA to represent their people through Due Processes. Going directly to Geneva is through collection of signatures is like taking a Thesawalamai matter directly to the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.  Shame on TNPF.

The Hon G G Ponnambalam developed the structure of 50:50 through his reserves in intellectual structures. TNPF has the opportunity to complete its contribution through local bodies and not ‘show’ outsiders’ work,  to locals. That is outside the boundaries of the Local Government mandate.