Gajalakshmi Paramasivam
04
August 2018
Sexual Harassment vs
Racial Harassment
I was directed today to the Sri Lanka Guardian article ‘Sexual harassment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Sri
Lankan Missions overseas’ . Around the
same time I received a video clip about DMK Chief Karunanidhi who has two wives, one lawful and the other official. Mr Karunanidhi is
reported to have called the former his ‘manaivi’/wife and the other his ‘thunaivi’/partner.
The former is more structured whilst the
latter is fluid and more relaxing.
When I questioned the Dr Deepika Udagama here in Sydney, about her thoughts on introducing Equal
Opportunity Laws in Sri Lanka – to prevent/minimize Racial Discrimination – Dr Udagama
then said that they were already built into other laws of Sri Lanka. This was prior to the lady becoming the
Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka. Recently, when there were attacks on Dr Udagama, by supporters
of Rear Admiral (Rtd.) Sarath Weerasekera, former
Director General of the Civil Defence Force, including on the basis that
the lady was supporting NGOs that were furthering the Tamil Tiger cause, a group largely of Academics came forward in
support of Dr Udagama. The law was the wife and this support group
was the partner. Had there been a law against such expressions – for example
racial discrimination law, Dr Udagama would have had the duty to use that
against her attackers. When it seems ‘unfair’ we need partners in distress.
As per the above mentioned Sri Lanka Guardian article:
[A
Mission is a favourite and safe place for sex predators as the female officers
and employees are highly vulnerable there. Undoubtedly, smoothness of their
official life depends at the mercy of the Heads of Mission or senior Diplomatic
officers. These sex predators have ample opportunities to force the female
officers and employees for a sexual relationship when they confront with issues
of maintaining daily life in an alien country. These opportunities become available
when asking them to work after office hours and during visits to various parts
of the country of accreditation and participate in late night events especially
during VIP visits from Sri Lanka.]
The above alleged ‘perils’
exist in the case of migrants from countries like Sri Lanka which receives Aid
from countries like Australia and more so in the case of women. Likewise, when
those from Tamil speaking areas migrate
to Colombo where Sinhalese is the official language. If one is therefore a
female and of minority race, relative to the senior by position, which factor
would one attribute as the reason – race or gender? In my case in Australia –
where I did feel discriminated against – there was no question in my mind that
it was race. It was never gender to my mind. If someone expressed admiration, I
took it as a compliment. I did fight for gender based Equal Opportunity in
Colombo where did not experience racial discrimination at the workplace. I
guess it was because I was valued by my colleagues of Sinhalese origin.
Interestingly , my attention was drawn to the speech by Emeritus Professor
Carlo Fonseka at the International Symposium organized jointly by the Sri Lanka
College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Family Planning Association
on 22 April 2011, published by Sri Lanka Guardian, in which the good professor
quoted as follows:
[Desmond
Morris the famous author of Naked Ape has described the following ten
functional categories of sex. I quote him with just one explanatory comment on
each function.
1. Procreation Sex – most basic
function
2.
Pair-formation Sex –to establish the emotional relationship between the pair
3.
Pair-maintenance Sex – to maintain & reinforce the bond
4.
Physiological Sex – to relieve the natural periodic physiological tension
5.
Exploratory Sex – to experiment with new forms of mutual stimulation
6.
Self-rewarding Sex – sex for sex’s sake brings its own reward
7.
Occupational Sex – sex operating as occupational therapy, relieving boredom
8.
Tranquillizing Sex – to calm shattered nerves
9.
Commercial Sex – straightforward commercial transaction (like modern cricket!)
10.
Status Sex – concerned with dominance and not with reproduction]
Many of the above would apply to any form of physiology based enjoyment including racism. When
it is enjoyable to both – we call it diversity. When one enjoys at the expense
of the other we call it unjust discrimination.
Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Mr Karunanidhi who was very
much part of the film industry – is known to have separated them – the two
spouses on ‘time’ basis. In politics
also Mr Karunanidhi is known to have had Thunaivi – LTTE leadership, in
addition to official wife in New Delhi.
Had the Sri Lankan Government learnt its lessons from the 50
year war, it would have also maintained two armies and never allowed them to
meet. Then the Diplomatic missions would not have had to accommodate war-heroes
/ criminals (depends on which side you are on). Likewise the Diplomatic
Thunaivis – the Diaspora and the official voters for the Tamil politicians.
Unless sexual harassment was specifically included in the
laws of Sri Lanka as being unlawful – it is left to the individual to manage it
anyway they can – but without acting in breach of the law. If one does act in
breach of the law but fully believed that their actions were just as per Dharma
– they need to remain silent and not take any credit for it – as many wives and
mistresses did under the barter system. Looks as if the Diaspora needs to be
more silent to prevent foreign judgments on the basis of credits taken by
rebels – as in the following case:
[Federal prosecutors said a judge ordered
Thursday the 36-year-old, identified only as Sivatheeban B. because of German
privacy rules, detained pending a potential indictment. He was arrested
Wednesday in the Duesseldorf area, suspected of committing war crimes and
membership in a foreign terrorist organization.
Prosecutors say he belonged to the Tamil Tigers
from 2006-2009. They allege that, in 2008, he tied up 16 soldiers and guarded
them as they were driven to a site where they were shot.]
UK
Tamil News made the following connection:
[After Buddhist Monk Call For Dictatorial Sinhale
Hitler Type Rule, Jaffna MP Wants Return of Authoritarian LTTE Leader
Veluppilaai Prabhakaran].
Wonder
whether the Germans heard the monk as
well as Mrs Maheswaran and copied the Lankan government and the weaker side?
A mistress/minority working at the same level as the wife /
majority but taking less rewards – becomes the real Energy that works the
whole. The Tamil Diaspora often competes with the Sri Lankan Government in
producing outcomes that would impress wider world. We need to be quiet
achievers to be successful as minority / Shakthi / Energy
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