Gajalakshmi Paramasivam
12
December 2018
Parliament
of Belief
Today, I listened to Australian – Bala Wigneswaran’s
interview of Mr CV Wigneswaran - the one and only Chief Minister of Northern
Province of Sri Lanka. Must say I was impressed by the maturity demonstrated by
the Australian. Interestingly, Bala highlighted the confusion that the ordinary
citizen may have between the Tamil People’s Council and the Tamil People’s
Alliance. To me – they are not oriented towards service to the People
democratically. Tamil socialists K. Nesan and V. Gnana identify with this as
follows in relation to the Political grouping:
[In his
inauguration speech, Wigneswaran defined a 10-point program to promote
“people’s politics.” However, he indicated that he would continue the policies
of the TNA, which has tried to negotiate an improvement of conditions for
Tamils in the aftermath of the 1983-2009 Sri Lankan civil war with the
US-backed government of President Maithripala Sirisena. Wigneswaran said,
“Negotiations with the government to solve the ethnic conflict are halted. In
order to restart the negotiations, we must again start to exercise pressures
nationally and internationally.”
Only
two days later, however, Wigneswaran’s perspective of negotiating with a
friendly government in Colombo went up in smoke. Sirisena sacked Prime Minister
Ranil Wickremesinghe in a political coup that has plunged Sri Lanka into a
constitutional crisis. Sirisena nominated as prime minister former President
Mahinda Rajapakse, who oversaw the crushing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) and the massacre of thousands of civilians as the war ended in
2009.] ‘Wigneswaran’s Tamil People’s Alliance: A trap for
Sri Lankan workers’ – published by World Socialist Website.
In many ways Sirisena-Wickremesinghe alliance is the
parallel of Wigneswaran-Sumanthiran alliance. This is also age and gender
related separation example
DBS Jeyaraj in his article headed ‘Tamil Peoples Council (TPC) Launched in
Jaffna as Political Alternative to Tamil National Alliance (TNA) with Northern
Chief Minister Wigneswaran at the Helm’ has listed the names of the inaugural
members of the Council. I could not find even one female name in that at a
stage where Affirmative Action is needed. This confirms that the two main subjective
discrimination factors within the Tamil community – gender and caste - would
not be addressed by the Tamil People’s Council. Race is not a discrimination
issue for Tamils living in majority Tamil areas, except when they become National
Policy and Tamil leaders share their emotions and/or belief based
interpretations. Likewise, religion for Hindus in majority Tamil areas. Race is
a major issue for those Tamils living as minorities in majority Sinhalese areas
and Hindus living in Buddhist areas. Likewise, race due to religious
differences is an issue for Muslims and
Christians in areas, including Tamil areas, where they are minorities.
During 2003 ceasefire time when I worked to develop
administration for Northern Province through UNDP Project, I raised the issue
of gender based discrimination – when the young guy who was distributing the
agenda notice left me out but gave the men on each side, I raised the issue with Mr J Maheswaran who
chaired the meeting. Ms Thamilini – the head of LTTE Ladies wing said she would
listen to me later. The matter ended there. But someone with Common belief in
Nallur Murugan made me feel included recorded as follows by me:
[During my project to help the Tamil Tigers
develop their Administrative system, I came across within the Tamil Tiger group
many with whom I shared common faith and this included Mr. Balakumar previously the leader of EROS (Eelam Revolutionary
Organisation of Students). During a meeting with the Tamil Administrators –
both Government as well as LTTE at
Vattakachchi – in Vanni - I said that I
had gone to Nallur Temple on the morning after Shiva Raathri (the Big Night for
Shiva) instead of attending the first meeting. I said I had not received notice
regarding the first meeting but that Nallur Murugan (above picture) called me
and I went. Then Mr. Balakumar asked me with much fondness
As Bala Wigneswaran highlighted during the
interview, most politicians do make
promises that they are not able to fulfil even when they win power. That is
really not an issue with the People except when they are emotionally high. Most
elected leaders fail to listen, with their ear to the ground, to the grassroots.
Once in power they pursue their own agendas. The above mentioned observation ‘Wigneswaran’s perspective of negotiating
with a friendly government in Colombo went up in smoke’ confirms that Mr
Wigneswaran did not connect to Mr Wickremesinghe as a Common Colombo citizen.
Had he done that he would have identified with the development of that very
commonness between Tamil Parliamentarians and the UNP – whose common opposition
was the SLFP led by Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa.
On 20 October – through my belief based article I voted for Ranil’s side in the
Parliament of Belief. Every expression of Belief is a vote. It may even be
technically incorrect but the Belief will manifest its other side, as per our
cumulative credits. Our Lady of Fatima appeared not to the ruler but to the
children of faith. Likewise, Mother Abirami:
[One day, the King visited
the temple to pay homage to Lord Shiva. On noticing the peculiar behaviour of
Subramaniya Iyer who was a temple priest, he inquired the other priests about
the individual. One of them remarked that he was a madman while another
rejected this categorization explaining to the king that Subramaniya Iyer was
only an ardent devotee of Goddess Abhirami. Seeking to know the truth himself,
Serfoji approached the priest and asked him what day of the month it was i.e.
whether it was a full-moon day or a new-moon day. Subramaniya Iyer who could
see nothing else but the shining luminant form of the Goddess before him
wrongly answered that it was a full-moon day while it was in fact a new-moon
day. The king rode off informing the former that he would have his head cut off
if the moon did not appear on the sky by six in the night.
Immediately realizing his mistake, Subramaniya
Iyer supposedly lit a huge fire and erected a platform over it supported by a
hundred ropes. He sat upon the platform and prayed to the Goddess Abhirami to
save him. He cut off one rope after another in succession on completion of each
verse of his prayer. These hymns form the Abhirami Anthadhi. On completion of
the 79th hymn, the Goddess Abhirami manifested herself before him and threw her
earring over the sky such that it shone with bright light upon the horizon. The
area around the temple sparkled with bright light. Overcome with ecstasy,
Subramaniya Iyer composed 21 more verses in praise of the Goddess.
The king repented his mistake and immediately
cancelled the punishment he had awarded Subramaniya Iyer. He also bestowed upon
the latter the title of Abirami Pattar or "priest of
Goddess Abhirami"] - Wikipedia
The details in this legend may not be technically
accurate. The hymn ‘Abirami Anthathi’ by Abirami Pattar is
true and works all the time for the true believer. One with belief identifies
with the manifestation through the other side. Mr Wigneswaran’s statements lack
belief in Northern Sri Lanka as if he were Northern province. Likewise, Mr Sirisena with the Buddhists, leave
alone Sri Lankans.
Immunity from prosecution is granted to those who
are required to express and act within their belief and no more. In the case of
President as an individual, such immunity is strongest. But to be truly
protected by such – Mr Sirisena should be like Buddha for majority Sri Lankans
covered by Article 9 of the Constitution. Expressions of belief help us develop
and maintain self-confidence. The status of Equal Opposition in Parliament in
2015 was the manifestation of Tamil belief. That is the base of our Tamil Sri
Lankan ownership on Equal footing – achieved in spite of Sinhala only and Buddhism foremost policies –
or rather because of them. By showing opposition without violence – we developed
deeper belief . When minority belief becomes equal to majority belief – and
this has been manifested by minorities independently – as in Vaddukoddai Resolution 1976 - the manifestation
happens of the free will of Nature. We
just become the media of Nature.
If even one believer who the leader claims to
represent – i.e. Tamil in the case of Mr CV Wigneswaran and Sri Lankan in the case of Mr M Sirisena, manifests
opposition on the basis of her/his belief – the leader will fall. True believers
would identify with the fall. Mr Wigneswaran was required to be leader of Sinhalese
as well as Muslims in Northern Province and not just Tamils. Likewise, Mr
Sirisena – was required to be leader of all Sri Lankans and not just Buddhists.
During his time at least one Sri Lankan must have invoked the other side. Hence
the fall from grace.
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