Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

17 December 2018

Australian ATAR & Sri Lankan Quota 

Gandhi confirmed to true seekers that the power of Truth is the ultimate power. During the recent political crisis in Sri Lanka, I was able to identify with some aspects of Mr Wickremesinghe’s response, through my own belief in Gandhi. From time to time, miracles happen to confirm to us that we are part of such independent souls. I have experienced many such miracles which seem small in form but they are of absolute power. The smaller they are  - the more personal they are as per our own personal needs. The larger manifestations happen to ‘show’ wider world. We are also members of a group through which such manifestation happens.  

In terms of Sri Lanka, Gandhi’s endorsement of me happened as a miracle on 01 November 2004 – recorded as follows in my book Naan Australian – Chapter 25:

[Months later when searching through Google – I came across my response (Appendix 16) to Justice C. G. Weeramantry, former Vice President of the International Court of Justice, published by Daily News (Sri Lanka) on 01 November 2004 – the day Dr. Peter Vaux above stated that I was like Gandhi.  I wrote the response in October when I went to Sri Lanka at the invitation of Airlanka and was accommodated at Galadari Hotel. Their vehicle was sent to pick me up and I included my conversations with the driver (a Buddhist) also in my response.  To me that is the way to share Gandhi’s values.  I was able to, through my interpretations of the message of a Judge of International standards, to take Non-Violence message to the ordinary folks.  To me this is also what I was doing in terms of workplace and laws to the common Australian.  Sri Lanka honored me  and Australia punished me on the same day. How can Australian Government therefore lead Sri Lanka in anyway to eliminate Racial Inequality?  Without actual practice of it – whatever knowledge and / or money that is paid by Australia is a handout. Ultimately the law is for the people to bring their minds together.  To the extent it does not reach society – these are merely for employment and business purposes. ]

Note: The Daily News article is at  http://archives.dailynews.lk/2004/11/01/fea03.html

Gandhi’s principle of Non-Violent, Non-Cooperation was practiced by Mr Wickremesinghe during the recent Political crisis. To the extent Mr Wickremesinghe included as part of himself – those to whom Sri Lanka is home – he empowered them and was empowered by them. I believe I am one such person who empowered Mr Wickremesinghe in following in Gandhi’s path. There are more apparent influences – such as Indian leaders. But the deepest commitment to this pathway, known to me is myself, through myself for myself.

There are many – especially Sinhalese - who have demonstrated that they do not understand how TNA could be the official Opposition Leadership in Parliament, when Mr Rajapaksa’s party SLFP had more seats. Professor Rajiva Wijesinha recently stated that in an interview with  ‘Wolrd is One News (wionews) -  that the speaker ‘gave’ TNA the Leadership position. This criticism has been ongoing – presented as follows by Colombo Telegraph through its article headed ‘Rajiva Accuses Karu Of Misusing Power Over Appointing Sampanthan As Opp. Leader’:

[Former Parliamentarian, Professor Rajiva Wijesinha has accused Speaker Karu Jayasuriya of misusing his power and recognizing leader of the Tamil National Alliance R. Sampanthan as the Leader of the Opposition.

Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha

In a post on his Facebook Page, Wijesinha said that he was ‘astonished’ at the shenanigans going on with regard to the actual opposition in the country. “Sadly the villain of the piece is my old friend Karu Jayasuriya, who sadly misused his powers as Speaker to call Mr. Sampanthan the Leader of the Opposition,” he said.

Wijesinha said that 39 years ago his father advised the then Speaker to make an SLFP member Leader of the Opposition, since the position should belong to the possible alternative government. “But the TULF leader, Mr Amirthalingam, was given the title, which helped immeasurably in the movement for separatism. But then there were numbers on his side whereas now there is not even that excuse for Karu’s partisan ruling,” he said.]

In 1977, TULF had 18 seats whereas SLFP had only 8 seats. Using his own reasoning as presented about the 1977 elections - why did  SLFP with 147 candidates not become the party with second largest seats?

Here in Australia, we have  a system that allocates ranking for University Entrance -  not as per the marks but as per level of commitment relative to the whole. For example one who gets a score of 90 is in the first 10% in terms of overall achievement. It’s called the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank - ATAR

In structure it  would seem to be a parallel of the Quota system but the time and party introducing it – determines its place in democracy. The system inherits the makers’ core purpose. The outcomes would confirm the original purpose of the makers. Often the makers themselves may not know – the same way Mr Rajiva Wijesinha’s father Mr Sam Wijesinha placed his genes in his son.

Journalist  Manik de Silva who stated that he failed the University Entrance exam but listened to his inner calling guided by father’s voice presents to us the way Professor Rajiva Wijesinha’s father managed Buddhist leaders:

 [Associating with Sam was an education in itself. I remember a day in his office when a senior Buddhist monk called on him. I tried to leave but he kept me back and I was privy to an interesting conversation. Mr. Wijesinha was told that an ecclesiastical position was vacant and the visitor queried, ‘Hamu Mahathmaya, which temple will get that position?’ Without batting an eyelid he said, ‘Hamaduruwanay,  vediya wee thiyana pansalata lebewi – the temple with more paddy will get it).’

Naïve in the ways of the world, when the priest left his room I expressed surprise at his reply saying, ‘Mr. Wijesinha, you implied that the resources a temple commands can influence the choice of candidate.’

It would not be proper to include his blunt reply on the manner in which many of these elections are held. Suffice it to say that he dispelled many illusions of a rather naïve reporter!]

Veteran Journalist Manik de Silva confirms his father’s leadership as follows:

[The early sixties were a good time to break into journalism for a just-out-of- school teenager as I was at that time. My father spoke to Esmond Wickremesinghe and I was given a kind of `learn the ropes’ job on the then Ceylon Observer under Denzil Peiris.  I didn’t expect to be paid but later learned that I’d get an out-of-pocket reimbursement allowance of Rs 100 a month to take care of lunch, bus fares and the like.

Denzil was summoned to Esmond’s sanctum sanctorum, once occupied by his father-in-law D R Wijewardene, the legendary founder of The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd, to give Lake House its full name. He was asked when he would like me to report to him and he replied, ‘7 o’clock tomorrow morning.’     

My father drove me to work at 6.30 a.m. the next day in his Land Rover after my mother had cooked me an early breakfast. On the way he told me, ‘I don’t know too much about the kind of work you are going to do, but would say that a good rule of thumb will be to keep your ears open and your mouth shut.’

That advice has stood me in good stead in what was to become a career that has now extended to over 50 years.]

The difference between Professor Wijesinha’s relationship with his father and Mr Manik de Silva’s with his father is that he former used the outcome produced by his father who opposed Tamil  Leadership in National Parliament but the latter brought the discipline that the father instilled in him. The discipline of keeping the ears open and the mouth shut with seniors.

This habit of ‘using’, others’ finished product rather than their discipline is revealed by Professor Wijesinha  as follows where he ‘used’ Gandhi as follows:

[When Gandhi was asked what he thought of Western civilization, he responded that he thought it would be a good idea. One is tempted to say the same with regard to Sri Lankan foreign policy, but that would be to ignore what was an extraordinarily impressive profile in the second and third decades after independence]

The above confirms that Professor Wijesinha  opened his mouth to use Gandhi’s expression but  shut his ears to Gandhi’s belief.

There are at least a few who are committed to Democracy in Sri Lanka. Mr Jehan Perera for example states:

 [Prime Minister Wickremsinghe made it clear during the political crisis that providing a political solution and enshrining it in constitutional law is a priority for him.  The TNA votes in parliament during the crisis provided the majority needed to show President Sirisena that Mr Wickremesinghe was entitled to be appointed as prime minister. ] ‘RESOLVE NATIONAL QUESTION WITH PRESIDENT’S SUPPORT’

The above confirms that in Sri Lanka, the Tamil Community is a balancing power in real terms due to upholding the Community’s sovereignty despite hardship experienced due to such declarations. Belief is confirmation of Truth. Tamil National Alliance voted for the side that identifies more than the other with the Tamil Community’s belief.

THAT is the National Solution for politicians. In turn they need to work the Judiciary through its independent members. Mr C V Wigneswaran for example, confirms about the current Chief Justice his honor Nalin Perera – as an example of one who earned the position through true merit based experience. Cleverness is good to show merit. But one who actually experiences that cleverness by connecting to those who provided the structure within which to practice such cleverness becomes a natural leader. Such a leader has heirs beyond biological relations.

When we believe – we become IT. When we declare the belief with courage – we give form to it and others join us to show wider sharing laterally. Such sharing by the Tamil community is confirmed by the following communication with a Tamil Diaspora leader (TDL) :

[TDL: Please go to google and type ' Idiot ' - then go to ' images '

Gaja:   Is that because they have a Tamil CEO!!!

TDL: It makes no difference. Google traced the real idiot.]

The above was based on the recent Congress hearing in which Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren raised the question as to how that was possible. Google CEO – a Tamil demonstrated independence from any political emotion when sharing his intelligence with the Congress and with the rest of us. To the extent Sri Lankans use Google – their leaders also would be ranked by the global public who actively use Google and publish their judgments – as I did today about Professor Wijesinha. To be valid, my experience based feeling needs to be already in me. Google facilitates confirmation by others. If it starts with what others have said – then one using  Google information to judge – is guilty of plagiarism. Plagiarism starts with eustress and eventually leads to depression. The quicker we treat the eustress the less intense the depression.

The true ranking of belief based manifestation for SLFP in 1977 was 5% (8 out of 147). The ranking of Tamils was 78% (18 out of 23)

In 2015 Parliamentary  elections UNP led UNF achieved 88% (93 out of 106) ;

SLFP led UPFA achieved 87% (83 out of 95)

ITAK led TNA achieved 88% (14 out of 16)

That is the Political parallel of Australian ATAR. 

Applying that to Sri Lanka’s University system – on the basis of say 20,000 university places available in 1969,  and using the Wikipedia information as indicators (In 1969, the Northern Province, which was largely populated by Tamils and comprised 7% of the population of the country, provided 27.5 percent of the entrants to science-based courses in Sri Lankan universities. By 1974, this was reduced to 7%) , Tamil higher literacy rate on the basis of its population was about  .39%. For the rest – largely Sinhalese it was about .16%

It was the duty of the Common Government to preserve and nurture this motivation. Since the government failed in that duty – the youth channelled their intelligence to competition- free areas and hence the high level of cleverness demonstrated by LTTE members who were the most disciplined group out of the Tamil militant groups.

The current government may or may not  address the constitutional problems – such as Buddhism Foremost Article. But so long as Tamils continue to invest in higher education – through practice of higher thinking – as demonstrated by Mr Sundar Pichai. The highest level needed by one is rendered by one’s own Truth. Sovereignty  confirms Equal Opportunity and not equality looks / numbers.