Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

29 December 2018

Buddhist root or Self-Governance root?

The apparent value of our vote is just one unit. The governance value for us is as per the deeper identity with the people in our environment. Elections and Government are common issues through which our minds connect to each other – as in culture. If we believe in self-governance then we will respect those who are already self-governing. One who sacrificed more than the other must lead the other for us to remain as a Sovereign couple/group/nation. One root supporting many branches provides shade to all those who come within its circle. The weed does not have this protective energy.

Ceylon Today article Sinhala Buddhist Vote presents the following picture about the voter landscape:

[Sri Lanka’s 70% Sinhala Buddhist (SB) vote is the key to win the next Presidential Poll (PP), due as early as next December or as late as March 2020.

 Sri Lanka’s last elections were the February Local Government (LG) Mini Poll, where Mahinda Rajapaksa’s fledgling SLPP swept the Polls, garnering 40% of the vote. It was followed by the UNP/UNF (29%), SLFP/UPFA (12%), JVP (6%) and the TNA (3%). The balance 10% of the vote may largely be deemed to have had been spoilt or rejected votes.]

The 70% Sinhala Buddhist vote is a good guide where we are a homogeneous society. Even the Sinhala Buddhist vote is no longer stand alone. It is strongly influenced by minority cultures – including militants following the secular pathway. They say in Tamil families – in terms of arranged marriages – that the two families marry each other. When we vote on party basis – it is like an arranged marriage. When we vote for the individual – it is marriage of our choice – ‘love marriage’ as we say in the Tamil community. The investment in the tradition of marriage and family is the common value. When such is the root – that will support many branches high above the root. If Buddhists vote for Buddhists – then their roots would not support multiculturalism. One may be a Buddhist in looks. But whether her/his vote supports a government would depend on the self-governance value of that voter.

As we have witnessed in the recent past – Sinhala Buddhist Political Marriages arranged by elders ‘failed’ miserably – to the extent - of one side physically attacking the other in National Parliament. JVP and TNA had to uphold the People’s mandate as per the system of Democracy. The Truth manifested Itself to confirm which type of family structure would lead us to self-governance. Both JVP and TNA are Non-Buddhists. They have invested more in self-governance than those who relied on Sinhala Buddhist vote.

Our belief is an invisible influence in the manifestations that we contribute to. Aristotle discovered and shared the discovery that “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” It the philosophy of one root many branches away from the root. If Buddhism is the root – then it cannot support other religions. Natural forces would therefore take the self-governing non-Buddhists to other areas – mentally and/or physically. Amongst Sri Lankan voters – they become the messengers of global voters. A large proportion of Christians, Hindus, Muslims  and Secularists amongst Sri Lankan voters would defeat the Sinhala Buddhists in actual governance. This would be more active when the Parliamentarians invoke either Buddhist supremacy or refer to such influences as ‘foreign’ influences. In a democratic parliament  an autocrat is the foreigner.

Towards  keeping  the one root philosophy in families,  money related exchanges are kept to a minimum – only for root needs. Common faith is the key to developing successful self-governing families. Money tends to stunt the vertical growth by promoting separations. Every relationship in a family contributes to the whole. The more they are driven by belief  and least by external looks – the stronger the family binding. The strongest contributor to belief is the parent adding her /himself to the weaker relationships in the family. That was JVP & TNA in Sri Lankan National Parliament – where Self-Governance is the root. Their communities need to identify with their own contribution to self-governance, if they are to remain in the political pathway.

In Kilinochchi, where LTTE had its Administrative headquarters – TNA enjoyed 81% confidence to represent the electorate in local governance. Relatively – Mr Rajapaksa’s SLPP in Kurunegala earned only 49% confidence vote. In the President’s electorate of Polannaruwa SLPP received only 35% and the President’s group only 34%. As we go higher – towards Presidential voting these figures will change as per the contribution of the candidate to regional and global governance. That was how Tamils became Equal Opposition in National Parliament  in 1976 and more recently in 2015 confirming the principle of “The whole being greater than the sum of its parts.”

At local level – as in the grass – the self-governance factor would be more or less be proportionate to the apparent following  of the locals. But was we go beyond time and space borders the connection becomes less and less apparent. Those who calculate on local basis would be bound to fail when they use it at National level. This was proven in the case of Mr Sirisena and Mr Rajapaksa through the recent political turmoil. A strong investor in self-governance will vote against them or their candidates. If they are elected we conclude that majority Sri Lankan voters are not self-governing even after the lessons they could have learnt.