Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

08 October  2019

RAJAPAKSAS AGAINST BUDDHISM

In an educated community, our investment in higher education needs to be demonstrated through our votes. Those who vote on the basis of likes and dislikes would tend to be swayed by promises. Likes and dislikes are the parallels of hearsay. They need to be mentally blocked and/or neutralized by decision makers.  Those who have had the complete experience would have converted likes and dislikes into belief.

Recently, a young Tamil doctor said to me that I must come to her home during my next visit  to her city. I said words to the effect ‘why would I not come? I will come to see how my investment in your career has developed.’  Had I ‘liked’ my contribution to her development – without expecting respect from the recipient, I would have depended on her for the return. That to me is ‘attachment’ to my own past. Instead, if I expect the other side of the relationship – i.e. demonstrated respect – I raise the ‘liking’  to a relationship. When I distance myself from the junior / beneficiary of my service – due to not ‘seeing’ the return – and respect myself - my contribution becomes ownership Energy which is shared exponentially as common status with those who lack such status. That is how power of One works. When my Vaddukoddai relatives for example failed to demonstrate that respect – I became their Opposition beyond the level at which they demonstrated respect for me as an elder. My book ‘Jaffna is my Heritage and not Dowry’ is based largely on that ‘distancing pain’.  The book is in colloquial Tamil and has been written largely to help ease the pain of others who may have experienced such ‘distancing pain’ but continue to live as if they were close relatives – in order to get a good name from current custodians of power. Such folks tend to become ‘dependent’ on custodians of benefits.

The recent Court verdict in the case of Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s citizenship confirmed such ‘attachment’ that the Sri Lankan Judiciary carries. Without attachment to ‘likes’ there would be no fear of ‘dislikes’. One strong reason for requiring independence from ‘family’ in the case of  those in high positions is this need to be balanced. Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa choosing his brother as Defence Secretary confirmed lack of trust in others – say for example General Fonseka. The parallel of that at the citizens’ level is for a member of the Diaspora in the Chairman’s family  to be made the head of security – of a local enterprise - say Sri Lankan Airlines. Unless a member of the immediate family demonstrates deep level of sacrifice – say along Gandhi’s pathway – merit basis needs to be used in a transparent manner to assess eligibility to Public Authority  - to reward or to punish. One who has not disciplined himself does not have the moral authority to punish another – even if that other were his child.

Those who sacrifice for common good earn the right directly – and bypass the ‘benefits’ pathway. When such high minds express their rights – Natural Forces deliver and the return is exponential.  This is why when Gandhi fasted - People delivered good conduct.

Sri Lankan voters who voted through their desires – caused the war. Tamil community also has its own young and the restless. Their protection from expressing their desires is their apparent minority status. The more they dislike – the faster their revenge actions from the privacy of their own jungles where they are free of that minority status.

There has been strong acknowledgment that the Tamil votes would determine victory in the upcoming Sri Lankan Presidential elections. How can a small minority by number influence the final outcome? It can only if :

(a)   they have come out of the jungle into which they isolated themselves

(b)  they have endured relatively more pain than majority

(c)   that pain is recognized by majority, to have been caused by majority

(d)  Majority seek to compensate the victims and thus redeem themselves from the sin committed as Emperor Ashoka did.

The Presidential elections in 2015 – was structured to bring out (b) and (c) above. The voters had the pathway through which they claimed their right to know what had happened. By then victims – directly demonstrated their pain and opened the pathway for the Right to Information Act in 2016 . Ms Kishali Pinto Jayawardena highlighted this when speaking to an audience in Malaysia - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyZPxJUrDCU by sharing her experience with mothers in Batticaloa who had  felt empowered enough to question the Police about their loved ones who went missing. Unless we are independent of our seniors in the family – we would not be independent enough to question the custodians of power in wider community and society. I myself questioned the Northern Judicial Administration through Due Processes – however excruciatingly painful its lack of response was. I believe I have now empowered at least a few at the family and community levels. My pain in learning about the shortcut by the Rajapaksas was deep due to them showing the ‘shortcut’ to their followers.

Laws and Due Processes prevent accidents because they take into account all users of a common facility. Those who use shortcuts promise to hurt someone way beyond the latter’s deservedness. This was already demonstrated in 2009 war in which Tamil civilians suffered more than their share of pain – due to direct action for someone to win. To them the Sinhalese forces were foreigners. Hence such killings were due to ‘invasion desires’ in  the attackers. Often when we dwell on the enemy - more than is needed to protect ourselves from their evil – we become like them. Sinhalese who condemned Colonial rule more than was needed – owned those very qualities that they were claiming to have eliminated. That is how good or bad – the karma returns to us – the makers.

To my level voters  - the structure for the Presidential Election 2019 – has been strongly focused on reliability in lawful administration. Tamils who are truly respectful of their ancestry would vote against the group that usurped public authority as if it were a substance that gave them personal pleasures. By voting against such officers  – we oppose such qualities in us. That is the real and lasting solution to the ethnic problem that is National problem. If Tamils as a community are self-governing before Sinhalese – we lead the  nation at policy level. Like Emperor Ashokan who became true Buddhist – Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa had the opportunity to become a true Buddhist. Instead his mentor promises more invasions in the name of security. One’s own Truth would be the security of a true Buddhist.