Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

25 November  2019

SINHALA NATION V SRI LANKAN NATION

Last night when I heard Rev Jegath Gaspar Raj of India’s Tamil Nadu refer to LTTE leader as Thesiya Thalaivar (National Leader) I rejected it and discussed my feelings with a fellow Sri Lankan Tamil. To me I am Sri Lankan Tamil. Within that Umbrella there are Jaffna Tamils, Eastern Tamils,  Upcountry Tamils, Muslim Tamils  and now a new group ‘Eelam Tamils’. Velupillai Prabhakaran was never endorsed by Jaffna Tamils – his home group as their leader. If indeed we had so endorsed him – majority would have followed his leadership in 2005 and not voted in the recent Presidential Elections. By participating in the voting process we confirmed the choice of Political Pathway as our preferred pathway. All those who did vote are Sri Lankan Tamils.

I do however appreciate that to the group recognized as Eelam Tamils, Velupillai Prabhakaran is their National leader. Nationhood could be as small as One house or in this instance - as big as the Indian subcontinent. One who has attained Nationhood would not enforce her/his nation on others nor tempt or force members of other Nations to join her/his nation.  The test is that one will find the returns for her/his work from her/his nation.

It was therefore unpleasant to receive the following response to my article headed ‘SINHALESE ARE RESPONSIBBLE FOR WAR CRIMES’ – from someone I considered to be Sri Lankan:

[Dear sender;

Please be careful when you attempt to generalize people ... I am VERY PROUD to be a SINHALESE and consider ALL RACES EQUAL as SRI LANKANS, please don't create unnecessary problems by publishing JUNK like this.

You will be added to my JUNK SENDERS if you circulate any further RACIAL HATRED to me.

Chrishmal Warnasuriya. BA(Colombo), P Dip(Hons), LLM (Hons)(London)

Counsel Of the Middle Temple
Chambers: 105/1-1/1, Dutugemunu St. Kohuwala, Sri Lanka ]

My response was as follows:

[You may name yourself to be Sri Lankan. But are you really Sri Lankan? I believe I am. Hence  when President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared that he was leader of Sinhala Buddhist – I felt hurt that my franchise was being used to promote a part within Sri Lanka. That to me was like the Commonwealth demoting itself to the state of Victoria.  This is also the issue with the position of Defence Minister which Mr Rajapaksa cannot hold because he is responsible for the whole of Sri Lanka. I have no knowledge of you protesting to prevent the demotion by the President.  You had the choice to write to this group – giving your interpretation.  . You accept separation – and you pass that on to your heirs. During the Face the Nation program on 11 November  - I got the message that you sought to pass on a better Sri Lanka to the next generation. May be you would pass on a better Sinhala Nation if you are true to yourself. I will pass on a purer Sri Lankan Nation to my heirs.  You would be confirming this separation by listing me as a junkie Tamil

Gajalakshmi]

Later this morning a Sri Lankan Tamil did forward the following to confirm how the British leaders are reading the need of the Tamil Community under the new regime :

UK: Breaking News:

Conservative party offers two-state solution for Tamils. - https://www.facebook.com/groups/TNAseythi/permalink/2680764245324822/

Support for Tamils – expressed by the Hon Jeremy Corbyn

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TNAseythi/permalink/2680778328656747/

Not every Sinhalese was responsible for what was caused by the Army nor every Tamil for the damage caused by the LTTE. But as per Democracy – since majority Sinhalese voted for the current President – they have endorsed what happened during the war. Sri Lankans cannot accept responsibility for war crimes – whether they were by the LTTE under the leadership of Eelam Leader or the Sinhala Army under the leadership of the current President who claims to represent  Sinhala-Buddhists only. Every Sinhala-Buddhist who fails to oppose that claim – is not yet  Sri Lankan.

This is the war-crimes trial in the Court of Natural Justice. That is how Dharma delivers the Ultimate Verdict.