Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

26 November  2019

BIG BROTHER MODI

 These days when I Google-search to ensure accuracy – I often come across confirmation that I am in the area of truth that I need. In that area – truth leads us. A simple example happened yesterday. I usually do not wash the toilets on the weekend which is allocated to be with family. But since I had not had time during the week – I did wash the toilets on Sunday. The trades-guy allocated to replace old pipes knocked on the door yesterday. After he left, I felt happy that I had washed the toilets so he had a clean workspace. To my mind it was the truth in my soul that initiated and motivated the washing on Sunday – because my  truth knows that otherwise I would have been upset with myself for not providing a clean toilet for the workman – as clean as I keep the space for our paying-guests. When such manifestations happen, I feel comforted – knowing that my small truth has merged with Big Truth. Big Truth leads us from within and that to me is the Soul power.

It happened again last night - when I heard on TV news that A Buddhist monk had blessed the Sri Lankan President by referring to King Gothabaya. On 20 November 2019, I wrote under the heading – ‘EMPEROR  MODI BECKONS KING GOTABHAYA?’ Hence I felt that I was connecting to the ‘intelligence’ of the Buddhist monks who were supporting Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa. This morning’s search led me to the New York Times article headed ‘‘We Needed a Modi After the Easter Attacks’ by Journalist ‘Kapil Komireddi’ who concludes as follows:

[The location was a declaration of the Rajapaksas’ majoritarian leanings. Blessed by Buddhist monks, Mr. Rajapaksa affirmed his support for their dream of a Buddhist-first Sri Lanka and chided minorities who failed his “expectations” by voting against him. His first act as president was to appoint the prime minister of Sri Lanka: His brother Mahinda Rajapaksa

“We needed a Modi after the Easter attacks,” one of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s supporters had told me. “Gota is our Modi. He doesn’t think too much. He acts.” The reverence for Mr. Modi, the polarizing Hindu nationalist politician, among Sinhalese reactionaries — was at first puzzling. But their affection, anchored in a shared hostility for Muslims, had a logic to it.

I walked to Colombo’s historic Red Mosque a few hours after Mr. Rajapaksa took the oath as president. Worshipers were spilling out into the rain after saying their evening prayers. Some of them had heard rumors — confirmed later that night — that Tamils suspected of not voting for Gotabaya Rajapaksa were being attacked by Sinhalese men in a nearby province. “They’ll come for us next,” one of them said.]

Those who seek their leader to be like another before her/him or currently of a larger group – are confirming that they are indeed a junior group. They thus make Hindus their senior group.

Every Hindu Sri Lankan who surrenders her/his pain to Hindu form of Divinity – would naturally access the BJP mind. This facilitates continuous  communication between the  two minds – that of the Individual and the true leader of the big group - who in turn would manifest through the apparent leader.

This was how Mr Wickremesinghe’s UNP defeated the Rajapaksas through the 19^th Amendment to the Constitution. Mr Harsha Gunasena in his Financial Times article ‘President cannot hold the Defence portfolio’ presents his thinking as follows:

[At the swearing in ceremony the President declared as follows as required by the fourth schedule of the Constitution: “I Gotabaya Rajapaksa do solemnly declare and affirm  that I will faithfully perform the duties  and discharge the functions of the office of the President in accordance with the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the law, and that I will be faithful to the Republic of Sri Lanka and that I will to the best of my ability uphold and defend the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.”

In his address to the nation immediately after that, he said the following: “Today I am meeting you as the executive President, Commander in Chief and the Minister of Defence, who is responsible of the defence of you and your children, of beloved motherland of all of us.”

Therefore, his intention was to keep the Ministry of Defence with him. This intention was against the provisions of the Constitution. Soon after solemnly declaring that he would faithfully perform the duties and discharge the functions of the office of the President in accordance with the Constitution, in his address to the nation he declared his intention to violate the Constitution.

It is advisable to adhere to the Constitution rather than bringing flimsy arguments to defend possible violations of the same. The President’s intention is to create a disciplined nation. Adhering to the Constitution should be the basis of any discipline.

Therefore, it is the foremost duty of the advisors of the President such as Ali Sabry not to mislead him. All of them have mislead Maithripala Sirisena and Mahinda Rajapaksa in October 2018, bringing discredit to both. It is the duty of all of us to adhere to the Constitution rather than trying to violate it.]

Mr Ali Sabry who is included in my email list had the opportunity know how the Common Sri Lankan Tamil community – committed to law and order - would interpret the Constitutional provisions.  But I was not important enough for him to read and address the issues raised by me. But the true Sri Lankan mind would have heard and identified with it – directly or through the system of Dharma – irrespective of whether the mind was Sinhalese or Tamil by origin. As they say – Great minds think alike.

Mr Gunasena refers to Article 44 (2) of the Constitution as follows:

[The President cannot hold any ministerial portfolio since the previous article 44(2), where the President could keep any number of portfolios with him, was repealed by the Nineteenth   amendment to the constitution.]

The old Article 44 (2) read as follows:

[(2) The President may assign to himself any subject or function and shall remain in charge of any subject or function not assigned to any Minister under the provisions of paragraph (1) of this Article or the provisions of paragraph (1) of Article 45, and may for that purpose determine the number of Ministries to be in his charge, and accordingly, any reference in the Constitution or any written law to the Minister to whom such subject or function is assigned, shall be read and construed as a reference to the President]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Article 44 (1) – prior to the 19^th Amendment stated as follows:

[The President shall, from time to time, in consultation with the Prime Minister, where he considers such consultation to be necessary-

(a)  determine the number of Ministers of the Cabinet of Ministers and the Ministries and the assignment of subjects and functions to such Ministers; and

(b) appoint from among the Members of Parliament, Ministers to be in charge of the Ministries so determined.]

The amended Article 44 (1) reads as follows

[(1) The President may, on the advice of the Prime Minister, appoint from among Members of Parliament, Ministers who shall not be members of the Cabinet of Ministers.]

They are now obviously junior ministers.

It is possible  the new President and his Legal Counsel misread article 42(3) which states:

[The President shall be a member of the Cabinet of Ministers and shall be the Head of the Cabinet of Ministers.]

This is also the parallel of Article 4 (b) clearly distinguishes the President from the Parliament in terms of who exercises the People’s power as a whole. As stated before many times  - this cannot be divided and applied to a section of the People.  The divided part does not have the power of Sovereignty. Devolved part does.

Article 9 for example covers minorities’ rights by  including articles 10 & 14(1) (e) and a Buddhist President has the DUTY to ensure that the rights of other religions are granted. The President does not need to be of the other religion by belief but when they claim their rights through due process those rights need to be granted. The Vaddukoddai Resolution 1976 for example empowered this due to Tamils being  covered by 10 & 14(1) (e). The government that had that duty but failed -  lost power in the 1977 elections.

The constitution when used for personal purposes – would become the force of those who have respected it and been true to it. We may interpret it in different ways – but all genuine interpretations would merge at the destination. It is this merged power that the leader of the whole is responsible for and is affected by. They say in Tamil that family of one who draws from the commonwealth – for personal use - is cursed.

I have witnessed this manifestation here in Australia – due to the Chancellor of the University of NSW - connecting to my complaint. Even though I was awarded a ‘fail’ the invisible governing power invoked through the Chancellor resulted in the dismissal of the Vice Chancellor who punished me instead of  hearing me.  

To the extent a leader exercises Executive powers within the whole – for example by a minister – s/he dilutes the global power of governance which is the Big Truth mentioned above. Even if One Sri Lankan who connects to the ancestral architects of the Constitution which maintains the Sovereignty of the whole – gets hurt by the President – the President loses power of the People.

PM Modi might become the medium through whom the Hindu power would demote the Buddhist King of Sri Lanka. Emperor takes care of many  kingdoms. Hence Emperor Modi.