Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

29 June  2020

Aborigines,  Indigenous Tamils & Karuna Amman

Our daughter recommended the Killing Season documentary about Australian Prime Ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. I remember Kevin Rudd mostly through his genuine expression of ‘Sorry’ to the Stolen Generation. It is something that I did not have as per my experience in Australia nor Tamils in Sri Lanka. I associate Julia Gillard as the one who fell down at Gandhi Memorial in New Delhi when she was Prime Minister. Ms Gillard explained that as having to walk in heels whereas men were free to wear flat shoes. This meant that to Ms Gillard the memorial land was of the same value as any other lawn. Ms Gillard did not respect as sacred the grassland as ‘heritage home’ of Gandhi. The reference to men’s advantage was the level at which Ms Gillard carried discrimination pain. Other such pains happened to ‘others’. Rudd on the other hand won through Gandhi power to defeat Mr Howard and become Prime Minister. The believer would read the picture at the true level – beyond the visible and beyond the known.

I believe that I submitted  my genuine pain to the political system in which I lacked direct experience but one through which these leaders operated. When we so submit – our contribution is exponential in value. Thus the People have the power to strengthen or weaken manifestations during political leadership. The coronavirus is a direct example of this. But once submitted we must not draw direct benefits from such manifestations. We may share our experiences but not demote them to ‘rights and wrongs’ at our level nor likes and dislikes. When we do, those forces return to us exponentially – as in Pandora’s Box. The other powers to which we joined ours cannot be managed by us. Hence once made common we must not particularise.

When I read the ABC article ‘Covering black deaths in Australia led me to a breakdown, but that's the position this country puts Aboriginal journalists in’ I felt that the author Award winning journalist Allan Clarke, was hurting due to not having ‘closure’. Closure, as per my experience becomes possible not from the outside but from our own restructure as per our truth. The more we use the pathway of the culture that is in power – the less likely we are to bring about closure. Gandhi himself became Indigenous Indian to have the experience as an Indian. As highlighted in the above documentary – Kevin Rudd did not identify Naturally with Labor values at grassroots level. But he is a deep Australian blessed by Indigenous Elders. Those of White Australian culture and struggle to become global – would not connect to this.

Allan Clarke who has emigrated to France – has difficulty to bring about closure due to this reason. Taken globally one would feel pain for the new migrant who is unable to openly take pride in her/his past at the same level as an Indigenous person who is punished more than he would have been by her/his own elders. In Tamil – they say that the pain of one who cries that there is not enough salt in the soup is taken as equal to that of the one who cries that there is no sugar in the milk. To identify with the pain of the other one needs to become the other. When one invests in common one sees both from the higher plane. This becomes natural when one has common roots. At the biological level – this happens through physical togetherness. At the mental level – this is actively promoted by common pathways including laws. At the spiritual level – all one needs is to be true to oneself and the system does the rest. In many communities ‘mixed blood’ children were taken away by the ruling ‘system’ for the same reason by Hitler promoted the Aryan race and tried to eliminate the ‘migrant races’. Hence to the extent Blacks in America are later migrants than the heirs of White Americans – their plight is the parallel of migrants  and not that of Indigenous Australians.

This is also crucial in appreciating the Ethnic problem in Sri Lanka. The problem of discrimination was felt by Tamils in parts of the country where  Sinhalese were in majority. Colombo was the capital of multicultural Lanka. Those living in North and East largely as per their own cultural laws were not directly affected by this. To them the opposition and protests were indirect – as the Tamil Diaspora is currently doing. Likewise Indian Tamils. The moment such indirect investors interfere directly – including through ‘free’ donations – the path to the root where the Energy of Independence is – is blocked. As opposed to it – if one realises independence in one’s own local area / unit – even if it is just her/himself – the system does the rest and delivers as per that person’s need – anytime, anywhere.

Karuna Amman – the former Eastern LTTE leader is also effectively a ‘stolen’ child.  Karuna is indigenous to Batticaloa whose folks’ mind structure is different to that of Northern Tamils governed by Theswalamai law. The way Karuna sees ‘right and wrong’ would be different to the way Mr Wigneswaran would have seen right and wrong as a judge of the Apex court. To the extent Karuna made a statement of fact – it is sacred.

In the Ceylon Today article ‘Hero Turned Zero; Karuna Amman Will Be The Ultimate Loser’ author Gagani Weerakoon whose name suggests Sinhala origin – presents as follows:

[Calls for proper investigation againt Karuna’s claim comes from all factions in society.

Close ally of former Minister, Patali Champika and supporter of Samagi Jana Balawegaya, Kaduwela Municipal Councillor Boseth Kalahepathirana, on Thursday (25), filed a Fundamental Rights Petition seeking a Supreme Court directive to the acting IGP Chandana D. Wickramaratna, to apprehend Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, alias Karuna Amman, and to enforce the law.

Attorney General dappula De Livera, IGP Wickramaratne and Karuna Amman have been named as respondents. 

The petitioner has stated that while addressing a public meeting in Digamadulla on 19 June, Karuna Amman had claimed that he is more dangerous than COVID-19 and that he had killed 2,000-3,000 Sri Lankan soldiers in one night at Elephant Pass.]

The fact that Karuna rose to power within LTTE confirms that he killed soldiers as per the rules of the LTTE. When using it in politics – Karuna was confirming that killing the opposition is creditable. Towards this he used his vernacular. How can that be unlawful in a country where killing citizens outside the process of law is regularly celebrated by the government?

To the extent Karuna identifies himself as LTTE heir – he is doing the parallel of what the current President did in celebrating  Victory Day in May. Every fighter has that moral right to express her/his achievements in what to her/him was just war. There is no common measure between the two sides to claim one to be right and the other to be wrong.

It would have been perfectly in order for the politicians to claim credit in their local areas where belief rules above the written law. Karuna did just that. Not so member of this current government. Mr Patali Champika and his party - Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) by failing to challenge the May celebrations through which the Armed Forces were claiming that they were dangerous because they killed the world’s most dangerous Terrorists – the Tamil Tigers – are promising exploitation of minorities who dare to show their governance forces.

A just court would dismiss the petition. If Karuna is punished – then that will be a loss to the current government’s party. One is entitled to conclude that this is a cheap political stunt by the SJB.

So long as indigenous folks express themselves within their own home areas – those who are not directly affected have no moral authority to sue them – to return that pain to the causer. Why is Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa who is most likely to have been affected not suing on behalf of the Nation? Stung by the scorpion?