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?
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