Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

07 August  2020

 

Have Lankans voted for Chinese Rule?

Yesterday, I highlighted the following:

[Will get 2/3 majority created in parliament if not at polls: PM] and linked it as follows:

[I felt that the message I sent on 04 August, under the Subject heading ‘UNP Had 96% Approval’  had reached the true seeker.]

Yesterday some – including journalists,  indicated that they interpreted it as the kind of ‘quid-pro-quo’ manipulation that happened in Parliament during the 2018 Constitutional Crisis. Each would interpret as per their ‘home-group ’ structure. But then between 2018 and 2020, we have had the 2019 Presidential elections and  observed subsequent  policy level differences which Dr Dayan Jayatilleka also highlights as follows:

[Interviewed at length by this newspaper in 2013, I stated (in response to a question posed by Chamitha Kuruppu) that: “…there has been an intra-regime change. The centre of gravity is shifting from the pragmatic populism of Mahinda Rajapaksa to a harder, harsher neo-conservatism which is more visibly represented by Gotabaya Rajapaksa… ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ is in danger; it is increasingly overshadowed or overtaken by the ‘Gota Chinthana’…Sri Lanka cannot successfully manage relations with its minorities and also with the neighbourhood and the world as a whole with a bunker mentality.” (‘We are on the road to losing the peace’, Daily FT, Friday 10 May 2013, pp. 11, 15) 

This election will show how far that process has gone towards irreversible completion.] – Daily FT 05 August 2020 – ‘The real story of 19A and the executive presidency’

My 96% approval message also referred to the passage of the 19^th Amendment. I am largely unaffected by individual personalities and therefore am more focused on the issue itself. One who believes sees both sides as her/himself. I highlighted the value of belief trough the Appendix to my article of 29 July 2020 - headed ‘Cultural Borders & Sovereignty -’. This Appendix was published by eLanka newspaper, the following day. That Appendix shares the ‘Mango Legend’ which is about the Separation of Powers between Ganesh the elder brother and Murugan the younger brother. Ganesh represents Autocracy and Murugan represents Democracy.

By position, younger brother President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the senior of the two Rajapaksa brothers. We in Northern Sri Lanka had the parallel situation in 2013 when Mr Sumanthiran by virtue of longer period in Politics became senior to former Justice - Mr CV Wigneswaran within the leading Tamil Political group. The above legend is about diversity in structure which happens naturally due to time. When one or the other does not change – they separate naturally.  The way to intellectual win is different to the pathway to business / economic win. When the two are separated one cannot measure their successes through the same yardstick. I shared my mind as follows with a member of the Tamil Diaspora (TD) who supports Mr CV Wigneswaran :

TD: Sent the Jaffna list of election wins

Gaja:  ITAK leads unless the others get together to form Opposition

 

TD: The curse of our community is that we have seven members from Jaffna and when they sit in the parliament they will be seated like ‘Navagraha’. In the Hindu temple - one won’t face the other. What is consoling here is at least we have one genuine person to talk about our problems - that is CVW.

 

Gaja: If they are ' Navagraha’ - then they represent  the past. This is very  true of CVW . If he therefore speaks - we will have the parallel of Covid19 which to my mind happened due to disturbing Silk Road heritage. Jaffna folks have said thank you to CVW also. Take it gracefully. I have no other expectations from CVW. I do from ITAK

These 2020 elections have confirmed, forced retirement of  seniors which began with former president Mr Sirisena breaking away from his senior Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa. This was followed by others, with UNP also splitting into two – effectively ‘retiring’ the elder Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe who confessed to watching Bollywood dramas during the Covid19 lockdown! Now, like Mr John Howard in 2007, Mr Wickremesinghe also has lost his seat which confirms serious loss of confidence by the common voter. It is a disconnection with fundamental powers of Governance. One needs to feel the pain of the citizen as her/his own to invoke the consolidated value of current citizens in each other. When this is absent – there is breach in fundamental connections through Democracy.

Whether the current leaders acknowledge it or not Sri Lanka’s sovereignty has been seriously damaged due to unregulated financial support from China. In terms of belief – the past is represented by the planetary positions that represent the essence of our  past – depicted through the 9 planet positions known as ‘Navagrahams (Navam=Nine; Grahams = Planets)’. Our life during colonial rule also represented by the Navagrahams of Sri Lanka should not be activated to produce current benefits. It is for this reason that it is recommended that one does not prostrate in front of the Navagraha shrine in Hindu temples. It is said that when we do, Saturn is likely to descend on our shoulders. Indigenous Australians are likely to have their own version of this. To the extent we celebrate ‘independence’ from foreign rule and also victory over a spirit of rebel group – we awaken  the Saturn which represents our sins. This is exponential in current terms because it has no current opposition to make it relative.

I believe that Hambantota port takeover by China happened due to such disturbance. As per the verdict of the Sinhala voters – that is not a loss. If we have foreign wars on Lankan soil, we would know that it was because the past was made a current  win/victory. We can always pray and every self-governing person’s prayers would be heard by the Universal power  of Democracy.