Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

29 May 2021

 

 

ONE COUNTRY TWO NATIONS

 

I dedicate this article to Dr Subramanyam Chandrasekharan, my invisible editor, who was always there to encourage me whenever I felt downhearted about Nationalism issue. As per New Indian Express:

 

[S Chandrasekharan retired as Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat (RAW). He was in charge of India’s Sri Lanka operations for many years]

 

I have not come across any Sri Lankan writer, other than myself paying their respects to Dr Subramanyam Chandrasekharan. My genuine contribution was expressed as follows:

 

[Dear Dr Suryanarayan,

          It was with a heavy heart that I read your eulogy for Dr Subramanyam Chandrasekharan. I must say that I was a bit fearful that this noble person might have become a victim of Covid when I had not heard from him since end of March when Dr Chandrasekharan wrote

‘A wonderful piece!  I wish others had been as frank as you are!

Chandrasekharan’

 

Today I learnt the details through your article ‘ Death, be not proud: A tribute to RAW’s Chandrasekharan

I feel so very sad because Dr Subramanyam Chandrasekharan was one of the few writers who encouraged me from time to time, in addition to reading my book ‘Naan Australian’ and expressing appreciation. It is indeed with a very heavy heart that I write this to you. To me, it was no coincidence that I found your article through Twitter notification. Given that I do not use Twitter regularly, I feel that Dr Chandrasekharan’s soul was guiding me to read your article, published today by the New Indian Express.

Thank you deeply for sharing your feelings with us. I do believe that Dr Chandrasekharan has contributed deeply to Regional Harmony and in particular to India-Sri Lanka relationship. When we merge our Nations merge.

 

Gajalakshmi Paramasivam]

 

I kept marvelling as to the Common mind of Twitter that informed me during the time of my need. That is the way of Universal Power.  This morning when the Twitter mail came, I went into my account with greater focus than I have consciously done up until  now. There I noted a recommendation to read the posting of Paari Saalan @SaalanPaari about Good Governance, using Tamil secular bible - Thirukural.

 

As per my interpretation, Paari was opposing Naam Thamilar Party’s expressions including at Twitter account - @tmpntkofficial. This effectively is opposition to LTTE, due to this Party treating LTTE leader as a hero. The posting recommended to me :

 

[நல்லாண்மை என்பது ஒருவற்குத் தான்பிறந்த இல்லாண்மை ஆக்கிக் கொளல். (Note the point பிறந்த, not உணர்ந்த)]

[As per my interpretation -  the above means: [Good governance happens when One eliminates no governance that existed at birth] In Sri Lanka, we went astray through armed combat by youth who desired more]

The emphasis highlighted by Paari was that it is form that existed at birth and not realised nationalism.

The nationalism that I develop and show would therefore be different in form to that developed and shown by my children. That explains why the LTTE failed. They effectively were born after Vaddukoddai Resolution 1976 was given birth – as the pathway to Tamil Political Independence in Sri Lanka. Hence when LTTE was born Tamil Nation was already in given form. They cannot claim credit for giving birth to Tamil Nation. Hence they could not develop Good Governance structure that was better than the one that existed at the time of their birth. By killing the architects of Vaddukoddai Resolution, they promoted deterioration of Governance within the Tamil community.  That is the way when we copy or steal intelligence. Now that Seeman also has done that – his party also would fail to develop good governance structures.

In Sri Lanka, the parallel is happening due to Colombo Port City. In his article ‘Rajapaksa arc of political history begins to descend’ – Dr Dayan Jayatilleke highlights under ‘One country, two systems’ :

[The TNA’s Sumanthiran and Rasamanikkam refer to the levy imposed on goods purchased in but taken out of the Port City by non-residents. They correctly identify this as a customs duty imposed at border crossings. 

My question is this: if Jaffna Mayor Manivannan was arrested for the crime of appointing a municipal security unit which wore a uniform which resembled not only that of the LTTE-appointed police force but also of the current Colombo Municipal Council, what would be Colombo’s response were the Northern and/or Eastern Provincial Council to charge a levy on goods—say, mangoes, onions and prawns—purchased within the province by non-residents on their way back to the south? The Council would be dissolved for a ‘separatist’ gesture, the Chief Minister and Cabinet arrested and any civic protest crushed by the military. ]

By 1976, Tamil Politicians had given birth to the Tamil Nation political entity. Yet, Dr Dayan Jayatilleke has highlighted the example of Manivannan who is recognized in Northern Sri Lanka as an LTTE supporter – due to his own declarations and partnerships. If Manivannan also takes it – that would oust him from the law abiding part of the Jaffna Tamil community. Dr Dayan states:

[‘One Country, Two Systems’ was the doctrinal formula that summed up the special relationship between Hong Kong and mainland China to which it historically belonged before separation by colonial control. The formula was also meant to attract Taiwan back to the fold. ]

The parallel of China in Sri Lankan Nationalism is India. The arrival of IPKF confirmed this. Dr Dayan goes on to state:

[The Gotabaya regime does not believe in negotiation and consensus. It practices unilateralism. Bilateralism is mainly with China. The regime seems to believe that the world or at least Asia is already or almost unipolar, with that ‘pole’ being China. In short, the Sri Lankan regime behaves as if that which China may be aspiring to, is already a reality. ]

Tamil leaders realised this during the final stages of the war when Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa was in total control. Hence the war crimes accusations. I am not aware of any Opposition to this by Dr Dayan. The mistake was for Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa to promote his brother as a president without realising that his brother would do to him effectively what the LTTE did to political leaders. This is why the wise say about juniors, ‘you get the behavior you reward’.  In turn, LTTE supporters would now be replaced by Chinese. Had both sides limited themselves to showing  that which was in existence at the time of their birth both would not have lost Sri Lankan ownership. Dr Dayan in turn failed to attribute to Tamils the home-made One country two nations declarations by Tamil Politicians and intellectuals.