15 August 2022

Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

 

GANDHI & FREEDOM

Today is the anniversary of the day India first declared its Independence from the British. This involved deep struggle led by Gandhi. Gandhi sacrificed deeply at personal level, to live as part of the most Junior group in Indian society – known as the ‘untouchables’. I paid my respects to Gandhi this morning, for the lessons I have learnt from Gandhi. I believe that majority Sri Lankans gained from Gandhi’s sacrifices and yet, taken as a Nation, we seem to lack the feeling of Independence that the Common Indian feels.

As per the report headed ‘Cardinal says SL will not achieve true freedom till supremacy of law maintained’ :

[The legal system is bent according to the will of the political leaders over and over again during the past 74 years. Till this system is changed, Sri Lanka will never be free. The slavery to politicians will continue, till the day that the legal system is completely independent of persons in power,” Cardinal said during an event held at the St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, yesterday. ]

The law facilitates us to have ‘relationships’ and hence Institutional values. These ‘institutional values would be different in each group on the basis of their ‘commonness’. Hence institutional structures of Christians would look different to institutional structures of Muslims or other religions. In India, Hinduism is the religion of the largest group. The religion of the second largest group is Islam. In Sri Lanka, Buddhism is the religion of the largest group and Hinduism is the religion of the  second largest group.  Muslims and Christians are the minority groups – making up about 10% and 7% respectively of the total population.

The question that the Cardinal needs to ask is whether the Easter Bombings would have been prevented if the Supremacy of the law (secular-law) had been our reality? It may be easier  for both sides to answer the following question:

‘Do you believe in Resurrection of the soul?’

Christians are likely to say yes and Muslims are likely to say ‘no’

 

Some Institutional structures would naturally oppose each other. They need to then be separated and be invisible to each other, for the whole to work harmoniously. Tamils in North being separated from Sinhalese in South is an  example of this.

In terms of the law, let us examine the cardinal’s claim through the following:

In his article ‘Lest we forget, not Gotabaya Rajapaksa, but the political system failed the country’, Raj Gonsalkorale, proposes as follows:

[In this context, it is a sad reflection on the part of Sri Lankans in particular the media, to provide headline grabbing news items portraying the former President as having nowhere to go. Gotabaya Rajapaksa must come back to Sri Lanka and be afforded the security and facilities that an ex-President of the country is entitled to. If as alleged, he has committed other misdemeanours, whoever who is accusing him of such misdemeanours should take legal action and Gotabaya Rajapaksa should face the court decisions. However, he is innocent until he is proven guilty, and it is an insult to Sri Lanka and all Sri Lankans if he cannot return to the country and be protected as a former President.  ]

As per the Truth I realised through my own experience,  I do consider Mr Gotabaya  Rajapaksa to be more genuine to his home-group than his predecessor. He however avoided the court process through 20^th amendment to the Constitution. For example the following:

[35. (1) While any person holds office as President, no proceedings shall be instituted or continued against him in any court or tribunal in respect of anything done or omitted to be done by him either in his official or private capacity:]

The above is an example of the problem, that the cardinal has seems to have missed. Politicians change the law not as per belief, but as per their convenience.

I do feel that Mr Gotabaya  Rajapaksa deserves to come back to Sri Lanka and live as Sri Lankan – which is his Constitutional right. But emotionally driven Sinhalese are unpredictable and hence the risk to his life is high. It would be an irreparable  shame  if that happened to a Sri Lankan who came to power due to him being hailed a war-hero. This is how majority power without belief, promotes chaos.

True freedom comes from deep sacrifice. If Mr Gotabaya  Rajapaksa meditates through the truth he knows,  he will liberate himself.