11 July 2023

Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

 

DID UNP KARMA DISMISS THE LANKAN PRESIDENT?

 

Majority Sri Lankans follow the system of karma. Rooted in  belief, emotions lead to positive karma. Without belief, they lead to negative karma. The memory of  Sri Lankan protests of last year was surfaced by BBC through its article ‘Sri Lanka: The fate of a protest that toppled a president’. The article draws our attention to Mr Kaluthantri- a port worker amongst the protestors:

 

["I took the presidential flags away because I thought Mr Rajapaksa wouldn't be able to act as president without those official symbols," Mr Kaluthantri said….. Mr Kaluthantri himself surrendered to police and spent 21 days in custody on charges of desecrating the presidential flag]

 

The respect for the position of president is the root of our relationship with the president. The incumbent may or may not be a fit person for the position, but to the extent our investment in the position is true,  the protests manifest at the appropriate level. In the BBC example, the protestor surrendered to the police and accepted the punishment. This confirms that at his level of leadership he followed the law that was known to him. Hence his truth also influenced the resignation of the president. This is the philosophy of karma.

 

Laws facilitate orderly conduct. Where we lack belief, laws common to all concerned is essential to maintain harmony. The 1978 constitution of Sri Lanka, under the leadership of President J R Jayawardene, opened the pathways for Sri Lanka to become more global.  This is presented by Wikipedia as follows:

 

‘Jayewardena's foreign policy was aligned with American policies (earning him the nickname 'Yankie Dickie') much to the chagrin of India.’

 

By using the American immigration system and then giving it up to become president of Sri Lanka, Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa effectively devalued his investment in the American immigration system and therefore became the Opposition of President J R Jayawardene who opened the gates of globalisation and thereby strengthened the investment in global democracy by Sri Lanka.

 

Karma is the system of truth. It is perfectly balanced in terms of  causes and effects. To the extent we stay within the truth realised by us, we would find out why something happened, as per our own need, as well as the need of the group we feel part of.  By finding out why, we become the force that driving force of that community. That was how Gandhi became the force that diffused the emotional violent, reactive power of the ‘untouchables’. Gandhi thus raised the level of manifestation to his level, to maintain non-violent response. This is the lesson every protestor needs to learn from Sri Lanka.