Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

15 August 2018

King Solomon and Jaffna / Lankan Ruler

I believe that the system of God/Truth  has various ways of balancing the preservation of our Sovereignty. I believe that the Brain is an important instrument in this process.

Yesterday, in response to my article ‘Government killing the Jaffna Brain?’ – a Diaspora leader wrote:

[Jaffna brain is erroneously and artificially glorified. All communities are blessed with brains more or less equally. Given the same facilities to develop their brains, all communities can excel intellectually. 

The notion that Jaffna men and women are unique in their brainpower and ceaselessly trumpeting this falacy is counterproductive.

Can you honestly claim that the members, ministers and the Chief Minister are examples of exemplary brain power or for that matter the academic community of Jaffna University?

We are neither inferior nor superior in brain power, in my considered opinion.

It is very damaging to propagate this myth. It is self destructive.]

My response to the above was:

[The difference to my mind is the stored Energy that is inherited in addition to being Developed. It’s like in Equality v Equal Opportunity. The latter has passive component. Children of the same parents perform differently in intellectual pursuits – due to this stored Energy at the individual level also. It is one’s own heritage carried through births. By Jaffna Brain, I referred to mine also. In this matter – are you stating that it was ok for the Governor to make such a statement and pass the buck on to the CM? I am no fan of Mr Wigneswaran and you would know that by now. Belief based grouping helps to share our Energies naturally. Hence electorate based political representation. Are you saying that Mahinda and Basil have the same brain capacity? The structure would be identical in most human beings. But the way that structure is used differs according to our own Energies. Please know that I am NOT referring to the current Jaffna population. I am referring to the Common Jaffna person – who includes our ancestors as well as those like me – living physically away from Jaffna at current times. If our brain / intellectual powers were developed in Jaffna – that brain IS Jaffna brain to that extent. We worked the brain more because we resisted majority taking over power and going ahead of us. THAT is Constitutional Democracy – in which the ‘gap’ between majority and minority is filled by brain power. In this group there are many outstanding intellectual achievers who had their fundamental confidence due to the Jaffna Brain]

If we think ‘Equality’ first, we are likely to not realise the value of Equal Opportunity. Likewise, when we think of Grades first – we are not likely to develop wisdom within. Mother and Father in ‘traditional’ families are considered Equal and Diverse due to father having to ‘think’ and ‘show’  Equality whereas mother stored the value of her work and sacrifices as Energy. A women who does not ‘show’ is often not respected by those who lack belief in that system. Using the showable measures  - such a woman is NOT equal in status to the man who ‘shows’. Likewise minorities.

So how does this passive power work ? One who practices Equal Opportunity system instead of Equality system – identifies with this latent force – represented by David in the Biblical legend David and Goliath. David believed in God. Goliath relied on his physical power to ‘win’. God within David, who was minority power in that story, worked through David’s intellectual powers. The ‘intuitive’ plan was to strike Goliath in the middle of the head  - the third eye spot – were the focus power resides.

Likewise, David’s son Solomon  used his intuitive power to identify with the true mother who did not need to ‘see’ or to ‘show’ that the baby was hers. She was the baby and did not want the baby to be hurt. There the Truth / Divinity worked through that mother. Belief, whatever its form may be is Devine.

In the matter at the centre of yesterday’s discussion, the Governor who is appointed by the President, made an intellectually erroneous statement – to pass the buck of Ministerial appointments to the Chief Minister. The Governor used the name of the Constitution to make his statement seem logical. The Governor failed to do the simple check to know for himself whether the Constitution did empower the Chief Minister to appoint Ministers. It clearly does not.

Likewise, at National level, the de facto Joint Opposition that claims entitlement to the position of Opposition Leadership in National Parliament.

[The Joint Opposition has decided to set up a committee to look into whether the MPs representing the party should act independently in Parliament. 

The decision was reportedly taken following a meeting with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa with the participation of JO parliamentarians and party leaders. 

The committee will be headed by the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and former minister Professor G.L. Peiris while it will also include the leaders of the parties in the Joint Opposition. 

The committee will decide whether the MPs representing the Joint Opposition will sit independently in the Parliament. 

The MPs representing the Joint Opposition were elected to the Parliament after contesting under the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA). 

The Joint Opposition is not recognized as the main opposition party in the parliament as the UPFA is part of the unity government formed with the United National Party (UNP).

The Joint Opposition had recently requested for the Opposition Leader post to be given to MP Dinesh Gunawardena, but were unsuccessful as the Speaker decided against it.]

If Government is the father in a democratic structure, then the Opposition is the mother. Tamil National Alliance (TNA)is the heir of  David in Sri Lankan Parliament. By dividing the Opposition at physical level – the group headed by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is confirming that it is as fallacious as the woman who was ready to cut the child to prove her claim. We do not want more Goliaths but the wise Solomons – sons of brave David.

To the extent Tamil militants defended the Sovereignty of themselves – and therefore their community, only their bodies were killed. Their minds would continue to empower by merging with the wise amongst all minorities. That was how Tamil Politicians such as the Hon G G Ponnambalam and the genuine militants who believed – merged to appoint TNA as the leading opposition in national parliament. True contribution  never dies. It becomes passive when there is lack of passage.

The earth, like time, holds that power energy forever. Likewise, when those who abuse power – and neglect their duties – and they are not opposed – at least mentally negative energy resides there – be it the national parliament or Jaffna.

The Constitution is the Mother and the Executive Administration is the father.  Abusing the mother – leads to frivolous enjoyment of physical pleasures. Jaffna needs mother power now more than before. So does the Sri Lankan Parliament. The current speaker the Hon Karu Jayasuriya, by upholding the TNA’s position as leader of the Opposition, has confirmed that he is an heir of King Solomon. 

Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

14 August 2018

Government killing the Jaffna Brain?

The  real power of the Common Jaffna Tamil was the her/his above average brainpower. Just this morning, our son called from the airport – to seek my husband’s assistance in resolving a mathematical problem for his daughter. That is the vertical network of our Jaffna hierarchy. It was therefore appalling to learn that the Governor who is required to reflect the Truth of the People of the area Governed by him is sowing the seeds of personal interpretation of the Constitution as if the Jaffna Common person would not know the difference. The persons in that audience may not have recognize the problem. But I do and I am Jaffna. Below is the offensive expression:

[Northern Province Governor Reginald Cooray today suggested that the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) ministers should resign so as to resolve the issue, which has arisen from the change in its ministerial composition.

He said the composition had changed in the wake of the Appeal Court reinstating B. Deniswaran as a NPC minister.

"With the reinstatement, the number of ministers had increased to six. This has prevented the council from taking decisions or enacting laws. The best solution available to resolve this matter is for the ministers to resign and a new set of ministers appointed. According to clause 154 (E) of the Constitution, the Chief Minister is empowered to appoint ministers. I, as governor, have no authority to appoint or remove ministers. Therefore, Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran should resolve this matter without further delay," the Governor said during a visit to the Advanced Technological Institute in Jaffna.] – Daily Mirror article - 'To resolve ministerial dilemma: Better for NPC ministers to resign'

Article 154E of the Sri Lankan Constitution states:

[A Provincial Council shall, unless sooner dissolved, continue for a period of five years from the date appointed for its first meeting and the expiration of the said period of five years shall operate as a dissolution of the Council.]

The Article that renders the authority to appoint ministers states as follows:

[154F. (5) The Governor shall, on the advice of the Chief Minister, appoint from among the members of the Provincial Council constituted for that Province, the other Ministers.]

The statements by the Governor at an educational institution are clearly in breach of the above provisions of the Constitution. The Governor has to act as per the advice of the Chief Minister.

Article 154F in fact protects the Chief Minister as follows:

(1) There shall be a Board of Ministers with the Chief Minister at the head and not more than four other Ministers to aid and advise the Governor of a Province in the exercise of his functions. The Governor shall, in the exercise of his functions, act in accordance with such advice, except in so far as he is by or under the Constitution required to exercise his functions or any of them in his discretion.

 (2) If any question arises whether any matter is or is not a matter as respects which the Governor is by or under this Constitution required to act in his discretion, the decision of the Governor in his discretion shall be final and the validity of anything done by the Governor shall not be called in question in any Court on the ground that he ought or ought not have acted on his discretion. The exercise of the Governor’s discretion shall be on the President’s directions.

(3) The question whether any, and if so what, advice was tendered by the Ministers to the Governor shall not be, inquired into in any Court.

Where the law is silent, Discretionary powers could be used. As per 154F (2).

If Mr Cooray executed the decision to terminate – as per his discretionary powers – but did so without specific directions from the President – then he has clearly acted in breach of the Constitution and implicated the President also.

Mr Reginald Cooray is unfit to be the Governor of Jaffna and therefore Northern Province. The President owes the People of Northern Province an apology for failing to discipline his Governor before the matter went to Court. It was a clear case of negligence of DUTY that Sri Lanka cannot afford at current times.

Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

13 August 2018

Chain-ganging by Sinhalese Autocrats

In Sri Lanka, the threat to the position of Opposition Leadership held by Tamils is becoming stronger:

[ Speaking to the Sunday Observer, JO frontliner Dullas Alahapperuma said if the Joint Opposition party leaders who are scheduled to meet on Tuesday (14) unanimously endorse the decision to quit the UPFA steps will be taken to give effect to that decision with immediate effect. Accordingly 70 MPs in the Joint Opposition (JO) could breakaway to form an independent group.]

If Tamils became Opposition Leadership despite being minority group – that was because Tamils  as a community did not think of Sinhalese as their enemies. Hence, a good proportion of Sinhalese became the messengers through whom Tamils who had by then acquired  the  strength of Balance of Power exercised their  Power to uphold Ethnic Equality.

 Given that Sri Lankan Government had spent billions in war – it would have been economically more prudent to not have the war. But to prevent war, the Senior needs to keep the Junior within Senior’s circle of belief. In Democracy – this is achieved through Balance of Power:

[The balance of power theory in international relations suggests that national security is enhanced when military capability is distributed so that no one state is strong enough to dominate all others. If one state becomes much stronger than others, the theory predicts that it will take advantage of its strength and attack weaker neighbors, thereby providing an incentive for those threatened to unite in a defensive coalition. Some realists maintain that this would be more stable as aggression would appear unattractive and would be averted if there was equilibrium of power between the rival coalitions] - Wikipedia

With China and India getting their shares of the Sri Lankan war-loot, Sri Lanka at Regional level is playing the parallel of the role of Tamils at National level within Sri Lanka. The more global minded Sri Lankan Tamils become – the stronger their Natural Powers to invoke Global support in addition to forming coalition group with India through Hindu power. Taking-over the position of Opposition Leadership is to forget about Tamils and therefore the war-threat. Sri Lankan Governance at real levels has restructured Itself and it would be unwise to go back to the old ways of bipolar disorder of forgetting and invading respectively  when reminded that Tamils also have Indigenous power. Sinhalese who desired Rule by Majority power rather than by Common belief and Common law, would have automatically inherited fear of Majority power in Tamil Nadu – which is more than 3 times the total population of Sinhalese in Sri Lanka.  Sinhalese’s Goliath is India’s Tamil Nadu.

As per my interpretation, indigenous mind has no other ownership memory. Whatever the provocation, one who has knowledge of other forms of ownership – including Buddhism that is not Native to Sri Lanka – has no authority to take power over a native – be it Tamil or Sinhalese. When this RULE is overridden that Land will quake to return the attack – as demonstrated by the Hindu legend – where the caning pain given to Lord Shiva was felt by the  Ruler:

[Legend has it that King Thirumalai Naick had ordered his subjects to build a mammoth bund near the Vaigai river to protect people from flood. An aged woman, Vanthiammai, was unable to carry baskets of mud but offered to trade a handful of ‘puttu’ to those who would help her. Lord Shiva is believed to have appeared in the guise of a young man and offered to work for her but dozed off on the riverbed after eating the ‘puttu.’ On noticing this, the king struck him with a cane and a miracle is believed to have occurred as the blow landed on everyone’s back, including that of the king himself.. ] – The Hindu

In my mind there is no conscious connection between the subject matter of Opposition Leadership and the above mentioned  Hindu Legend. Today is Aadi Pooram – the day majority Indigenous Tamils (including around our temple in Vaddukoddai) celebrate the restructure of a woman from daughter to motherhood. Mathurai where the above legend was born – is known as female headed territory. Hence Mathrai – Aatchi (Rule) where woman is the head of the household. Likewise where minority is ruling head.  Women headed households in war affected areas – add to the power of destruction of Man-headed regimes in various forms. A woman has stored latent power, while man’s is generally apparent and/or known power.

Where there is insufficient Trust / Belief to ‘include’,  Democracy entitles us to publish our side independent of the other. Now we are learning  that the President is planning on writing the ‘history of war’ against the LTTE. The Sunday Times reports as follows:

[Not only Sri Lankans, but the whole world knows that it was under the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was militarily defeated. That has never remained in doubt or a matter of dispute.] - President Sirisena meets former military commanders to compile war history

To match the above,  the Tamil National Alliance – has the Democratic DUTY to write how  under the Leadership of the honourable Rajavarothiam  Sampathan, Sri Lankan Tamils defeated those who celebrated victory over their own citizens. Defeating LTTE would have been disciplinary action to a truly ‘inclusive’ Government. By celebrating victory – the Government is confirming that LTTE and therefore Tamils are outsiders to Sri Lanka – a claim confirmed by many Sinhalese Politicians as well as others like General Sarath Foneseka. Foreign Journalists and Observers were first expelled from the battle environment. The fact that the UN was also expelled confirms that UN was foreigner to the then Government. In TNA’s book – we need to chronicle what happened to make Tamils foreigners in their own land. This injustice was in Reserve, and contributed to strengthen  the foundation of the Tamil claim for Separation of Powers – on the same footing as Separation of Powers between the Judiciary and the Executive – of the standard that UN espouses.

The two would then ‘Balance’ each other out. Otherwise the President’s move would sow the seeds for another war – more ferocious due to global players becoming ‘insiders’ now.

No, we individuals cannot stop the Goliath. But our Belief in our divine sovereignty has the power to prevent Goliath ‘winning’ through majority power. We need Belief in Constitutional Power – as David believed in his own Constitutional / Sovereign power.

Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

12 August 2018

Tamils Leading Opposition in Sri Lanka – An Act of God

[When the current Opposition Leader R.Sampanthan was appointed to this post in September 2015 there was all round approval for him even by the hard-line Sinhala MPs in parliament. There was no question about his qualifications and experience and many expected the senior politician to deliver the goods on behalf of the minority Tamils. ] – Daily Mirror article ‘Opposing Sampanthan, is this the time?’

The question here is who appointed Mr Sampanthan as Opposition Leader? – the President, the Prime Minister, Majority Members of Parliament ?  NO. The system of Democracy appointed Mr Sampanthan through himself. Not only Tamils and but other races – especially Sinhalese also contributed to this through their investment in Self Governance. The minds of the architects and maintainers of the system of Democracy connected through Belief to make this possible.

The author of the above article states ‘it’s wise to have Sampanthan continuing in this pivotal post, given that the outside world is monitoring the welfare of this minority group during the post war reconciliation process’

That reminds me of  my own words to my parallel of Central Administration at the University of NSW to whom I wrote a long memo (Appendix) after I felt suppressed. – I wrote to my senior as follows ‘… At that time you said that Mr. Lidbury had said ‘what if the Auditors saw this?’.  I then said to you ‘Why? Do we have anything to hide? Let us do it right and fear no one.’ The Auditor General did not need my memo’ to find out – he found out himself – as was confirmed by his report that was published in the Sydney Morning Herald of 05 November ’98. Had your department heard me and discussed matters objectively – we would today have progressed well in the direction of true Accrual Accounting and effective Budgetary and Reporting Systems.’ – Appendix 3 Naan Australian

[Note : It was on 05 November 1998 that Kungkumum (Red Holy Powder) manifested on my picture of Sri Sathya Sai Baba – even though I was not a devotee back then – but kept the picture in appreciation of my cousin Vara Acca – whose son was killed in 1983, in India by Tamils who mistook him for Sinhalese. That manifestation, to me was Divine intervention – meaning the consolidated value of my investment in my Sovereignty]

It was much later that I realized that back then in Australia, I was going through the experience of ‘preserving my sovereignty’ through the system of Democracy which was designed to redeem those who successfully maintained their sense of ‘independence’ despite the pain by autocrats who lacked belief.  Given that majority in Sri Lanka who ‘included’ me were of Tamil origin – my investment in Democracy at Energy level would have naturally added Itself to that of Tamils to ‘show’ the value of their investment at the elevated level. Even now, the best contribution I make o Sri Lanka is through that side that ‘includes’ me naturally. That is the value of Commonness.  Tamil activists in the Diaspora who actively show opposition to anything that seems Sinhala-Buddhism – would not feel naturally empowered by this Energy because they practice reverse autocracy. This includes Mr Wigneswaran who is  contrasted as follows in the article:

[Sampanthan, unlike the Chief Minister of the Northern Province, C.V Wigneswaran, has found a way to coexist with the Yahapalana regime. He seems to prefer the non-aggressive approach to find a political solution to the national question. 

In the meanwhile, the Government has found it a challenge to deal with Wigneswaran who prefers to put across his views and demands with a clenched fist. What Sampanthan has to realise is that nothing gets done in Sri Lanka without the parties that are in need staging protest or making aggressive demands. Many felt that Sampanthan was too soft in his stance as Opposition Leader, hence the little progress he has made in winning the rights of the Tamil community. ]

If Mr Wigneswaran had been the leader of the Opposition in National Parliament – he would have invoked another war by now – by empowering the activists in Parliament. During our recent discussions within the Tamil Diaspora, I said to a guy who ‘opposed’ anything ‘Sri’ at form level – that he was becoming more like Cyril Mathew who according to Dr Dayan Jayatilleke’s father Mr Mervyn de Silva stated ‘The history of Sri Lanka, … was the history of the Sinhalese, ‘and nothing else.’

I then used the Mahabharatham example of Sakuni – the mentor of majority side, whose gambling dice were his weapons. According to the legend when Lord Krishna stood in front of the mirror that showed the image of one who thought of the person most – the mirror showed Sakuni. Normal mirrors reflect oneself. This mirror reflected the one who thought of our form most. During the panel discussion on Shakthi TV – this ‘influence’ was expressed in relation to Mr Sumanthiran – the leadership heir of TNA – that he was Rajapaksa speaking in Tamil. To the extent agreements are at surface level minorities are likely to be influenced by majority. Hence the DUTY to oppose at form level.

Those who are limited to form – would start gambling through what happened, once they exhaust the Belief based Energy. That is the lesson we learn through Sakuni character who is for himself, with very little investment in commonness. Any opposition in Democracy, beyond our Belief,  generates enemies and therefore war.  The deeper our investment in an issue the wider our network through Belief.

The more Tamils believe through Hinduism the stronger the Natural support from India – the world’s largest Democracy. That kind of belief based support is confidentially and naturally shared. But to access it we need to feel and not merely think. To some such manifestations may seem coincidental. But believers know.

Tamil Leadership in Parliament may come to any end with the next election. But Tamils must actively oppose autocratic ways – to maintain the Spirit of Democracy which seems to evade majority race who tell more than they listen. If leaders of  majority race listen as Sri Lankans -  they would naturally include minority races. If they fail, we would repeat the war-experience.

Appendix

Excerpt from Appendix 3 Naan Australian

Note – FSD = Financial Services Division – part of  Central Administration.

……As I asked you then – do you go through the same process with all the Admin Officers in all the faculties? If so – how come I was not instructed to do this when I was part of  FSD?  It is a clear case of discrimination to me and through this communication which is being copied to the Director of Human Resources – I am lodging a formal complaint – not just about what happened today – but also what you did back then. You even wanted to check with my former employers just because I had criticized the FSD systems. I was not just critical – I gave you the answers. At that time you said that Mr. Lidbury had said ‘what if the Auditors saw this?’.  I then said to you ‘Why? Do we have anything to hide? Let us do it right and fear no one.’ The Auditor General did not need my memo’ to find out – he found out himself – as was confirmed by his report that was published in the Sydney Morning Herald of 05 November ’98. Had your department heard me and discussed matters objectively – we would today have progressed well in the direction of true Accrual Accounting and effective Budgetary and Reporting Systems. Despite all this – this is exactly what I am giving the schools – and more. I give them Cost Benefit Analyses by Subject and by Staff – so they can operate more efficiently and effectively. You and others within FSD will not stop me from helping the schools. All you are doing is to slow down the pace of progress. But despite your hindrance progress will take place – whilst your department adds to the cost of bureaucracy that brings little or negative value in some instances. If your department had given the service – the schools would not have called me back. Back then you wanted reference checks even though it was all done when I was first recruited – as Jeff Warnock confirmed. If you had gone ahead – you would have only heard good things about me Kerry – as you would from the schools again. In your vocabulary – when someone suggests some progressive ways – that person has an attitude problem. I hear that FSD is now considering Grant Reporting on Accrual basis – the issue over which all my problems with FSD started in the first instance. Ironical isn’t it? That you harass me and I resign and then you propose to adopt the very system I recommended in the first instance. That’s justice for you. What will you do this time – harass me enough so I leave and then adopt Cost Benefit Analyses? One needs wisdom in these systems Kerry. If you had contacted my previous employers this is exactly what they would have told you – that I turned them from Cash Accounting to fully Fledged Accrual Accounting Business Units with monthly Reporting which included Cash Flow Statements and Variance Analyses – using Key Performance Indicators. That is what I am trying to develop within the schools and I am succeeding. The Heads of Schools are very interested and have started using the reports. If you want to hinder the process – please go ahead and make it more difficult for the likes of me who want to do an honest job. At the end of the day that is what you carry inside you – not your money not your position – but the satisfaction that you have done an honest job and helped the needy. I have faith in the Australian system of democracy – I know it will help me achieve this. After what you and your department did to me last time – I wrote to one of my referees Ms Colleen Moore and told her that she will not be my referee in future. I could not face the humiliation of her thinking that my services were not valued by UNSW. She was my supervisor for five years and would cry each time I wanted to leave. I went from $29k p.a. to $110K p.a. within two years. That is how highly I was valued by the Commercial Services Group. This was repeated at Health Services. And yet you could not gather all this from the certificates I had given you and the letters I wrote to you. You made up your mind that I was trouble. Anyone who differs in their views must be trouble makers in your eyes – the same quality that was so highly valued by other more progressive institutions. If you were any kind of professional you would fight me objectively Kerry – as you tried to – using Public Finance & Audit Act for an issue regarding receipts. If you recall, you were quoting section 12 of the Act. I then told you that section 12 referred to Payments and not Receipts. I was able to tell you this – because I have wisdom in managing Public Finances. I designed Payment Vouchers and set up a fully integrated Purchasing and Accounts Payable system while at Commercial Services Group. I knew section 12 upside down. You only confirmed that you were trying to frighten me. Try someone else Kerry – I have too much wisdom for you to succeed with me. In the meantime you are providing poor leadership to those like Andrew and Penny. I strove so hard  to train Andrew in Customer Service – and I did succeed – as the schools would confirm. But you are now ruining it all for him. The schools will continue to get the service from me – but poor Andrew would  suffer.  Just last week I was saying to Phil that I would like to take Penny along with me to the schools so she would feel more comfortable to provide support services to them. But now you have ruined it all – by putting the fear into her and given her the impression that I am a social pariah in your eyes. Well done Kerry – Just remember that what goes around comes around. As a professional I would have expected you to read from the constitution and do your duty in accordance with the expectations of the law – not the biddings of others in power. I am truly disappointed with you and with Phil. Others within the profession would be embarrassed by  your(lack of)  professional standards. Just before I go – what you started off – results in me throwing away all my professional certificates and my references. I do it with my raw self from zero base now – that’s how much wisdom I carry.

Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

11 August 2018

Is God/Sovereignty Good For Us?

Yesterday, I responded to Dr. Dayan Jayatilleke’s article ‘Devananda’s Dissent & The Country That Never Was’. Today, I noted the rebuttal dated 05 July by Dr Dayan under the heading ‘Response To The NGO ‘Civil Society’ Petition Submitted To The High Posts Committee’ published by Colombo Telegraph. To me this is an example of ‘Knock and It shall open’ .

Yesterday the Australian  ABC’s ‘The Drum’ program discussed ‘the importance of faith for our moral compass’. The discussion was around Greg Sheridan’s book  ‘ God is good for you’. To me the clear response from within was YES. The main difference between the author’s concept as presented yesterday and mine is that one was external and the other internal. When we are in stage one – we have to ‘Ask’ and it will be given to us. To me at that stage god is external to that mind. Likewise Sovereignty / Self Governance.

After much discussion, I identified with the sovereignty of a Tamil Diaspora leader through the following:

[I accept the Sinhalese people as a Nation and their religion and identity ; But the island does not belong to just them.

Their greediness to control everything brought only disaster to the Country.

 They destroyed the togetherness trying to create a SRI lanka for them.

 So till anyone try to identify themselves in these words.

 I will go on saying it.

 this is not enforcing ;  identifying as a SRI LANKAN is being and supporting STATE VIOLENCE AGAINST TAMILS.]

The latest discussion above was around my article on Dr Dayan Jayatilleke. The above Tamil did not accept that I could be Sri Lankan and Tamil at the same time. These are the impediments we face as a community, in our common journey towards realizing our natural Sovereignty within. To my mind, we had the blessings of Sovereignty / Truth – through such honest sharing and hence I found today’s print of Dr Dayan’s response – dated more than a month ago.

During the discussion - I shared with that Diaspora group my own experience in realising Sovereignty:

[The LTTE guys I worked with – were highly respectful of me. I did not interfere with their combat work and they did not interfere with my Common Administrative work. But because my work was of global standards – I believe that contributed towards elevation of their contribution also. Amongst them there would have been abusers. But – I did not work with them. That is the way of Truth. I took it as my belief in Yoga Swami structuring it for me. My belief is my God. My Belief takes the form of Sri Lanka, Australia, Jaffna, Vaddukoddai my family, my education and most of all my Sovereignty as an individual. I identified with gender based discrimination within LTTE leadership and expressed it. It was not opposed. I identify that with you also. ]

Had I not realized Sovereignty as a Sri Lankan I would not have written the above. I would have feared reprisals whenever I was in Sri Lanka. Had I not realized Sovereignty as Australian, I would not have shared my work with the Australian Government – including the Prime Minister of whom also I am critical from time to time. Belief to my mind is an Energy stored within ourselves. From time to time we give it specific form to enjoy our Sovereignty. When we are true to that Energy – it invokes itself through its network. Dr. Dayan may not have read my article. But he did once respond to me when I wrote about him – as per my insight. It was that intuition that guided me not to interfere with the work of LTTE who took a  different path / religion to mine. Likewise with Sinhalese, to the extent they are Sri Lankans. Where there is no commonness – we are not relatives. Hence we need to observe and not relate and ‘judge’. When we judge prematurely – we stagnate and fail to realise the goal of Sovereignty.

One of the panel members directed us to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHGZA-Z4BvA – the Sri Lankan Tamil parallel of ABC’s Drum. The external participants were politician Mr Gajen Ponnambalam  and Mr Moulana. The discussion was about the involvement of foreign governments – India, China and Israel - in particular. That aspect was truly ‘foreign’ to me and to Tamils with whom I interact regularly – from here and when in Sri Lanka. It certainly did not confirm the pathway of majority Tamils or Muslims respectively.
I strongly believe that the way forward to strengthen the feeling of Sovereignty in Tamils is through institutional structures and activities – that the ordinary person is familiar with. Politicians may need knowledge about the workings of the Governments at that level. That may lead to them realizing Sovereignty. But what about the ordinary citizen to whom such talks are mere social events – where they are ‘told’ from above – how clever their politicians are. THAT discredits the claim of bottom up rebellion.
The French Tamil who also knows more ‘history’ than I stated when I declared that I was an intellectual :

French Tamil : I think that calling yourself an intellectual does not bring you to the top, others should say you are an intellectual not you yourself

Gaja : Under Self-Governance – we declare ourselves. I take it that you are confirming that you are NOT self-governing

That is how the mirror of Truth works.

Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

10 August 2018

Foreign Judgment on Australians?

[I visited 14 prisons across Australia, and heard story after story of Indigenous people with disabilities, whose lives have been cycles of abuse and imprisonment, without effective support. The result is Australia’s prisons are disproportionately full of Indigenous people.] Kriti Sharma of Human Rights Watch – in her report ‘The Nightmare Lives of Indigenous Prisoners in Australia’

Taken as a community, Indigenous Australians have also committed similar atrocities. Magistrate Pat O’Shane – of the Indigenous community for example unlawfully ordered  me to go to prison for one year . The alleged offence was Trespass. I had the lawful right to be at the University of NSW. But the Indigenous lady sent me to prison – not caring about my rights as an Australian and the disability as a current migrant. In prison, other female prisoners – Indigenous as well as Non-Indigenous, shared their experiences with me. None of the Indigenous Australian prisoners complained of discrimination. Hence I do not identify with the above report. Taken as a community – perpetrators dilute the victims’ entitlements.

I find the report unreliable – due to lack of commonness felt with the prisoners. Dr Kriti Sharma, is an outsider to the Australian system. I lived and worked as an Australian and endured pain as an Australian worker,  to have the subjective connection and the authority to criticize my seniors in the Australian system. Outsiders have no right to publish outcomes – without independent, public, objectively measurable outcomes produced by us. The methodology is seriously flawed.

Human Rights Watch expresses opinions on Sri Lankan war outcomes also. The evidence regarding the internal outcomes during the 2009 war were passed on by Sinhalese soldiers who had positive humanitarian value. Tamil soldiers have failed to demonstrate similar shame about their side. It is when we identify with our own weaknesses that we have recourse to lasting solution.

We have the duty to wait until Indigenous Australians reveal the suffering of their community prisoners. It is a human right that we are all entitled to. The entitlement is developed through shared ownership. When I was unjustly sent to prison and was labelled as a mentally ill person – only my immediate family supported me. The Australian Tamil community did not. They probably considered the suffering of refugees to be greater than mine. But to me the Truth is that our pain is relative to our investment in the issue – in this instance our sense of independence/sovereignty.

If the suffering of Indigenous Australians is greater than that of the Tamil refugees – then Australian Tamil leaders have the duty to discourage Indigenous Tamils from  coming  to Australia and not complain when they are sent back to Sri Lanka. Since they do complain – one is entitled to conclude that with all its faults – Australia is a better place for Indigenous communities than Sri Lanka. Human Rights evaluations by outsiders need to be done in a global context – through global principles and not on one to one basis.

Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

10 August 2018

The Diplomat who ‘Won’ Discord

Yesterday, the title ‘Devananda’s Dissent & The Country That Never Was’ - caught my attention. I was more intrigued because the author was Dr Dayan Jayatilleke who as per my mind is nowhere at one time  and everywhere at another, in terms of the Sri Lankan ethnic issue.

In the above article, Dr Dayan talks about his father’s (Mr Mervyn de Silva’s) prophesies. Below is an example:

[I refer of course to Black July 1983, 35 years ago. That horror did not come out of nowhere. It had a matrix in which the ideology of Cyril Mathew was a significant part. Mervyn describes it thus:

“…Industries Minister Cyril Mathew, the most consistent and uncompromising champion of majority Sinhalese rights… Mathew told the conference he was opposed to the TULF because it was ‘not a political party but a communal organization that supports terrorism.’ The history of Sri Lanka, he added, was the history of the Sinhalese, ‘and nothing else.’ His resolution to the national question was ‘to settle Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims in all parts of the country on a system of proportional representation.’ It is this sort of polarization and distrust which, running through the whole tragic history of the Tamil issue, now permits the past to hold the future hostage.” ] - Mervyn in  ‘Paradise & Hostage to the Past’, Far Eastern Economic Review, January 1984

Isn’t that also Separatism that the LTTE are being accused of? Was Mr Mathew seeing himself through the Tamil Politicians at his level? Both Separatist groups to my mind, were seeking to rule by majority.

Dr Dayan continues as follows about his father’s insight:

[Difficult as it is to imagine, Mervyn in even more precisely prophetic and speaks of a situation which exists today, constituting the matrix of contemporary neo-Mathewism and its components:

“But, as in the Shah’s Iran, suppressed dissent has found refuge in an impregnable forum, the temple, and an articulate spokesman whom nobody dares to touch, the monk. Having co-opted the clergy, can militant Sinhalese-Buddhism rely on support from the armed services, too? Now regional councils are coming up for air for the third (and last?) time. All the political parties are discussing the proposal, a shrewd Jayewardene move to gain endorsement from a national consensus. But has political power already slipped out of the hands of politicians?”] Mervyn in  ‘Paradise & Hostage to the Past’, Far Eastern Economic Review, January 1984

It is this confluence identified almost 35 years ago by Mervyn de Silva—‘the temple’, ‘the monk’, ‘militant Sinhala-Buddhism’, ‘the armed forces’ or in this case the ex-military, and the disempowerment of the politicians–that gave birth to the Alt-Right turn. It did not arise from the Nugegoda platform of February 18^th 2015, the womb of the Joint Opposition (JO) or of the later phenomenon, the Pohottuwa.]

Separatism is in the genes of majority Sri Lankans who seek to lead those who are dependent on others to lead them. During  post-colonial period, the seeds of separatism were widely sown by Sinhalese-Buddhists leaders. In terms of Tamils have little knowledge of multiculturalism  – the dependence is permanent – due to Big Brother Tamil Nadu being always there to run to. When Colombo Tamils are attacked by Sinhalese and they run to Jaffna – they intuitively come close to Big Brother who is always in waiting – to merge or to takeover.

As a Sri Lankan who feels Sri Lankan, I believe I am able to identify with the causes of  manifestations more deeply than the likes of Dr Dayan Jayatilleke – not because of our respective ethnic origins but due to the level of  respective investments in common structures rather than in outcomes. The Nugegoda platform did not originate in 2015. But it strongly invoked the Separatism genes in Sinhalese-Buddhists – a weapon that has become self-destructive especially in terms of  globalization.

Like Mr Mervyn de Silva who was prophetic, I also intuitively felt problems more than any Tamil known to me in Northern Sri Lanka or of Northern Sri Lankan origin. I shared this regularly through my articles, well before they came to the attention of wider public. Some are:

1)    The cultural gap between indigenous Tamils who isolated themselves and Tamils who are becoming more and more global in terms of gender based pleasures. Now we are reading reports about rape of young children. The causal  reason I highlighted was lack of family level structures and commitment to positions within families.

2)    ‘Give us your money but not your advice’. That is sure confirmation of Separation from global cultures of Service/ Support’ Providers. This has resulted in excessive enjoyment of pleasures of the flesh on quid pro quo basis – pleasure  for status deal

3)    Punishing those who go to the Police including through stoning which is now being discussed by local politicians who failed to listen to true owners like myself.

Most of the problems were passive during the LTTE period due to fear. Now when they feel more ‘free’,  the weaknesses are being reinvoked and more speedily  so – due to ‘free money’.

Like Dr Dayan and Mr Rajapaksa, the LTTE – also sought to ‘show’ wins. The more those genes are activated – the more we would invoke those Energies that happened due to our negligence of family and organizational values inherited from our ancestors particular to that area. These are the negative values reflected in our horoscopes through particular planetary structures at the time of birth. If we let them be undisturbed – they would remain passive. Blaming others excessively can also invoke those Paava Kirahangal / Debilitated  characteristics.

Dr Dayan states in this regard:

[One of the most distressing moments of my turbulent life was a fleeting episode at the Shangri-La conclave some months ago organized by Viyath Maga. It was something that was generated by the ideological atmosphere and social semiotics of that event. It was when a well-known and respected name in the IT industry, who operates from both Colombo and Jaffna, an articulate, cosmopolitan Sri Lankan of Tamil ethnicity, Mr. Mano Sekaram, thought fit to open his presentation by thanking the organizers for “the gesture of inclusivity” they had made by inviting him to speak. I didn’t think he meant in his capacity as an IT magnate. He meant that it was a “gesture of inclusivity” in that precise milieu of a grand event organized by that grouping. He meant it in its ethnic or ethno-regional sense. 

That came as a shock to me, because in the Ceylon I was born into and the Sri Lanka I chose to study, remain citizen of and live in, such a remark would never have been made; never thought necessary to be made. Certainly Neelan Tiruchelvam and Lakshman Kadirgamar would never have done so, still less my father’s schoolmates, campus friends (of which “LK” was one) and club-mates from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds. ]

I also identify with many in that cultural group. But the problem is that like Mervyn who does not seem to have an official heir in his son – these intellectuals also do not have their direct heirs in today’s Sri Lankan society. Like the junior castes that got isolated – they also became disenfranchised in a society that is driven strongly by Separatism. This happens when economic  value is greater than policy value in outcomes. Likewise, when ‘showing’ becomes more important than ‘being’.

This urge to ‘show’ was manifested by Dr Dayan at an early age:

[Jayatilleka had become involved in radical politics at a young age and whilst studying Advanced Level at Aquinas he was "picked up" by the Intelligence Services Division and questioned at their headquarters in Longdon Place, Colombo. At Peradeniya he was a member of two radical groups - the Lanka Samaja Adhyayana Kavaya (Lanka Social Studies Circle) and Samaja Adhyayana Kavaya. Whilst at Binghamton he was involved with solidarity movements in support of El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. He returned to Sri Lanka in 1982 to observe the presidential election but, having gotten involved in militant Sri Lankan politics, never returned to Binghamton and dropped out]

I learnt this morning that the Sri Lankan President has decided to appoint Dr Dayan Jayatilleke as Ambassador to Russia. The French Government voted against 2009 UNHRC Resolution on Sri Lanka whereas Russia voted in favour:

[If the Sri Lankan resolution, opposed tooth and nail by top dogs US,UK, EU and France, was passed, with 29 voting for, 12 against and six abstaining, it was undoubtedly because of the doggedness, energy and creativity displayed by Dayan Jayatilleka.  
Though a first-time diplomat Jayatilleka had a vast and deep knowledge of world history. He also had a background of left-wing political activism. With such a background he came up with out-of-the box ideas and implemented them with awesome energy.  
The strategies that he employed to enable a small and weak country to successfully resist the hegemony of the Big Powers are now a subject matter of study in some universities under the rubric “Asymmetric Diplomacy”, the book says.] P K Balachandran in his review headed - New book tells untold story of Sri Lanka’s 2009 victory at UNHRC

Dr Dayan asked for discord and he is getting  the Russian posting?