The latest gaffe of the Singapore guy is about Rs.1000 denomination of counterfeit Indian currency in which he has pointed the finger at this writer and two leaders of the JDCSI who are also members of the Jaffna College Board of Directors. He knew very well it was false and fanciful because the way he knitted this highly unlikely and absurd story was utterly clumsy and maladroit and gives away his ploy and ruse. He was evidently determined to create much malice and malevolence against these three individuals and also distract attention from the court action against the Jaffna College Board of Directors he and three or four cronies of his have been crowing about for some time.
by Victor Karunairajan
Such an excess of stupidity, Sir, is not in Nature – Samuel Johnson
(September 05, Toronto, Sri Lanka Guardian) Apologies to Erle Stanly Gardiner but as the title may have given the impression this is not a case for Perry Mason, Della Street and Paul Drake. This is all about a guy seated in Singapore promoting the interests of Father Sellathurai Jeyanesan, his deputies and the rogue church of his founding appropriating the name “American Ceylon Mission” which legally belongs to the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India. He is doing this under the guise of serving his alma mater that is Jaffna College, by trying to gather together her alumni now living in various parts of the world to pursue such a goal.
American Ceylon Mission is an incorporated body vested in the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India (JDCSI). When Father Jeyanesan did not succeed in becoming the bishop of the JDCSI he forcibly occupied some of the churches, refused to submit large sums of funds he had collected in the name of the JDCSI in the US, Europe and Israel and none of the instruments and financial documents relating to them as well. Even the former treasurer of the JDCSI Annappah Jeyarajan has joined forces with him again without submitting his accounts. He is believed to have lavished loans to all and sundry including himself without any authority from the JDCSI.
This Singapore man is Sabaratnam Ratnakumar who while a student at Jaffna College some five decades back was good in academics and sports. Now a Singaporean citizen, he seems quite ignorant of his old school, the church that has primary responsibility to run the school as a Christian institution since its founding in 1872 and even the ideals and aspirations of his ancestral community in north Sri Lanka. He calls himself a proud Singaporean but the authorities of his country may not quite accept or appreciate his activities in relation to the church, college and community in Sri Lanka. These are certainly in conflict with the values, ethics and norms Singapore cherishes as a nation.
All he has done during the last few months is to attack the Board of Directors of Jaffna College and, directly and indirectly the JDCSI and casting malicious aspersions on the leaders of the Christian community associated with this church. His so-called email loop calling the global alumni, a term he lifted from a Melbourne Resolution December 2007 at which this writer along with one of the directors and the president of the Colombo Jaffna College Association participated, is obviously catering to Father Jeyanesan’s supporters and anti-JDCSI and anti-Board of Directors activists.
He has given the indication that his website has been growing so much, one wonders which is faster, his rate of increasing membership or a European Express train! But over the months hardly more than six have participated on it with just a few words as if to cheer him; among them an anthropological don too in the same vein. Even he keeps to few words mostly lauding this guy. Otherwise it is always this guy’s rant and rancorous rigmaroles, he being an expert at twists and contortions from minimal data often without any premise or principle to achieve maximum misrepresentation and prejudice.
His three claims were that the Board of Directors was not legally constituted, stated that there was something strange and funny about the sabbatical provision and that the alumni representative was denied his right. He made much out of it and even claimed that these could be legally contested. There are people on his list who believe him and were hoping for court action against the Jaffna College Board of Directors; in this respect, they appear to have queried him too.
In sheer frustration he turned his anger on this writer firstly for telling him that his contentions had no grounds at all and secondly, he has had many features on the rogue church of Father Jeyanesan and demanded in public that he submits the funds he collected in the name of the JDCSI. It seems crooks can get away with all kinds of frauds and even at times hailed as heroes because too many of us are cowards and would rather remain silent.
Some people just to impress that they are honest will take the almighty high ground and say that both sides are bad, do nothing about it and leave the community to rot in the mess. This is their escape hatch from being community conscious and responsible citizens. This is why we have paid a terrible price on the political front and haven’t yet learnt our lessons. They will not go down the well and clean it up; but happily quench their thirst with good water from the hard work of somebody else.
The Singaporean has problems with numbers too and just like his 700, he claims Father Jeyanesan has 3500. If that is true then I have twenty fingers and fifty toes and I hear through my eyes and see through my ears!
A fortnight ago a feature appeared in the Sri Lanka Guardian with which this writer had nothing to do. It featured the anniversary celebrations of the Colombo Jaffna College Alumni Association. It was a celebration hijacked by the supporters of Father Jeyanesan and the author of the feature expressed grave concerns about holding a dinner at the Galle Face Hotel within the high security zone with this area prone to terrorist bombings. Despite even Sri Lanka Guardian stating officially that the feature was not written by this writer, the man from Singapore continues to hound him as the author.
The latest gaffe of the Singapore guy is about Rs.1000 denomination of counterfeit Indian currency in which he has pointed the finger at this writer and two leaders of the JDCSI who are also members of the Jaffna College Board of Directors. He knew very well it was false and fanciful because the way he knitted this highly unlikely and absurd story was utterly clumsy and maladroit and gives away his ploy and ruse. He was evidently determined to create much malice and malevolence against these three individuals and also distract attention from the court action against the Jaffna College Board of Directors he and three or four cronies of his have been crowing about for some time.
Firstly he referred to the two leaders as having left for India instead of staying in Sri Lanka for the Jaffna College Prize-Giving. He particularly gave the impression that they rushed because of some serious consequence and one of them he named as the “Paymaster” evidently for the feature that was alleged to have been written by this writer.
Having said that he included an anonymous note as from one of his “700” clients who signed XXXXX stating that the paymaster must be the bishop. He connects this story by stating that during the time of the prize-giving there was a news story in Sri Lanka about counterfeit currency notes being in circulation in Chennai, India. The only other person to respond to him did sign his brash and impetuous observation stating thus: “Good one Ratna. What a joke. Whom can be trusted? What is credibility and integrity means?” But this is typical of the five or six who now and then cheer up the man from Singapore; that much for debate and discussion!
Strikingly, he also claimed that most of the people from his clientele who write to him prefer to remain private. If they are indeed writing to him, they are the fence-sitting cowards but the few names that appear on his loop mail reveal on which side of the bread some of them would wish to spread their butter.
Concluding he chastised the two leaders and this writer that they should not split the Jaffna College alumni and hurt its integrity and added that should anyone come across counterfeit Indian currency notes, Scotland Yard should be contacted straightaway. As Samuel Johnson said: “Such an excess of stupidity is not known in nature.” And also Peter Frankinson stated: Such venom, such terrible venom, the fuel that fumes and seethes to slaughter the goodness great men have struggled for over decades to establish.
During the Prize-Giving Day weekend, the two JDCSI and Jaffna College leaders had to attend directors meetings of the world famous United Theological College in Bangalore and also at the Church of South India headquarters in Chennai both being members of its Synod.
Of course this Singapore man is totally ignorant of the Church of South India and its unique stature as the first one to achieve church union in the world. The Jaffna Diocese is one of its constituents and its head, the Rt Rev Dr Daniel Thiagarajah is a scholar of great repute in the Christian circles internationally.
Father Jeyanesan in his anxiety to become the bishop of the diocese had engaged himself in malicious campaigns against him even claiming that his bishopric was unconstitutional. All court actions challenging the validity of his appointment in India as well as in Sri Lanka have failed. The report of the Moderator of the Church of South India accepted by the last Synod unanimously is quite clear about the validity of his appointment.
The terrible problem that is virtually cancerous and has affected our community is that most people would never want to take a stand; they would rather allow evil to reign than seek goodness to prevail and lock themselves up in their watertight compartments of comfort and coziness. They may even delight in encouraging hooligans to do the dirty work and a good example is the invasion of the Colombo JDCSI Church while at worship and the recent storming of the Pandatheruppu Church by Father Jeyanesan’s gang leader priest, the Rev Annappah Jeyakumar.
Even on this Singapore guy’s 700 odd customers only five or six make utterances and that too just a few words; never a debate or discussion. As long as their prejudices were served, they are happy and Father Jeyanesan, his relations, friends and those against the church and the Board of Directors of Jaffna College are happy too. This is a disease of the elite and yesterday’s powerful clans that exploited both the school and the church.
They have found this Singaporean a useful means to propagate cancerous cells into the society. An author of a commentary on Thirukkural, it is good for him to know that provocation of this nature especially on unfounded premises goes against the spirit in which this great book of morals, ethics and good conduct of rulers and citizens was written.
This writer is a great admirer of the Good Snake, the cobra. It has great qualities and is a friend of the farmers. In Hinduism it enjoys an esteemed place seated majestically on the locks of Lord Siva, the Deity of the Dance and quite rightly too. It is prudent and judicious not to worry or wake up the cobra. Thirivalluvar perceived this Nalla Pambu (Good Snake) thus:
Nanjudamai than arinthu nagam karanthuraiyum
by Victor Karunairajan
Such an excess of stupidity, Sir, is not in Nature – Samuel Johnson
(September 05, Toronto, Sri Lanka Guardian) Apologies to Erle Stanly Gardiner but as the title may have given the impression this is not a case for Perry Mason, Della Street and Paul Drake. This is all about a guy seated in Singapore promoting the interests of Father Sellathurai Jeyanesan, his deputies and the rogue church of his founding appropriating the name “American Ceylon Mission” which legally belongs to the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India. He is doing this under the guise of serving his alma mater that is Jaffna College, by trying to gather together her alumni now living in various parts of the world to pursue such a goal.
American Ceylon Mission is an incorporated body vested in the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India (JDCSI). When Father Jeyanesan did not succeed in becoming the bishop of the JDCSI he forcibly occupied some of the churches, refused to submit large sums of funds he had collected in the name of the JDCSI in the US, Europe and Israel and none of the instruments and financial documents relating to them as well. Even the former treasurer of the JDCSI Annappah Jeyarajan has joined forces with him again without submitting his accounts. He is believed to have lavished loans to all and sundry including himself without any authority from the JDCSI.
This Singapore man is Sabaratnam Ratnakumar who while a student at Jaffna College some five decades back was good in academics and sports. Now a Singaporean citizen, he seems quite ignorant of his old school, the church that has primary responsibility to run the school as a Christian institution since its founding in 1872 and even the ideals and aspirations of his ancestral community in north Sri Lanka. He calls himself a proud Singaporean but the authorities of his country may not quite accept or appreciate his activities in relation to the church, college and community in Sri Lanka. These are certainly in conflict with the values, ethics and norms Singapore cherishes as a nation.
All he has done during the last few months is to attack the Board of Directors of Jaffna College and, directly and indirectly the JDCSI and casting malicious aspersions on the leaders of the Christian community associated with this church. His so-called email loop calling the global alumni, a term he lifted from a Melbourne Resolution December 2007 at which this writer along with one of the directors and the president of the Colombo Jaffna College Association participated, is obviously catering to Father Jeyanesan’s supporters and anti-JDCSI and anti-Board of Directors activists.
He has given the indication that his website has been growing so much, one wonders which is faster, his rate of increasing membership or a European Express train! But over the months hardly more than six have participated on it with just a few words as if to cheer him; among them an anthropological don too in the same vein. Even he keeps to few words mostly lauding this guy. Otherwise it is always this guy’s rant and rancorous rigmaroles, he being an expert at twists and contortions from minimal data often without any premise or principle to achieve maximum misrepresentation and prejudice.
His three claims were that the Board of Directors was not legally constituted, stated that there was something strange and funny about the sabbatical provision and that the alumni representative was denied his right. He made much out of it and even claimed that these could be legally contested. There are people on his list who believe him and were hoping for court action against the Jaffna College Board of Directors; in this respect, they appear to have queried him too.
In sheer frustration he turned his anger on this writer firstly for telling him that his contentions had no grounds at all and secondly, he has had many features on the rogue church of Father Jeyanesan and demanded in public that he submits the funds he collected in the name of the JDCSI. It seems crooks can get away with all kinds of frauds and even at times hailed as heroes because too many of us are cowards and would rather remain silent.
Some people just to impress that they are honest will take the almighty high ground and say that both sides are bad, do nothing about it and leave the community to rot in the mess. This is their escape hatch from being community conscious and responsible citizens. This is why we have paid a terrible price on the political front and haven’t yet learnt our lessons. They will not go down the well and clean it up; but happily quench their thirst with good water from the hard work of somebody else.
The Singaporean has problems with numbers too and just like his 700, he claims Father Jeyanesan has 3500. If that is true then I have twenty fingers and fifty toes and I hear through my eyes and see through my ears!
A fortnight ago a feature appeared in the Sri Lanka Guardian with which this writer had nothing to do. It featured the anniversary celebrations of the Colombo Jaffna College Alumni Association. It was a celebration hijacked by the supporters of Father Jeyanesan and the author of the feature expressed grave concerns about holding a dinner at the Galle Face Hotel within the high security zone with this area prone to terrorist bombings. Despite even Sri Lanka Guardian stating officially that the feature was not written by this writer, the man from Singapore continues to hound him as the author.
The latest gaffe of the Singapore guy is about Rs.1000 denomination of counterfeit Indian currency in which he has pointed the finger at this writer and two leaders of the JDCSI who are also members of the Jaffna College Board of Directors. He knew very well it was false and fanciful because the way he knitted this highly unlikely and absurd story was utterly clumsy and maladroit and gives away his ploy and ruse. He was evidently determined to create much malice and malevolence against these three individuals and also distract attention from the court action against the Jaffna College Board of Directors he and three or four cronies of his have been crowing about for some time.
Firstly he referred to the two leaders as having left for India instead of staying in Sri Lanka for the Jaffna College Prize-Giving. He particularly gave the impression that they rushed because of some serious consequence and one of them he named as the “Paymaster” evidently for the feature that was alleged to have been written by this writer.
Having said that he included an anonymous note as from one of his “700” clients who signed XXXXX stating that the paymaster must be the bishop. He connects this story by stating that during the time of the prize-giving there was a news story in Sri Lanka about counterfeit currency notes being in circulation in Chennai, India. The only other person to respond to him did sign his brash and impetuous observation stating thus: “Good one Ratna. What a joke. Whom can be trusted? What is credibility and integrity means?” But this is typical of the five or six who now and then cheer up the man from Singapore; that much for debate and discussion!
Strikingly, he also claimed that most of the people from his clientele who write to him prefer to remain private. If they are indeed writing to him, they are the fence-sitting cowards but the few names that appear on his loop mail reveal on which side of the bread some of them would wish to spread their butter.
Concluding he chastised the two leaders and this writer that they should not split the Jaffna College alumni and hurt its integrity and added that should anyone come across counterfeit Indian currency notes, Scotland Yard should be contacted straightaway. As Samuel Johnson said: “Such an excess of stupidity is not known in nature.” And also Peter Frankinson stated: Such venom, such terrible venom, the fuel that fumes and seethes to slaughter the goodness great men have struggled for over decades to establish.
During the Prize-Giving Day weekend, the two JDCSI and Jaffna College leaders had to attend directors meetings of the world famous United Theological College in Bangalore and also at the Church of South India headquarters in Chennai both being members of its Synod.
Of course this Singapore man is totally ignorant of the Church of South India and its unique stature as the first one to achieve church union in the world. The Jaffna Diocese is one of its constituents and its head, the Rt Rev Dr Daniel Thiagarajah is a scholar of great repute in the Christian circles internationally.
Father Jeyanesan in his anxiety to become the bishop of the diocese had engaged himself in malicious campaigns against him even claiming that his bishopric was unconstitutional. All court actions challenging the validity of his appointment in India as well as in Sri Lanka have failed. The report of the Moderator of the Church of South India accepted by the last Synod unanimously is quite clear about the validity of his appointment.
The terrible problem that is virtually cancerous and has affected our community is that most people would never want to take a stand; they would rather allow evil to reign than seek goodness to prevail and lock themselves up in their watertight compartments of comfort and coziness. They may even delight in encouraging hooligans to do the dirty work and a good example is the invasion of the Colombo JDCSI Church while at worship and the recent storming of the Pandatheruppu Church by Father Jeyanesan’s gang leader priest, the Rev Annappah Jeyakumar.
Even on this Singapore guy’s 700 odd customers only five or six make utterances and that too just a few words; never a debate or discussion. As long as their prejudices were served, they are happy and Father Jeyanesan, his relations, friends and those against the church and the Board of Directors of Jaffna College are happy too. This is a disease of the elite and yesterday’s powerful clans that exploited both the school and the church.
They have found this Singaporean a useful means to propagate cancerous cells into the society. An author of a commentary on Thirukkural, it is good for him to know that provocation of this nature especially on unfounded premises goes against the spirit in which this great book of morals, ethics and good conduct of rulers and citizens was written.
This writer is a great admirer of the Good Snake, the cobra. It has great qualities and is a friend of the farmers. In Hinduism it enjoys an esteemed place seated majestically on the locks of Lord Siva, the Deity of the Dance and quite rightly too. It is prudent and judicious not to worry or wake up the cobra. Thirivalluvar perceived this Nalla Pambu (Good Snake) thus:
Nanjudamai than arinthu nagam karanthuraiyum
Anjamappuramkidakkum neerpambu – Kural
The cobra conscious of its lethal might sleeps peacefully but the puny water snake shows off as a creeper of terror and consequence.
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