Kathirgamam Hill or Hambantota Valley?

| by Gaja Lakshmi Paramasivam

(November 01, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) This morning, I received the following communication where one Malaysian Tamil asks the other ‘Despite all the Atrocities committed by GoSL , I am disappointed that the Chogm in Australia decided , to have the next Chogm in SL !! What happened to the Diaspora protests etc , please ?’

My response was:

To me, as a Sri Lankan, CHOGM was a success as follows:

1. Tamil Diaspora's work helped them find opportunity with Australian Media. This in some respects spread to global level.

2. Australian Government has openly expressed an adverse opinion about Sri Lankan Government

3. Australian Government has recognized that there is a documented base to start from - LLRC

4. CHOGM to be held next in Sri Lanka, Hambantota - puts the Government on Notice - to be on its best behavior from now on. It's the carrot that GOSL asked for.

It's a good outcome if we were seeking good outcomes, instead of winning outcomes.

The Diaspora needs to ensure that it remains connected to the pain and loss of the victims on its side - as if the Diaspora is experiencing that pain - so it would be independent and not cross over to the west to play second fiddle.

I was later happy to read and identify with the following report from West Australian, sent by Jayadevan of London:

LONDON, Oct 30, 2011 (AFP) - - British Prime Minister David Cameron urged Sri Lanka on Sunday to make progress on human rights before it hosts the next Commonwealth leaders meeting in 2013 to prevent the likelihood of boycotts.

Cameron said he pressed President Mahendra Rajapaske during this year's Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Australia to show that Colombo did not "have things to hide" following the end of the country's civil war.

Sri Lanka's foreign minister has revealed that he had stopped Canada from raising during the talks a UN-commissioned report which alleges that the military massacred civilians in 2009 in the final stages of the Tamil rebellion.

Put to him in a BBC interview from Perth that Canada might boycott the 2013 meeting, Cameron said: "I've been discussing this with the Canadians and I think we all have a similar view, which is we want to see Sri Lanka do more in terms of human rights, we want them to do more in terms of reconciliation after the defeat of the Tamil Tigers.

"I've had that conversation myself with President Rajapakse, who's here.

"They should be aware of the fact that they're holding this Commonwealth summit in 2013 and it's up to them to show further progress so they can welcome the maximum number of countries when they do."

He refused to say whether Britain might boycott the meeting.

"The message I've given is look, the Tamil Tigers have been defeated, you're in government, you have an opportunity now to show magnanimity and also to show a process of reconciliation and to demonstrate to the rest of the world that you don't have things to hide," Cameron said.

Sri Lanka has condemned the UN-commissioned report as "preposterous", saying it is biased and reliant on anonymous, subjective evidence.’

My identity with the above report more than the Malaysian Tamil’s claim that CHOGM Australia did not deliver as per the Tamil Diaspora’s expectations says to me that I have more in Common with Australian, British & Canadian Governments’ thinking than many other Tamil leaders. To my mind, this kind of stagnation happens on our Tamil side when we are attached to the physical outcomes – either way. If we keep going this way, using physical force would become our ‘Piravi Gunam’/ Natural Trait. That would make Asurars (those who use physical force) of us. There are enough Tamils with the intellectual ability to raise the issue to the higher level – away from dependence on war outcomes. At the Global level, we need to raise the problem to the highest level to keep the issue as consciousness. Towards this we need to think Global through Global Principles and Values.

By needing to go through White Australian representatives to present their case, Australian Tamils whose experiences in the war-zone have been at the core of their CHOGM protests, have confirmed that to that extent we are dependent on White Australians to ‘show’ outcomes/wins. In contrast, when I sued Mr. Howard when he was Prime Minister of Australia, I represented myself in Court – knowing very well that I would be declared a loser. I judged myself on the basis of my International values, because the occupiers of those positions were yet to raise themselves to the higher level but were stagnating at the lower level of biological connections.

Yesterday, I read the plight of Thushara Jayarathna, who brought charges against the Sri Lankan President’s son Namal Rajapakse and the head of Law College, on the basis that they had acted in breach of the Examination Rules of the Law College. My heart went out to this young man who unlike me, is now living in hiding. Likewise many Tamil Leaders who fear going to Sri Lanka.

To a degree this is due to the difference between Sri Lanka’s current system of Administration and Australia’s. It is also due to the difference between Thushara’s / Pro LTTE Diaspora Leaders’ maturity and mine. My actions happened after long years of suffering and work to educate those who hurt me due to their hasty assessment of my status in the Australian environment. That part of me is the parallel of the war victims in Sri Lanka.

At the collective level we need numbers to oppose the other side. At individual level we need the status – within ourselves for self confidence and ownership and with outsiders to ‘win’. We need to, as per our assessment of ourselves, be at least be equal in real terms - to the person we are suing as an individual. In terms of an institution, we need to be known for ourselves, that we are at least equal to the occupier of the highest position of that institution. In this instance – Thushara needed to know that he was at least equal to the head of Law College in terms of Administration – at least in Administration of Examinations. Mere knowledge of the rules and laws and evidence of wrong doing are not enough. We need to have the experience as if our work at that level has been damaged. We need to believe that we are the best fit known to us for that position in that environment. Thushara’s actions were the parallel of LTTE’s which happened on the graves of Tamil Political Leaders. If we take action without this highest status as per our assessment – we bring the status of all those who contributed to that institution/nation and therefore lose that value for ourselves. That institution / position would therefore seem to be low even if we win and taken on that leadership position ourselves. That was the risk for the Tamil Community if the LTTE had won. We would have stunted our status and therefore disenfranchised our intellectuals and spiritual leaders.

There is a good Hindu story that gives form to this kind of premature action. Thevars (parallel of Angels) had the problem that the Asurars (parallel of demons) were being brought back to life by the Guru of Demons – Sukrachariar. This made the Asurars look equal to the immortal Thevars. So they go to the Almighty Vishnu, who recommends that they enlist the help of the Asurars and churn the Ocean of Life from which would come Amirtham / Nectar of Immortality. The proceeds / outcomes from the Churning operation were to be shared by the two sides. Sukrachariar urges the Asurars to agree because he had the power to revive others from death but not himself. When the Ocean of Life was churned, first came the Poison which was taken in by Lord Shiva – the destroyer of body consciousness. Then came Lakshmi – the Goddess of Love. Even though both sides desired to marry Lakshmi – the Goddess chooses the One in Her Heart – Vishnu the Protector of the Universe. Then came the Amirtham. This Amirtham was hijacked by the Asurars who were physically more powerful. Vishnu took Mohini/Enchanting Damsel form to raise their desires as per their nature – to give the Amirtham to the Thevars to strengthen their status of Immortality .

Taking Sri Lanka as the Ocean of Life, International Community is Vishnu; Sri Lankan Professionals are Thevars; Sri Lankan Defence Forces and Armed Fighters from both sides are Asurars; Political leaders on both sides are Sukrachariar who kept reviving the demons from death. Political leaders use their intellect to revive brawn power/majority vote, rather than to strengthen administration which leads to Oneness. The poison that came out is the Human Rights Breaches by both sides to this war. The UN (without a country) has the responsibility to swallow this poison as Lord Shiva did. Poison would not hurt someone who is not conscious of the body/ physical status. Lakshmi is Democracy who will wed the Global Community. Democracy will not wed the Professionals nor the Armed forces in Sri Lanka. Then will come Amirtham of Independence / Ownership - which naturally merges us with the wider world and thus we attain Nirvana / Immortality. We become that Global Community.

The Amirtham has come from the war /churning in Sri Lanka. It has been hijacked by the Asurars. The International Community is taking Mohini form to redeem the Amirtham from the Asurars. This Mohini is made up of Financial and Status handouts, through World Bank and UN, CHOGM, ICJ and others including Global Media. All those who get fooled by this Mohini need to classify themselves as Asurars.

The moral of the story is that if we close off an issue at the lower levels due to stronger physical / majority power, those who have worked at the higher levels/immortals would get left out and hence we would not realize universal outcomes/immortality/ownership of the issue.

This current period is dedicated to Kanthashashti – the period during which Tamil God Muruga got rid of Surapathman from the Asurars and redeemed the Thevars. Prayers and work during this period would help us redeem the Thevar within ourselves from the Asurar within ourselves – i.e. – our intellectual and spiritual powers from brawn / majority power. Every true Tamil would be empowered during this period. The intellectuals need to fast their ego. Then there will be intellectual ownership and with it comes 360 degree view – as depicted by Lord Muruga on Kathirgamam Hill – above Hambantota valley where CHOGM 2013 is to be held.