UN Resolution & Australia

| by Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

( March 26, 2012, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) Most minds of Australians of Sri Lankan origin are occupied this week, with the passage of the UN Resolution against Sri Lanka. Each person/group would interpret the outcome as per their own Truth and all true interpretations would be naturally valid and when expressed would give form to the path of Justice during our times. To me as a migrant, that part of my status lost when LTTE were listed as Terrorists by Global leaders, was restored through UNHCR Resolution, driven by the leadership of USA. The fact that it happened during President Obama’s leadership period meant to me that we were sharing in the Racial Equality investments of Americans.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard with
 UN Secretary-General  Ban Ki-moon. Photo: AUSPIC

The Sri Lanka Reconciliation Forum Sydney, organized a Question and Answer discussion on ‘Post-Conflict Reconciliation among People of Sri Lankan origin living in Australia’, with the Sri Lankan High Commissioner for Australia. To my mind, most regular members in this forum are individual thinkers rather than considering themselves to be part of particular groups. They need to take the leadership at international level to first Reconcile and then to Integrate the Reconciliation outcomes into the Administrative and Judicial system of Sri Lanka to support those who exercise their discriminative thinking as individuals to govern themselves in everyday life. We are the parallels of the UN driven by America with its commitment to Democracy .

Yesterday, I learnt that Australia also co-sponsored the UN Resolution against Sri Lanka. I identify with that as an Australian of Sri Lankan Tamil origin and I thanked and blessed the current Australian Government for helping in the restoration of my international status closer than before to my truly earned status. I was disappointed that Malaysia abstained and therefore allowed itself to be ‘taken over’ by both sides. Likewise, all Australians of Sri Lankan origin who ‘abstain’ from at least having their say in public –as individuals and/or as part of a group. They are the parallels of idle voters who easily ‘sell’ their votes for immediate benefits. To me it was no coincidence that yesterday’s endorsement of the UN Resolution happened at Epping – the electorate formerly led by Mr. John Howard under whose Administrative leadership as Prime Minister of Australia, I was sent to prison for taking action against Racial Discrimination (as per my belief). Mr. Howard lost his seat in parliament due to his voters who include a large proportion of migrants. If I fought as a common migrant against unjust discrimination against migrants from particular parts of the world, then the value of my work would empower all others who experience genuine pain due to racial discrimination. By raising it to the Prime Ministerial level through Due Legal Process, I naturally added the essence of my work to the voters particularly those who had the power to elect Mr. Howard. That to me is how the system of Truth works. I apparently lost in Courts but the real loss was to those who were the cause of my suffering. This included many others including Administrators of the University of New South Wales. I was the medium through which Truth travelled to manifest Itself and allocate the downfall in status to those who had truly earned it. Likewise, the rerun of the Tamil demotion to its owners - the Sri Lankan government that claimed Sovereign powers and defeated itself by lobbying in Geneva. One who acted within its own Sovereign powers would be unaffected by the decisions of others outside those Sovereign Powers. Thus, the Sri Lankan Government has proven itself to have made false claims of Sovereignty as per its own convenience.

During the above meeting yesterday, there was a Peaceful demonstration by Australian Tamils against Admiral Samarasinghe at the entrance of the Epping Leisure & Learning Center. We, the Forum members of both ethnic origins made the invitation to the Group to join us. I said pointing to the placards carried by them ‘We are going to ask questions regarding these. You are welcome to join us inside. The young guy in front said ‘we’ll consider that’. To me that was already Reconciliation. Another member of the Reconciliation group said ‘We would like you to come inside. If you show us who your leader is, we would like to extend the invitation through him’. To this, one of the demonstrators chirped ‘We are all leaders’ . I was all smiles inside – for he was speaking my message. That is also a part through which I identify with Tamil Tigers – their courage. The only difference was that he was with a group that was showing through physical / visible discrimination and separation, his opposition towards which he was using group association. I on the other hand use intellectual discrimination to present my substance in a common forum. That is the way of a truly Independent thinker.

There were Sinhalese parallels of the Tamil group inside the meeting hall. But they were NOT part of the regular membership. They were ‘visitors’. To my mind, they were seeking assimilation from the Tamil members – with many of them referring to the LTTE as Terrorists. To my mind they are puppets of the Sri Lankan Politicians dependent on majority vote. I myself sent my question across to the High Commissioner as follows:

‘The Theme of the Q & A discussion is Post-Conflict Reconciliation among People of Sri Lankan origin living in Australia. Does the High Commissioner recognize that the way we receive the war events as Australians of Sri Lankan origin would be different to the way a Sri Lankan official living temporarily in Australia would receive those events? Similarly, does the High Commissioner appreciate the difference in interpretations of war events by civilians as opposed to armed personnel? If yes:

Does the High Commissioner now think as a civilian or as an officer within armed forces?

If as a civilian - then is there a need to classify LTTE as terrorists? If yes, please share with us your understanding of that need and whether you consider the JVP to be the parallel of the LTTE?

(NOTE: It is common for the Government Politicians of Sri Lanka to refer to the LTTE as terrorists. Despite the apparent violence used by the LTTE, majority Tamils do not refer to them as Terrorists. This as per my research is due to the 'cause' of self-governance used by the Tigers, with which most Tamils identify. Tamils who had grievances against Sinhalese and the Government in Colombo, tended to use the LTTE to express their own grievances. Hence if as a civilian Mr. Samarasinghe is not able to identify with this side of the LTTE, it would be very difficult for him to identify with the common Tamil civilian. Irrespective of what the forum members conclude and express, it would be productive for all concerned, if the High Commissioner as Mr. Samarasinghe would bring all GENUINE feelings of civilians into himself, by being true to himself as a civilian and then express the consolidated value as per his current position in his current Australian environment and NOT as if he were still in the Navy - protecting and being protected directly by the government. )’

My above question is in the ‘futures list’ handed over to the High Commissioner. I am hoping that the High Commissioner would share it with his Government in Sri Lanka. The solution is built into that question. I myself identified with the true answers to some other questions, through what happened yesterday – especially through the conduct of those who saw themselves as being on the same side as the Government of Sri Lanka.

So long as the High Commissioner and others who represent the Government of Sri Lanka, speak consciously within the Common Laws of Sri Lanka they do represent Sri Lanka. When they speak outside those boundaries they speak for themselves as individuals. To the extent they naturally identify with all Sri Lankans including the LTTE – they would be influencing Natural Forces through their participation. Their genuine expressions, would be their share of the ‘future path’ for those they Naturally influence – who may be Sinhalese or Sri Lankans. If they are truly Sri Lankans and therefore they include the LTTE as part of themselves – then each time they call the LTTE ‘Terrorists’ – they are calling themselves also ‘Terrorists’ to the same extent. This is why I wrote last week to an Administrator in Northern Sri Lanka ‘The issue that is being debated now at the United Nations Human Rights Council is about Violence. It is about both sides in the Sri Lankan war using Violence in the name of Government and Opposition to Government, to act in breach of Human Rights. I have a share in this and you have a share in this. As one who took the side of victims, I have share in the weakness of victims who failed to take responsibility for themselves and thus facilitated the Opportunity to exercise Violence.’

If we who identify ourselves as Sri Lankans and/or Tamils do not actively involve ourselves with the victims of war (who are largely of Tamil ethnicity) we are really abandoning them to be demoted in status by those who caused them the pain from both sides. We need to take every opportunity available to us to get involved in Public Administration and Legal systems of Sri Lanka – including as the opposition of Tamil Administrators, to give form to our International investments in democracy. THAT would confirm our support in action to strengthen the substance of the UN Resolution.