All countries are ‘taken’ as sovereign but whether they truly are is another question. The moment Sri Lankan government relied on other countries to manage its internal affairs – it sold its sovereign status to that extent and/or submitted its sovereign status to another. There are widespread reports that the Sri Lankan Government sought and accepted the help of China to defeat fellow Sri Lankans who were also infected by foreign powers – especially from the West. That was fine if the Government could not see any other way out. But what is wrong is to claim such sovereign status to avoid real education towards realizing sovereignty.
l by Gaja Lakshmi Paramasivam
(April 15, 2012, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) I respond to the article 'UNHRC’s resolution, counter-productive’ published in Sri Lanka Guardian. The article is about Dr. Noel Nadesan’s view about UNHRC Resolution.
I got to know Dr. Noel Nadesan through a post-war conference he organized at the University of Jaffna in January 2010. Those within the Tamil Community, including some from my family were critical of Dr. Nadesan for they saw him as being close to the Government of Sri Lanka. I decided to participate in the University Conference not only because of my investment in the University system but also because Dr. Nadesan attended a seminar organized in Melbourne to discuss my presentation to the UN - ‘RACIAL DISCRIMINATION – A ZERO BASE APPROACH - Discussion Paper Presented to the United Nations to be included in the UN ANTI RACISM SUMMIT – April 2009’
In my mind, if someone attends without apparent selfish interest, I need to return the favor for me to be seen (including by me) to be independent. In other words, we need to be seen to be even when we are developing systems for self governance. It’s the voter’s way of remaining independent. Hence I overruled the opposition and attended the conference. I am happy that I did – not only because that helped me get to know the University of Jaffna through my wisdom about Australian Academics, but also because it helped me assess Dr. Nadesan, independent of prejudices of lower level activists who tend to accept their reality. As per my independent assessment, Dr. Nadesan is a democratic opposition to Tamils who seek separation. He is more open about it than other Tamils who carry high status with separatists. To me, Dr. Nadesan is someone who respects the other person’s sense of independence. Dr. Nadesan may be seen through other aspects by others – but that other aspect is also due to the other person being guilty of that aspect. For example, all those who condemned Dr. Nadesan to me have demonstrated little or no respect for common structures and systems through which they could be independent at the highest level available to them here in Australia. They would rather accept easy reality to be popular in their lower environment which does not include the work and sacrifices of higher investors like myself who feel Australian. It’s a majority vote attitude. This could also be a reason why they look for shortcuts – to control a system that is less than the Common Administrative system that Sri Lankans as a whole are capable of – irrespective of whether they reside in or outside Sri Lanka. To the extent Dr. Nadesan is able to accept my independence (and so far he has demonstrated that acceptance) I see him as part of my team – even if it were in opposition to me at the visible level. One who is not able to accept independent opposition is declaring that s/he is not democratic. Dr. Nadesan accepts opposition and therefore to my mind, he is democratic for this purpose.
Dr. Nadesan is reported to have stated “Sri Lanka is a sovereign country and should be allowed to find its own long term and permanent solution to its ethnic problem without outsiders, forcing their will on the country”
All countries are ‘taken’ as sovereign but whether they truly are is another question. The moment Sri Lankan government relied on other countries to manage its internal affairs – it sold its sovereign status to that extent and/or submitted its sovereign status to another. There are widespread reports that the Sri Lankan Government sought and accepted the help of China to defeat fellow Sri Lankans who were also infected by foreign powers – especially from the West. That was fine if the Government could not see any other way out. But what is wrong is to claim such sovereign status to avoid real education towards realizing sovereignty.
The moment Sri Lankan Government vacated parts of its position to Chinese, it became the opposition of American Government. If it had looked ‘inside’ it would have expected this opposition from the Americans – irrespective of whether the Americans believed in it or not. It is their duty to oppose anti-democratic countries in their group/class. That gives ‘structure’ to their investment in democracy to regulate and lead the next generation Americans to independence in their new environments. Unless Sri Lankan government preserves democracy, the current government is likely to lose its own footing through majority vote. The greater its investment in using military against civilians the more shaky it becomes in the system of Natural Administration and hence majority vote.
Dr. Nadesan states “Further, this would be considered a high handed act by some of the Sinhala nationalists. Since they cannot take on the mighty USA, they will hold the Tamils in the island responsible for this. Instead of bringing the two communities closer, this would drive the wedge further between them “
I identify with the above except for the conclusion. There are Sri Lankans of Sinhalese origin who have invested in the system of Democracy especially through their higher education systems. When they become more active in their respective environments, they would start influencing voters through their common faith. The above predictions are as per the current memory of majority who are active in this issue. Irrespective of whether they are Tamils or Sinhalese, the UN Resolution feeds the excitement of separatists – the same way it fed those minds when the LTTE was separated from Tamils and listed as Terrorists. To the Tamil separatist it would not have been very painful due to lack of investment at UN level. To the Sinhalese separatist, it would have been additional fodder to carry on at their levels. Those who truly experience pain are those who are sovereign Sri Lankans and/or those of Sri Lankan origin who have invested in global systems of Administration and Management.
Sri Lanka currently does not have a strong Administrative system – including in Northern Sri Lanka where the claim of Separate Tamil State began. The Public Administration system in Northern Sri Lanka needs to include common global standards to the extent Northern Sri Lanka has accepted resources from world bodies and global citizens. To the extent Tamils are in government positions and they do not strictly adhere to the law – they are becoming part of the political side of Governments and individuals who provided the resources and hence Diaspora Tamils who exclude the likes of Dr. Nadesan instead of taking him on as their democratic opposition, are effectively listing all Tamils in Sri Lankan Public Service, acting outside the Administrative limits as part of the Government of Sri Lanka.
P. Chandrasekhar in his Sri Lanka Guardian article ‘Vivekananda’s journey to the West and prediction on China’ draws our attention to Swami Vivekandanda’s words of wisdom:
“Any amount of legislation made in the Parliament cannot make efficient and good men of values. A system, howsoever effective it is, will become obsolete and orphaned if efficient people are not created in the society.”
Our Sri Lankan system of Public Administration as it was when we grew up to comfortably integrate with the rest of the world without losing our dignity as Sri Lankans, has been orphaned. I have been urging my side – the Tamil side to strengthen their Common systems of Administration and beyond that to stick to their Truth and their Truth alone. Towards this we are currently initiating legal action against the Government of Sri Lanka – not through the President who is a Sinhalese but through the Government Agent of Jaffna who is a Tamil. As a Tamil the Government Agent had the duty to maintain her independence from the political side of the Government so that she would be free to access and use the investment of fellow Tamils in higher Public Administration.
I believe that it was because I was an independent Sri Lankan that I become an independent Australian and confirmed this through my legal action as a sole individual migrant – against the then Prime Minister Mr. John Howard who was devaluing Australians’ investment in global values. If I could therefore become independent, to my mind others who believe in me and my path are already traveling towards independence and self governance in the most appropriate form with least damage to others’ work and sacrifices. I do identify with this part of the work done by Dr. Nadesan – for example through his hospital in Eluvaitivu. To me it is the parallel of my structures in Thunaivi-Sangarathai in Vaddukoddai district. To the extent Dr. Nadesan is truly national and global in his work it would naturally add value to the People of Elivaitivu. One may live in America and working largely for money and without this feeling for her/his birthplace. That would not go naturally with the person to another part of the world nor into that person’s next life. It is my belief that we merge with Divinity when we die. Hence we say prayers at death to raise our investment in that person who has passed away, to Divine level. Then when we pray through the form of this person we are actually praying to Divinity – the Divinity within ourselves which is connected to the Universal Divinity. Hence Swami Vivekananda’s advice to invest in the highest possible system – enough to work that system through the values of that system and not through our individual preferences – however right they may seem.
Sri Lanka, by submitting to China has made itself the opposition of USA. All it has to do is be a good opposition to democracy or if it seeks to be democratic it needs to accept the discipline from the official leaders in democracy and not pretend to be equal to them. We have the Equal Opportunity to participate but we are not equal to them until proven so through merit basis. We have the right to establish this openly through the Public system – as I did here in Australia. That is more valid in the system of Natural Administration than any other collective system limited by average reality. Equal Opportunity is available only so long as we consider ourselves to be common at the root level. Those who do not feel Sri Lankan at root level are not common through the UN. On that basis separatists Sinhalese are likely to assimilate with Chinese in their minds and separatist Tamils are likely to assimilate with India and the West when this matter is orphaned by the global community. Only the independent Sri Lankan would continue to add value and develop Sri Lanka to realize its Divine Sovereignty.
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