Business of Terrorism & Academic Irrelevance

| by Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

( April 14, 2012, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Sri Lankan Government consistently labeled the Tamil Tigers ‘Terrorists’. Now most educated Sinhalese also refer to them as Terrorists. To the extent the Sri Lankan Government had/has the same guna/quality as the Tamil Tigers, they were accusing themselves also of terrorism. It is in recognition of this that they included Karuna on their side. Karuna being driven more by money than by Independence, accepted the unearned status. It was unearned because Sri Lanka is listed as a democratic country and hence positions should not be subjectively ‘given’ but need to be won through majority vote and/or merit.

If one could be officially transferred so quickly from Terrorist List to Government list, the outsider expressing through Sri Lanka, has the duty to conclude that the Government that initiated the original charges, was not a good government. It took the International Government led by the USA so long to give this ‘form’ through the UNHRC Resolution. Otherwise, it would have missed out on the true investment made by both sides to the Sri Lankan war. If UN had had a strong Administrative system in this regard, it would have used objective outcomes to demote Sri Lankan government long before March 2012. The excessive force of authority used when Tamil Tigers were listed as Terrorists earned interest and manifested itself through distant forces led by the USA needing international high status. Sri Lanka which is a smaller relative, had the responsibility to ‘submit’ its work to the common parent and/or the elders in the UN family. Then it would not have been upset at being ‘told’. Just yesterday, my 5 year old granddaughter said to me that she was ‘telling’ on me to her mum – my daughter. To me Sri Lankan Government is / was doing likewise at UN level.

Governments may use physical powers/authorities to cover-up the net effect of true forces. But when Truth is stronger than pretence, It manifests Itself in that environment. I believe that that was how, Professor Rory Hume – then the Vice Chancellor of University of NSW and the Hon John Howard - then the Prime Minister of Australia – holding their respective positions at the time I was labeled a ‘criminal’ and sent to prison, lost their jobs. That is the true power of One/Truth. It manifests to support all Its investors. In both cases, Administration was indiscriminately mixed with Politics (majority vote) and hence there was a ‘time’ gap for the manifestation of THEIR Truth not at my Administrative level but at their voter level. In both cases – the voters delivered the verdict. That is how perfect the solution led by Truth is. Had these administrators separated Administration from Politics, they would have not lost their jobs due to lateral power of the lowest ranks. Likewise, the Sri Lankan Government in the UN, lost status due to the civilians of Vanni.

In his article ‘Abductions, Security Establishment and International Pressure’ Dr. Laksiri Fernando claims – ‘the ‘security establishment’ is now peeping into peoples’ personal matters. Political activists, diplomats, civil servants, journalists and academics should beware of this serious situation. Even some Ministers might come under this category. As Gunaratnam and Attygalle were abducted, they will be abducted or exposed at the most vulnerable situations. The next victim perhaps will be Dr. Dayan Jayatillake. ’

I wrote on 31 March 2012 ‘‘If the current regime did turn inside the way it is now, there would be no room for the positions such as the ones held by Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka nor for the Sri Lankan parallels of the position that Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne holds at Global level. The individuals need to look inside and then take their position accordingly in wider forums.’

Like Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne, Dr. Laksiri Fernando who is also apparently of Sinhalese origin did not seem to have the intuitive power to the extent I had, to identify with this outcome before I did. Both are apparently highly educated and are expected to present their side independently at the highest possible standards and the earliest time of need. I conclude that both are representing their group of Sri Lankans whose pretence is stronger than the Truth they have discovered as a group, through their experiences as Sri Lankans.

If these academics had been true to themselves, they would have prevented the issue from going to UN level. They would have spoken – when the LTTE were listed as Terrorists even though JVP had not been. Likewise all JVP supporters including Mr. Gunaratnam (who claims to have been ‘saved’ by the Australian Government) who failed to take a stand against the Government’s listing of LTTE as terrorists. Even one Tamil who is ‘searched’ more strongly than Sinhalese were during JVP uprising, after having fought for Common Sri Lanka (I know I did here in Australia by upholding my professional qualifications to be Sri Lankan) would have been enough to begin the ‘return to sender’ process. Those who supported the LTTE without condemning the Government’s actions against JVP, were themselves practicing racism and hence would not have had the strength to ‘return the effects to sender’.

Given that both sides have been listed as being guilty of Human Rights Violations, we Sri Lankans have been listed as being ready for democratic measures in diffusing each other. The more of this we bring under Administrative process, through relevant laws, the less of it would be available for majority vote and its manifestation of physical rebellion by those who do not believe in ‘waiting’ for the manifestation of Truth in due course of time. Under the old hierarchical system of autocracy, we had to ‘wait’. The new lateral system of democracy requires us to have equal level of opposition to produce the ‘other’ side independently. When we do that we are rebels and not terrorists. If we had therefore Administered through merit basis (the objective system of autocracy), we would have left very little for Politics under ordinary citizens as leaders in a country needing extraordinary leadership.

Dr. Laksiri Fernando says ‘The trauma inflicted on Ms Attygalle, a former teacher and a committed feminist, undoubtedly should be condemned by all sectors of society and the international community.

I would particularly urge the Vice Chancellors Committee in Sri Lanka and all academics to do so as a symbol of their avowed commitment to democracy, peace, human rights and justice in the Sri Lanka society. There are some brave academics who have already done so. The VC’s Committee first came to open on public issues when there was a danger of a former Army General taking over the political reins in the country during the last Presidential elections in January 2010.

If that were slightly tainted with political bias, they can now show their political impartiality by standing against the suppression of human rights, rule of law and democracy in the country. Otherwise they may soon lose their credibility among academics and students at large.’

Our Australian academics did not come forward to show support for me when I was unlawfully arrested for Peaceful assembly at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Despite my high performance measurable objectively on merit basis, they did not come forward and I concluded that they were driven by majority power, instead of the intellectual power of One. Even the UNSW Faculty of Law failed to publish its own findings about what happened within the University. The gap between a University Administration and its Academic status is the confirmation of the degree of irrelevance of our higher education through such institutions. We need experience based real life higher education to realize the higher values beyond the level at which these higher common principles are actually practiced in our institutions of higher education. Beyond that they are merely for the purpose of grades through the business of educational status. Sri Lankan Universities are part of the reason for the war. Had they been truly independent, we would have prevented the war by engaging as early as possible in democratic debate with the ‘other’ side and/or renouncing enough credits that are through subjective powers of ‘our’ ethnic side, to be driven by our Truth. Instead , we have been copying each other to cheat the custodians of higher powers especially at global level. When the uneducated voter who votes us into power is fooled, the returns come from their true leaders in democracy who genuinely respect the ordinary voter – including one who lives in a distant country as part of her/himself. That is the Universal Power of True faith in the issue.

When we are ‘insiders’ our subjective powers help us know intuitively the mind of the other person – and hence we do not need objective measures. But once we go global, the outcomes we produce need to be ‘free’ of local influence and hence need to be capable of earning grades through objective measures. Any subject whose work we use, to produce our own outcomes, needs to be openly referred to and respected and needs to be seen as being as distant from us as possible. Hence the position of ‘opposition’ when we live physically close to each other. Given that I am yet to have knowledge of such an academic of Sri Lankan origin, I conclude that they also would call the armed forces when they feel threatened – as the Vice Chancellor of the University of NSW did against this lone unarmed woman from Sri Lanka. That was my opposition to the West – to complete the True picture on behalf of my generation Australian migrants from Asia, so Australia would be truly Global in democracy. Given that I am a Tamil, I conclude that Sri Lanka would become stronger in Equal Opportunity powers by recognizing as opposition those who have completed the picture from the Tamil side. One who loves the country would not be fearful of defeat nor be excited by victory against the ‘other’ half.