| by Gajalakshmi Paramasivam
( October 6, 2013, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) I write in response to the Sri Lanka Guardian article ‘Scandal Rocks Sri Lanka Counsel General’s Office In Toronto’.
According to this article:
‘Wasantha Abeysiri - a Sri Lankan property dealer domiciled in Canada has cheated money from a large number of Sri Lankan Immigrants in Canada promising to provide dual citizenship. Abeysiri has used his Sri Lanka Counsel General’s Office friend's contacts to mislead the victims. Most of the victims who were caught up in this scam were Tamil immigrants who own property in Sri Lanka.’
I am not surprised by the duality of these Tamil immigrants who jump from side to side. As one of our Tamil Canadian relatives said ‘Vaasi Paththatta Hoiiah’/Turning the hat as per convenience. If they seek Tamil Eelam – they would work through Tamil channels. It’s not only Abeysiri and the Sri Lankan Counsel General who have been exposed but also these Tamils who want to have the cake and eat it as well.
Which Tamil Eelam structure is responsible to discipline these folks? TGTE - Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam? Claiming that they got elected by majority vote – they are responsible for all Tamils of Sri Lankan origin. Had they been strong in their administration they would have prevented this. If they were driven by their belief for their own purposes – there was no need to have themselves elected. Since they have they are responsible for failing to have the appropriate structures within the Tamil Diaspora.
Such is the symptom of those who enjoy more benefits than they have earned. Only those who enjoy less than they have earned contribute to opportunities and real structures – first to maintain the structures and then to themselves become structures for the next generation.
Both sides to this war have shown more wins than development of common structures. All those who share in those wins of their respective sides would stop short of developing structures. With time, they would reignite the conflict towards enjoying the excitement of winning.
The above problem with dual citizenship is one example of such move. The Government has tightened its criteria for dual citizenship and it thus confirms that its administration in this is weak. It’s the parallel of boat refugee problem for the Australian Government. Tamils who are real refugees and who seek Tamil Eelam would write those properties in the name of their relatives or community organizations in whom they have faith. If the properties are outside Tamil areas, all they have to do is ‘sell’ and take the money to their current nations. They do not need dual citizenship.
I found out recently that my grandmother’s property in Araly was sold for a song by my cousin who inherited it through his mother. I felt very hurt that he did not ask me even though he had knowledge of my involvement in development work in Vattukottai area where my father owned a temple which was cared for by my grandmother. I did visit my grandmother’s home from time to time and did find that the place was occupied by displaced persons / refugees. I did not disturb them but introduced myself and took photos. During a recent visit I found that it was abandoned and made inquiries so I could buy it off my cousin who lives in Colombo, and rejuvenate my ancestral home as I have done with the temple property. My siblings have effectively donated their shares of the temple property. But I found that the home property of my grandmother had been sold to a person who now lives overseas. That person bought it with the help of her father who is no longer alive. The mother of the current owner was a domestic help to my grandmother. When I asked my cousin he said he sold it for a song because if LTTE had taken over he would have had nothing. His son was killed by LTTE supporters.
I have therefore offered to rent the place and am awaiting the decision of the owner. In the process the coordinator in that area asked me why I was so keen to get that property when I could buy elsewhere a far better place? My simple response was because it belonged to my Aachchi (grandmother). Aachchi is one of my Ancestors whose Energy I access to sustain myself when my current environment fails me. I feel this Energy in the temple grounds. Hence I sought it through my ancestral home also. But I did not take any shortcuts towards this. I am not ready to pay more than its money value at current market rate. The reason for this is that I believe that my Aachchi’s Energy will come to me in one form or the other if I needed it.
Likewise in terms of citizenship. It the feeling of citizenship that we take with us wherever we go and also share with those who have faith in us. The legal citizenship is confirmation of our share in the land-space called Sri Lanka, Australia, etc. Just because we do not have the legal endorsement does not mean that we are not Sri Lankans. Those who are committed to Tamil Eelam only – would have not sought to work through Sinhalese – especially at a time when the Tamil community is accusing the Sri Lankan Government of enforced occupation of Tamil areas.
Recently when suing my Vattukottai relatives on grounds of defamation, and they applied to have me banned from taking legal action in New South Wales – I said to the Judge words to the effect ‘If I am to be banned through these applicants who were sponsored by me, I would seriously consider returning to Sri Lanka’ . The judge ruled against the Vattukottai relatives in this regard.
LTTE era has seriously damaged our vertical structures through which those who provide service are placed in higher positions than the receivers of that service. The receivers have to show respect to complete the big picture. That is how strong cultures are developed. When both sides fulfill their duties as per their positions there is common ownership. Not until then. Migrants who do not have someone to respect genuinely without reservations – would themselves not have faith in these vertical structures. They would tend to make more and more money and hoard to pamper themselves and their children. This happens when they are not genuine in migrating to money-rich countries.
These Canadian migrants must have not been genuine when they migrated to Canada. If they migrated due to war – then they have the duty to forego in favor of the stronger victims of war in Sri Lanka. To me they were not victims of war in the first place. It’s their karma coming back for cheating in relation to Citizenship – which is Land-rights at Country level.
LTTE killed Neelan Thiruchelvam for advising the then Government through his professional expertise. If that was right then LTTE supporters ought to punish the Tamil Eelam fans in this group for joining the other side to suit their desires.
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