Belief and the Tamil Tigers

| by Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

( May 2, 2013, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) I write in response to the Sri Lanka Guardian article ‘The Impunity Pandemic’ by Tisaranee Gunesekera. It’s an article through which I was able to connect to the deeper feelings of the author. This is the value of identifying with the true causes of our pain through ourselves.

Ms Tisaranee Gunesekera connects the death of 5 Tamil students in Trincomalee to the effects suffered by Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka. Others may connect the latter to different causes. Each one of them would be right for the person who believes that to be the case. Evidence is needed to prove to outsiders. But all we need is belief to know for ourselves why something happened to someone who has hurt us or indeed been good to us. It is the Oneness value that spirituality is about. If the Tamil students had survived the attack and had expressed their belief that Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka was responsible then that needs to be taken as the right reason until proven otherwise through objectively measurable evidence. We need to in that case give preference to the common structure and its outcomes even if we do not belief that the outcomes are just. Since those students are dead – we who identify with them and feel with them – need to speak out for them. It feels so good to read that Ms Tisaranee Gunesekera whose name indicates that she is of Sinhalese origin – is able to identify with these students. With just a few more like her – Sri Lanka would unite through inner powers of True Belief.

When I was arrested by the Police here in Australia – without a lawful reason – I felt very hurt and upset. Prior to that when I was threatened with dismissal for doing my duty at the University of NSW and I took action against all concerned – starting with those directly responsible – right up to the then Prime Minister – Mr.. John Howard – it was my belief that influenced me to attribute the reason to racial discrimination. I was entitled to use that as per my experience until proven otherwise. The very fact that I experienced the pain in a group where I was of minority race and looked Indian – gives me the right to use the majority rule until proven others – by objective evidence by outsiders and subjective evidence by myself – the victim. That is how the system of Natural Justice works. Like General Fonseka – Mr. Howard who failed to uphold the principles of Equal Opportunity and who demonstrated through his policies and actions that he could not identify himself with Asian migrants – was put through the 9/11 anxiety by being present with the American President during the 9/11 attack. Later he lost his seat and many of us believed that it was due to the ethnic vote.

We may be educated and we may be very clever; but unless our thoughts and actions are regulated through common principles – we are likely to use our cleverness to hurt others who are not as clever as ourselves and / or those who do not have custody of power as much as we have. That was the case with King Ravana of Lanka. Lord Rama who eliminated the Clever King Ravana was Great as well as Good.

The more I remain within the boundaries of my Truth and my belief the more I am able to see the connection between cause and effect – not only when I hurt or am happy but also when those with whom I identify hurt or are happy. All of us have the ability / power to stay within our Truth. But those who are used to unearned benefits have difficulty staying within their Truth. They would have greater difficulty than others in finding a true solution to the problems they themselves are experiencing – even though this may not be apparent to others and sometimes to themselves when they are actively influenced by pleasantness in their current environments.

It is important for us to reject the wrong doings of those in our environment / group – at least mentally. That is how we could preserve our Divinity and therefore Independence of the benefits from the wrong doers in power. Those of us who are driven by winning rather than preserving our Independence – are likely to deceive ourselves and pretend that everything is ok. This happened to Tamils before the war and it is happening to Tamils after the war. Even if we do not speak out or take action – it is important for us to know the Truth about our environment and develop consciousness of that Truth.

My legal actions against senior Australian Administrators helped me confirm my independence including to myself. Hence even though many Australian Tamils expect the Australian Government to condemn the Sri Lankan Government – I do not. If I did – I would be disloyal to my own Truth. Each one’s experience of the One Truth may look different. But to me any Australian Tamil who did not identify with the pain and loss experienced by fellow Tamils in Australia, is confirming that any criticism by her/him of the Sri Lankan Government or other Sri Lankans on the basis of racial discrimination – is not being Truthful to the Tamil Community. Hence their actions would not lead to real solutions. When we are not able to find that racism fault with our Australian Government – we would not have the belief to find fault with the Sri Lankan Government which is now not as close as our Australian Government is to us. Australians need to use objective measures to accuse Sri Lankans and v.v. The rest is subjective – to take sides and show the subjective power of our side. But this alone would not bring about a solution from within. The same way Australian Tamils are reluctant to find fault with the Australian Government – Sri Lankan Tamils were / are also reluctant to find fault with the Sri Lankan Government. Likewise with the Tamil Tigers.

The Belief based solution we have is for us to work internally and independently but without acting in breach of the law. We first need to feel that independence before showing it to others towards benefits – including status. Belief alone is enough for us to find our own solution. Ms Tisaranee Gunesekera states in this regard ‘If Tamil society held Mr. Pirapaharan accountable for his wrongful acts during the First Eelam War, he many not have had the opportunity to develop into the monster he eventually became. But Tamil society, by and large, did not, because of its justifiable anger at the Lankan state and the Sinhala South over Black July.’

The question is whether majority Tamils of Sri Lanka believe that Prabaharan was a monster. Majority Tamils do not want to think about that part of the issue. There is good reason for this. Prabaharan represented not only Militant Tamils but that part of militancy in every Tamil in Sri Lanka. If therefore they had been accountable to their own conscience and the Militant was still there – the Militant personified by Prabaharan would have been a Freedom fighter until known otherwise. If the militant was no longer there after self assessment and judgment process – then Prabaharan did not represent them. They would have then worked independent of Prabaharan and his group. If they were in the majority within the Tamil Community – Prabaharan needs to be taken as not representing the Tamil Community and therefore was a monster who brought the Tamil community much disrepute. Tamil Tigers were not wanting in cleverness and hence could not have been beaten by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces if majority Tamils had believed in them. These folks who believe/d that they were Tamils and yet did not identify with Prabaharan and his path would have been the strongest contributors to Prabaharan’s defeat. Strongest amongst them would have been those closest to Prabaharan who believed that they were cheated by Prabaharan. Karuna is a good example of this. I am not a Karuna fan. But I have met Karuna and many other Tamil Tigers who believed that they were fighting for Independence – which again would have been given different form by different by different persons / groups. That belief would have been right for them. If they found out later that the person who led them to so believe was himself not what he claimed to be –their disappointment, the resulting pain and loss of ability to preserve themselves – would have had the strongest influence on the forces that worked against Prabaharan. The moment there are internal conflicts – strong enough to be seen by outsiders – belief of one no longer works for the other side. Without this internal conflict – the LTTE would not have been beaten by the Government forces. Once the LTTE lost the power of belief and therefore believers – it weakened itself and thus made it relatively easier for the Government forces to defeat it.

A believer needs to ‘wait’ for time to tell. During the waiting period a believer heals her/himself by accepting the limitations of the environment / group as her/his own. Then we become that group and hence we know both sides as part of ourselves – as we know our good health as well as ailments. A Tamil who accepts Tamil Tigers as part of themselves especially given that they did not renounce them – for whatever reason – including fear – would know them as part of themselves. If that Tamil already has the strengths to offset the Tamil Tigers’ weaknesses – s/he continues to be independent of them and yet inclusive of them. Likewise a Sri Lankan – be it Tamil, Sinhalese, Burgher or Muslim – with the Sri Lankan Government, led by Armed Forces.