Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
A Plea to Most Venerable Prelates
Swarnajith Udana
Most Venerable Prelates (Athi Garu Maha Nayakawaruni)
It is an extremely rare opportunity that happens once in an eon that one gets to witness an act of such infinite and unconditional compassion. I am simply speechless to talk about piety and reverence I felt by reading your recent letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksha. The letter is an epitomic gem of universal Maithri. Upholding of this centre pillar concept of Maithri by you, most venerable prelates, deserves extolment made in eloquence of Ama Wathura.
Buddha preached and practiced infinite compassion and Maithri in a non-selective manner. He did not stop there. He also transformed people like Angulimala and Alawaka to be dharmika (nonviolent and well principled). And only then he accepted them. Buddha’s limitless compassion did not mean that Angulimala was allowed to do whatever he was doing. It meant stopping him doing the crimes he committed. Then he knew that there were people who were nearly impossible to be rehabilitated; for instance consider Devadatha. Then again Buddha’s infinite kindness did not permit Buddha to rule that cause and effect was invalid in Devadathha’s case since he had royal blood in him.
Most venerable Prelates, your infinite wisdom appears to me as asymmetrical and is applied only in a selective manner. This is the only issue that I have with your infinite compassion. Buddha might have different notion of egalitarian application of Universal Maithri. For instance, cause and effect in Buddhism has no selective basis and it applies to everybody and everything.
Nevertheless you may have your own way of non-selective egalitarian application of this principle of universal compassion. In that case, you simply do not need to worry about contravening Buddha Dharma as there is already a precedent from the Buddhist Temple. As you know really well, a part of Buddhist Temple has ruled that Buddha’s idea of caste is being irrelevant to a person’s conduct, is irrelevant, invalid and outdated. It is the humble opinion of this mortal that there is enormous room for you to improve non-selectiveness of application of your Nahi Verena-Verani-Maithri principle.
To do so, I do not ever dream of asking for you to renounce your veneration of Mr. Fonseka and his sins since it might not fit with the agenda whatever there is. However, it is imperative to be seen as you apply your infinite compassion to everybody in egalitarian manner. Otherwise, you will earn a great deal of ridicule and at the end your infinite compassion could go wasted without achieving your goal for Mr. Fonseka.
This is my proposal. Why do not you write to President asking to release all the rapists, murderers, drug dealers and all other forms of criminals from jails? To strengthen this universal and unconditional compassion you should also demand immediate disbanding of police and courts.
People might object here. They might argue that Mr. Fonseka has not yet tried legally and these criminals have been convicted by courts of law. Isn’t this the crux of the injustice? I implore you not to fall prey to such Fonsakist logic. These criminals are in jails since they were investigated and tried. This means that a great injustice of colossal magnitude has already happened to them since they were investigated. For this reason it is evident that your universal and unconditional Maithri has not been applied to them. Most Venerable Prelates, you need to adamantly demand the Government to release all criminals. This is the only way to compensate for this huge blunder that infinite, unconditional kindness which you apply for the angel Mr. Fonseka has not been applied to these criminals. If this infinite Maithri has been applied to them these criminals would not have been jailed. This is an injustice of untold cruelty. We are very pleased with you, Prelates, since you have come forward to rectify this injustice. Now, in Sri Lanka this new form of justice must apply to everybody, not just to Mr. Fonseka; don’t you think so?
May I ask you one thing more, please? You need to extend your compassion to the President too. The President is condemned by Ranil, Mangala, the West and the Angel Mr. Fonseka because he did not show infinite kindness and compassion to the LTTE and Separatism. Can you apply your infinite compassion to Mr. President too, just to look impartial?
Most venerable Prelates, I am expecting you to make an announcement demanding the Government to disband police and courts and release of all criminals from jail. Furthermore, I trust that a statement of forgiveness for Mahinda Rajapaksha would also be forthcoming for his crime of defeating the LTTE.
By the way, I have some differences with the President. Even though you apply infinite maithri to Mr. Fonseka I will not apply infinite kindness to Mr. President since my equality and non-selectiveness are different from yours. This is not merely because magnanimity does not reside in my heart but precisely because we mortals expect hour President to be a just and competent leader. One may ask what I expect from the current opposition politicians. My only humble answer to the question is that writing about them to the most venerable Prelates in this letter is beneath my dignity even though it appears like that safeguarding the interests of these politicians as the crown of dignity of the addressees of this note.
So I will ask the President to apply the law equally and non-selectively to all. I demand Mr. President that the protests of the Opposition not attacked by using party supporters. Even if he does not encourage such abuses since they happen under his nose he should bear responsibility. The law order must apply to everybody in a justifiable manner, regardless status or power.
Thank you very much for your time.
Most Venerable Prelates (Athi Garu Maha Nayakawaruni)
It is an extremely rare opportunity that happens once in an eon that one gets to witness an act of such infinite and unconditional compassion. I am simply speechless to talk about piety and reverence I felt by reading your recent letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksha. The letter is an epitomic gem of universal Maithri. Upholding of this centre pillar concept of Maithri by you, most venerable prelates, deserves extolment made in eloquence of Ama Wathura.
Buddha preached and practiced infinite compassion and Maithri in a non-selective manner. He did not stop there. He also transformed people like Angulimala and Alawaka to be dharmika (nonviolent and well principled). And only then he accepted them. Buddha’s limitless compassion did not mean that Angulimala was allowed to do whatever he was doing. It meant stopping him doing the crimes he committed. Then he knew that there were people who were nearly impossible to be rehabilitated; for instance consider Devadatha. Then again Buddha’s infinite kindness did not permit Buddha to rule that cause and effect was invalid in Devadathha’s case since he had royal blood in him.
Most venerable Prelates, your infinite wisdom appears to me as asymmetrical and is applied only in a selective manner. This is the only issue that I have with your infinite compassion. Buddha might have different notion of egalitarian application of Universal Maithri. For instance, cause and effect in Buddhism has no selective basis and it applies to everybody and everything.
Nevertheless you may have your own way of non-selective egalitarian application of this principle of universal compassion. In that case, you simply do not need to worry about contravening Buddha Dharma as there is already a precedent from the Buddhist Temple. As you know really well, a part of Buddhist Temple has ruled that Buddha’s idea of caste is being irrelevant to a person’s conduct, is irrelevant, invalid and outdated. It is the humble opinion of this mortal that there is enormous room for you to improve non-selectiveness of application of your Nahi Verena-Verani-Maithri principle.
To do so, I do not ever dream of asking for you to renounce your veneration of Mr. Fonseka and his sins since it might not fit with the agenda whatever there is. However, it is imperative to be seen as you apply your infinite compassion to everybody in egalitarian manner. Otherwise, you will earn a great deal of ridicule and at the end your infinite compassion could go wasted without achieving your goal for Mr. Fonseka.
This is my proposal. Why do not you write to President asking to release all the rapists, murderers, drug dealers and all other forms of criminals from jails? To strengthen this universal and unconditional compassion you should also demand immediate disbanding of police and courts.
People might object here. They might argue that Mr. Fonseka has not yet tried legally and these criminals have been convicted by courts of law. Isn’t this the crux of the injustice? I implore you not to fall prey to such Fonsakist logic. These criminals are in jails since they were investigated and tried. This means that a great injustice of colossal magnitude has already happened to them since they were investigated. For this reason it is evident that your universal and unconditional Maithri has not been applied to them. Most Venerable Prelates, you need to adamantly demand the Government to release all criminals. This is the only way to compensate for this huge blunder that infinite, unconditional kindness which you apply for the angel Mr. Fonseka has not been applied to these criminals. If this infinite Maithri has been applied to them these criminals would not have been jailed. This is an injustice of untold cruelty. We are very pleased with you, Prelates, since you have come forward to rectify this injustice. Now, in Sri Lanka this new form of justice must apply to everybody, not just to Mr. Fonseka; don’t you think so?
May I ask you one thing more, please? You need to extend your compassion to the President too. The President is condemned by Ranil, Mangala, the West and the Angel Mr. Fonseka because he did not show infinite kindness and compassion to the LTTE and Separatism. Can you apply your infinite compassion to Mr. President too, just to look impartial?
Most venerable Prelates, I am expecting you to make an announcement demanding the Government to disband police and courts and release of all criminals from jail. Furthermore, I trust that a statement of forgiveness for Mahinda Rajapaksha would also be forthcoming for his crime of defeating the LTTE.
By the way, I have some differences with the President. Even though you apply infinite maithri to Mr. Fonseka I will not apply infinite kindness to Mr. President since my equality and non-selectiveness are different from yours. This is not merely because magnanimity does not reside in my heart but precisely because we mortals expect hour President to be a just and competent leader. One may ask what I expect from the current opposition politicians. My only humble answer to the question is that writing about them to the most venerable Prelates in this letter is beneath my dignity even though it appears like that safeguarding the interests of these politicians as the crown of dignity of the addressees of this note.
So I will ask the President to apply the law equally and non-selectively to all. I demand Mr. President that the protests of the Opposition not attacked by using party supporters. Even if he does not encourage such abuses since they happen under his nose he should bear responsibility. The law order must apply to everybody in a justifiable manner, regardless status or power.
Thank you very much for your time.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Please aknowledge the will of the majority and respect the rights of the minorities
People of Sri Lanka have voted for gratitude, President Mahinda Rajapakse himself acknowledged this fact. Now it is time for the president to reciprocate and be gracious to the people who brought him back to power.
Now we have to move on, respecting the will of the majority and respecting the democratic framework; General Sarath Fonseka also needs to do this. If the disparity of votes between Rajapaksa and Fonseka was not that great, many would have backed up Fonseka's claim that election malpractices was great enough to change the outcome of the election. But a disparity of 2 million votes (out of a population of about 20 million people - mind you the voting population is smaller than this) is just too great to be attributed just for election malpractices. So lets not destabilize Sri Lanka by getting embroiled in lawsuits that will not end in anything positive.
Nevertheless, undoubtedly, election malpractices have occurred. The post-election speach of the Election Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake said it all. If any minister in the ruling party is not acknowledging malpractices, it seems that they are still not sincere to the aspirations of the people, and are still trying to hoodwink the people. To increase the credibility of the government, thus strengthening it further, President Rajapaksa needs to acknowledge this, at least privately, to his own minsters, and make sure that this does not happen in the following elections. He should control his ministers.
The Sinhala votes lost to the putative "TNA-Fonseka pact" will remain unquantifiable, and this may have been the biggest impediment for the General's victory. Without really knowing the contents of this "pact", people panicked. Both candidates fueled their respective campaigns on the inertia generated by ending of the war. If LTTE is well and truly finished, why did we fear these pacts? It is dangerous to say that most of the Tamil people who voted for TNA or Fonseka to be terrorists (I saw one dunce of a minster insinuating this). We should not create terrorists out of ordinary people. If the Tamil people are still voting for the TNA, TNA must be doing something right, we need to identify this, and make sure that they are comfortable enough to vote for any politician they like, not on ethnic lines. In this regard, we need to applaud something that President Rajapaksa said, soon after the victory. He said that he is glad that he was happy to see the Northern people voting (who were for so many years suppressed by the LTTE), even if they didn't vote for him (Mahinda). This is a step in the right direction, and the other minsters need to follow this.
Sarath Fonseka also did not play his cards well, regarding the allegations of the pact. I felt that he could not express his true feelings due to the fear of loosing the Nothern votes. His bondage and dependency to the UNP, TNA and JVP, was too great for him to do anything about this at this point. This is a risk of running as a common candidate, the political straight jacket was too tight for him to maneuver. I felt so sorry to see the our outspoken and smart general this way.
One of the greatest points for concern is the way in which the media was used to carry out a mud-campaign against the general. The government should set an example for other media units to follow, but it was Sirasa (TV and Radio) who lead the way. Sirasa set an example by providing a far balanced view of the election campaign. More seriously, government has set a precedence by showing that it is ok to use any means to meet even a trivial end. This is not a message that Sri Lankans should aim to follow in their everyday life; foe example we do not need more three-wheeler (tuk-tuk) drivers to be cutting the lanes, overtaking on the left and creating havoc with the law abiding citizens.
Now the point is we have democracy, now we need liberalism. We need to acknowledge the will of the majority while respecting the rights of the minorities. Everyone should help our returning president to achieve this, and hope that he keeps the promises that he made.
One of my great many wishes, which may or may not come true is for Rajapaksha and Fonseka to reconcile, to ride one last time, to bring glory to Sri Lanka, yet again.
Now we have to move on, respecting the will of the majority and respecting the democratic framework; General Sarath Fonseka also needs to do this. If the disparity of votes between Rajapaksa and Fonseka was not that great, many would have backed up Fonseka's claim that election malpractices was great enough to change the outcome of the election. But a disparity of 2 million votes (out of a population of about 20 million people - mind you the voting population is smaller than this) is just too great to be attributed just for election malpractices. So lets not destabilize Sri Lanka by getting embroiled in lawsuits that will not end in anything positive.
Nevertheless, undoubtedly, election malpractices have occurred. The post-election speach of the Election Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake said it all. If any minister in the ruling party is not acknowledging malpractices, it seems that they are still not sincere to the aspirations of the people, and are still trying to hoodwink the people. To increase the credibility of the government, thus strengthening it further, President Rajapaksa needs to acknowledge this, at least privately, to his own minsters, and make sure that this does not happen in the following elections. He should control his ministers.
The Sinhala votes lost to the putative "TNA-Fonseka pact" will remain unquantifiable, and this may have been the biggest impediment for the General's victory. Without really knowing the contents of this "pact", people panicked. Both candidates fueled their respective campaigns on the inertia generated by ending of the war. If LTTE is well and truly finished, why did we fear these pacts? It is dangerous to say that most of the Tamil people who voted for TNA or Fonseka to be terrorists (I saw one dunce of a minster insinuating this). We should not create terrorists out of ordinary people. If the Tamil people are still voting for the TNA, TNA must be doing something right, we need to identify this, and make sure that they are comfortable enough to vote for any politician they like, not on ethnic lines. In this regard, we need to applaud something that President Rajapaksa said, soon after the victory. He said that he is glad that he was happy to see the Northern people voting (who were for so many years suppressed by the LTTE), even if they didn't vote for him (Mahinda). This is a step in the right direction, and the other minsters need to follow this.
Sarath Fonseka also did not play his cards well, regarding the allegations of the pact. I felt that he could not express his true feelings due to the fear of loosing the Nothern votes. His bondage and dependency to the UNP, TNA and JVP, was too great for him to do anything about this at this point. This is a risk of running as a common candidate, the political straight jacket was too tight for him to maneuver. I felt so sorry to see the our outspoken and smart general this way.
One of the greatest points for concern is the way in which the media was used to carry out a mud-campaign against the general. The government should set an example for other media units to follow, but it was Sirasa (TV and Radio) who lead the way. Sirasa set an example by providing a far balanced view of the election campaign. More seriously, government has set a precedence by showing that it is ok to use any means to meet even a trivial end. This is not a message that Sri Lankans should aim to follow in their everyday life; foe example we do not need more three-wheeler (tuk-tuk) drivers to be cutting the lanes, overtaking on the left and creating havoc with the law abiding citizens.
Now the point is we have democracy, now we need liberalism. We need to acknowledge the will of the majority while respecting the rights of the minorities. Everyone should help our returning president to achieve this, and hope that he keeps the promises that he made.
One of my great many wishes, which may or may not come true is for Rajapaksha and Fonseka to reconcile, to ride one last time, to bring glory to Sri Lanka, yet again.
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