{"id":222475,"date":"2021-09-13T01:30:57","date_gmt":"2021-09-12T20:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=222475"},"modified":"2021-09-18T17:47:43","modified_gmt":"2021-09-18T12:17:43","slug":"sri-lanka-tamil-nadu-a-study-in-contrasts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/sri-lanka-tamil-nadu-a-study-in-contrasts\/","title":{"rendered":"Sri Lanka & Tamil Nadu \u2013 A Study In Contrasts"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Karikalan S. Navaratnam<\/a>\u00a0\u2013<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Karikalan S. Navaratnam<\/p><\/div>\n

Rajapaksa\u2019s Deep State & Tamil Nadu State<\/a><\/span> \u2013 Part\u00a0 <\/span>II\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Sri Lanka has a total area of 65,610 sq.km (25,330 sq. miles). Her population is 22 <\/span>million (approx.). Tamil Nadu (excluding Tamil-speaking Union Territory, Puducherry<\/i>) is <\/span>in extent 130,058 sq.km (50,216 sq. miles) and has a population of 77 million (approx.). <\/span>Sri Lanka is loaded with 28 Ministers (the President, the PM and Finance Minister Basil, <\/span>included). In addition, there are 38 State Ministers. Conversely, the Council of Ministers <\/span>in Tamil Nadu is made up of 34 members, in all. According to 2011 Census India, <\/span>religion-wise Tamil Nadu population figures are: Hindus-87.6%, Christians \u2013 6.12 %, <\/span>Muslims \u2013 5.86 %, Jains \u2013 0.12%, Sikhs \u2013 0.02 % and Buddhists \u2013 0.02 %.<\/span><\/p>\n

Minorities in TN State<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

DMK government has revived the Tamil Nadu Minorities Commission<\/i> under the <\/span>chairmanship of Peter Alphonse (Christian), a lawyer and Congress Party ex-M.P., Dr. <\/span>Masthan (Muslim, Vice-Chairman) and seven other members comprising another <\/span>Muslim member, Christians of different denominations (2), Jains (2), Sikh (1) and (1) <\/span>Buddhist\u00a0 <\/span>monk. The Commission is a statutory body mandated to \u201csafeguard the rights <\/i><\/span>and interests of both religious and linguistic minorities. It visits various parts of the State <\/i><\/span>to study the problems of minorities and recommends suitable remedial measures to the <\/i><\/span>departments concerned<\/i>.\u201d Also, there are Muslims (currently, 2) and Christians holding <\/span>ministerial positions in the TN government. <\/span><\/p>\n

Secular credentials<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

India, though has a Hindu-majority population (80%), remains a secular State \u2013 it is <\/span>constitutionally mandated. Thanks to the efforts of EVR Periyar<\/i> (1879\u20131973), the <\/span>patriarch of the Dravidian Movement, India\u2019s secular credentials are more pronounced <\/span>in Tamil Nadu. Unlike the majoritarian Sinhala-Buddhist leaders with primitive predatory <\/span>passions targeting the ethno-religious minorities, TN ruling establishment has evinced <\/span>courage and conviction in protecting the rights of the\u00a0 <\/span>minorities against iniquitous <\/span>Hindutva<\/i> claims. Also, unlike the SB zealots in Colombo newsrooms, mainstream <\/span>media-persons in India have had the moral fibre to expose and condemn attacks on <\/span>minority rights and promote liberalism and secularism. In a recent interview with the <\/span>\u201cTimes of India<\/i>\u201d, Chief Minister Stalin took a swipe at the \u2018Hindutva<\/i>\u2019 chauvinists and <\/span>asserted: \u201cCommunal forces will not get an inch in Tamil Nadu<\/i>\u2026\u201d (Times of India, 14 <\/span>Aug.2021). On this count, TN has had an exemplary track record.\u00a0 <\/span>For instance: <\/span><\/p>\n

During Hindu Vinayagar Chaturthi<\/i> ceremony in August\/September, Ganesh <\/i>idols <\/span>(Gana Deivo<\/i>) are offered special poojas.<\/i> After 10 days festivities, the idols are taken in<\/span>procession from private homes, temples and other locations to the sea and immersed in <\/span>water. Occasionally, mischievous Hindu fanatics used the occasion to provoke the <\/span>Muslims, by installing the idols in Muslim neighbourhoods. (Vide – a report on an incident <\/span>in 2015):<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThough the Hindu outfits had obtained police permission for installing idols at 52 spots <\/i><\/span>in Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai, their decision to install idols at 20 more places, <\/i><\/span>including Muslim-dominant Pattapaththu near Tirunelveli Town, triggered tension. When <\/i><\/span>Hindu Munnani cadres tried to take the idol installed in \u2026\u2026Pattapaththu on an <\/i><\/span>unauthorised route last year, it led to a lathi charge. Hence, the officials denied <\/i><\/span>permission for installing idols in the street this year. However, Hindu Munnani cadres <\/i><\/span>installed an idol, which was confiscated by Tashildar\u2026..and Assistant Commissioner of <\/i><\/span>Police\u2026..The police picked up 19 persons, who attempted to stop the officials from <\/i><\/span>removing the idol<\/i>\u2026.\u201d (The Hindu, 18 Sept.2015 \u2013 \u201cIdol installed sans permission at <\/i><\/span>Pattapaththu seized<\/i>\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cM. Karunanidhi \u2026\u2026took an active interest in (<\/i>Muslim\u2019s) welfare despite the <\/i><\/span>fact that the Muslim vote can make no significant difference in electoral politics<\/i>\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/span>As T. Nagar <\/i>(, Chennai-17) grew slowly into a township, in 1970, behind the bus <\/i><\/span>terminus\u2026.where Muslims had been promised land for their prayers, a Ganesha idol <\/i><\/span>had emerged overnight. People called it a suyambu, meaning a self-manifested image. <\/i><\/span>Immediately a group of people started claiming right over the land with ideas of <\/i><\/span>constructing a temple there. As the situation threatened to spiral out of control, Chief <\/i><\/span>Minister M. Karunanidhi tactfully handled it by ensuring that the \u2018thideer pillaiyar\u2019 (instant <\/i><\/span>Ganesha) was removed from the spot<\/i>.\u201d (Frontline, 31 Aug. 2018 \u2013\u201c Karunanidhi\u2019s <\/i><\/span>Secularism <\/i>\u201d).<\/span><\/p>\n

This week, DMK government has adopted a resolution in the TN Assembly urging the <\/span>Modi-government at the Centre to repeal the Citizenship Amendment Act<\/i>, (CAA<\/i>) 2019 <\/span>because certain provisions in the Act are discriminatory against the Muslims. <\/span>(The Hindu, 08 Sept. 2021) <\/span><\/p>\n

Civilized governance \u2013 a pipe dream<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

These scenarios, testifying to civilized governance, remain a pipe-dream in Sri Lanka. <\/span>Day in and day out we have witnessed \u2018instant\u2019<\/i> Buddha statues being planted by the <\/span>monks and the occupying armed forces in every nook and cranny of Tamil habitats. The <\/span>modus operandi<\/i> is that the illegal installation will gradually morph into a complex of <\/span>Buddhist vihara with a colony of monks, their retinue and a contingent of army for their <\/span>protection, followed by a pilgrims\u2019 resort and the infrastructure. SB rulers, from <\/span>Senanayakes to Rajapaksas, have never had the rectitude to resist\/reject racism and <\/span>adapt to civilized behaviour. <\/span><\/p>\n

How does the judicial arm of the government respond to such acts of racist aggression? <\/span>Magistrates in the Tamil locality normally order the removal of the illegally installed <\/span>statue\/structure and restore status quo ante<\/i>. However, Courts of Appeal in Colombo <\/span>have often acted artfully and made \u2018interim\u2019 Stay<\/i> Orders<\/i> staying the operation of the <\/span>Magistrate\u2019s\u00a0 <\/span>Order and thereupon the illegal structure becomes a permanent fixture! <\/span><\/p>\n

Legitimizing an illegal act<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s read this BBC report <\/b>on a Colombo – Court of Appeal decision:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSri Lanka’s Court of Appeal has issued an injunction order preventing the removal of <\/i><\/span>illegal religious constructions in Trincomalee.\u201d <\/i>\u201cThe Court has reversed the decision by <\/i><\/span>the Trincomalee magistrate after considering an appeal by AL Keerthi, Secretary of <\/i><\/span>Trincomalee 3-wheel Taxi Drivers’ Association (TDA).The TDA argues that the <\/i><\/span>magistrates ruling to remove all illegal religious structures was unconstitutional. <\/i><\/span>According to Sri Lanka’s constitution, it is the government’s duty to protect and develop <\/i><\/span>Buddhism in the country<\/i>. (BBC News, 17 June 2005 \u2013 \u201c Court Order against <\/i><\/span>removing statues<\/i>.<\/i>\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n

I<\/b><\/span>ndependent judiciary in TN<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In India\/Tamil Nadu, Judges of the Superior Courts have been fiercely independent and <\/span>have acted as bulwarks defending civil \/ minority rights. It is not a captive judiciary <\/span>amenable to the diktats of an overbearing executive. The pandemic has given a good <\/span>excuse for Sri Lankan regime to arrest protestors to prevent escalating public protests. <\/span>Reportedly, at Rajapaksa\u2019s bidding, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has <\/span>\u2018instructed\u2019 judges to rule in favour of police motions to prohibit public protests. There <\/span>were reports of arrests and detention of protesting Teachers\/Students Union activists. <\/span>While civil liberties face menacing threats in Sri Lanka, Judges in India\/TN have upheld <\/span>the citizens\u2019 right to protest for public grievances: <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cObserving that every citizen has a right to protest when their grievance is public in <\/i><\/span>nature, the Madras high court has quashed the trial court proceedings against eight <\/i><\/span>people who had staged a protest seeking to carry out repair works of a road in their <\/i><\/span>village in Tuticorin.<\/i>\u201d (The Times of India, 9 July 2021 \u2013 \u201c People have right to protest <\/i><\/span>for public grievances\u2026..\u201d <\/i>). <\/span><\/p>\n

The Delhi High Court has articulated similar views on students\u2019 right to protest: \u201cA bench <\/i><\/span>of justices\u2026.. held that the foundations of this nation stood on surer footing than those <\/i><\/span>likely to be shaken by a protest, however vicious, organised by college students who <\/i><\/span>operated from the confines of a university<\/i>.\u201d (Hindustan Times,16 June 2021-\u201cRight to <\/i><\/span>protest is not a terror act: Delhi High Court<\/i> \u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n

Social justice<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

TN judges have been proactive in identifying potential social problems and have suo <\/i><\/span>motu <\/i>proposed measures to advance social justice:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to amend the conduct <\/i><\/span>rules applicable to police personnel and provide for punishment to those who harass <\/i><\/span>either the people belonging to\u2026. LGBTQIA+ community or harass non-governmental <\/i><\/span>organisations that support such community members.\u201d <\/i>(Hindu, 1 Sept. 2021 \u2013 \u201cAmend <\/i><\/span>rules to punish police personnel who harass LGBTQIA+ community\u2026\u201d<\/i>)<\/span><\/p>\n

For about five decades after independence in India, the Left parties of different shades, <\/span>were a force to be reckoned with, inside and outside the Parliament. After the Left <\/span>suffered loss of power in West Bengal in 2011, the Leftists\u00a0 <\/span>remain only as a shadow of <\/span>their former self. In contrast, by courtesy of the erstwhile TN leaders and their <\/span>ideological moorings \u2013 social justice and progressivism, of the five Communist Party <\/span>M.Ps elected to Lok Sabha at the last Elections (Aug. 2019), four M.P.s (2 CPI and 2 <\/span>CPM) are from TN and one from Kerala.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gota\u2019s advisors & apparatchiks<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

President Gotabaya\u2019s electoral pledge was to provide a \u201ctechnocratic<\/i>\u201d \u201cintellectual<\/i>\u201d <\/span>governance, in consonance with his \u2018Viyathmaga\u2019 <\/i>vision. Who are the \u2018scholars<\/i>\u2019, <\/span>\u2018professionals<\/i>\u2019 and \u2018academics<\/i>\u2019, Gotabaya has consulted on crucial issues \u2013 and <\/span>have coopted to work with? :<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026.Five months ago, President Rajapaksa decided to set up the Buddhist Advisory <\/i><\/span>Council to seek the advice and views of Maha Sangha in the process of implementing <\/i><\/span>policies of the Government<\/i>.\u201d (www.presidentsoffice.gov.lk\u203a, 18 Sept.2020 \u2013 \u201cBuddhist <\/i><\/span>Advisory Council commends President <\/i>..\u201d) Gotabaya has lately discussed the vital KDU, <\/i><\/span>COVID-19<\/i> issues with the \u2018erudite\u2019 men from the clergy: (Daily Mirror, 17 July 2021). <\/i><\/span>Also, in his pursuit \u201c to build a Secure Country, Disciplined, Virtuous and Lawful Society\u201d <\/i><\/span>Gotabaya has appointed men of high calibre and character to various leadership <\/span>positions. For instance, \u201cGota\u2019s \u201cViyath\u201d Regime Appoints Killer Duminda Silva As <\/i><\/span>Housing Authority Chairman<\/i>\u201d (Colombo Telegraph, 18 July 2021)<\/span><\/p>\n

Stalin\u2019s functionaries<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at the Economic Advisory Council <\/i>the TN Chief Minister Stalin has <\/span>assembled for the economic revival of the State. <\/i>\u201cThe council includes Nobel laureate <\/i><\/span>Ms. Esther Duflo of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), former Reserve <\/i><\/span>Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan, former Chief Economic Advisor to the Indian <\/i><\/span>government, Aravind Subramanian, Development Economist Jean Dreze, and former <\/i><\/span>Union Finance Secretary S. Narayan.<\/i>\u2019 (The Hindu, 21 June 2021 – \u201cNobel Laureate to <\/i><\/span>join the Economic Advisory Council\u201d<\/i> )<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe five-member team was put together by<\/i> (Tamil Nadu) Finance Minister Palanivel <\/i><\/span>Thiaga Rajan, who was an investment banker in the US and Singapore before he <\/i><\/span>entered politics. \u201cThe Chief Minister was keen that we must get the best minds in the <\/i><\/span>world to help us. Our priority is that growth should be inclusive,\u201d said Rajan<\/i>.\u201d(Hindustan <\/span>Times, 22 June 2021). TN Finance Minister\u2019s\u00a0 <\/span>profile is a far cry from the credentials of <\/span>our Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa. Thiagarajan graduated with a degree in Chemical <\/span>Engineering in India. He obtained a Master’s degree in Operations Research and a <\/span>Ph.D. in Human Factors Engineering \/ Engineering Psychology at the University at <\/span>Buffalo. He then completed his MBA in Financial Management at MIT Sloan School of <\/span>Management,<\/span> Massachusetts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meritocracy Vs. Ethnocracy<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

TN Chief Minister has appointed men\/women of integrity with expertise and the gravitas <\/span>to senior administrative positions. Academic qualifications may not be the quintessential <\/span>element for enhancing efficiency. However, they ensure knowledge, analytical skill and <\/span>in-depth understanding to acquit oneself well as an executive. TN government\u2019s <\/span>Principal Secretary, IAS Officer Mr.V. Irai Anbu<\/i> has a Bachelor\u2019s Degree in Agriculture, <\/span>M.A. (English), M.A. (Labour Mgmt.), M.Sc (Psychology), MBA, Ph.D (Business Admin.) <\/span>and Ph.D. (Comparative Literature). Likewise, State\u2019s Police Chief C. Sylendra Babu<\/i>, <\/span>Director-General of Police (DGP) is an academically accomplished individual and <\/span>sportsman. He holds a Ph.D. in Criminology and had earlier obtained B.Sc, BGL and <\/span>MA and MBA Degrees. <\/span><\/p>\n

In the absence of an elected Council (due to postponed elections), Chennai City <\/span>Corporation encompassing an area of 426 sq.km. with an estimated population of 11.2 <\/span>million, is currently administered by an IAS officer, Mr. Gagandeep Singh Bedi<\/i>, a Sikh <\/span>gentleman (and not a Tamilian) handpicked by CM Stalin on merits. Women\u2019s <\/span>Empowerment is EVR Periyar\u2019s<\/i> dream. Senior female IAS officer Ms. Seethalakshmi <\/span>has been promoted as the District Collector (similar to former GA in Sri Lanka) for <\/span>Chennai district, which is the administrative\/financial hub of Tamil Nadu.<\/span><\/p>\n

Myopic minds<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Tamil is the official language of Tamil Nadu. Any visitor to TN can notice name-boards <\/span>of government offices\/business houses appearing mostly in English and Tamil <\/span>languages. And, in most cases the names in English are on the top, in larger characters <\/span>and the Tamil names below in smaller letters. No one in TN ever raised any hue and <\/span>cry about these trivialities. <\/span><\/p>\n

In a bizarre scenario in Sri Lanka, Minister Wimal Weerawansa shouted blue murder <\/span>and screamed, \u201cDon\u2019t think<\/i> we, the Sinhalese, are fools<\/i>\u201d. \u201cWeerawansa has forced a <\/span>signboard in Mannar to be removed and changed to display the Sinhala description <\/span>above the Tamil description. He was invited to inaugurate the Palm Development <\/span>Board’s ‘Panandumbu Production Center’ <\/i>located at Selvari village, Mannar.<\/span><\/p>\n

Constitutional articles 18 and 19 declare both Sinhala and Tamil as official and national <\/span>languages.<\/span> Article 22 says that public records in the country shall be in Sinhala except <\/span>North & East where Tamil shall also be used.\u201d (Tamil Guardian, 22 Jan.2020)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWimal Weerawansa, the main person who speaks to instigate racism and religionism, <\/i><\/span>had recently made statements that would provoke racism by pointing out that the name <\/i><\/span>board of the Jaffna International Airport (JIA) was written in Tamil first, instead of in <\/i><\/span>Sinhala.- <\/i>Chameera Perera, <\/i>Convener of the National People\u2019s Council (Adaderana.lk, <\/span>21 Oct.2019 \u2013<\/span> \u201c<\/span>Wimal and Gammanpila incite racism<\/i>\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Is everything hunky-dory about Tamil Nadu? The answer is an emphatic \u201cNo\u201d. TN has <\/span>a long way to go before creating an egalitarian society and achieving social justice. <\/span>Crimes are rampant and there is high-level corruption across all segments of society. In <\/span>the rural villages there are evil practices such as casteism. However, TN leaders remain <\/span>seized of these issues and have exhibited political will to clamp down on evil \/ illegal <\/span>enterprises. Upon assuming office, CM Stalin has promised to cleanse the Augean<\/i> <\/span>stables and has evidently started on a promising note. Critics must wait for a while <\/span>before drawing a parallel between Stalin\u2019s promise and Gotabaya\u2019s 2019 pledge to <\/span>create a \u201cdisciplined, virtuous and lawful Society<\/i>\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018No poverty\u2019 goal<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India – Policy Commission<\/i>) is a public <\/span>policy think tank of the Indian government. NITI\u2019s SDG (Sustainable Development <\/i><\/span>Goals<\/i>) India Index report has said that TN is at the top of the rung in achieving the ‘no <\/span>poverty’ goal<\/span>. <\/span>The achievement is perceived by many as the state emerging out of <\/span>poverty with the basic need of all its citizens being fulfilled \u2013 which is to eat three meals <\/span>a day. (The Federal<\/i>, 06 June 2021<\/i><\/span> \u2013 \u201c<\/span>How TN topped \u2018no poverty\u2019 SDG goal after a <\/i><\/span>year\u2019s lockdown<\/i>?\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n

TN \u2013 the positives<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

There are no state-sponsored \u2018killer squads\u2019<\/i> or \u2018white van\u2019<\/i> abductions in TN targeting <\/span>journalists, dissidents or civil rights activists. There is a vibrant civil society with vigilant <\/span>advocacy groups, activists and PILs (Public Interest Litigants<\/i>) ready to pounce on errant <\/span>officialdom. As such, rulers in TN do not politically embrace convicted criminals or <\/span>reward them with positions of power. Judges of the Superior Courts of TN\/India have <\/span>convicted and jailed even powerful leaders like the mighty Indira Gandhi, Jayalalithaa, <\/span>Lalu Prasad Yadav (ex-CM, Bihar). Criminals with blood on their hands may rule the <\/span>roost in Sri Lanka, with total impunity. And, the law cannot touch them. The Judiciary, <\/span>media and civil society in India would have raised their collective voice against <\/span>sabotaging the judicial process and releasing the criminals involved in many emblematic <\/span>cases (Lasantha<\/i>, Thajudeen, Ekneligoda,<\/i><\/span> <\/i>Keith Noyahr, Navy-11, Trinco-5, French <\/i><\/span>Charity ACF-17<\/i> etc.).<\/span><\/p>\n

While monks in Sri Lanka run riot beyond the reach of the law and, at times, even <\/span>thumb their nose at the judiciary, many Hindu Godmen and gurus in TN\/India are either <\/span>in jail or on the run. To my knowledge, in TN two powerful godmen are currently in hot <\/span>water, accused of child-sexual abuse, Siva Sankar Baba is in jail while \u2018Swami\u2019 <\/span>Nithiyananda is on the run. Many kids of tender age from poor Buddhist families in Sri <\/span>Lanka have lost their pristine innocence and sweet childhood at the hands of priestly <\/span>predators. It is blasphemy even to discuss about it. Wake up, Sri Lanka! <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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