A Buddhist appeal for sanity in Tamil Nadu
by Ven. Walpola Piyananda ,Chief Sangha Nayake,
America
The open hatred and unrestrained vitriolic outbursts against Sri
Lanka by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayaram Jayalalithaa are appalling,
and, I imagine, a huge embarrassment to the Federal Government of India.
Ms. Jayalalithaa’s condoning of the recent attack on Sri Lankan (both
Tamil and Sinhala) religious pilgrims (to a Catholic church, no less),
her blocking of the participation of Sri Lankan soccer players from a
friendly sports event, and her reckless statements about a Tamil Eelam
in Sri Lanka makes one pause and reflect on her mental stability, or
lack thereof.
Her divisive comments and actions demonstrate a level of
consciousness that is unbecoming of a Chief Minister – or of any civil
servant for that matter – including the lowly bureaucrat in charge of
controlling the population of stray dogs.
Another colorful character, the 88-year-old DMK Chief M. Karunanidhi,
with his persistent cries for the establishment of a Tamil Eelam in Sri
Lanka, is beginning to sound senile in his one-note hatred of Sri Lanka
that has gone on for decades, ad nauseum.
These two misguided Indian “statesmen,” Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi,
are promoting strife, ethnic bloodshed, and separateness when they
should be looking to the needs of hundreds of millions of their
desperately poor and suffering fellow countrymen. The energy these two
continue to pour into their negative, false, ego-driven political
pursuits – including their attacks on each other – could be well-spent
elsewhere, I assure you; India has plenty of mega problems that are well
publicised here in the US.
It is simply all too insane for words.
Bitter and frustrated
The nearly 100-million-strong Tamil Diaspora, some of them still
frustrated, bitter, in denial, and seemingly terminally depressed after
the Sri Lankan military victory over the LTTE, is the cause of these
unfortunate, separatist political sentiments.
Elements of this diaspora are still financing the international
propaganda war, and they are still backing evil characters such as
MDMK’s Vaiko, who once trained LTTE cadre on Sri Lankan soil, and is now
Prabhakaran’s heir-apparent in the never-ending battle for the elusive
Eelam. The hatred of thousands from this diaspora knows no bounds.
I understand that the ruling Congress Party needs to appease the
Tamil Nadu political parties to keep their coalition intact. However,
the alienation of Sri Lanka, a close friend and ally for thousands of
years, seems to be a stiff price to pay for keeping the power position,
and the Federal Government knows this.
Throwing Sri Lanka “under the bus” would not only be disrespectful to
our shared history, but it would damage our future peaceful co-existence
as well. I have to applaud the Indian Federal Government for its
remarkable balancing act, given the dozens of conflicting positions the
coalition represents, and, in spite of the protests, for coming out
strong in support of post-war Sri Lanka.
I have to warn the Indian Government, though, that traitors such as
Vaiko will stop at nothing until a Tamil Eelam is secured – somewhere –
at any cost. It was first a failed dream for Burma, then a failed dream
in Sri Lanka, and now they have the dream of carving out Tamil Nadu
itself from the Federation of Indian States.
This is their end-game, Mr. Singh, so make no mistake about it.
Please keep a close eye on Mr. Vaiko; he was a terrorist in Sri Lanka,
and he is up to no good in India, I assure you.
Earlier this week in Quebec, Canada, the first female was elected
Premier. She is an outspoken French separatist who openly vows to carve
out a separate country of Quebec from Canada.
At least she is being honest about her feelings and intentions. The
leaders of Tamil Nadu are not being so honest, and they are using their
hatred of Sri Lanka as a “cover” for their own separatist agenda.
Building alliances
In a global era where we should be concentrating on building
alliances for survival, carving out little countries for ethnic egotism
seems a little out of place – a little insane.
Racism has no place in the modern world, so let’s start building
bridges based on the reality of our common humanity, and try our best to
put aside those perceived differences that drag us apart. The Tamil
Eelam issue is completely obsolete and insane. Can’t we finally put it
behind us and get along?
If Ms. Jayalalithaa and Mr. Karunanidhi really want to do something
useful for the Tamil people, why don’t they start with the Tamil
refugees from the Sri Lankan conflict who have been living in camps in
Tamil Nadu – some of them for 30 years? These people truly need help.
Why don’t these two senior statesmen get together with the Indian
Federal Government and the Government of Sri Lanka and come up with a
good plan for repatriating these poor people? They have suffered enough.
Times are tough all over the world right now. The problems we all
face are huge, and many are concerned about their very survival.
More than ever we need to heed the Buddha’s advice and practise
compassion and loving kindness for all. The alternative is more hatred,
more divisiveness, more greed for power, and an abundance of unhappiness
for all.
In the words of Jawaharlal Nehru, “Let us think that the truth may
not perhaps be entirely with us. Let us cooperate with others. Let us,
even when we do not appreciate what others say, respect their views, and
their way of life.”
Courtesy: Asian Tribune
|