With Sri Lanka’s presidential polls looming, Tamil Guardian spoke with the Tamil common candidate, Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran, about his decision to contest and what the concept of a common candidate means for the Tamil nation.
With Sri Lanka’s presidential polls looming, Tamil Guardian spoke with the Tamil common candidate, Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran, about his decision to contest and what the concept of a common candidate means for the Tamil nation.
It was announced last month that Ariyanenthiran, a former Tamil National Alliance MP for Batticaloa district, would stand as a presidential candidate as the main Sinhala parties have repeatedly failed to address the grievances of Tamils, including the right to self-determination and accountability for atrocities committed against the Tamil people.
Ariyanenthiran admits that while he does not expect to become the president of Sri Lanka, he “seeks to serve as a representative voice to both the international community and the southern part of Sri Lanka, highlighting the rights that should be granted to the Tamil people, who have suffered genocide on their own land.”
The ITAK parliamentarian reflected on the different phases of the Tamil struggle which began with peaceful agitations following Sri Lanka’s independence to an armed conflict which was “eventually silenced” and has now returned to democratic protests. "Despite the various phases, the Tamil struggle for self-determination continues."
Ariyanenthiran stated that if Tamils in the North-East cast their vote for him, “they would be making it clear that the Tamil national issue remains unresolved and must be addressed.”
He called on the Tamil people to “vote for their liberation” in the upcoming elections and avoid casting their votes for Sinhala politicians who have ignored Tamil demands for decades.
“Are we going to vote for those who divide us? Are we going to vote for those who say one thing in the North and another in the South? Are we going to vote for those who have divided the Northern and Eastern provinces?” Ariyanenthiran asked.
Last week, Ariynenthiran launched his election campaign in Kilinochchi where he visited the Mulankavil Maaveerar Thuyilum Illam to pay tribute to the LTTE cadres who lost their lives in the struggle for liberation.
“We have lost many Tamil lives in the struggle for our rights,” Ariyanenthiran said.
“After being repeatedly deceived by successive [Sinhala] presidents, it is time to reflect on these issues. This is why Tamils have decided to field a common candidate,” he concluded.
