At a time when the future of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), an amalgamation of 4 Tamil political parties is in doubt, several organisations, academics and intellectuals from within Sri Lanka and from the Diaspora have called upon the TNA to maintain unity, enunciate its policies clearly and to be the true voice and champions of Tamil aspirations.
According to
The members who were left out of nomination are said to be Thangeswari Kathiraman, Pathmini Sithamparanathan, M.K. Sivajilingam, N. Sri Kantha, S. Kajendran, S.Jeyanandamurthy, Sivanathan Kishor and T. Kanagasabai, S. Sathasivam.
According to state controlled Daily News newspaper, Thangeswari Kathiraman will be contesting under the UPFA, whilst M.K. Sivajilingam and N. Sri Kantha will be contesting with the Left Liberation Front.
TNA member Suresh Premachandran speaking to Daily Mirror newspaper explained the party position on exclusions stating former MPs S. Kajendran and Pathmini Sithamparanathan failed to live up to expectations of the Tamil people during their period in Parliament, and as a result, they were not given a chance.
“We were not happy with the political performance of Ms. Kathiraman. Her political intentions were clear to us. She failed to remain committed to the TNA policies. So, how can we give her nomination for the second time?” Premachandran questioned.
Former MPs N. Sri Kantha and M. K. Sivajilingam too had not received nominations because they defected from the party at the Presidential election, according to Premachandran.
According to Premachandran, former MP for the Batticaloa district, T. Kanagasabai has declined to contest this time citing health concerns whilst S. Jeyanandamurthy had been out of the country for the last three years, and therefore the TNA had no logical basis to accommodate him on board again.
He also accused Kishor of ‘dilly-dallying’ with the government instead of sticking to the TNA policies in the interest of Tamil people.
Tamil political observers expressed their frustration at the development and noted the importance for Tamil National Alliance to provide strong political leadership and to champion the Tamils’ aspirations for a separate state at this crucial juncture in the history of the island.
The importance of strong Tamil leadership was reinforced by comments made by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse during an interview with the Hindu newspaper on Friday, February 19.
“Soon after these parliamentary elections, I will call all the leaders of the political parties and start talking to them. They must understand that there is no option for them but to talk. I’m the President of the country…they must come and negotiate with me, have a dialogue with me. If they think they can’t cope with me, new leaders will come up and I will have to deal with them.”
Citing Rajapakse’s comments, one Tamil political observer stated that divisions within the Tamil political leaders now would allow Rajapakse to talk to puppets he installs as Tamil leaders and deny any meaningful political solution to the Tamil people.
Realising the importance standing united, several organisations in
Meanwhile, TNA is also being urged to state their policy clearly as it was done in 1976 in the first National Convention of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) where the Vaddukoddai Resolution was proclaimed, the sources added.
Most of the TNA parliamentarians are now in
TNA parliamentary leader R. Sampanthan and parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran are said to be busy drawing up a solution for the ethnic issue and the organizations want them to reveal the proposed solution before the election, they added.
Some prominent persons among the intellectual community in Jaffna who have intentions of contesting the parliamentary elections are said to be willing to reconsider their decisions if TNA comes out with its proposal for a solution for the ethnic issue, they further said.
TNA is being strongly urged to act on the lines of Vaddukoddai Resolution by all factions in
Meanwhile, in an open letter to TNA leaders, Rev. Prof. Dr. S.J. Emmanuel, the former Vicar General of the Catholic diocese of
“At a time when Colombo and its collaborators try their best to erase out the national aspirations of Tamils, the Tamil National Alliance has the noble responsibility to maintain its unity in being the true voice and champions of Tamil aspirations”, Rev. Prof. Dr. S.J. Emmanuel, urged an open letter addressed to TNA leaders Sampanthan, Mavai Senathirajah, Suresh Premachandran, Selvam Adaikalanathan and Gajendrakumar Ponnampalam.
