The central committee of the Ilankai Arasu Tamil Katchi (ITAK) announced that it would back Sajith Premadasa at the upcoming Sri Lankan presidential elections, in a move that has highlighted the splits and turmoil within the already troubled Tamil political party.
The committee decision, announced by parliamentarian M A Sumanthiran this week, comes despite the leader-elect S Shritharan and the Kilinochchi district branch of the ITAK overwhelmingly declaring their support for Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran, the common Tamil candidate endorsed by a coalition of Tamil political parties and civil society.
M A Sumanthiran, S Shritharan, P Ariyanenthiran
The central committee of the Ilankai Arasu Tamil Katchi (ITAK) announced that it would back Sajith Premadasa at the upcoming Sri Lankan presidential elections, in a move that has highlighted the splits and turmoil within the already troubled Tamil political party.
The committee decision, announced by parliamentarian M A Sumanthiran this week, comes despite the leader-elect S Shritharan and the Kilinochchi district branch of the ITAK overwhelmingly declaring their support for Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran, the common Tamil candidate endorsed by a coalition of Tamil political parties and civil society.
A controversial call
In recent weeks Sumanthiran had repeatedly spoken out against the Tamil candidate, despite calls from Tamil civil society organisations to support Ariyanenthiran at the polls. Many felt that supporting a Tamil candidate was the only way to demonstrate to the international community that a united Tamil voice in the North-East is still demanding self-determination and liberation from Sri Lankan oppression.
The only other Tamil demand had been from the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) to boycott the elections entirely, stating that it was the “only option” left for the Tamil people.
Until the committee meeting, there had been no call to support a Sinhala candidate.
Premadasa meets with Sumanthiran and Senathirajah at the ITAK office in Jaffna earlier this year.
The ITAK central committee met in Vavuniya on Sunday without a full turnout. Yet after a reported five hours of deliberation, Sumanthiran addressed a press conference declaring that the decision had been made to support Premadasa.
The move caught many by surprise, including the current chairman Mavai Senathirajah, who initially told reporters that he was unable to attend the meeting and was not aware of its outcome.
Speaking to reporters the following day, Senathirajah however acknowledged the decision and said, “we will discuss in ongoing meetings about its implementation”.
“We will discuss what the public should do in this election for the liberation of our people,” he added.
“We have a duty to implement the decision taken by the central committee, but, people should bear in mind that the election results will determine the future, especially when they are voting that this is for the liberation of the Tamil people.”
“We, all the Tamils, should unite and use this election for the liberation of our people. That liberation is very important for us. We should all work as one for that liberation."
Split within the party
Prior to the central committee decision, grassroot party membership had already been working towards backing Ariyanenthiran, the common candidate.
The Kilinochchi branch of the ITAK announced their decision in a press release and party meeting last week.
“In this difficult situation, our people are looking forward to the leadership that should take the initiative to find compensation for the losses occurring during the war and after the war, to develop international approaches, to strengthen the decisions made in Geneva (at the UN Human Rights Council) and facilitate the transitional justice process in the International Criminal Court, and to demand a referendum in the homeland,” said the statement.
Their decision to back Ariyanenthiran was “unanimous” said the branch. Their full statement can be found here.
The move follows that of leader-elect S Shritharan, who was in London at the time of the central committee meeting, and actively expressing his support for Ariyanenthiran. In a letter seen by the Tamil Guardian prior to his departure, Shritharan stated that he was unable to attend the meeting but wanted the committee to know of his decision to back the common Tamil candidate.
In London, Shritharan spoke of how Ariyanenthiran is a former lawmaker from Batticaloa and recalled the sacrifices of LTTE fighters from the Eastern Province.
“It is from those Eastern homelands we are seeing this common candidate,” he said. “So, what is our message to the spirits of the fallen?”
A party in turmoil
The latest announcement demonstrates the split that has been prevalent in the party, which has seen a steady decline in its popularity.
The ITAK, also known as the Federal Party, has a rich history dating back to S J V Chelvanayakam – a legendary figure fondly remembered as the father of Eelam Tamil nationalism. In 2001, with the overt backing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the party led the newly formed Tamil National Alliance (TNA) coalition.
In the wake of the 2009 genocide and the defeat of the LTTE, the alliance depended on its near-monopoly of Tamil nationalist politics to defend unpopular positions and partnerships – including the backing of other Sinhala candidates at previous presidential polls. Sumanthiran, a divisive figure within the Tamil polity, would staunchly defend such moves, despite the backlash.
But in recent years discord has grown and the parliamentary election of 2020 saw the party lose six seats. Other parties such as the TNPF and the Tamil Makkal Thesiya Kootani (TMTK) began gaining seats at the ITAK’s expense. In 2022 TELO leader Selvam Adaikalanathan lashed out at his colleagues in the TNA, claiming there were “two black sheep” in the coalition – hinting at both Sumanthiran then party leader R Sampanthan.
Last year the TNA was disbanded after constituent parties Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) and People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) quit, leaving the ITAK out on its own and almost derelict. Sampanthan passed away aged 91, earlier this year, having refused to ever step down as leader.
Shritharan pays tribute to those who gave their lives in the militant struggle for the liberation of Tamil Eelam, after his leadership election victory.
Earlier this year, the party seemed to be heading for a nationalist revival, after Shritharan beat out Sumanthiran to be elected as leader.
“In order to win the national aspirations of the Tamil people, I will make my best efforts to rebuild the mobilisation of the Tamil nationalist forces as they were before 2009 and to unite everyone without the expectation of leadership or competition so we can chart the correct path for the rights of the Tamil people,” he told the Tamil Guardian after his victory.
But that too has been marred in controversy, after Sumanthiran challenged the result and proceedings still underway. To date, the matter remains in the hands of authorities and Senathirajah remains the current chair.
The matter has left a bitter taste in the mouths of members, some of whom bemoaned the current state of the party to the Tamil Guardian. The splits threaten to push the party further into irrelevance they added.
With the Sri Lankan presidential polls just a few weeks away, the controversy around the ITAK has not subsided.
However, the TNPF has continued with their campaign for a boycott, whilst Ariyanenthiran too has pressed ahead with his electioneering.
Speaking to the Tamil Guardian last week, Ariyanenthiran admits that while he does not expect to become the president of Sri Lanka.
However, he said that 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”.
“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”.
