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Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran, who was put forward as the “Tamil common candidate”, has garnered support from a range of Tamil political parties and civil society organisations.
Ariyanenthiran, who had previously served as a Tamil National Alliance MP for Batticaloa between 2004 and 2015, launched his campaign with the hopes of representing Tamil issues to both to the Sinhala South as well as the international community.
Speaking with the Tamil Guardian, he maintained that a vote for him was a “vote for liberation”. He further stated Tamils voting for him would be “making it clear that the Tamil national issue remains unresolved and must be addressed.”
Commenting on the need for a common candidate he stated, “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”.
Read our full interview here: ‘A vote for liberation’ - Ariyanenthiran tells Tamil Guardian why a Tamil common candidate is vital
“There is a clear consensus among the Tamil people that this platform should be used to demonstrate that we will not be deceived again,” Ariyanenthiran said while speaking at the TELO office in Mannar last month. “We are a community that has consistently fought to assert and preserve our identity. In this context, a Tamil’s right is to support the aspirations of all Tamils.”
“The people of the North-East are wise; they will make the right choice. We all know that we’ve been misled by eight presidents in the past,” he said in Vavuniya. “The outcome of this election will send a strong message to the international community, India, and the Sri Lankan government about our demand for a referendum and self-determination.”
Manifesto
Ariyanenthiran's manifesto points out that many other candidates have failed to address the concerns of the Tamil people in their platforms. In contrast, the manifesto of the common Tamil candidate specifically addresses the following issues:
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A new constituion for Sri Lanka to solve the ethnic conflict, where Tamils are recognised as a sovereign people with the right to self-determination.
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Only by recognising the Tamils as a people with nationhood can Sri Lanka be considered a plurinational state. Therefore the new constitution has to be a convergence of the nations that form Sri Lanka. In other words, the constitution has to ensure that Sri Lanka is built as a plurinational state.
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No political solution based on centralised rule will satisfy the just political demands of the Tamil people.
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On the above, Tamil people have the right to seek suitable international assistance to determine their own fate.
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The land that conforms to the Tamil people's right to self determination shall be the united north and east provinces. That they are ready to discuss the just political rights of the Muslim people within this united north and east.
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Safeguarding and promoting of the rights of Upcountry Tamils.
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All instances of ethnic cleansing by the state are to be investigated, with cases being presented to the International Criminal Court and complying with a resolution endorsed by the UNHRC.
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The establishment of structures for a self reliant economy in the Tamil homelands that prevents land grabs, and the use of natural resources in a sustainable manner.
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To achieve the above, a special protective mechanism is to be instituted that will protect the rights of Tamils, as an interim solution.
Read the full text of his manifesto here: Tamil candidate launches Sri Lankan presidential election manifesto
A range of support
Amongst his supporters are several Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) parliamentarians, as well as the Tamil families of the disappeared and a range of other civil society organisations.
"Dear Tamils, I urge you to vote for the common Tamil candidate under the conch symbol and rise together as a united force," said Justice C V Wigneswaran, a Member of Parliament from the Jaffna District. "For many years, we have been misled into supporting their candidates, but we will no longer participate in their schemes, deceptions, and oppression of our people."
“We are at a key juncture in our history,” leader-elect of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) Sivagnanam Shritharan told an audience in London, as he praised and recalled the sacrifices of LTTE fighters from the Eastern Province.
“The defeat of Jayasikurui and the freeing of Kilinochchi was due in large part to fighters from Batticaloa, Amparai and Trinco,” said Shritharan, referring to Sri Lanka’s failed 1997 military operation that was beaten back by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
“Those fighters' tears, blood and flesh are still on Kilinochchi's earth. The buildings we have built today stand on the blood and tears of these brethren from the Eastern homeland... It is from those Eastern homelands we are seeing this common candidate. So, what is our message to the spirits of the fallen?”
Ariyanenthiran's backers include Member of Parliament and leader of the Tamil Makkal Thesiya Kootan (TMTK) CV Wigneswaran, Member of Parliament and leader of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) Selvam Adaikkalanathan, former parliamentarian and Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front leader (EPRLF) Suresh Premachandran, Member of Parliament and leader of the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) Dharmalingam Siddharthan, former Member of the North Provincial Assembly P. Aingaranesan, former parliamentarian and Illankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) member N Sri Kantha, leader of the Crusaders for Democratic Party C. Vendan, head of the Department of Political Sciences at the University of Jaffna K T Ganesalingam, Jaffna-based political analyst and senior lawyer S A Jothilingam, political commentator Yathindra and political analyst Nilanthan.
