BY : A.A.M.NIZAM – MATARA

The Mawbima article a part of which was presented in Part IV continued saying that anyone who observes the political history of Ranil Wickremasinghe would notice that he was not capable of maintaining for more than 2 to 3 years.  Although he has held the post of Prime Minister on 3 previous occasions, he Has failed to complete 3 years on all these occasions.

Even by misleading Sobita through a cunning process provision was made on the initiative of Ranil barring the dissolution of parliament for 4 ½ years unless there was a motion requesting for dissolution signed by 2/3 majority of MPs. The paragethi (foreign servile) Ranil envisaged that during these 4 ½ years he could accomplish all tasks assigned to him by the foreign powers including the adoption the federal and secular constitution. The President realising that he had been made a cat’s Paw in this cunning scheme attempted to appoint Karu Jayasuriya or Sajith Premadasa to replace Ranil but both attempts failed which ultimately made him to launch October 26 revolution and save the country If that October 26^th measure was not taken there would not even be a Presidential Election in 2019.

It was also envisaged to increase the number of MPs in the parliament from 225 to 233after getting the proposed constitution adopted.   And the electorate districts were to trim down from 160 to 140 and a delimitation committee to be appointed for this purpose. The deci9sion on this was to be taken by the taken by a President with diluted powers and the committee was to be a one docile to Ranil Wickremasinghe.

What the people should be understood is that if they go for an election it would have not been possible .for them to become victorious easily.  A cunning and horrendous situation that would have denied the voting rights of the people was prevented as a result of prudent steps taken by President Sirisena and the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.  What both envisage is to re-entrust the people with their democratic rights.

Write in Sihala by

Dr. Nalaka Godahewa

Former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Canadian based pro separatist prop diaspora scribe D.B.S.Jeyaraj states that the Tamil people have for long been estranged from the Sri Lankan mainstream politics and they are now slowly and surely coming in from the cold of political wilderness and entering Sri Lanka’s public life again. By doing so they are proving that they are and will be an integral component of the Sri Lankan nation. He says  TNA’s commendable and constructive role in helping defeat the no confidence motion against Ranil was indisputable proof of that positive and progressive process. It needs to be asked from this Jeyaraj

• Were they not contesting elections from 1947 to be aloof for mainstream politics and were they not holding highly important Ministerial posts in almost all the governments since 1947?
• Why the TNA remain silent when the LTTE killed their own leaders such as Amirthalingam, Yogeswaran, and many M9inisters including Tamil Ministers such as Lakshman Kadiramar and prominent Tamil scholars such as Neelan Thiruchelvam;
• Why that TNA which seems to be so precious to him voluntarily allowed the ruthless LTTE to be the sole representatives of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka a[
• Why the TNA they never condemned their inhuman activities such as killing innocent worshippers at Siri Maha Bopdhjiua in Anuiradhapura Dalada Maligawa.Kandy., a bus load of young Bikkus at Aranthalawa  Nearly 200 worshippers at the Kattankudy mosqie, ., a bus load of innocent school children in the Anuradhapura district,  over 600 Police officers surrendered to LTTE on the instruction of President Premadasa  and more than 100 people hacked to death, children smashed to death pregnant women brutally killed in the East etc, and the TNA endorsed the TNA’s brutal actions in the parliament’
• Why the TNA leader and their members of that political formation went to Canada, Brittani, USA and other western countries and participated in fund raising campaigns for the LTTE to purchase high tech weapons and armoury?

There were suggestions in the Tamil media that the TNA should promote truth, accountability and reconciliation by  taking the lead in presenting evidence before the investigation to be  conducted by the UN Human Rights Commissioner’s office and that had evoked much controversy. Overseas activists of the LTTE together with their supporters and fellow travellers were furious at the suggestions  and reports indicate that despite t the tigers are now pussycats chanting the mantra of human rights the reaction by these LTTE and pro-LTTE elements shows that the tiger has not changed its stripes. The reports say that the political pundits of the TNA trotting out flimsy excuses to cover up the fact that they never had any genuine intention to introspect” or focus on the crimes of the LTTE More interesting and important than these predictable than these LTTE-TNA responses were the views expressed by a large number of Sri Lankans and people of Sri Lankan origin on this question.
The bulk of these messages  received from these Sri Lankans has spoken of the links between the LTTE and the TNA and that due to this close connection between them  it was impossible for them  to expose the LTTE at the at the UN probe. The messages have also stated that the conduct of the TNA after 2009 had only helped re-enforce the strong impression  in many circles that they are still creatures and lackeys of the LTTE even though the tigers had been militarily defeated five years ago.

Reports further indicated that there was much misinformation about the origins of the Tamil National Alliance. The TNA configuration and it was to many an entity that was formed and fostered by the LTTE.  Some Tamil sources say that at the beginning was not a tiger creation, but it was formed independently with cautious indirect backing by the LTTE. Thereafter the LTTE took it over and controlled it.

As per Tamil political sources the origins of the Tamil National Alliance lie in the East. The factor that triggered it off was the October 10th, 2000 Parliamentary election. The results in the North-East sent shock waves to the Tamils in general and some Tamil political parties. On this election no Tamil including Sambandan was elected in the politically sensitive Trincomalee district. In Batticaloa only two Tamils from the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) were elected. Another Tamil won from the ruling People’s Alliance (PA).In Amparai district a Tamil Independent backed by the EPDP was elected.

The Wanni district with six seats saw Two Sinhalese (from PA and UNP) and one Muslim MP from SLMC being elected. Three Tamil MP’s from the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) and one from the Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) were elected. Jaffna with nine seats saw the EPDP getting four including the bonus seat. The TULF got three. The Tamil Congress got one. The United National Party got one. The UNP won in Jaffna after 48 years. In 1952 Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan’s son in law Suppiapillai Nadesan had won. Now Thiyagarajah Maheswaran was returned.
No Tamil party got enough votes entitling it to a national list seat. 2000 saw the Tamils being under represented in the North-East. Moreover, Sinhala dominated National parties and Tamil parties like the Govt affiliated EPDP had done well. One reason for the non-governmental Tamil political party debacle was disunity, fragmentation of Tamil votes and the lack of an imaginative or inspiring political agenda.

At a seminar chaired by former Daily Mirror” columnist Dharmalingam Sivaram alias Taraki in which several academics, journalists, teachers, professionals, social workers, undergraduates and political representatives participated it was said that the seriousness of the diaunityaming Tamils was acutely felt in the ethnically heterogenous East rather than the near homogenous North.  Hence, they have decided the need to unite under an umbrella organization to prevent fragmentation of votes. It has also been felt that such an organization should be broadly supportive of the LTTE and it has also decided that the LTTE’s approval for the move be obtained. A steering committee with three joint chairs had been formed to coordinate the implementation of this task that consisted of three aspects which were  to obtain the approval and implicit support of the LTTE which  required guarantees of safety and security by the LTTE and that it would not assassinate Tamil politicians in the opposition and in return these Tamil parties had to acknowledge the pre-eminence of the LTTE and endorse it as the sole representative of the Tamils in any negotiations.

Secondly the political parties with a militant history like the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) PLOTE and TELO had to declare that they would lay down arms and not collaborate with the state in hunting the LTTE. They also had to sever links with para-military outfits linked to them like the Razeek group (EPRLF)Mohan group (PLOTE) and Ranjan group (TELO). All were in the East.

Thirdly the non-militant parties like the TULF and Tamil Congress had to agree to work together in a common front with the ex-militant groups. Both parties were reluctant as they felt that the hands of the ex-militant groups were tainted with blood. Besides, the TULF stood for an unarmed democracy”. There was also the long, embittered history of rivalry between the Tamil Congress and the FP-TULF.

TULF at that time was strong with undivided entity and he split had not occurred. Currently the weakened TULF is controlled by Aanandasangaree while most of the erstwhile party members are now part of the IITAK.

The TULF was also wary because of its 1989 experience. Pressure by New Delhi had resulted in militant organizations like the Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front (ENDLF) TELO and EPRLF contesting under the aegis of the TULF sun symbol along with TULF candidates. However, none of the original TULF candidates won. Only Appapillai Amirthalingam got in through the national list (he had  contested and lost in Batticaloa).
The LTTE in the Wanni was not directly involved in the negotiating process. But Karikalan the former tiger political commissar for Batticaloa-Amparai was supportive . Even as the talks were on the LTTE assassinated Robert” the TELO head of Aaraiyampathy pradeshiya Sabha (this Robert was different to the EPRLF Robert” killed by the LTTE in Jaffna in June 2002). The assassination was a major setback as the TELO wanted to pull out of unity talks as a result.
The committee however persisted in its efforts and appealed to the LTTE’s military leadership of the East. The eastern regional military commander then was none other than Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan alias Col” Karuna.
The LTTE explained” the assassination as a mistake” due to a communication gap between the intelligence division and political wing.
Subsequently leading personalities from the TELO and EPRLF met with Karikalan in secret and discussed matters. Assurances were obtained. Likewise, some TULF personalities also met with LTTE leaders and had discussions.
There were two hitches. The PLOTE led by Dharmalingam Siddharthan was willing for unity but the PLOTE cadres in Vavuniya (PLOTE stronghold) were unwilling to align with the TELO (also strong in Vavuniya) Likewise the TELO hierarchy was also reluctant to unite with the PLOTE as it feared erosion of support in the Wanni. Finally, the PLOTE or its political party the Democratic People’s Liberation Front (DPLF) opted out.

The second was the long-standing antipathy of the Tamil Congress towards the Federal Party and its successor the TULF. The Tamil Congress wanted all parties to unite under the Tamil Congress symbol of cycle and contest instead of the TULF’s sun symbol.
Dr. Yogalakshmi Ponnambalam was then the dominant personality in the Tamil Congress as her husband Kumar Ponnambalam had been killed on January 2000.After protracted discussions held at her residence she consented to unite and contest under the sun symbol.
Similarly some stalwarts in the TULF were also reluctant to unite with the Congress and other ex-militant groups but gradually they were won over or reduced to silence.
Even as these discussions continued two parallel courses of action were also on.
One was the sudden phenomenon of leaflets and statements to the press by hitherto unheard of organizations like Sankiliyan padai, Kulakkottan padai and Pandara Vanniyan padai.

Asper Tamil ;literature  Sankili is said to be a King of Jaffna, Kulakkottan amonarch of Trincomalee and Pandaravanniyan a chieftainof Adankapatru. All these leaflets and statements urged Tamil unity and threatened those not cooperating with punitive action. They were given wide publicity in Tamil newspapers.

The other parallel course of action was of some Colombo based prominent Tamils to bring about overall Tamil unity. These Tamils comprised leading businessmen, professionals and social workers. Some of them were involved in discussions with counterparts in Batticaloa striving for unity. The efforts of these Colomban Tamils also played a major role in unity talks.
At the penultimate stages the LTTE in the Wanni got indirectly involved. Some leaders of the TULF, Tamil Congress, TELO and EPRLF were contacted by telephone and urged to unite and contest under the TULF Sun” symbol. The LTTE factor galvanised the negotiating parties into concluding talks successfully

A working agreement among the TULF,ACTC, EPRLF and TELO was reached to form a coalition known as the Thamizh Thesieeya Kootamaippu” or Tamil National Alliance . The TNA would contest under the TULF symbol. A scheme apportioning candidates to each party in the different electoral districts was also agreed upon.

The formation of the Tamil National Alliance was announced through a press communiqué dated October 22nd, 2001.The TNA was born! The press communique issued on October 22nd 2001 heralding the formation of the Tamil National Alliance(TNA)was signed by four persons representing the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF)All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) and Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF).They were R. SAmbandan (TULF), N.Kumarakuruparan (ACTC) N. Srikantha (TELO) and K.Premachandran(EPRLF) The press statement had four salient points that more or less amounted to an articles of association” for the Tamil National Alliance.

(To be continued)