The talk of the town is TNA’s demands mentioned in their manifesto. This is not only a controversial matter, but these demands go against the present Constitution of the country too. Given this situation, how can a registered political alliance ask for something which not supported by the constitution? Therefore, this gives clear signs of a conspiracy to disrupt the democratic system of this country.
This also can be termed as another attempt to cheat innocent Tamils and grab their votes. TNA Leader R. Sampandan said the problems faced by Tamils will be completely solved in 2016 with the establishing of a federal power sharing model. How many times can Sampandan cheat the Tamils in way? ( There is a famous tamil old song – எத்தனைகாலம் தான் ஏமாற்றுவாh; இந்தநாட்டிலே . ) Does he think Tamils are fools?
We can recall another similar incident that occurred way back during the period 1976-77. Then TULF Leader and former Leader of the Opposition AppapilaiAmirthalingam, said in an election rally,” Next year we will meet in ‘Eaalam’. But that “next year” never came. Late Amirthalingam was one of the pioneers who promoted ‘Ealam’ concept among innocent Tamil youth. Later he himself rejected the concept. As a result he got the wrath from LTTE. Amirthalingam was labeled ‘Throgi’ (Traitor) and got killed in Colombo on July 13 (1989) by an LTTE hit squad. Leader of LTTE V.Prabakaran has once said “Amirthalingam had at one time espoused the Tamil Eelam, but later betrayed it. Anyone who betrays is a throgi.”.
The rise of Crusaders For Democracy (CFD) under the co-ordination of Nadesapillai Vithiyatharan has changed the whole political picture of the North. This is also seen as one of the reasons why TNA is more excited and confused about the latest development
This is history.
So it is well proven that from the inception, the so called Tamil politicians have been grabbing votes from Tamils by presenting practically impossible solutions through their election manifestos. These demands will not only cheat Tamils, but also provoke the innocent Sinhalese in the country. The majority of Sinhalese are not racists. It is the so called Tamil politicians who are hardcore racists. These Tamil politicians are the culprits who insert poisonous thoughts into the minds of the Tamils.
In the backdrop of this situation the major political parties of the south, who are canvassing to build a better and developed country, were forced to raise their eyebrows. This was due to the sudden change in the political arena caused by the presentation of the controversial TNA manifesto.
TNA makes this demand at every election to fuel racial tensions and gain the votes of the Tamil hardliners. It must be mentioned here that the alliance has failed to fulfill the aspirations of the Tamil people. A Colombo based Tamil scholar says the TNA is now demanding federalism and devolution of powers in order to raise communal tension and win votes.
Already the JVP has rejected this proposal. The JVP maintained friendly relationships with the Tamil politicians. But suddenly all that changed when the JVP started fearing that they will lose their votes in the south. JVP travelled to north to influence the minds of the Tamils.
The JVP, which way back in 2003-2005 displayed hard-line concepts by promoting Sinhala extremism, is now showing a different face to Tamils. Remember! The JVP was one of the stakeholders who supported President Maithripala Sirisena at the January 8 election.
JVP’s stance now is different.
The UNP, which way back in 2002 presented a de facto government to LTTE, now says they support a power sharing model within a united Sri Lanka. But, in my opinion, Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR) is the single leader who has been very consistent in his stance regarding tiger rebels, since its inception. MR rejected the LTTE’s power sharing solution and as a result war erupted. MR defeated the LTTE in 2009. Even now, MR says he will not leave room for separatism.
Going by the history, I ask a simple question from innocent Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims, “if you are looking for a peaceful country where all three communities can live without fear and being limited to boundaries, whom do you support at the upcoming elections? In whom do you have confidence?
The rise of Crusaders For Democracy (CFD) under the co-ordination of Nadesapillai Vithiyatharan has changed the whole political picture of the North.
This is also seen as one of the reasons why TNA is more excited and confused about the latest development.
TNA seems to be feared more due to the emergence of CFD rather than the presence of Gajendrakumar, Anandasangaree, SLFP, UNP and Douglas Devananda.
CFD is formed under the co-ordination of Vithiyatharan, a former journalist who was alleged to have had links with the LTTE, is carrying out silent campaigns in the Jaffna District according to informed sources. Despite criticism, CFD candidates emphasize that they have extra qualifications to enter the democratic struggle.
They were rejected by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and termed untouchables. TNA during nominations pointed out that if the CFD is given an opportunity to contest under their list, the international community will reject their claims and treat them as terrorists.
However, the CFD candidates are confident that they will win the General Election convincingly, due to the fact that people in the north understand the stance of CFD and they have a genuine sympathy towards CFD.
We see that the TNA has been the most dominant Tamil political party in north and east, but this time, we can expect a real competition in the forthcoming election.
This will be an acid test for the TNA.(Writer is a veteran author whose birthplace is Kokkuvil, Jaffna )