A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Thursday, June 22, 2017
TNA – Is It Taking The Tamils For A Ride?
Tamil National Alliance (TNA), a loose group of four parties, Illankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), People’s Liberation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) and Eelam People’s Liberation Front (EPRLF) was formed in 2001 with the blessings of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
leadership.TNA then always followed the decrees of LTTE while speaking
for the Tamils to the outside world and in Parliament. The TNA’s leader
Sampanthan has been at the helm directing the fortunes of Tamils as well
as controlling the often rebelling and dissenting members within the
alliance. He has been successful in maintaining the brittle alliance
without break-up, though dissenting views often appear to lead the
break-up. TNA is sustaining its survival due to the charm of Sampanthan
and after the election in 2015 it emerged as the second largest group,
thanks to the coalition of major rivals UNP and SLFP opting to unite and
forming an uneasy coalition Government dubbing it as a Government of ‘Good Governance”.
TNA openly called on the Tamil voters to back the SLFP-UNP combination
for the sake of a prospective “government of Good Governance”
particularly meeting the demands of the TNA for a just and permanent
political settlement based on a Federal System of government and to
defeat dictatorial Rajapakshe regime.
TNA
extended its support unconditionally to the coalition Government
without any written agreement or pact. When Sampanthan was asked by the
former President Chandrika Kumaratunga as to why he did not insist on a
written agreement, TNA leader frankly admitted the earlier betrayals
written agreements and pacts. It is an interesting question to ask
Sampanthan whether an oral or mutual understanding or consensus is
stronger than written ones or whether he knew the fate of this oral
understanding to suffer the same death.
It
is thus becoming a relevant matter to query Sampanthan as to why he
should go on continuing his meaningless support when the net result
would be disappointing with deceiving outcome.
If
one looks at the track record of TNA from 2015 to as the representative
of Tamils and donning the role of the official opposition party, the
performance of the TNA is surely souring and hurting the dignity of
self-esteem and self-respect of the Tamils.
After
more than two years, and with various promises made by the President
Maithiri and Prime Minister Ranil, the Tamils are still faced with
hordes of problems following the war which ended in 2009.
The
release of all political prisoners as promised is yet to be fulfilled
and TNA also seems to have left it high and dry as it is.
The
release of lands occupied by the security forces in the North and East
is another promised matter which is still hanging in balance and there
is no likelihood it will ever happen as demanded by the Tamil leaders
and TNA.
In
Jaffna district, a total of 4800 acres [4200 acres belonging to
civilians] is still in the hands of Army while in Kilinochi district a
Total of 1600 acres of lands is occupied by the Army.