Dubai: A leading Sri Lankan Tamil politician and Member of Parliament did not hold out much hope for the country’s minority Tamil population in the north despite his party having swept the Northern Provincial council elections last week.
R. Sampanthan, the President of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), which registered an overwhelming majority, when over 60 per cent of Tamils voted to give themselves a sliver of hope in their quest for self-rule, admitted he saw a long, hard road ahead in negotiations with the Sri Lankan authorities.
“I am neither optimistic, nor pessimistic,” said Sampanthan to Gulf News in a telephone interview. “It all depends on the people in power. We wish to facilitate clear communication to arrive at a logical solution with the government. We will extend maximum cooperation and we hope that persons in authority, and in government, will adopt a similar attitude.”
The TNA’s wish list, according to Sampanthan, was clear, “Our short term goals are the resettlement of the people; proper recommencement of their livelihood; restoration of normal civilian life, plus demilitarisation; settlement of pending land issues; finality with regard to missing persons and persons in custody and the restoration of civilian administration. Our long term aim is to realise the evolution of an acceptable political solution.”
The TNA won 30 out of 38 seats (28 direct and 2 bonus seats), while the UPFA got seven seats and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) won one seat. While the TNA got 353,595 (78.48 per cent) total votes, UPFA secured 82,838 (18.38 per cent) votes. SLMC secured 6,761 (1.5 per cent) votes in the election. The elections, held after 25 years, recorded 67.5 per cent turnout.
“The government should respect the verdict of the Tamils,” Sampanthan asserted after securing a valid mandate from the voters. “Now that elections have been conducted after a long delay and there is a clear verdict, the government must respect that verdict. Both sides must be positive. We are prepared to bring about an understanding that will enable us to take the process forward.”
The pattern of voting, according to Sampanthan, despite the presence of undue government interference, heavy military presence and intelligence on the ground is an indicator that, “The Tamil people remain committed to a political solution within a united and undivided country. This means that we must get an opportunity to exercise a substantial measure of self-rule that will enable us to fulfil our legitimate social, economic and cultural aspirations.”
