TNA’s think tank ‘hindered’ by its emotional vote bank

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leaders, who were in Jaffna, hurriedly made their way to Colombo for a meeting yesterday.  
The TNA, which achieved a resounding victory at the September 21 election, is now engaged in preparing the groundwork for the country’s first Northern Provincial Council (NPC).
However, it appears that the party is engulfed in a dilemma over the oath-taking of the new Chief Minister and other members.
Inside sources of the TNA said that there were two schools of thought within the party regarding the oath-taking process. In fact, yesterday’s meeting was meant to focus on this crucial matter, among other things related to the establishment of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC).

"TNA leaders believe that the new members of the NPC taking their oaths before the President will be interpreted as an indication of the TNA’s acceptance of the central government’s authority"




A clash of views
Leader R. Sampanthan and Chief Minister elect C.V. Wigneswaran reportedly hold the view that the elected members of the TNA should take their oaths before President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Apparently they think that if the oath-taking ceremony takes place before the President, the party will be viewed favourably both in the local and international arenas.
They believe that the new members of the NPC taking their oaths before the President will be interpreted as an indication of the TNA’s acceptance of the central government’s authority, especially amid concerns that the TNA’s manifesto is a call for separatism.  At the same time, it will send a single to the sections of the international community, particularly India and the United States that the TNA is willing to engage and co-operate with the government in Colombo.  This is especially so as the TNA has been asked by these countries to avoid confrontational politics with the government of Sri Lanka in staking claims for their political rights and in discharging their duties through the NPC.
Possibly with a proper understanding on such connotations, the TNA leadership might have taken this stand. Nevertheless, several elected members of the TNA appear to be driven by the sensitivity of this matter as it could directly affect their electorate which subscribes to the view that such an oath-taking would be tantamount to the letting down of Tamil voters’ faith, who gave an overwhelming victory to the party. Those hardline members   believe that their victory was achieved on an anti-government wave, and therefore, the oath-taking should not be done before the President.
“We should not be insensitive to the emotions of the people at this hour,” a TNA member said on conditions of anonymity.
Caught between these two lines of thought, the party has to make a decision. It is still not certain how the TNA would deal with this imbroglio.

"The TNA appear to be driven by the sensitivity of this matter as it could directly affect their electorate which subscribes to the view that such an oath-taking would be tantamount to the letting down of Tamil voters’ faith"

EPC turning tables?
Meanwhile, in a backdrop where the electoral mandate has given the TNA the empowerment to ask for regional autonomy, the Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) which consists of both Tamil and Muslim representatives passed a resolution on Tuesday calling for the safeguarding of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), which is politically aligned with the government with its seven seats from the three districts in the East, has recently had a few differences with the ruling party. A few new developments have further widened these differences. The SLMC has consistently stood for devolution of power to the provinces.
SLMC group leader for the EPC Mohamed Jameel said the party’s High Command- the highest decision making body- took a decision to submit this resolution three months ago. He said it remained on the agenda for three months because there was opposition from some members of the ruling party to take it up.
“We want to safeguard the 13th Amendment incorporated into the Constitution under the 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord. That is it. Today also, they tried to block our attempt. But, we protested and went ahead. Had the ECP Chairperson, Ms. Ariyawathi Galapatti blocked it, we would have proposed a separate resolution to remove her and have a new chairperson appointed,” he said.

The TNA which won 11 seats in the EPC supported the resolution as the main opposition.  Soon after the election to the EPC in September, last year, the TNA even tried to woo the support of SLMC to form the Council to run a joint administration, opposed to the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA).  The TNA was edged out by the UPFA by only one seat in the East. That is how the seven seats won by the SLMC had become a crucial factor. Yet, the SLMC, being an ally of the government did not entertain the TNA’s request.
However, despite the two parties being on different sides of the EPC, the resolution on the 13th Amendment has created a common platform for them to work together, for a cause of mutual interest.
The SLMC High Command meeting, conducted on Sunday, became tense as members fired a salvo at the government over the unresolved land issues in the East.  
SLMC General Secretary Hasan Ali said its rank and file were concerned that the lands of the Muslims taken over by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were not returned to their rightful owners despite the lapse of four years after the defeat of the terrorist outfit.
“Therefore, our members are concerned. They asked us to insist on the government to address this issue,” he said.
In this scenario, it would be interesting to follow the events unfolding in both the NPC and the EPC in the coming days.

CBK’s motherly affection
The funeral rites of late North Central Province Chief Minister Berti Premalal Dissanayake was conducted in Anuradhpura on Monday.
Speaking at the funeral, the late Mr. Dissanayake’s son Duminda Dissanayake made emotional remarks. He praised former President Chandrika Bandaranaike for coming to see his father a few days before his death, and also attending his funeral later.
“We dearly care for the former President as a mother,” he said.
On behalf of the main opposition, United National Party (UNP) MPs Karu Jayasuriya and Mangala Samaraweera attended the event. A large number of government ministers also paid their last respects to the late SLFP stalwart.  

Underprivileged
Grade five students
The Department of Examination released the results of the Grade Five Scholarship Examination. In the run up to the September 21 election, ruling party activists canvassing votes in the Walapane electorate of the Nuwara-Eliya district encountered a fiasco with parents of some students who had sat the last Grade Five Scholarship Examination. These parents had protested over two particular multiple choice questions presented in the question paper. These questions were;
1) What is the first expressway in Sri Lanka?
2) Where is the second international airport of Sri Lanka located?
Parents complained that their children had little access and resources to know the correct answers for such questions.

Mahipala’s bitter sweet
experience
Sabaragamuwa Chief Minister Mahipala Herath had set apart September 29 and 30 to attend some religious ceremonies at the historic Ruwanveliseya. But, he had never thought these would be the days his bosom-political-friend Berty Premalal Dissanayake’s funeral would have to be held. For Mr. Herath, it was a twist of destiny.
In his diary, he had allocated these two days to participate in the   ‘Kapruk Poojawa’- annually organised by the villagers of Keselwatugoda in the Rambukkana electorate since 1923.  They consider this meritorious act as their heritage.  
A Buddhist flag with 920 feet in length is draped around Ruwanveliseya as part of this event by the devoted villagers. Mr. Herath also participated in this event for the last 16 years along with the villagers. Mr. Herath. In addition to participation in the religious act, he had to pay his last respect to the late Mr. Dissanayake this time.  
Meanwhile, at a function to mark the 88th birthday of his mother later, Mr. Herath recalled how he quitted smoking after he had been punched by his tough father.
“My father was very tough. Whenever I did something mischievous, he made me stay put on my knees until they started bleeding.  Then, my mother used to come to my rescue. Once I had developed a liking for smoking a cigar when I was a child after seeing an adult enjoying a cigar. I too secretly rolled tobacco into a cigar and started smoking it. My father who had been watching it, pounced on me and delivered a hard blow for deterrent. I never smoked since then,” he said.