By Colombo Telegraph –
TNA leader R. Sampanthan asked President Mahinda Rajapaksa to appoint a civilian as Governor of the Northern and Eastern provinces. TNA leader met the president this morning at the Presidents House to discuss the issues related to Eastern elections.
Responding to Smapnathan’s request Rajapaksa asked Sampanthan to attend the Parliamentary Select Committee and raised the matter. Sambanthan responded by stating that the TNA has never taken up the position that it will not attend the PSC, but has only insisted that commitments made must be implemented before attending the Parliamentary Select Committee sessions.
Click here to read TNA leader’s official statement after the meeting.
randeera / September 18, 2012
i think these way
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ranjith / September 19, 2012
The Stupid TNA which turned up its nose at the Eastern province elections back in 2007 and has become irrelevant in EP, should insist first that the Northern Provincial Council elections be held before the end of the year in order to participate in the PSC.
Sambanthans brains are up his back side I am — the doddering old coot should resign and let a younger and brighter person take over!
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shankar / September 24, 2012
I agree that sampanthan should resign the leadership,but i don’t agree that the only conditionality for joining the PSC should be elections in the north.He should also have another condition that the 17th amendment should be fully implemented.Then only there will be proper transparency and fairness and elections can be held in a proper democratic atmosphere.
The only way to give a fight to the Rajapakshe’s is
1.Get the 17th amendment implemented.
2.Ranil resign.
3.Sampanthan resign.
4.Fonseka to be made joint opposition leader.A leader should have a backbone.Nobody else has one at the moment.
5.TNA to get india on its side by supporting the 13th amendment.
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pusa / September 18, 2012
IT IS REGRTED TO AGREEED THAT M R IS THE MOST CLEVERST AND CORNIEST LEADER WE EVER HAD. SUBA ANAGATHAYAK.
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Haasya / September 18, 2012
He is good at managing political situations but sadly not that good at discouraging, taking action to eliminate corruption, thuggery, abusive behavior among politicians at PS level and up to the top.
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Naga / September 18, 2012
From Sampanthan’s statement it appears he went alone to meet with the President but the President was accompanied by Ministers Peiris and Maitripala Srisena. Why did he leave out the other TNA leaders? Sampanthan usually takes Sumanthiran and Mavai Senathirajah with him for such meetings. It was not a one-to-one meeting because the Sri Lankan President was joined by two of his cabinet members.
Sampanthan and TNA look pathetic. They demanded that SLMC form the Eastern Province administration with them. SLMC has not just snubbed them but used them to achieve what they planned for. Hakeem and SLMC knew very well there is no gain in joining hands with a Tamil party. Had they decided to join TNA they would have been forced to leave the cabinet. They would have lost all the privileges they enjoy now as part of the government. Hakeem and other SLMC leaders are not fools to go along with Sampanthan and TNA to form the Eastern provincial administration which has no powers. They very cunningly used the TNA factor to strengthen their bargaining power with the President and they in fact succeeded. Sampanthan and TNA have been very well used by Hakeem and SLMC to get what they wanted from the government. What a shame for Sampanthan & co!
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Lanka Muslim, UK / September 18, 2012
Mr. Sampanthan is a unique example of a straightforward politician with clear policies and principles.
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Justice / September 20, 2012
Lanka Muslim,Uk,
I agree totally.
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shankar / September 24, 2012
Lanka muslim,how can he be straightforward when he slavishly bootlicked a dictator and common thug like prabhaharan.He threw all his democratic principles away,unlike anandasangaree who retained his dignity by not accepting prabha as the sole leader of the tamils.Sampanthan has shown the world that he is not a true democrat and now is trying to use democracy again to get what he could not through a dictatorship.
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jay / September 18, 2012
SLMC has no policy. They always look for benifits and oppournities. If UNP comes to power they will go with UNP (screw MR). If JVP they will go with JVP (screw Ranil). Vasi Pathata Hoiya. MR knows about muslims very well and he knows how they are playing the game. Take my word ” At the end they have to go with UPFA for EAST” Hakeem thinks he is smart but MR is too smart for him.
Never trust [Edited out]. (This is history and I amnot making this) I hope the singhalese and the tamils will agree with me.
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Sarwan / September 18, 2012
Sinhala governments always, lie and cheat Tamils. It appears that they still have not changed. TNA must think of UN action and not PSC. It is high time the educated persons from FUTA take over the reigns of SL.
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Jay Ranaweera / September 18, 2012
What are you talking man? What UN action are you talking about?See how BarakObama became the President of US being a Black(mixed) person as they,the Blacks never advocated divisions!!!
Tell Sampandan and the TNA to change the Party name first without making it ONLY FOR TAMILS RACIASTS!
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Raja / September 18, 2012
name should be that What Party Named ‘Sri Lanka Freedom party; did in 1956/58 burnt Tamisl alive. It behaved Like ;Tamil oppression Sinhala Party’
United National Party in 1983 Looted and burned Tamils alive. It behaved like ‘United SInhala Party to Kill Tamils’ Is TNA worse than this. UN is the only answer if there is one
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P.Riyad / September 18, 2012
What we have are Sri Lankan governments, not ethnic governmenmenta. Can’t you understand that?
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Raja / September 18, 2012
You must be joking. They are Sinhala Millitray govt oppressing Minorities. You have not learbed from Dambulla Mosque
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Jamec Corea / September 18, 2012
Sri Lanka happen to be Majority Sinhala country you cannot change that fact; look at other countries Tamils are living! they are majority white countries. They will never change their white way of doing thing because tamils are there. I dont think any resonable Tamil living in those countries would ask for changes according to Tamil way.They will happily join the main streem and become a follower of white system. Why dont you guys apply that to Sri Lanka and stop being a racists and join main stream as Sri Lankan. As long as you guys acting as racists there are other races in the country go against you guys. There are Hundreds of tamil leaders in Sri Lanka who join main streem and became successful; unfortunatly you guys call them Traitors.
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lanka / September 18, 2012
TNA and the SLMC must be disbanded as political parties in Sri lanka. It is time to do away with ethnic, race, religion based political parties. Any political party in Sri Lanka should have multi cultural, multi religious membership. The best way to reconciliation.
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Sinhalam / September 18, 2012
Agree with you. Tamils stay with their ethnic party and miss out on contributing to the country. Muslims show a degree of readiness to come in to the main stream with their reps in UPFA and UNP but that is not enough. They have to do away with Muslim parties and go 100% with the main Sl parties. Ethnicity and religion are not good reasons to build political parties. Muslims are 50% Sinhala in any case having descended fro Sinhala mothers.
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Raja / September 18, 2012
They do not missout They stand out with self pride. Time will tell and justify TNA”s Actios
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Wimal / September 18, 2012
No one can trust SLMC. I don’t think they work for Muslims. They are opportunistic and only interested with their bank balance.
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Independent thinker / September 18, 2012
Jay
I must tell you that I am a Moslem but I do not support the SLMC stirring the religious passion among the Moslims to gain individual gains and political mileage.
What I gather from your contribution is you are telling the readers that “never Trust the Muslims, Muslims are unreliable bearing in mind how they backstabbed you during the war.So never trust Muslims.They have no policy and they are only after benefits.Muslims are playing games. You are seeking agreenent from the Sinhalese and Tamils for your opinion of the Muslims.
I am sure your opinion would be different if the Muslims had joined you when you were terrorising the country and if the Muslims joined with the TNA now but they continue to backstab you.
I do not know whether you have the common sense to understand that the Muslims are not Tamils as most Tamils claim and demand the Muslims should join hands with the Tamils.
I ask you how much common sense you have to see things in real perspectives.
Do you think Tamil or Sinhalese politicians do not want benefits for the people they represent. I do not condone people Like Hakeem abusing the community to save their perquisites. Do the Tamil and Sinhalese politicians not change their party politics. What has Thondaman Arumugam and others have been doing all throughout.
Why do you not see what Tamil and Sinhala politics are doing. I think your opinion of the Muslims is the result of your hatred.
Is it not better the Muslims mind their own interests while you may mind your interests.
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Justice / September 18, 2012
“The president initially denied this,but later promised to look ito the matter”.
The president knows full well how the UPFA campaigned with the total might of the government’s political,financial,public service, law enforcement & military sectors – but most voters managed to express their preferences.
The half-hour “black-out” during counting at the new venue in batticaloa certainly would have helped – the tally of 7 seats for TNA before the blackout had become 6,after.
Only if FREE and FAIR elections are enforced, will there be accurate tallies of the peoples’ wiil, at elections.
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shankar / September 24, 2012
Justice,i totally agree with you.We know the problem is lack of free and fair elections,but what is the solution?the only solution i can think of is implementing the 17th amendment.ranil is quiet on this.Sampanthan is quiet on this.Sampanthan has not even highlighted the 30 minute blackout that you mention.Is it in his statement?Has he written to all the embassies about it?The whole purpose of MR having the early election in the east was to highlight to the world that the east supports him and not the TNA,because it is a critical time for srilanka at the UN.So MR had to win and have his own chief minister in the east to show the world .Sampanthan foolishly ran to a meeting with MR just after the elections and just before he left to india,instead of refusing to meet him because he robbed him of his victory by collecting the two bonus seats after reducing the TNA seats by one with a power cut.What more do you want to see Sampanthan’s slavish mentality beginning with licking prabha’s bottom and now hakeems and MR’s and just after the war was over sarath fonseka’s.They say once a bottom licker,always a bottom licker.
Sampanthan and Ranil have no spine and backbone and should resign and fonseka who has one should be appointed joint opposition leader.A joint opposition party should be formed called the Democratic Alliance or something like that and all parties who want the 17th amendment implemented as their no 1 priority and the presidency abolished as the no2 priority should join the alliance with the only person at the moment suitable for leadership Sarath Fonseka leading it.
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Senguttuvan / September 18, 2012
Under regional and global pressure President Mahinda Rajapakse, for public consumption only, agreed for talks with the TNA on the basis talks will continue subject to the narrowing of the mutually-accepted list of grievances of the Tamil side. Both sides agreed not to lay pre-conditions. Minutes were maintained and are there for all to see.
Reference to these Minutes were made by Sampanthan’s many Communiques
addressed both to Sri Lankan and overseas audiences.
The Rajapakses have no intention of giving into any of the pleas of the Tamils. The position was well articulated by the more powerful Goathabaya who let the cat out of the bag when he was caught admitting “there is nothing more to give. We have given everything. There will be no more devolution” Sampanthan and Company know this very well which is why they insist they have no objection to the PSC but, they point out, the Rajapakse Govt must show sincerity via performance. This is missing so far. What we have had till now is mere empty rhetoric say the TNA.
There may be some cosmetic move by the Rajapakse Govt soon before the arrival of the UNHRC team in September as well as the November meeting in Geneva. But this too will be seeped in perfidy – a Rajapakse hallmark. The Rajapakse game of “tell one thing and do the opposite” will continue to fool the country and the world – but this mendacious philosophy has to give in sooner than later.
Senguttuvan
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P.Riyad / September 18, 2012
Such a tragic situation. TNA sampanthan unable to move forward for the future of the Tamil people who he claims to represent. For the rest of his life he will wait without joining the Select Committee..perhaps ‘Waiting for Godot’..there are those who never will learn.
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W.A Sugahtadasa / September 18, 2012
TNA and Government need urgent delibration and conquencens of oustanding issue of Tamil people’s recounsrutaion, rehabiliation and reconcilastion end of war against LTTE Terrorst RULE in north and east.LTTE had been terrorist its peolee over more than 30 odd years.
We need put things into normal order in Tamil society by team work joinly with TNA and Ruling party.
First and formost is TNA must rejected and denied Myth of Eelam of State and seperatasim and secessionism inside terrority of Sri Lankan.
Yes we heading for development of path of Capitalism in whole island.
We should leave so-called Police and Special Land onwership of North and East only for Tamils by TNA policies.
North and East come under the capitalist mode of develeopement.
Tamils having right have own culture language education and social unliftment peoples life is responsability undertaken by TNA.But TNA principlly working with mandated democracy of drived by people of Island.And country soverignty terrorial intergrity and indepanance life line of our nation survive. has been accpected by TNA.
No any menas support for hidden agenda by TNA collbration with foreing vested interset parties. join Natioanl Policies must be pripority of TNA politics in Island.Nation building has to accpect by TNA. An OPENNESS AND TRANSPARENCY OF TNA POLITICAL ACTVITIES ARE VERY VERY IMPORTANT NOT in words but in deeds.
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Sarath Silva / September 18, 2012
Please form a National Gvt and share the Chief Minister post by all 3 communities:
We should salute Mr. Smapnthem for his realistic move and had a discussion with President. The LTTE supporters who are dreaming a separate country whilst especially living outside the country need to create a gap between the government and Tamil leaders, Mr. Smapanthen’s efforts apparently they cannot digest reading through certain comments.
As they live out side the country, they need to control the Tamil politicians remotely who were elected by the people through their democratic mandate. I suggest Mr. Sampanthen; please don’t fell into their trap. We can resolve our issue if we can close each other and have one-to-one discussions as civilized people only. As you got official right from your people through legal way, you shouldn’t listen to outsider. Like Prabhakaran failed to fulfill his extreme goals going head-on with President, other remaining his supporters will also fail to reach their ethnic beliefs. You could discuss and find a solution with him as he is very flexible for such civilized method.
We think rather than trying to form a government with TNA and SLMC; I suggest TNA to do it with the help of UPFA as well (national government). Then as a team you could appoint the Chief Minister; 2 years for Tamil person, another 2 years for Muslim and balance 1 year for Sinhala person considering the population density of the province. When UPFA involves, you could develop the region without any resistance broadly. When you contest for Northern Provincial election, you could follow your own different strategy alone without UPFA.
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cumar / September 18, 2012
If you want to talk about population density for the forming the eastern province why not implement this to all, like Jobs, Ministers, and also President too can be rotated. what you thing about this? if this can happen Sri Lanka can be one nation.
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Sarath Silva / September 19, 2012
Dear Cumar,
My intention was to suggest one of the best options for the EPC issue and resolve it with good-natured way because that is the only province where 3 communities are living more or less equally. That is the best way to serve with best interest of the people who had suffered last 30 years to obtain best possible service from the EPC without facing cross fires of pulling legs by each party.
Jobs: Tell me any institution where Tamils were undercut without giving jobs? Any sector best suitable person can receive the job including medical sector? (But most of the Tamils who got free education from the money of Sri Lankans and lived peacefully in non-war areas were going abroad for their selfishness).
Furthermore, during British ruler’s time, Tamil minority was given higher positions just to create conflicts among Sinhala majority according to their ‘divide and rule’ strategy. The Tamils who got such positions had done favoritism to their people and undercut Sinhalese. Ex. My aunt went for the practical test of the University entrance after getting through the theory paper with highest marks but she was given a broken Cockroach to intersect whereas Tamil candidate were given good one. Finally Tamil person was selected by the Tamil examiner hence he entered to the medical college and my aunty had to do BSc (bio). However, as she was talented and did further studies and she obtained later (2000 decade) a Principle position in a big school in Colombo. Even in the Civil service also did utter favoritisms.
Ministers: Did government not provide ministerial positions? If Tamils can represent the government more as MPs in Northern area they could give more. From other areas if they cannot enter what can they do?
President: Is President’s petition filled with set of people or single person in the election? In which country a set of executive presidents are appointing though an election like appointing MPs? Can rotate one president’s position as you said? Absurd point. But if you referred the Prime Minister position, then of cause ‘YES’. As Sinhalese we like that without any racial feelings. I am sure if Mr. Lakshman Kadiragamer alive he would have been the PM of present cabinet.
Anyway such facts should discuss and find solutions at the “Parliamentary Select Committee” (PSC) but TNA is still dragging their participation saying various excuses. As PSC represents all parties those were appointed by the people hence that is the BEST place to discuss our issues. I suggest Mr. Sampanthen to understand said reality without listing to Eelam daydreamers and find a solution through PSC. May be PSC represents either Sinhala, Muslim or Tamil unbiased parties but that is called democracy but they could keep trust on major parties.
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Sarath Silva / September 21, 2012
Dear all members of the government and Mr. Sampanthen,
Although now already PC government has formed by the UPFA and SLMC but I should suggest both government and TNA to discuss and reform it as ‘national government’. That is the best way to develop the Eastern Province and serve with best interest of all 3 communities living in that area.
It will not make any harm TNA to contest Northern PC separately (like SLMC did at EPC) in next year. Think broadly than narrowly because we all are children of mother Sri Lanka even though we had massive differences especially last 30 years.
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