{"id":136048,"date":"2015-01-03T12:09:25","date_gmt":"2015-01-03T06:39:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=136048"},"modified":"2015-01-09T11:48:34","modified_gmt":"2015-01-09T06:18:34","slug":"this-presidential-election-is-unique-tamils-should-vote-for-the-survival-of-democracy-gtf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/this-presidential-election-is-unique-tamils-should-vote-for-the-survival-of-democracy-gtf\/","title":{"rendered":"This Presidential Election Is Unique; Tamils Should Vote For The Survival Of Democracy: GTF"},"content":{"rendered":"

This presidential election is unique in that it does not even speak a word about the decades of conflict or war or the post-war atrocities but only about failure of democracy and rule of law in the country, says Rev Father S J Emmanuel<\/span><\/a>, President of Global Tamil Forum<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Rev.<\/a>

Rev. Dr S.J. Emmanuel<\/p><\/div>\n

Issuing a statement today he said; “I prefer to give only one answer as to why Tamils are asked by GTF to vote and that for the survival of democracy and rule of law.<\/p>\n

“We Tamils of Sri Lanka are unfortunately caught up in a pseudo democracy bequeathed by the British colonials to the then Ceylon, namely a a Sinhala-Buddhist-majoritarian democracy, which from the beginning was an exclusive sinhala buddhist nationalism detrimental to all minorities.<\/p>\n

“For the last 66 years we have been victims of the worst human right violations and our democratic protests as well as our militant struggle have been crushed and even today we are labeled as separatists and terrorists and considered scape-goats for all evils in the Country.<\/p>\n

“This presidential election is unique in that it does not even speak a word about the decades of conflict or war or the post-war atrocities but only about failure of democracy and rule of law in the country.<\/p>\n

“Hence Tamils, though victimised for decades and even marginalised in this election, still have the good of the country and of all peoples at heart and wish the triumph of democracy and rule of law. It is in this spirit that Tamils have been called to exercise their franchise for the survival of democracy and rule of law.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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