The Way Of A Tamil Formation – EPRLF And It’s Suresh Premachandran
S.Sivathasan
Even as all Tamils approach the hour of destiny and look forward to the moment of awakening, comes a discordant note from the head of a constituent group of TNA, the EPRLF. The statement in TamilWin is now in the public domain from 10th evening, SL time. Little does Suresh realize that the attention of the world is upon us when the Council assumes its full form with the Ministers and the members taking their oath of office. At issue is not any principle, but crass advancement of self. Suresh taking umbrage at the Chief Minister and the TNA, saying they have ruffled the feathers of his younger brother. Why? Because the latter wanted to be the minister of agriculture and that wish was not met.
Was it to meet his personal ambition that an election was held? For what purpose did the people struggle? Why did they make all those sacrifices? Is it not the task of leadership to symbolize their aspirations, to burn the dross in their own selves and to lead them to the promised land? This was precisely the path of idealism that Chief Minister Wigneswaran was seeking to chalk out in the last few weeks. It is now for everyone to stand steadfastly by him and the TNA.
The Atman insignificant by itself, merging with Paramatman is held out to be the ultimate and the ideal of many Hindus. In like manner a nondescript EPRLF, ventured to add respectability to itself by first rubbing shoulders with the TULF. Then it aligned itself with the TNA. But never did it merge in it. It wanted to maintain its separateness to cash in on a situation by presenting its IOU at the appropriate time. The way Kaikaeyi in Ramayana turned villainess to spoil Rama’s coronation on the very eve. Not losing its identity for the Tamil cause, but bolstering its electoral fortunes for its own sectarian interests was its clear priority. It stands proven now. Read More
Sri Lanka: Coming To Term With New Environment
TNA chief minister for NPC
Col. (retd) R.Hariharan
It would be facile to describe the swearing in of CV Wigneswaran as the chief minister of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) at the ‘Temple Trees’ in the presence of President Mahinda Rajapaksa on October 7, 2013 as a breakthrough in the troubled relationship between the Sinhala majority and the Tamil minority. Both the communities have many more miles to go before they can forge a new relationship.
After all the pre-election rhetoric, a chief minister of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) – a party described till yesterday as LTTE proxies – swearing by the constitution in the presence of the Sri Lanka President does herald a change. It signals the willingness of both the TNA and the government to evolve a working relationship. The Sri Lankan military’s action of blowing up one of the final abodes of LTTE leader Prabhakaran on the election-eve may well portend changes more than symbolic. Even otherwise, it is a good beginning that might turn out of be nothing more than that if it is not sustained.
There is no doubt the NPC chief minister has a difficult task of meeting voters’ aspirations within the constricting format of 13the Amendment (13A) ‘Minus.’ And to get some results he has to progress a dialogue with a highly assertive national leadership. Added to this is the opprobrium of TNA being considered as an Indian proxy while trying to live down its unpleasant client relationship with LTTE in the past.
The ‘India proxy’ tag of TNA seems to cloud the thinking of not only key national leaders but even better informed Sri Lankans. A case in point is the editorial description of the well merited TNA electoral victory by the Sunday Times, Colombo, on October 29. It said: “India has eventually got its way by having its proxy now in power and place in the North of Sri Lanka. This was the foothold it had wanted all these years and it is going to be more than a headache for the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government that caved in to concerted pressure from the so-called “international community”. Was this the sum total of an election held after 25 years? Does it require international pressure for an elected government to “cave in” to conduct its own election?
