TNA Manifesto & UNP

Ira de Silva London

“It is imperative that the UNP, SLFP and all other parties clearly state their intentions and attitudes regarding the TNA manifesto without confusion, obfuscation and half truths and include them in their manifestos and  public speeches. There is no room for confusion and vagueness. The TNA has not changed it’s goal and have made it abundantly clear. It is now the turn of all political party leaders to respond so that voters know if they agree with the TNA or not.”

Reference  the statement by the Deputy Foreign Minister on the TNA manifesto. The TNA, which acted as a proxy for the LTTE,  continues to support the division of Sri Lanka and the establishment of Eelam in the northern and eastern provinces supported and funded by the pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora. The problem with these statements from the Foreign Ministry is that they are not only ambiguous but do not clearly indicate that they will not permit the division of the country or in any way collaborate with the TNA and other anti Sri Lanka parties, who are communal based parties, wanting parts of the country as their own to the exclusion of the other communities. With the election on August 17, it is time for the leaders to make a commitment to the voters of Sri Lanka that they will not, under any circumstances, enable / facilitate the division of the country, or create enclaves for communal and religious groups, for short term political gain as has been the practice up to now.

Will the leaders of the current government and opposition do the following:Make a clear statement that they will not accommodate communal based politics to the detriment of the country as a whole.

Immediately issue a statement and broadcast it in all media that there will be no merger of the northern and eastern provinces under any circumstances.

Guarantee that any and all consultations with all stakeholders will be based on the premise that no one community will be permitted to prevent Sri Lankan’s freedom of movement and the right to live and work anywhere in the island.  It is a fundamental right. There should be zero tolerance for exclusive rights to any part of the country.

While provincial leaders have the right to express their opinions,  that they will be held to account when they act against Sri Lanka. That the government will challenge the numerous falsehoods submitted to international organizations that there was genocide, rape and torture was rampant and committed by the security forces, withdrawal of the security forces from areas they consider their own to the exclusion of other communities and  the claim of grievances that have never been defined.  Since January 2015 there has been an escalation of these actions against the country and the Government has been silent.

There has been much publicity that the Government wants expatriates to return, invest in Sri Lanka etc. However,  the Foreign Minister met with pro-LTTE organizations overseas who funded and supported the LTTE supposedly for reconciliation. These pro-LTTE groups still collect money for their goal of Eelam and fund the TNA to carry out their goals. It  is a damning indictment that he ignored other non-LTTE expatriates who have supported the country against division for the last thirty years. Any statement that comes from a ministry that allies itself with pro-LTTE groups to the exclusion of others, is suspect. A clear statement must be made that ALL stakeholders will be consulted, not a chosen few.

Make a clear statement that NO pact will be entered into with the TNA. Mr. Perera claims that the UNP “never entered into any pacts with the TNA except on re-establishing good governance and the rule of law”. This implies that there was some form of “pact”. He needs to clarify this statement because  good governance and establishing the rule of law does not need a pact with any party. That is the duty of any government.

It is imperative that the UNP, SLFP and all other parties clearly state their intentions and attitudes regarding the TNA manifesto without confusion, obfuscation and half truths and include them in their manifestos and  public speeches. There is no room for confusion and vagueness. The TNA has not changed it’s goal and have made it abundantly clear. It is now the turn of all political party leaders to respond so that voters know if they agree with the TNA or not.

It is the responsibility of the media to highlight important issues and ensure that the electorate is well informed.

Yours truly,

Ira de Silva
London

www.lankaweb.com



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