TNA victory must immediately respond to closure of illegal paramilitary activities
| by Rajasingham Jayadevan
( September 22, 2013, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) The much needed resounding victory for the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) must be consolidated and strengthened to redress the impediments placed to undermine the very democratic will of the Tamil people. The task ahead for the TNA is innumerable and will be challenging with inadequate resources at disposal to face the challenges.
With the controlling interests of the hostile government that will play its due role to undermine the very free and fair functioning of the Northern Provincial governance by its various overt and covert manipulations and cowardly actions, TNA administration of the north is going to be challenging one for Sri Lanka. It will be the one and only council that will expose the fallacies of the devolved administration and the entrenched attitude of the state towards the minorities.
The Northern election has confirmed the hypocrisy of the state that aligned with the gun trotting illegal outfit EPDP to manipulate the outcome in favour of the government. The undemocratic EPDP has extended its influence through illegal means to undermine the overwhelming will of the Tamil people. Time has come to tame the rascality of this group through available judicious and governance process as a priority. The issues involved with the EPDP are:
- They must be made to leave the illegal occupation of the Sridhar Theatre in Jaffna from where all their illegal activities are navigated from.
- EPDP’s influence in the Jaffna administrative Secretariat (Kachcheri) must be brought to an end.
- A public inquiry must be undertaken to establish the illegal activities of the EPDP and its leader that chokes the very fabric of the Tamil society. EPDP’s illegal activities is said to include illegal trading in cement, unlawfully raping of building sand from seaside, operating illegal public bus service, engaging in hidden deals in the construction service, trading in food and material in and out of Jaffna etc. These are done without paying any tax to the Revenue and the EPDP leaders engagement with the government is preventing the law enforcing agencies reaching him on these issues.
- EPDP must be made to surrender its arms in a public way through political and legal processes.
- EPDP’s controlling interest in the islands off Jaffna peninsula must be brought to an end through good governance processes as the people in the islets are held as hostages by this group. There were incidences of serious crimes being perpetrated by this group in the islands and the controlling interest of the paramilitary has made many citizens migrating to the main lands.
- Effort must be made to inquire into the killings, hostage takings and the nefarious activities of the EPDP through available processes to make them accountable for their deeds.
Dealing with the EPDP must be a pre-requisite, whilst carrying forward the other burgeoning issues facing the Tamils. The EPDP group will be a reprehensible lethal force that will undermine the very good intents of the Northern administration with all its illegal immoral ways.
The TNA must ensure to establish good governance practices for its northern administration by setting up controls and accountability process for its elected members and the administration in the Council. TNA’s conduct must be transparent and tolerant enough to respond to the wider views in a respectable manner.
Strengths of the Tamil Diaspora must be harnessed to enhance the socio-economic status of the Tamils and TNA must also stretch its hands and welcome the right thinking minds in the majority Sinhalese community.
The absolute victory in the Northern Provincial Council has strengthened the hands of the TNA and it must work towards forging a better relationship with the Muslim community whom seldom sympathised with the overwhelming political way path of the Tamils and are now facing horrendous pressures from the government to subdue them.
The expectations of the Tamil community are very high but unfortunately restricted resources and constraints imposed by the state will weaken any sincere intents but TNA must act above board to lay the foundation for the difficult nation building process for the Tamils.
