“No interest in government formation”- Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 December 2001, 12:40 GMT]
“The Tamil National Alliance said Saturday that it has no interest in the formation of the new government. “We will do nothing to derogate from the verdict of the Sinhalese in the south. But we will not allow ourselves to be manipulated in anyway. Beyond this we have no interest in the formation of the new government”, said Mr. R. Sampanthan, MP for Trincomalee and a senior leader of the Tamil National Alliance. “The elections have proved beyond all reasonable doubt that the Tamil people are solidly behind the Liberation Tigers. The results are also an endorsement that the Tamils are a distinct nation and that they have the right to self-determination. The Tamils have endorsed that the Liberation Tigers are their sole representatives, Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham TNA MP for Batticaloa said.

“We expect the Sinhala political parties to negotiate only with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on the basis of a Sinhala consensus with third party international mediation. There can be no resolution to the Tamil national question without a Sinhala consensus,” Mr. Sampanthan said.

“Both major political parties should come with a solution to the Tamil national question instead of saying that they are prepared for talks with all concerned. We shall make every effort both in and out parliament to actively pursue the goals that we have defined in the Tamil National Alliance manifesto” he added.

The TNA manifesto clearly defines that the government in power should negotiate only with the Liberation Tigers through third party international mediation, lifting the ban on LTTE in Sri Lanka, enabling them to participate in such talks as the sole representative of Tamil people and lifting of economic embargo in the northeast province.

Mr. Sampanthan further said: “The Tamil National Alliance will not allow the resolution of the Tamil national question to be delayed indefinitely any longer. It must be understood by all concerned that a just and durable solution to the Tamil national question cannot be denied any longer. It must be given the most urgent and serious consideration by the Sinhala political leadership and Sinhala political parties”.

“We appeal to the international community to impress upon the Sri Lankan Government and the Sinhala political parties in the opposition that unity and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka can be preserved only upon the basis of a just and durable solution to the Tamil national question. The consequences of the failure to evolve a just and durable solution to the Tamil national question must be clearly understood by all concerned,” said Mr. Sampanthan.

Mr. Sampanthan said that the blame for the Tamil national question not being resolved lies entirely with the Sinhala political leadership and Sinhala political parties. “Lack of comprehension and inconsistency together with lack of consensus amongst the major Sinhala political parties have been the cause for the failure to evolve a just and durable solution to the Tamil national question”, added Mr. Sampanthan.

“No Sinhala leadership or Sinhala political party can say that the moderate Tamil political leadership has not contributed constructively to the resolution of the Tamil national question. The international community is fully aware of the constructive role played by the Tamil moderate leadership towards the resolution of the Tamil national question and the frustrations and futility it had to face for the last 53 years due to the duplicity and deceit of successive Sinhala regimes”, stressed Mr. Sampanthan.