TNA informs PM parliamentarians meeting not a substitute for P’ment

• Attends meet and hands in statement to PM which calls for measures to address Tamil minority issues
• Emphasises P’ment must be reconvened to deal with several constitutional and legal issues that have arisen
• Says TNA decision to attend meeting is to clearly indicate it is prepared to extend cooperation for resolution of issues in reasonable and acceptable manner

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), one of the few main political parties which attended the meeting summoned by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said its decision to attend was to address several important issues and emphasised that the gathering could not be taken as a substitute for Parliament.  

The TNA also said they had decided to be present at the meeting to clearly indicate that the party is prepared to extend its cooperation to the resolution of national issues in a reasonable and acceptable manner in the interests of the country and all its people. 

The statement signed by the four constituent parties of the TNA was handed over to Prime Minister Rajapaksa at yesterday's meeting.

In the statement, the TNA outlined its reason for attending the meeting but emphasised that the meeting summoned by the Prime Minister is not and cannot be a substitute for convening the Parliament.

“We are of the firm view that the Parliament must be reconvened as stated in our joint statement to deal with several constitutional and legal issues that have arisen, which Parliament alone can deal with,” the TNA said.

The TNA said the country and the people are in a situation of grave crisis due to several factors including the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been gradually escalating and much more needs to be done to eradicate it completely from the country. “There is a legitimate fear amongst the people that it could further escalate with grave consequences and the country’s united efforts are needed in this regard,” the TNA said.

The TNA also addressed several other issues in its statement including the need for constitutional reforms to address the national question.

“At all National Elections over the past 25 years since 1994, over five terms of both Parliament and presidency, the people have in the exercise of their sovereignty – their franchise, rejected the 1978 Constitution, and given a mandate for the enactment of a new Constitution, encompassing all three components of their sovereignty – Powers of Governance – including Legislative, Executive and Judicial power – fundamental rights and their franchise. 

“This mandate of the people in the exercise of their sovereignty has not been fulfilled and the country continues to be governed under a Constitution rejected by the people for over 25 years,” the TNA said in its statement.

It added that the Parliament elected in 2015 unanimously resolved to convert itself into a Committee of the whole Parliament – termed a Constitutional Assembly with a Steering Committee and subcommittees in charge of different subjects and an Experts Committee to formulate a new Constitution dealing primarily with three issues namely the Executive Presidency, Electoral Reforms to Parliament and the National Question the Tamil Question (Sharing of Powers of Governance).

“All political parties were represented in the several committees established, there was substantial consensus, reports of the committees were filed in the Constitutional Assembly, the process reached its final stages, when it stalled until the dissolution of Parliament,” the TNA said.

“The National Question, the sharing of the Powers of Governance, has since the enactment of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, been addressed by all political parties and political leaders and successive governments since 1991 – and much progress has been made – public commitments have been made to the country and to the international community – in regard to how this issue would be addressed and concluded in an acceptable way.”

“The support of the international community was obtained based on such commitments. These commitments have to be kept in the interests of national peace, regional peace, and world peace. It would otherwise appear that the international community was also deceived to betray the Tamil people who were the victims.”

The TNA also referred to the worsening economic crisis the country is facing.

“We have decided that we need to attend the meeting with the Prime Minister, because all these issues outlined above need to be addressed and to clearly indicate that we are prepared to extend our cooperation to the resolution of these issues in a reasonable and acceptable manner in the interests of the country and all its people,” the TNA said.

The statement was signed by Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader Sampanthan, Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) Leader Mavai Senathirajah, Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) Leader Selvam Adaikkalanathan and People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) Leader Dharmalingham Siddathan.