Anti-Fonseka Group within the TNA prevails

Attempts made by the Tamil National Alliance's SMS leadership (R. Sampanthan, Mavai S. Senathirajah, and Suresh Premachandran) - a subtle move to thrust a decision on the rest of the TNA Parliamentary Group MPs to back New Democratic Front Presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka, the decimator of Tamils' resistance, has again come to a cropper yesterday, with the majority of the parliamentarians present stiffly resisting the move.

R. Sampanthan

The yesterday's meeting of the TNA Parliamentary group was attended by 12 out of the 22 Members of Parliament, which was presided over by the group leader R. Sampanthan.

It is understood that questions were raised by some concerned MPs for not extending the invitation to attend to three of its MPs, namely - the Presidential candidate M.K. Sivajilingham, his proposer N. Srikantha and also Sivananthan Kisshor - the Vanni electoral district Parliamentarian who has publicly announced of his support to President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Asian Tribune learnt that the explanation was given by one of the members of the SMS leadership that the conduct of those three MPs needed to be discussed by the parliamentary group and hence they were not invited.

This abrasive explanation failed to find favour with most of those parliamentarians. Finding that there was opposition in this regard, the SMS leadership shifted the focus to the discussion they had with Former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka and company.

It became evident that 7 TNA MPs were quiet clear with their stance that TNA should not support either Sarath Fonseka or President Mahinda Rajapaksa.Though the meeting lasted for three and a half to four hours, even skipping the lunch, there was no signs of any positive inclination on the part of the majority of the MPs to accept the proposal of the SMS leadership, that subtly and ingeniously introduced the agenda with vested interest, other than taking the interest of the Tamils in particular, according to a Parliamentarian who attended yesterday's group meeting.

It is learnt that TNA parliamentarians Gajendrakumar Ponnampalam, Solomon Cyril, Vino Noharathalingham, Packiyaselvam Ariyanethiran, Selvarajah Kajendran, Pathmini Sithamparanathan and Kathirgamathamby Thurairetnasingham showed their opposition to back Sarath Fonseka.

The trio forming the SMS leadership, R. Sampanthan, Mavai Senathirajah, Suresh Premachandran and the other EPRLF MP from Vanni Sivasakthi Anananthan spoke in favour of supporting Sarath Fonseka.

Mavai S. Senathirajah	Suresh Premachandran

Furthermore, the National list MP from Jaffna Raseen Mohammed Imam was not supportive and remain evasive.The notable absentees for the parliamentary group meetings were Selvam Adaikalanathan - President of the TELO, Dr. Thomas Thangathurai William, and the other nominated MP from the East Chandra Nehru Chandrakanthan.It is also learnt that those 3 MPs are also opposed to supporting either of the two main Presidential candidates.

In this scenario with Senathirajah Jeyananthamoorthy has already expressed his opposition to TNA extending its support to any of the two main contenders in the Presidential election, it is now very clear that despite SMS leadership trying their best to outsmart the TNA MPs, a failed ploy similar to those ploys adopted in the earlier days by the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchchi leadership in the sixties and in the beginning of the seventies, the SMS leadership remains isolated and vanquished.

To this report, it is also important to add that M. K. Sivajilingham - the TELO Leader and his proposer N. Srikantha, Jaffna district MP have already defied the hegemony of the SMS leadership, with the former entering the Presidential fray.

Also mentioned should be made about Thangeswary Kathiraman, MP from Batticaloa, who has already expressed her frustration over the manipulation of the SMS leadership.

As it is, it is clear that the SMS leadership remains isolated, the stance of other Batticaloa MP Thanmanpillai Kanagasabai, who is now in India, is yet to be made known. As all the other 3 Batticaloa district TNA parliamentarians going against Fonseka, it is expected that he too would join the rest of the parliamentarians from the district.

The only exception in the whole scenario is Sathasivam Kanagaratnam MP. He is being held at the 4th Floor of the Police Secretariat since 19 May 2009, just after the conclusion of the bloody conflict.The SMS leadership so far has not taken any concrete measures for his release, except *Asian Tribune *which continues to highlight his case and plight and urges for his release.

It is learnt that only two TNA parliamentarians - Vanni District MP Sivananthan Kisshor and N. Srikantha were the two who have visited him in the 4th floor.

Furthermore, at the conclusion of the group meeting, announcement for the next group meeting was made as it will be held in the first week of January 2010, most probably when the next parliamentary sitting is scheduled on 5th January 2010.

The SMS leadership also announced that, they might be visiting New Delhi. They said that they expect an invitation from New Delhi soon for talks about the political development in Sri Lanka and the position of the Tamils at the present context.In the meantime, it is understood that Sivajilingham, the Presidential candidate, who is presently in the United Kingdom, is expected to return to Colombo this weekend.

- Courtesy: Asian Tribune