TNA tries to win LTTE demands - Weerakumara Dissanayake

By Manjula Fernando

Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development Deputy Minister and National Freedom Front member Weerakumara Dissanayake in an interview with the Sunday Observer referring to the TNA-UNP alliance said the UNP had singed pacts with even terrorist leaders during desperate times.

He called on all moderates to realise the danger of the TNA's attempt to equate the Provincial Council (PC) polls to a referendum, seeking land, police powers and the merger of the North and the East to consolidate their efforts towards winning eelam.

Excerpts of the interview,

Q: The TNA released their election manifesto for the Northern Provincial Council election recently. The TNA has been accused of trying to create ethnic tensions as a tactic to win the forthcoming PC polls. How do you see this development?

A: Even before their manifesto was released the NFF predicted what would be in the document. Now the prediction has come true. They have demanded the merger of the North and the East, land and police powers among others. Such powers are beyond the powers a PC can enjoy. What we gather from their manifesto is that it is futile to ask the TNA to deviate from communal politics. They thrive on it and are least interested in addressing the common problems of the Tamil people.

Their manifesto outlines exactly what the LTTE fought for with their guns. The only difference is that the TNA is trying to win the same demands with the ‘vote'.

We don't see this manifesto as their first move. It is the baby they delivered after much preparation. The danger is that the TNA is trying to equate the PC polls to a referendum. After the election they will go to the international community saying they have received the mandate to implement their election manifesto which calls for land and police powers. They will give it validity on the premise that it is the wish of all Tamil people. The Government must realise the danger.

The manifesto does not outline how they would address the pressing problems of the Tamils, such as, housing, livelihoods, education and employment. Nor does it explain how they plan to serve the people of the North if elected. The TNA seems to be in a different orbit than the ordinary Northern people. One cannot help but notice the conflict of interest between the TNA and the Tamil people. Are they trying to appease the Western countries and the LTTE diaspora who is funding them or their voters? The elections to the Northern province became a possibility, since the government liberated the areas from the LTTE terror grip. The LTTE suppressed, intimidated, killed, abducted and extorted their own people . The TNA is trying to revive what the people of Sri Lanka is trying to forget.

Q: The UNP has allegedly offered to help the TNA after the election if they fail to get enough votes to win the northern PC. They have reportedly held a secret meeting to discuss an arrangement. Your comments?

A: The UNP having a secret pact with the TNA is nothing new to this country. Not just the TNA they had a pact with even the terrorist leader Prabhakaran. The UNP is not bothered about the TNA policies whether they are asking for a separate state or trying to cheat the Tamil voters and work towards realising the LTTE dream.

The UNP's ultimate goal is to topple the government and grab power. They will go to any length to get it. They have realised that their time is fast running out. For this they will join forces even with the devil. In their desperation to gain power they will even offer an eelam to the TNA.

It is alright to have an alliance with the TNA to develop the Northern province but the TNA manifesto is not about Northern development. The TNA's election manifesto is their first call towards a separate state in the North and the East. This is the reason why they have called for the merger of the two provinces. These are not people's demands! The UNP offers to assist if the TNA falls short of votes. We call this an unholy affair.

Q: Why do you call it an unholy affair?

A: The TNA is trying to consolidate their path to Eelam. The UNP's intention is to form their government soon before the remaining party members and their supporters abandon the party due to frustration. Both parties have desperate needs. History has it, when in desperation the UNP does not hesitate to put the country at stake. The Indo-Lanka pact was one such instance. Then there is the famous ceasefire agreement between Ranil Wickremasinghe and Prabhakaran. What is happening now is history repeating itself.

Q: Last week the JHU disassociated itself from the sittings of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on finding a political solution. Your comments?

A: The NFF and the JHU policies tally on certain matters. For instance, we share some of their concerns on devolving powers. But that is not to say that we will follow their foot steps on each an every action. However, we cannot criticize their decision to leave the PSC. They will take decisions as a party, it is not based on individual opinions.

At the moment we do not see the necessity to depart from the select committee process. After all it was appointed by the Speaker not R.Sampanthan or the TNA. It may be the secret wish of the TNA also to see southern parties pull out. We are not convinced that this process should be stopped, but rather the process needs to be expedited.

But we do not rule out the possibility of our pulling out if the TNA continues to walk in their current chosen path.