Conducive environment vital for talks - ITAK president

I was elected as ITAK President a week ago for two years. The founder leader of ITAK was S.J.V. Chelvanayakam. He was elected twice. The next President was C.Vanniasingam. Then N.R. Rajavarothiam from Trincomalee and thereafter Dr.E.M.V. Naganathan.

By Manjula Fernando

Mavai Senathirajah

New Illangai Thamil Arasai Katchi (ITAK) president, Mavai Senathirajah indicated that the Tamil coalition justified the demands in the 15 resolutions passed at the recently concluded ITAK Convention as a means to ensure a conducive environment for negotiations to commence.

Q: You have been appointed the leader of ITAK at the September 7 Convention in Vauniya. Will the coalition tread a different path under your leadership?

A:I was elected as ITAK President a week ago for two years. The founder leader of ITAK was S.J.V. Chelvanayakam. He was elected twice.

The next President was C.Vanniasingam. Then V.R.Rajavarothiam from Trincomalee and thereafter Dr.E.M.V.Naganathan. The next President Mr.Rasamanickam was elected three consecutive times. A.Amirthalingam was elected later followed by R.Sampanthan.

At the Convention we came up with 15 resolutions. We would like the Government to take note of these resolutions in finding a political solution. During the time of the talks between the Government and the TNA in 2011, we submitted our proposals after 18 rounds of talks, We submitted our proposals on how to settle the current situation and head for a political solution.

Q: What was the outcome of the ITAK convention?

A:At the ITAK convention we resolved that if the Government within three months fails to take any steps to pressing issues, we will launch a satyagraha campaign.

There are several parties in ITAK, we propose to bring in the Muslim community and the progressive forces of the south as well, we want to form a broader front.

This campaign will be launched primarily in the North and the East, if we feel there is no other way to find solutions to our day- to- day issues and also a political solution.

We talked with the Indian government, the former Congress government and continue to talk with the new Indian government, as well as the international community. We are going to inform them of the situation.

Q: At your recent meeting with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he advised you to engage with the Government to agree on a political solution. Now you are getting ready for a Satyagraha campaign. Is your action going against his advice or in keeping with it?

A:They are not demanding us to talk to the Government but it was a suggestion that the Government and the TNA should sit down for talks to find a solution.

Because of that we have come out with the 15 resolutions. This was done so as to give time to the Government. Our position is that they should create a conducive environment for talks.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said that he is prepared to talk to the TNA. I saw this in the newspapers today.

Now the responsibility of the Government is to inform the TNA in writing that the Government is ready to talk.

The second is to create a conducive environment and the third is to submit a proposal on the part of the Government.

If these requirements are met we are ready to talk with the Government. We want self rule within a united Sri Lanka. This is our prime issue, to have a Centre and then get maximum devolution of power to the peripheries in a federal form of Government.

What the Indian Prime Minister stressed was to find a solution constructively.

Q: You said the TNA is ready to come to negotiations if the Government submitted their own proposals, then what would be the forum for the discussions - the PSC?

A:In 2011 October, suddenly they asked the TNA to come to the negotiating table, I think we were not prepared to go to PSC level at the time. We already had an agreement with the President and our leader Sampanthan to find a political solution.

We are in doubt about the constituent parties of the PSC. The communist party and the LSSP are not included in the PSC.

Q: Are you suggesting that the Government and the TNA must come to an agreement and then discuss it with the other parties?

A:We say there needs to be a conducive environment for talks to begin. The people in India - some 120,000 people in camps and thousands of others living elsewhere - must feel safe to come back and resettle here in their original lands.

TNA leader clearly said the presence of a third party at the table was absolutely essential.

Q: The 15 resolutions passed at the TNA convention spell out too many conditions to resume talks, it seems there are all the ingredients for it to be a non-event.

A:We are facing so many problems, that is why these conditions have been set. We want the Government to sort them out so that we could find a political solution. Therefore, the need is there to put forth demands.

Q: The Government accuses that only about 20% of the allocations to the NPC are being utilised by the Council which is a grave injustice as far as the people of the North are concerned. Your comments ?

A:That is not correct. I think even in my speech at the convention I mentioned the correct position.

The Government has allocated Rs.5531 million for the Northern Provincial Council. But Rs.1876 million is allowed to be utilised by the Council.

Q: Anyone of your members being invited to give evidence before the UNHRC probe on Sri Lanka?

A:We have not received any invitations yet. But our view is if anything is needed we are prepared to give evidence.

Q: Have you made any plans to meet the new UNHRC Chief Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein of Jordan?

A:The Government has said they were going to meet him.

But we have no such resolution for the time being, if there is a need we will meet. There is no issue.

Q: Is ITAK or TNA is fielding a candidate in the event of a Presidential election next year?

A:We have submitted a proposal and we will collectively take a decision with the TNA leadership. But we have not yet made up our minds as to how the TNA or the ITAK is going to face a future Presidential election.

No final decision has been reached whether to field our own candidate or support another. Once the announcement is made for the presidential polls we will take a decision.

Q: There are plans to register the TNA as a political party, in that instance what will happen to ITAK ?

A:This too is still under discussion, as to how we will work together if the TNA becomes a registered political party. There are so many proposals.

We have a plan to bring in Muslims and the hill country Tamils, all these democratic forces into a broader front.

That is a long process, but we will decide as to how we could work together.