Five more parties to enter political fray:

Competition for TNA in North and East

by P. Krishnaswamy

Indicating a progressively changing democratic political scenario in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, more political parties are preparing to enter the fray, ahead of the August 17 Parliamentary Elections.

While the exact number of such political parties and groups may be available after the filing of nominations is completed, at least five Tamil political parties and groups, apart from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), intend contesting the polls.

This changing scenario may imply a close fight for the TNA which hitherto easily swept the polls, in both Parliamentary and Provincial Councils elections, given that the TNA has largely gone politically unchallenged.

New parties

This time around, some of the contenders include new parties/groups that have enrolled ex-combatants and political activists of both the LTTE and the Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students ( EROS), the latter having been in existence since the 80s and having held about 13 parliamentary seats during the late 80s.

The five parties - two of them newly founded - that are contesting the polls in the North and East along with the TNA are : 1) the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) led by former Minister and parliamentarian Douglas Devananda, 2) The All Ceylon Tamil Maha Sabha (ACTMS) led by Dr. K.V.Wigneswaran , an advisor to the former North-East Provincial Council (PC) Chief Minister A.Varadaraja Perumal and former advisor to EPDP leader, Douglas Devananda, with Thambiappa Gopalakrishnan as the party General Secretary, 3) The Crusaders For Democracy (CFD) , a political party officially inaugurated only last Friday(3) in Jaffna with veteran journalist Nadesapillai Vithyadaran as its leader and comprising former regional political leaders and activists of the LTTE, 4) the Eelavar Democratic Front (EDF) , the political party of the Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students (EROS) with Rajanathan Prabaharan as its leader and 5) the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) led by former parliamentarian Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, grandson of G.G.Ponnambalam and founder of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC).

TNA Spokesman M.A.Sumanthiran and the leaders of the other five political parties talked to the Sunday Observer on their plans and strategies regarding their polls campaigns and other related matters.

TNA Spokesman M.A.Sumanthiran MP said that they would also be fielding candidates in Colombo and Gampaha Districts and were holding discussions with the three-party alliance, the Tamil Progressive Front (TPF) led by Western PC member, Mano Ganeshan. A decision on the matter will be taken during the course of next week.

ACTMS General Secretary Thambiappa Gopalakrishnan said, the people of the North and East want a change in their political leadership.

They need a party that would work for their immediate needs. They would insist on the full implementation of the 13Amendment, he said.

Rajanathan Prabhaharan, Secretary General, Eelavar Democratic Front (EDF), the political party of the EROS said the party was founded by V.Balakumaran who joined the LTTE in 1990.

The North, East people now need a new political leadership because the existing parties are "outdated," he said.The party was very active in the plantation areas and they we would field candidates in the plantation areas as well, he said. Douglas Devananda, leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) -former Minister and parliamentarian said, his party most probably go it alone but was holding discussions in Colombo with certain major national political parties of the South to consider possibilities of forging an alliance.

CFD

Nadesapillai Vithiyatharan, veteran journalist and Convener of the CFD said, they officially founded their party mainly comprising ex-LTTE combatants, their representatives, supporters and well-wishers from Mullaitivu, Mannar, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Jaffna and Batticaloa Districts.

They decided to request the TNA leadership to include CFD members in the list of candidates of the TNA, at the rate of two in each list, to run for the parliamentary elections so that they would be offered an opportunity to play a role dedicatedly in the democratic mainstream towards the political and socio-economic welfare of the Tamils in terms of their commitments. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, leader of the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF ) said, the party policy is recognition of Sri Lanka as a multi-national country belonging to all communities and totally shunning the concept that the country belongs only to the Sinhala Buddhists. He party is fielding candidates in all electoral districts in the North and East, he said.