TMVP to drop ‘Tiger’ label

By Shanika SRIYANANDA

[email protected]

The time is not good for tigers. While the four-legged-Tigers are on the brink of extinction, the two-legged Tigers are being chased further into the jungles of Mullaithivu. Going by the natural phenomenon, Sri Lanka’s first ever political party, which has the word ‘Tiger’ and used a tiger as their party symbol - the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) is to get a fresh look soon. The TMVP (Tamil People’s Liberation Tigers) will rename their political party and drop the word ‘Tiger’. The TMVP Leader Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, the new MP, told the Sunday Observer that they have decided to rename the TMVP mainly to get the help of the people of the South.

“I have discussed this matter with the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and also with my friends in the South and they all agree that we should drop the word ‘Tiger’ if the TMVP intends to expand our politics”, he said.

The TMVP Leader said that the proposal was mooted on the day he formed the TMVP after he broke away from the LTTE. But his brother Reggie, who was killed by the LTTE, wanted to represent the ‘Tigers’ until the TMVP became politically strong.

“I think it is time to change the party name and we do not want the people in the South to have suspicion about us as we do not have any links with the LTTE now”, the former LTTE military Commander Karuna Amman said. Commending the assistance given to him by the people and the politicians in the South, the new MP said that he had followed the JVP, which took up arms, attacked the military and later came into the democratic political mainstream.

“People in the south helped me to take to politics and even the JVPers, though they criticised my appointment, are happy that I am in Parliament”, he said.