What will Sri Lanka’s Tamils do at the presidential poll?
“The Tamils are facing a dilemma in making a decision between the two major candidates who led the war against the LTTE which took a heavy civilian toll and created a flood of refugees,” writes Siva Sivaparagasam in The Monsoon Journal of January 2010:
“Tamils should use this opportunity to show their democratic voting strength and obtain maximum benefits for the community from the main candidates” – Tamil Intelligentsia in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka-Tamil Vote and the Presidential Elections
by Siva Sivaparagasam
In a keenly expected close contest between the two main candidates, the Tamil Vote will undoubtedly play a crucial role in the forthcoming Presidential Elections in Sri Lanka.
With barely two to three weeks to go, majority of Tamils in Sri Lanka are still un-decided on their role in the forthcoming Presidential Elections.
They are faced with the following major options:
- Boycott the Elections
- Vote for the incumbent President Mahinda Rajapakse
- Vote for the Joint Opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka
- Vote for the Tamil candidate Sivajilingam
A former Sri Lankan High Court Judge and a well-respected Tamil and Religious scholar Justice Wigneswaran in his interview to a leading Tamil Newspaper in Sri Lanka on the forthcoming Presidential Elections has stated that the Tamils should exercise their democratic right of voting and not boycott the elections as they did last time.. According to him, fielding a Tamil candidate will not serve any useful purpose.
The Tamils are facing a dilemma in making a decision between the two major candidates who led the war against the LTTE which took a heavy civilian toll and created a flood of refugees. As a Tamil cynically remarked, “One ordered the shooting. The other pulled the gun”. However, Tamils also feel that the Government is now making amends to woo the Tamils in the North by embarking on a post-war reconciliation programme.
Thousands of IDPs have been released, The main highway has been opened for traffic and movement of goods, no passes are required for travel from the North, Loans are being given for reconstruction, the railroad is being re-laid, security in the North is relaxed with lesser check-points, to name a few. Meanwhile, the Tamil National Alliance which has about 22 seats in the Parliament, has decided to extend it’s support to Sarath Fonseka. The decision was arrived after several deliberations and it is said that some members of the TNA are opposed to this.
Will the Tamils be prepared to forget the wounds of war and value peace so as to get on with their normal life and reconstruct the ravaged land?
This will be the million-dollar question before every North-East voter before deciding to cast the vote at the booth!
James - Sri Lanka said,
January 17, 2010 @ 2:38 am
It is time the tamils realized and understood, that crushing the LTTE, was a necessity, and was only against the terrorists and not against a particular community.
The tamil civilians who were held by the LTTE terrorists, are now free and their children are not abducted and bombs don’t explode. Could we have ever thought of this day ? The young LTTE cadres who are being rehabilitated, even sat for their O/L examinations. There is more to be done, but at least there is peace and freedom.
If one is to look at the elections in an objective manner, with the development that has taken place after the war, there is no doubt, the vote is for Mahinda Rajapakse. Tamils will be better served by him.
A vote for Sarath Fonseka, with the hotch potch of UNP, TNA, JVP, SLFP(M) will spell disaster not only the Tamils but also for Sri Lanka.
TNA, just like the LTTE, will only cause misery to the Tamils. Any decent tamil, like any other human being wants to live and earn and lead a happy life. The policies of the TNA will only cause trauma to the tamils, after having suffered so much at the hands of the LTTE.
It is time for the tamils, as a whole, to identify themselves as being Sri Lankan citizens and work together. This country is large enough for all, but too small for ethnic politics.
rav said,
January 17, 2010 @ 8:15 pm
James-I have no idea what are you saying???????? before we do anthing we want justice and then we ill go for peace or whatever…