GTF asks Tamils to select between the two

Underscoring the fact that presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa’s election manifesto is progressive on furthering democratic reforms, including key Tamil considerations such as continuing with the constitutional reform process, the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) urged the Tamil people in the Northern and Eastern Provinces and throughout Sri Lanka to freely exercise their franchise at the November 16 election.

It said in a statement that SLPP candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s manifesto, on the other hand, has strong national security focus, but no serious commitment to expand the fledgling democratic space.

“The refusal by all major presidential contestants to engage with Tamil political leaders based on their collective positions is also disappointing.all those negative sentiments however should not lead to political apathy and despondency. It is important for the Tamil people to take an active part in this election, instead of giving into flawed thinking such as ‘sending a message to the international community’ through ineffective voting strategies.

Also important is that the Tamil people should use their vote wisely for a candidate who has a realistic chance of winning.any wasted vote may lead to the election of a candidate not to their liking,” the GTF said. There was also the promise to deal with wartime accountability and formulate a new constitution to accommodate Tamil political aspirations. However, progress on most fronts came to a halt during the past two years. It said in this context, the upcoming presidential election raised genuine doubts about whether Sri Lanka would restart and broaden its reform agenda or change course, perhaps for the worse.