Polls at last, lacklustre campaign ends tonight
• President likely to form new government soon to start work on tackling key economic and pandemic-related issues
• Western diplomats show keen interest in north-east politics; TNA faces tough challenges, but receives diaspora support
• Speculation about what would happen to the UNP and Sajith’s SJB after the polls?
Most Sri Lankans have shown a lack of enthusiasm over the August 5 parliamentary elections. Yet, in marked contrast, western governments have displayed a keen interest on the outcome. Most of their diplomats have been in the northern capital of Jaffna, easily the epicentre of increased political activity. This is compared to all other districts with Colombo taking a distant second place.
At the August 5 general election, more than 16.2 million voters are eligible to vote in 13,000 poling centres. More than 200,000 state officials will be deployed on election duty at both polling and counting centres. An Election Commission spokesperson said about 10,000 health sector employees would be on duty to conduct the polls under strict health guidelines. There are around 80,000 Police officers deployed and the armed forces are on standby to be deployed in an eventuality.
The focus on Jaffna is more than symbolic for many reasons. They want to assess the mood of the Tamil political parties vis-à-vis a new government which President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is almost certain to form. What are their expectations and whether any form of rapprochement, subject to political demands, will be feasible? More so at a time when the main contender Tamil National Alliance’s (TNA) manifesto insists on a federal system ‘within a unitary Sri Lanka’ and the ‘re-merger’ of the Northern and Eastern provinces -- an issue over which the Supreme Court declared in 2006 is "unconstitutional, illegal and invalid."
Already, the Provincial Councils, the result of a Tamil demand after the unfortunate ethnic violence in July 1983, are not functioning under a political leadership. These were set up with the persuasion of India. If the PCs were meant to be instruments of power sharing, their efficacy came into question after the TNA supported the then Yahapalana (good governance) government to amend the PC Elections Law so the government is empowered to put off polls. It was a contorted move by the then government to avoid facing PC elections.
Candidates opposed to the TNA have argued on election platforms that other than extending support to prolong PC elections, which by itself was counterproductive, the TNA had not achieved anything substantial for ‘the Tamil people’ by backing the previous regime. It is noteworthy that this line of campaigning has received some traction threatening the prospects of the TNA retaining the five seats it held in the Jaffna peninsula.
Challenges facing TNA
TNA campaigners have insisted it would win five seats if not more. However, backers of opposition groups claim there was stiff competition and speak of the possible emergence of C.V. Wigneswaran. He is a former Supreme Court Judge. He is challenging the TNA over what it has been able to achieve by supporting the last government. He is also accusing the TNA of preventing him from establishing a Foundation for Tamil welfare.
The party Wigneswaran, a hard liner, formed did not receive official recognition. Hence, he is contesting from the Thamil Makkal Thesivya
Kutani or Tamil People’s National Front. This Front is a successor to the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) which went with a flower symbol. With a name change, the symbol has now been changed to a Fish. The President of the Front, according to registration, is Suresh Premachandran and the General Secretary Shivashakthi Anandan. However, in Jaffna, some posters and hand bills claimed Wigneswaran is the leader. On Friday, Wigneswaran told an election meeting that he had written to President Rajapaksa about attempts by a group in black uniform to disrupt his political activities in the peninsula.
Also contesting from the same front, among others, is Ananthi Sashitharan. She is the wife of Velayutham Sasitharan (alias Elilan), then the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's political head for Trincomalee. Another possibility which opposition groups claim is the emergence of Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam from the Ahila
Ilankai Thamil Congress (or All Ceylon Tamil Congress) led once by his grandfather and eminent Queen’s Counsel, G.G. Ponnambalam and later his father, popular criminal lawyer Kumar Ponnambalam. Other strong likely
winners being mentioned are Minister Douglas Devananda (EPDP) and Angajan Ramanathan, who is contesting on the SLFP ticket. The competition appears tough and only the outcome of the polls will make clear the reality.
Western diplomats have been posing questions to all key players in the elections. One among them sounded out several prominent Tamil candidates about the prospects of a future alliance of minority political parties, those from Tamils, Muslims and Christians. The rationale for the move is their belief that the major opposition was in tatters and the emergence of a minority group could wield better political clout. At least one of them felt majoritarianism was growing rapidly. An outgoing head of mission had all his meetings from the Jetwing North Hotel. The country he represents has a substantial number of Tamils who went as refugees and won citizenship in his country. Another area of focus for the diplomats was the US-backed resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council. Among other matters, it calls for an international probe into alleged war crimes caused by troops as well as Tiger guerrillas. They were sounding out on the current thinking and the public mood in the peninsula.
The TNA is carrying out an intensive campaign though there is a ‘cold war’ between key figures. The division has come to the fore during the campaign. Abraham Sumanthiran, the most visible among the TNA candidate is strongly associated with Sivagnanam Sirtharan. Hand bills carry both their names. They are contesting from the Ilankai Thamil
Arasu Katchi (or the Federal Party). Besides addressing a string of political meetings, Sumanthiran is also engaged in house-to-house (even shop-to-shop) campaigning escorted by a contingent of Police and Special Task Force (STF) commandos. See picture on this page showing a police constable on the stage with a pistol in his holster when Sumanthiran was addressing an election meeting. Standing in front of the stage was an STF commando with his T-56 rifle raised and on the ready.
On July 31 (Friday), TNA leader Rajavarothayam Sampanthan addressed a meeting in Tellipalai in support of Mavai Senathirajah, the ITAK leader. Yesterday, he held a similar meeting in Kilinochchi in support of Sumanthiran.
Sumanthiran’s publicity campaign has surpassed most other candidates. A four-page newspaper titled “Sumanthiram, which rhymes with his name, is being circulated with stories of his life and career. One of the photographs shows him with Zeid Raad Al Hussein, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. This is besides the stepped-up campaign in the social media that would cost a considerable sum of money.
Security precautions for him have heightened due to a number of reasons. Sumanthiran told an interviewer he abhorred LTTE violence. This drew angry protests from the Tamil diaspora. In Jaffna, his effigy was burnt in two different places. A bomb manufactured by a former LTTE intelligence cadre exploded and the man died later in hospital. The Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) ongoing probe revealed that plans had been afoot to disrupt the elections by exploding bombs and creating a panic situation. A retired LTTE cadre from Paris has been remitting funds for this purpose. The Police and the Army have been deployed to ensure the polls are held without any disruption.
This week showed that the largest diaspora group, the London based Global Tamil Forum (GTF), is extending support to the TNA. Though not pointedly making the call, a three-page statement is crafted in such a way that a voter heeding their advice has no other choice. This assumes greater significance in the light of the British Tamil Forum ending up in ignominy after a court found it guilty of sexual discrimination of one of its own Tamil employees. It has declared bankruptcy after a financial award was made to the complainant.
The GTF noted that the Tamil community should “first and foremost, ensure that people appreciate the significance of this election and the power of their vote – every vote matters. Second, no vote should be wasted on the multitude of independent groups and those representing country-wide parties, as they could only dilute the strength of Tamil representation for future political engagements. Overly unrealistic agenda and inward-looking insular political strategy is not the most suited in the present circumstances. The question for the Tamil voters is, among the parties that represent Tamil national interest, which party and candidates are the best suited to navigate Tamil politics through the turbulent times ahead.”
The GTF statement adds: “Eleven years after the end of war, re-evaluating political circum