TNA-Fonseka talks affable

DAILY MIRROR 22nd Decemeber 2009

By Kelum Bandara The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said yesterday that there was an appreciation of its concerns by Opposition Common Candidate Gen. Sarath Fonseka at the discussion with him on Sunday night, which the party’s Parliamentary group would take up for consideration today. The TNA has already taken a decision not to boycott the Presidential election or to field a separate candidate for it with the party expected to support one of the candidates contesting the Presidency. It has already disassociated itself from the candidature of its MP M.K. Sivajilingam. Party leader R. Sampanthan told the Daily Mirror that it was just another meeting with Gen. Fonseka as a Presidential candidate of the opposition. “It took place in a cordial atmosphere. We exchanged views. There was an appreciation of our concerns,” he said. However, Mr. Sampanthan did not say the outcome of the meeting was either positive or negative. Asked whether the TNA would meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa, he said that his party would do so if the need arises. TNA MP Suresh Premachandran who also participated in this meeting said that the discussion was centred on his party’s requests such as the removal of certain military camps in the North, the constriction of the High Security Zones, the resettlement of displaced civilians in a proper manner and a programme for the Tamil youths now in custody or in remand prison. Mr. Premachandran said that the meeting lasted from 9.00 p.m to 11.00 p.m. TNA General Secretary Mavai Senathirajah and MP Gajendra Kumar Ponnambalam also participated in the meeting. UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya also took part in the meeting which was aimed as securing the support of the TNA for Gen. Fonseka’s bid for the Presidency. Meanwhile, TNA MP N. Sri Kantha who has pledged support to the candidature of his colleague M. K. Sivajilingam, said yesterday that they were of the considered view that the TNA should not support any of the two main candidates since both of them had failed to spell out their stands on the ethnic question except occasional references to the 13th Amendment. He was responding to party leader R. Sampanthan who said the party had decided neither to field a candidate nor boycott the election. Mr. Sri Kantha said there was no decision as such at the end of the meeting held on December 9, and attended by 17 MPs. “If there was any, it was to meet again,” he said. With the TNA leadership along with a few other MPs being out of the country, Mr. Sri Kantha said, they were in a dilemma. He said it is absolutely meaningless to support any of the two main candidates without a firm and public commitment from them on the ethnic question. “That is why we fielded a candidate in the absence of a decision by the party. It is not still too late for the party to make a rational and logical decision though choices are very limited now,” he said. He said the party could either endorse the candidature of Mr. Sivajilingam or boycott the election. “We are ready to discuss in this regard,” he said.