The Rights Of Minorities

Maithiripala Sirisena, the executive president of the unitary state of genocidal Sri Lanka, dissolved the SL Parliament on Friday. Mr Sirisena was citing a mixture of constitutional clauses to justify his decision. The move comes as the newly appointed SL Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa reportedly failed to secure the majority needed to justify his appointment. There were widespread allegations that the Rajapaksa brothers were investing ‘Chinese money’ to buy over the parliamentarians. However, such buy-overs have not taken place to the alleged extent. Tamil political observers, not aligned to any of the geopolitical camps, believe that both the USA and China, who are the leading global actors as well as India which has emerged as the main ally of the Trump administration in the Indian Ocean Region, seem to be at a wait-and-see mode at the moment. 

Although the Rajapaksa faction was only able to recruit a few parliamentarians, including one TNA MP, it has succeeded in escalating and exploiting the current turmoil clearing the way towards a general election. The Rajapaksa grouping remains firm in its voter base of Sinhala nationalist majority in the South. 

The opposition, including the Tamil National Alliance, is set to challenge Sirisena's decision at the SL Supreme Court. 

The TNA finds itself in a dilemma as its actions are driven by the fear of losing the ground to a principled and struggle-centric alternative emerging in the North. It would not likely get the same number of seats in the SL Parliament if a general election is to take place. 

However, by finding itself in a situation of aligning with the UNP, the TNA is also contributing to strengthening the electoral support base of Mahinda Rajapaksa among the Sinhala voters, the Tamil observers noted. 

Former NPC Chief Minister Justice C.V. Wigneswaran, ACTC (TNPF) Leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, EPRLF Leader Suresh Premachandran and former NPC Councillors Ananthy Sasitharan and M.K Shivajilingam, who have distanced from the ITAK, TELO and the PLOTE in the TNA alliance, should come together on a policy-based platform clarifying their stand. 

Only when such a mobilisation takes place in practice, the TNA would be prepared to fall in line with the remaining actors on the Tamil side, the political observers said.