True aspirations of Tamil people could only be expressed when Referendum is held on all options for political solution
COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, September 2, 2015 /EINPresswire.com/ --
• August 17th election results shouldn’t be construed as rejection of 1977 electoral mandate.
• Sixth Amendment criminalization of peaceful advocacy is a violation of freedom of expression.
• Only through a referendum following the repeal of the 6th Amendment can a new mandate be obtained.
• Under the existing polity state structure, Tamils never have bargaining power.
• TNA should campaign for international investigation as they promised to the people.
Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) congratulates the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on its victory throughout the Tamil homeland at the 2015 Parliamentary Elections held on 17th August in Sri Lanka.
During this election the TGTE appealed to the Tamil people to cast their votes based on certain fundamental positions instead of the usual approach of supporting a political party. Of the different positions we articulated, the TNA included in their election manifesto the one concerning the Thimphu Principles, which recognize that Eelam Tamils have inhabited a traditional homeland, they constitute a distinct nation, based on which Eelam Tamils were entitled to the right of self-determination.
With reference to the Report to be delivered by the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, although there was no mention about an international independent investigation in TNA’s election manifesto, we saw that number TNA candidates reiterated on election platforms their support for an international investigation.
At this juncture, we call upon the leaders of the TNA to also pay special attention to the other issues brought up by us.
Meanwhile, we are compelled to point out certain other election related issues. The TNA had sought through its election manifesto a mandate from the people to carry forward the agenda proposed by them. Some of TNA’s leaders had even highlighted in their pre-election campaign the need for a fresh mandate from the Tamil electorate.
The outcome of the August 2015 elections should not be in any way misconstrued by the TNA that the people have rejected the overwhelming mandate given at the parliamentary election of 1977 for the establishment of an independent Tamil State in the island of Sri Lanka. We hasten to point out that doing so would be utterly incorrect.
The reality in Sri Lanka is such that 6th Amendment to the Constitution adopted after the 1977 elections prohibits any expression by the Tamil people of their aspirations for freedom through secession. The 6th Amendment has clearly established a situation in which the Eelam Tamil Nation in its campaign for political rights could not even express, let alone discuss freely, the options for a resolution to the Tamil National question. In this context, the failure of the Tamil voters to express a desire to create their own independent, sovereign state could be considered as a fresh mandate state only if they voted after the 6th Amendment had been repealed, and not when the voting took place with the 6th Amendment in place to muzzle their freedom of expression.
The enormous sacrifice of over 40,000 martyrs and tens of thousands of citizens remain with us as a mandate, and reminding generations to come the duty to uphold that mandate towards establishing an independent State of Tamil Eelam.
It is our belief that the opportunity for the Tamil people to express their true aspirations would come only when the said 6th Amendment is repealed and a Referendum is conducted under aegis of the international community whereby Tamils living in the homeland and in the Diaspora could vote on all options for a solution to the Tamil national struggle in Sri Lanka, including the option to secede.
We have the above as our only response to all, including the Sri Lankan Government and the International Community, who claim that the Tamils have abandoned their claims for independence. We ask you please to come forward with a Referendum with all possible options for a political solution, including the creation of the State of Tamil Eelam. Let the people give their verdict, and we shall bow down to whatever the people’s choice then is.
We make this call now simply in order to refute the argument based on the just concluded parliamentary elections that the Tamil people have rejected their determination for independence. Moreover, we believe the Tamil people could not live within the Sinhala majoritarian State structures of Sri Lanka without being subject to the structural genocide that characterise it. They cannot live in safety or with equality and dignity. They cannot exercise their inherent right to self-determination guaranteed under international law to determine their own political future.
The new rulers have clearly indicated that they have no desire to acknowledge the Tamils as a distinct nation or treat them with equality. Tamil people will never reach the power to bargain within such a state structure just based on the number of their elected representatives. Other than the few crumbs of concessions coming out of the goodwill of some Sinhala leaders, there will be no rights to be enjoyed by Tamils as a nation.
Under these circumstances, it is not possible for the TNA leaders to reach the political solutions according to the positions articulated by them to the people through their election manifesto and the subsequent campaigns. Therefore, the prevailing situation will only reinforce the possibility of the dreams and aspirations of the Tamil people and the Tamil Martyrs towards statehood being realized in the end.
Thus we wish to emphasize that the Tamil National Alliance should desist from agreeing to any half-baked solutions in the guise of being pragmatic. If the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner’s report fails to recommend an international investigation, we urge the Tamil National Alliance to call for such an international investigation as promoted by them to the people during the election campaign. We also wish to point out that over a hundred thousand people from the Tamil homeland came forward without any persuasion to take part in the “Million Signatures Campaign” initiated by us as a petition to haul the Sri Lankan state to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Having restated some of our positions here, we also wish to emphasise that the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam stands ready to join hands with the Tamil National Alliance to offer our support and to work together on all issues we have agreement on.
The thirst of Tamils is Tamil Eelam.
• August 17th election results shouldn’t be construed as rejection of 1977 electoral mandate.
• Sixth Amendment criminalization of peaceful advocacy is a violation of freedom of expression.
• Only through a referendum following the repeal of the 6th Amendment can a new mandate be obtained.
• Under the existing polity state structure, Tamils never have bargaining power.
• TNA should campaign for international investigation as they promised to the people.
Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) congratulates the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on its victory throughout the Tamil homeland at the 2015 Parliamentary Elections held on 17th August in Sri Lanka.
During this election the TGTE appealed to the Tamil people to cast their votes based on certain fundamental positions instead of the usual approach of supporting a political party. Of the different positions we articulated, the TNA included in their election manifesto the one concerning the Thimphu Principles, which recognize that Eelam Tamils have inhabited a traditional homeland, they constitute a distinct nation, based on which Eelam Tamils were entitled to the right of self-determination.
With reference to the Report to be delivered by the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, although there was no mention about an international independent investigation in TNA’s election manifesto, we saw that number TNA candidates reiterated on election platforms their support for an international investigation.
At this juncture, we call upon the leaders of the TNA to also pay special attention to the other issues brought up by us.
Meanwhile, we are compelled to point out certain other election related issues. The TNA had sought through its election manifesto a mandate from the people to carry forward the agenda proposed by them. Some of TNA’s leaders had even highlighted in their pre-election campaign the need for a fresh mandate from the Tamil electorate.
The outcome of the August 2015 elections should not be in any way misconstrued by the TNA that the people have rejected the overwhelming mandate given at the parliamentary election of 1977 for the establishment of an independent Tamil State in the island of Sri Lanka. We hasten to point out that doing so would be utterly incorrect.
The reality in Sri Lanka is such that 6th Amendment to the Constitution adopted after the 1977 elections prohibits any expression by the Tamil people of their aspirations for freedom through secession. The 6th Amendment has clearly established a situation in which the Eelam Tamil Nation in its campaign for political rights could not even express, let alone discuss freely, the options for a resolution to the Tamil National question. In this context, the failure of the Tamil voters to express a desire to create their own independent, sovereign state could be considered as a fresh mandate state only if they voted after the 6th Amendment had been repealed, and not when the voting took place with the 6th Amendment in place to muzzle their freedom of expression.
The enormous sacrifice of over 40,000 martyrs and tens of thousands of citizens remain with us as a mandate, and reminding generations to come the duty to uphold that mandate towards establishing an independent State of Tamil Eelam.
It is our belief that the opportunity for the Tamil people to express their true aspirations would come only when the said 6th Amendment is repealed and a Referendum is conducted under aegis of the international community whereby Tamils living in the homeland and in the Diaspora could vote on all options for a solution to the Tamil national struggle in Sri Lanka, including the option to secede.
We have the above as our only response to all, including the Sri Lankan Government and the International Community, who claim that the Tamils have abandoned their claims for independence. We ask you please to come forward with a Referendum with all possible options for a political solution, including the creation of the State of Tamil Eelam. Let the people give their verdict, and we shall bow down to whatever the people’s choice then is.
We make this call now simply in order to refute the argument based on the just concluded parliamentary elections that the Tamil people have rejected their determination for independence. Moreover, we believe the Tamil people could not live within the Sinhala majoritarian State structures of Sri Lanka without being subject to the structural genocide that characterise it. They cannot live in safety or with equality and dignity. They cannot exercise their inherent right to self-determination guaranteed under international law to determine their own political future.
The new rulers have clearly indicated that they have no desire to acknowledge the Tamils as a distinct nation or treat them with equality. Tamil people will never reach the power to bargain within such a state structure just based on the number of their elected representatives. Other than the few crumbs of concessions coming out of the goodwill of some Sinhala leaders, there will be no rights to be enjoyed by Tamils as a nation.
Under these circumstances, it is not possible for the TNA leaders to reach the political solutions according to the positions articulated by them to the people through their election manifesto and the subsequent campaigns. Therefore, the prevailing situation will only reinforce the possibility of the dreams and aspirations of the Tamil people and the Tamil Martyrs towards statehood being realized in the end.
Thus we wish to emphasize that the Tamil National Alliance should desist from agreeing to any half-baked solutions in the guise of being pragmatic. If the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner’s report fails to recommend an international investigation, we urge the Tamil National Alliance to call for such an international investigation as promoted by them to the people during the election campaign. We also wish to point out that over a hundred thousand people from the Tamil homeland came forward without any persuasion to take part in the “Million Signatures Campaign” initiated by us as a petition to haul the Sri Lankan state to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Having restated some of our positions here, we also wish to emphasise that the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam stands ready to join hands with the Tamil National Alliance to offer our support and to work together on all issues we have agreement on.
The thirst of Tamils is Tamil Eelam.
Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam
TGTE
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