By

Paneetha Ameresekere

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) will decide whether it is to field a presidential candidate or not only after the announcement of a presidential election is made, TNA parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran told Ceylon Today in an interview on Thursday (16).

“Only then will we also decide on the other option whether to support a common candidate or not,” he said.

Sumanthiran, who has an insight into the main opposition UNP’s thinking, said they would however field a candidate to challenge incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the next Presidential Election, without supporting a common candidate.

“Otherwise, they feel their vote base would be eroded and they would end up in the political wilderness in the event they don’t contest such a poll,” he said.

Sumanthiran however said he didn’t know who the UNP candidate would be.

He further said due to corruption and other issues, President Rajapaksa’s vote base had eroded.

“As such, he won’t get a simple majority in the first count, with the count then having to be extended to the preferential vote count to decide who the winner would be,” Sumanthiran said.

Nevertheless, he (Rajapaksa) won’t get any preferential votes, he added. Sumanthiran was of the opinion that the UNP’s low vote base of 30%, as was shown in the recently concluded Southern and Western Provincial Council elections would be sufficient to pose a stiff challenge to Rajapaksa if the vote count is extended to the second round, that is counting the preferential votes, to decide who the ultimate winner would be. The UNP would then stand a greater chance of winning compared to Rajapaksa’s chances of emerging a victor.

Sumanthiran also said his party was for abolishing the Executive Presidential system of government and reverting back to the Westminster style of government, which prevailed prior to 1978, as the Executive was not accountable to anyone.

He added that while it was the TNA’s belief that defence, foreign policy and foreign borrowings should be the prerogative of the Centre in a devolved Council, the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) should however have the right to receive grant aid and foreign direct investment without the concurrence of the Centre.

Sumanthiran also said the NPC should be empowered to have jurisdiction over its Chief Secretary, that the Concurrent List in the 13th Amendment should be declared null and void so that it would not need ratification from the Centre in regard to such acts, the executive powers of the Northern Province Governor should be removed and that there should be Provincial Council Courts to administer justice, without having to seek the opinion of the centre on such matters as well.

Courtesy:Ceylon Today