By

Chathushika Wijeyesinghe

The Democratic People’s Front had already announced its support for the common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the January Presidential Election. In a wide ranging interview with the Dailymirror DPF leader Mano Ganesan claimed that the Tamils may not support President Mahinda Rajapaksa as he had failed to change the mindset of the majority community following the end of the war.

Excerpts:

Q;As the leader of the Democratic People’s Front (DPF) what is your stance on the common candidate (CC)?

We are part of the campaign of the common candidate (CC). In fact we are the only Tamil party which is on stage with Maithripala Sirisena as at date.

We are discussing the CC in the aftermath of UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake crossing over to the UPFA.

Tissa is my friend. But I am disappointed. When my own brother crossed over I was very distressed. At that time, Tissa discussed of high values and ethics in politics to console me. I don’t understand why he did this to his party and that too at a crucial hour.

Maithri faced distress in the SLFP. But Tissa did not have any issues in the UNP. His issues were small. Some describe this as tit-to-tat. But I don’t think so. He is no match for Maithri. Tissa is more of an administrative official category and Maithri is a political leader. Therefore he is our common candidate today. He will restore democracy. We trust him.

As the leader of Democratic People’s Front, my contribution to his successful campaign is unique. We will directly muster nearly 200,000 Tamil votes in the Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara and Kandy districts.

And we will influence another large number of Tamil votes in the Nuwara-Eliya, Badulla, Ratnapura and Kegalle districts. Colombo is my home. But I am not regional but national. I am heard in the north and east too.

Q;Do you believe that Maithri will be able to create a more harmonious and peaceful environment?

To my understanding the Road Map of CC campaign is this. Upon elected, CC will be the President with his Prime Minister and Cabinet.

It is going to be plainly an interim administration for 100 days. This administration is not going to address the national question but will address abolishing Executive Presidency, transferring executive power to Parliament, repealing the 18A and reintroducing the 17A.

The President will need a 2/3 majority in Parliament since these are Constitutional amendments. I am confident that the political dynamics of the post-election era will pave way for this. Then he has to go for fresh General Elections. The new Parliamentary government elected to power after the next General Elections is expected to address the national questions and other unique issues of minorities in the country.

This is our road map for harmonious and peaceful environment. It is not only harmonious but also the most intelligent way out of this rigid autocracy.

There is also a suggestion to continue with a national government for two years. This will happen only if there is consensus and accord. If there is no accord, fresh General Elections will be unavoidable at which the parties aligned today as the opposition alliance may not contest together.

Possibilities are there for different alliances contesting separately. It is good for the restoration of democracy in this country. Tamil voters of this country have accepted this road map. We seek a democratic space now. We are not going to place blockades by bringing national question issues here. Of course, we will naturally expect the new government after the General Elections or the national government if it is in place, to address the national question.

Q;As a Tamil representative do you think the Tamil community both in the north and south would vote for the common candidate (CC)?

Yes. Tamils live in four regions in sizable numbers in this country. They are the North, East, Central and Western regions.

Tamils of the North and East are led by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). We, the DPF lead the West. The Central plantation vote is shared among CWC, UPF, NUW of Deputy Minister Thigambaram and DPF, as we too have provincial councilors and LG members in the Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts. The TNA has not arrived at any official stance.

But I am able to read the mindset of the Tamil community in the North and the East. They are for change, so are my voters in the Western Province. Despite the plantation based parties being in the government, this too may change, I am confident that the Tamil voters in the central hills are with us in this election.

It is because this is not the election for the Parliament or Provincial Councils. This is a national election. People in the central region, especially the plantation workers are accustomed to vote to elect their regional representatives and their national representative, unconnectedly.

No matter that the CWC is supporting the UPFA candidate, I am confident that we will win the district of Nuwara-Eliya and most of the plantation vote elsewhere in Kandy, Matale, Badulla, Ratnapura, Kegalle, Kalutara and Galle for the CC. Check with me this on January 9.

Q: As a leader representing Tamil community in the country what would you say could be the reason that this govt. failed to win votes in predominant Tamil areas like North unlike other areas?

I have told this before. I am telling it again here. During the war times, the government politically created a war psyche in the country, brought together the groups those believed in a military solution to the national question and assembled a war team to win the war. Of course it helped the government to win the war.

But it failed to defuse the war psyche or keep those war mongering groups at a distance and disassemble the war team during this current era of reconciliation.

You can’t use the same team and attitude for both war and peace.

You have to defuse the arrogance of a victor. You did not conduct the war with an alien enemy country. Tamils, particularly the civilians of the Northern and the Eastern Provinces are not aliens. There can’t be victors and losers here. I am not undermining the national security here. It is important. You have the security forces. I am a patriot. I love our security forces. As the government, you can support and provide them better facilities and the best equipment. But they are meant for war. You should not deploy and use them for civilian matters. You even failed to transfer or discontinue the tenure of the Northern Governor who is a former military officer.

So it is in the Eastern Province. Had the government listened to recommendations to appoint Sinhala civil servants as governors of the Northern and Eastern Provinces, the situation today would have been different.

Instead the President continued the services of the former military officer Maj. Gen. (Rtd) G.A. Chandrasiri and he is running a parallel administration in the Northern Province against Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran’s administration, which came into office through a democratic election, conducted by the Elections Commissioner of this country.

And also you are preparing the so called development plans in Colombo and taking them to the Northern Province bypassing, the same elected council of Wigneswaran.

These are a few simple reasons why the people may not vote for the President in thepredominantTamil North.

Q:You always spoke for the implementing of the LLRC recommendations. Do you think if the common candidate gots elected, he would implement those?

Yes, I call for the implementation of recommendations of the government appointed LLRC commission. But the CC will not have time to work on this. His mandate will be different. As I explained above, the next Parliamentary government will have much to do with the implementations of the LLRC recommendations.

Q:Once you stated as a Tamil you cannot be the President in the Country. Why is that?

It is because of the deep rooted communalist tendencies. Look at India. They too have ethnic and religious issues. Yet, India thinks in national terms. A member of Muslim or a Sikh minority could become the President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and even the boss of the Intelligence Service.

In Indian cinema, most big names are Khans. Do we come across such a sense of accommodation in our country? You failed to nominate even Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar whom the Sinhalese loved, as the Prime Minister when he wanted.

I am confident that I have all credentials to be the President. But I cannot because I am an ethnic Tamil. This is the reality. I am proud that I am a Sri Lankan of recent Indian origins. Had I been living in India I would have been in a top position with the Indian Central Government.

Q:Don’t you think that just like minority members winning elections and coming to power in majority Sinhala areas, Sinhalese also should be able to contest in minority areas?

Why is it an issue? Anybody and any party can contest anywhere in the country. Contestants will win and come to power only if they receive sufficient votes under the election law. Sinhalese are welcome in Tamil areas to do politics. They are welcome into my party too. Our party already has a Sinhalese member in the Colombo municipality.

Courtesy:Daily Mirror