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| ITAK’s candidates and ex MPs M.A. Sumanthiran and S. Shritharan finalising the nomination list at the party's head office in Jaffna on Friday |
By S Rubatheesan
In both Jaffna and Vanni electoral districts where six MPs each will be returned to the House, more than 400 nominations were filed on Friday afternoon by political parties and independent groups.
The significant number of nominations filed for each electorate in North reflects the state of Tamil nationalistic political parties which saw splinter and breakaway groups contest polls separately in the hope of securing a seat in the next Parliament.
“This is not a good sign, given the future of our community,” said C.V.K. Sivagnanam, Senior leader of the grand old party, Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK), which is grappling with internal disagreements and splinter groups after the party’s recent election for leadership.
“As senior leader of the party, I have stressed in our central committee meetings that we should give space for new faces to engage in politics so that the experience of the old and the energy of the young can contribute much to our struggle,” Mr Sivagnanam told the Sunday Times.
Earlier, the party’s central committee had already decided not to give nominations for candidates who were elected to Parliament in the past and failed to get themselves re-elected and pave the way for young candidates to enter active politics.
In the Jaffna electoral district which includes the Kilinochchi District, 396 candidates from 23 political parties and 23 independent groups are contesting for six seats. Two nominations filed by independent groups were rejected, according to District Returning Officer M Piratheepan.
The ITAK, the Tamil National Peoples’ Front, the Eelam Peoples’ Democratic Party (EPDP), the Thamil Makkal Kootani and the Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA) filed nominations in both electoral districts.
In the Vanni electoral district consisting of Vavuniya, Mannar and Mullaithivu, 423 candidates from 22 political parties and 25 independent groups are also contesting for six seats. Four nominations were rejected.
Though former MP S. Shritharan was elected as president of the party through a ballot process, the legitimacy of the election was challenged in the courts and the case is still pending.
Earlier this week, an ITAK splinter group led by K.V. Thavarasa declared that they would contest the polls under a new outfit called Democratic Tamil Arasu Kootamaippu (alliance) after their nomination applications were rejected by the ITAK selection committee.
The group handed in nomination papers to contest under its mango symbol along with others whose nomination applications were rejected.
The splinter group alleged that certain leaders of the party dominated the selection process to ensure their victory at the polls through favouritism.
On Monday, the leader of the party Mavai Senathirajah declared that he is stepping down from the post with immediate effect.
The former MP wrote to the party secretary and new president Shritharan informing him of his decision to resign from all responsibilities he held in the party.
“It is very unfortunate that we have come to this point where our party which worked for the rights and political aspirations of the Tamil community is divided after well-deserved party officials were not given nominations for the upcoming polls,” Mr. Senathirajah told reporters after he met the ITAK splinter group at his residence in Jaffna.
“I requested them that even though they are contesting the polls separately, they should consider working together in the future for the sake of the fight for the political rights of the people,” he stressed.
S.S.C. Ilnakovan, one of the nine candidates who is contesting under the ITAK ticket in Jaffna, said that just like in the post-Aragalaya South where youths came forward to take more ownership of their political aspirations, in the North, too, similar sentiments are being expressed.
“I believe it is a positive thing where youths in North and East also becoming very politically active and I hope that it will lead to a progressive nationalism where all communities including Muslim, Malayaha and Sinhala people are included in future,” said Mr. Ilankovan, the great-grandson of ITAK founder S.J.V. Chelvanayakam.
Minority representation in parliament splintering: Research
Parliamentary representation of minority ethnic and religious groups is in danger of splintering and weakening in the forthcoming elections, affecting their capacity to effectively politically engage and promote the rights of minorities, according to a new European Commission-funded research study.
“The main national parties in Sri Lanka have had a history of nominating representatives from minority communities who have gone on to take leadership positions. This is changing now, with minority politicians in these parties often feeling isolated and finding fewer opportunities to raise minority rights issues,” said Oxford Brookes University Lead Researcher Dr Farah Mihlar.
National parties now prefer forming alliances or coalitions with minority parties rather than fielding their own minority candidates, noted the study which was carried out by Oxford Brookes University as part of the Minority Empowerment for Democracy and Pluralism programme.
In this competitive alliance or coalition forming process, bargaining with minority party candidates has resulted in them criss-crossing between the major national parties, which compromises their credibility as it is seen by their electorates as acting corruptly on promises of ministerial portfolios or other gains.
“Minority MPs from the Muslim and Malaiyaha community prefer to be part of the government because they see it as an opportunity to do something for their community. This recent desperation to move with power has seriously affected their legitimacy and credibility, leaving voters from this community in despair,” Dr. Mihlar added.
The research also revealed that political parties are neglecting the nomination of women from minority communities, and where women are making it into nomination lists, parties are not offering sufficient funding support, security, or opportunities for them to raise their profiles.
In the former conflict areas, voters are deeply divided along ethnic and political lines which has significant implications for peace-building and reconciliation.
The research also indicated that, in the north, the voter base is fractured, with around one-third prioritising their economic development and wanting to engage with the State, and another one-third or so are on the opposite end, wanting to disengage with national politics. Tamil diaspora groups are being accused of influencing this latter group, whilst some candidates fielded by the national parties influence the former, but these candidates often have a history of violence and are seen to be divisive.
In the Vanni district and the east, there is serious ethnicisation of the electorate, which has increased with the competition among minority parties and the national parties. In a post-war context, such tensions can lead to conflict, which needs to be taken into consideration by all parties.
The research reveals that parties tend to politicise ethnic issues and campaigns respond to opponents’ claims rather than offering any constructive policies on rights or a political solution to the ethnic conflict.
“The main parties are still stuck on the 13th Amendment, which was negotiated over 35 years ago; they are offering little beyond this and ethnic minority parties are not effectively using election platforms to demand more or advance minority rights critical to their constituencies – instead, they mainly respond to the national parties,” Dr Mihlar said. (Courtesy-The Sunday Times)
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