Prabha Ganeshan, brother of parliamentarian and Democratic People’s Front leader Mano Ganeshan, says the ethnic conflict cannot be solved by holding elections to provincial councils. Contesting on the UNP ticket, Mr. Ganeshan says, however, that Provincial Councils are ideal tools for the development of sectors such as education. Excerpts from an interview.
Why did the Democratic People’s Front, your party, decide to contest on the UNP ticket instead of going it alone at the April 25 polls?
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| Prabha Ganeshan |
We could have contested separately, but our experience at the 2004 polls shows that the voting strength of the Tamils in the Colombo district was only 45,000. If this time, the DPF were to contest separately, each of our candidates should get at least 60,000 votes to win a seat. Therefore, the DPF decided to field three candidates on the UNP ticket. We have a 25,000 strong membership in the Colombo district. If our members cast all their three preference votes for the three DPF candidates on the UNP list, all three can get elected. So in a way, we’re making use of the UNP. The other two contestants are Kumaraguruparan and S. Rajendran.
Colombo also has a large number of Tamil voters from the north and the east. What efforts are being made to make them vote for your party’s candidates?
I am sure that they will vote for us, because when I was a Western Provincial Council member, I helped Tamil schools and worked for the welfare of the Tamil population spending my 25 million rupee council allocation. Apart from this, I spoke to the Chief Minister and got Rs. 170 million allocated to construct school buildings. When the north-east people in Colombo faced untold hardship including abductions and disppearnaces, it was my party which took up their cause and fought for them.
What are your plans to solve the problems of the Tamil people if you are elected?
Parliament is the place where national problems can be meaningfully taken up, though we have discussed the ethnic question in the PC. But I must say that in the provincial council, 90% of the time and resources are spent on issues such as education. We have upgraded schools and elevated certain schools to national level, providing them with teachers, furniture and equipment. We have also carried out improvements to estate schools in Awissawella.
The Provincial Council system was introduced largely to solve the north-east problem. Today, we have a PC in the Eastern Province, but it is alleged that power has not been meaningfully devolved to the council. Do you believe the provincial council system is a solution to the ethnic question?
No. We firmly believe that a solution to the national ethnic problem cannot be found by holding elections to a provincial council. Efforts should be made to address the grievances of the people of the north and east. Without addressing the core issues, just giving provincial councils to Tamils won’t solve the problem.
So, is there any meaning in contesting the provincial council election?
Yes. We can improve various sectors. For instance, the PCs have done a lot for the education sector.
Your party has been spearheading a campaign on behalf of the relatives of those who have disappeared or become victims of the white-van goons. How are you going to ensure that such acts will not happen in the future?
My party under the direction of its leader Mano Ganeshan has organised several agitation campaigns. These have borne fruit to some extent. We have organized conferences for family members of those white-van victims and helped them find solace. We have got the Opposition and UNP leader involved in our campaign and brought the matter to the attention of the international community. We have brought tremendous pressure on the government. It is because of our party’s campaign that the white van abduction culture has been curtailed to some extent. Otherwise, thousands of people would have been dead or missing by now.
Have you helped trace any abductees?
Yes. I can cite a recent case. Within five minutes of hearing the news of the abduction of Sudaroli editor Vidiyatharan, our leader took up the matter with the appropriate people, and the international community. We believe it was because of this timely action that the government was forced to say he was not abducted but arrested. Our campaign and efforts have saved several people. |
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