Parliament

Tamil MPs take their woes to the well
By Santhush Fernando
The week was certainly a very turbulent and tumultuous one.
It was one of confusion too. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna while it was in opposition, was a vociferous critic of the government and acted like an adversary of the Tamil National Alliance. They saw statements made by the TNA as "unconstitutional". But today, the JVP when in government does not want to rock the boat, though soon after the UPFA assumed office it made a few grunts. Its stoic silence makes one wonder whether the party believes in the modern maxim that politics is an art of compromise.

Controversial comments made by MPs of the TNA, which is also known as the mouthpiece of the LTTE, throughout the budget debate this week, reached a climax on Thursday, the sixth day of the debate, warranting a suspension of sittings - the second such occasion during the debate. It all happened when the TNA MPs took to the well of the House and disrupted proceedings in protest over what they called military attacks on civilians, immediately after the speech of Wanni District MP S. Adaikkalanathan. They alleged that Wanni District parliamentarian S. Noharathalingam and 20 Tamil civilians were injured in an Army attack, when they had tried to hoist the LTTE flag in Mannar to commemorate the LTTE's Heroes’ Week.

Placard-carrying TNA MPs sat on the floor near the Speaker's dais and some were even seen sleeping. They disrupted the proceedings, demanding that the security forces be withdrawn from the North and an impartial investigation be held to inquire into the alleged attack.

Deputy Speaker Gitanjana Gunawardena, who was at the Chair, suspended the sittings for one hour. When Parliament reconvened at 5:05 p.m., with Speaker W. J. M. Lokubandara presiding over, Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle spoke on behalf of the Government, saying that the Army hierarchy informed him that only four civilians and three Tiger cadres had been injured in the clash which erupted when a group opposed the hoisting of the Tiger flag by another group.

The minister quoted military sources as saying that the police had baton-charged the crowd to restore law and order and that no MP was injured
He also assured that an impartial inquiry would be held and perpetrators would be brought to justice.

But the TNA members were not convinced. They insisted that Acting Defence Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake be brought to Parliament to respond to their queries and warned that they would disrupt the sittings when the House reconvened for the vote on the Budget on Saturday.

On Monday, TNA National List MP M.K. Eelaventhan shook the House with his statement that history would be recreated on the LTTE's Heroes' Day (Maaveerar Day) on November 27.

"We would change history on our Heroes' Day. This will affect the Sinhala Nation as much as it affects the Thamil Nation. There is one soldier for every ten civilians in the North and East. Withdraw the Army from our homeland and allow us to carry out our own affairs. We value the lives of our people more than we value the Budget," he said.

On Wednesday, Jaffna District MP Nadaraja Raviraj reiterated the TNA stance that the Budget was only for the benefit of the Sinhala polity and it offered nothing for the Tamils of the North and East. He called on the government to resume peace talks based on the LTTE's proposals for an interim self-governing authority (ISGA). The TNA MP said the defence of the Tamil people lay with no one else but with the LTTE.

He slammed the three dissident SLMC members who crossed over to the government side and obtained portfolios related to development of the North-East districts, Mr. Raviraj said they had had betrayed the liberation struggle of the Tamil people for "crumbs falling from the table".

Challenging them to resign their portfolios, Mr. Raviraj told them not to destroy the solidarity of the Tamil-speaking people by clinging on to ministerial portfolios.

"The UPFA Government's budget has introduced penalties and fines for various things. Why don't you introduce a penalty for crossing over?" Mr. Raviraj asked, much to the chagrin of Government MPs. TNA leader and Trincomalee District MP R. Sampanthan on Thursday said that as Parliament was multi-ethnic the Budget should have the confirmation of all ethnicities.

"The unitary status of the country is the cause of the division. The unitary structure of governance is nothing but the tyranny of the majority with the Sinhala polity having the absolute say," he said.

Pointing to this year's general election results, Mr. Sampanthan said ninety five percent of the Tamil people in the North and East had endorsed the TNA view that the unitary status of the government should be changed to a federal one. He urged the JVP to take heed of the democratic will of the Tamil people.

Mr. Sampanthan charged that the budget was prepared without consulting the democratically elected representatives of the Tamil nation. Actions of the successive governments have proved that the will of the Tamil people did not count in decision-making, he said warning that such a situation could not be allowed to continue indefinitely.

At this point, UPFA Parliamentarian Mervyn Silva raised a point of order. "I am not trying to disrupt your speech. But please keep in mind that a case is being heard in courts, challenging the votes that your party had obtained were through malpractice," Mr. Silva said.

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