Wiggy tells Tamil political parties how to increase their clout

By Dinasena Ratugamage

Until all Tamil political parties were united, none of the governments would address the issues faced by the Tamil people, Tamil People’s National Alliance leader C.V. Wigneswaran said.

The ex-Northern Province Chief Minister said that steps had been taken to unite all Tamil political parties and once they were united their bargaining power would increase.

Wigneswaran made this statement, addressing a conference organised by six political parties in Jaffna. The parties presented their proposals to solve the grievances faced by the Tamils.

“I call on Tamil political parties to create an atmosphere where all of us can work together. Some parties have made different demands at various times. First they have asked for a federal solution, then a confederal solution and then the province-based devolution of power. However, nothing has been done to address the issues faced by the Tamils,” he said.

The retired Supreme Court Justice said that traditionally the Tamil political parties had focused on those living in the North and East. However, the time had come to think about Tamils in other parts of the country too, he said.

“Six parties have come together. We must unite all Tamils, get the support of the international community and secure the rights of Tamil people. The Sinhala speaking MPs don’t like it when we talk in Tamil in Parliament. They don’t like it when we speak in English, too. They try to portray us as pro-LTTE politicians,” he said.