Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Sunday (November 10, 2024) assured Tamils that their land —currently held by state agencies — will be returned by his government.
Mr. Dissanayake, who was elected to the country’s top office in September, made the pledge at a public rally in Jaffna, days ahead of Sri Lanka’s November 14 parliamentary polls. His promise evoked instant cheer and applause from the sizeable crowd gathered at an open ground adjoining St. Anthony’s Church in the coastal suburb of Passaiyoor. Over the last few years, Tamils living across the island’s war-affected north and east have been agitating to reclaim their lands that state agencies, including the archaeology and forest departments, have forcibly taken over.
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Further, Mr. Dissanayake said elections to the country’s now-defunct provincial councils and local bodies will be held soon. “We will make sure that your own representatives can lead and govern your areas,” he said, in his first rally in the Tamil-majority area after being elected President. All the same, he made no direct reference to Tamils’ enduring demand for greater power devolution and a political settlement to the ethnic question that his manifesto said would be addressed through a new constitution.
The scale of Sunday’s meeting as well as locals’ participation appeared starkly different to his last public meeting in Jaffna, that was held in an indoor auditorium with a significantly smaller crowd, ahead of the presidential polls. In the September 21 Presidential election, former Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa emerged the most popular candidate in Tamil-majority areas.
Acknowledging his poor performance then, Mr. Dissanayake said: “We got just over 27,000 votes in Jaffna. This was because we did not convey our message effectively to the Tamil-speaking people. It was also because we did not work as hard in the north as we did in the [Sinhala majority] south,” adding that the situation had been now rectified.
“So many of you showing up today shows that you are willing to place your trust in us,” President Dissanayake said, as he vowed to build a country where all citizens, regardless of ethnicity and religion feel equal. Slamming past politicians for pitting the Sinhalese and Tamils against each other, he said: “I invite all of you, the people of Jaffna, to join me in this effort to change the political culture of our country.”
After a 30 year-long war, the country was left with nothing but tears, enormous loss — of children, husbands, loved ones — and destruction, he said. “We will ensure there is no reason for such a war ever again. We will build trust among different communities and work hard until you feel this is your government.”
Addressing key concerns of Tamils such as joblessness and the growing use of narcotics among youth, Mr. Dissanayake promised to revive industries in the region, create jobs, and ensure that the problem of drugs is fully eliminated. Further, pledging to lift villages out of poverty, the President said his government would support farmers and fisher folk. “We will not allow Indian trawlers to fish illegally in our waters…the practice has severely impacted our marine ecosystem and affected our fishermen’s livelihoods,” he said.
The impressive turnout and enthusiastic response to Mr. Dissanayake, many participants said, was indicative of a “new wave” of support for Mr. Dissanayake among Tamil voters who were earlier sceptical of his leadership mainly owing to his party’s [Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna or JVP] history of opposing Tamil rights.
Jaffna resident R. Sasikala, mother of three children, has decided to vote for Mr. Dissanayake’s National People’s Power Alliance. “He [President] seems a simple man, who is committed to doing something good. I want a good future for my three children in this country. A future where there is no fear of drugs, where there are good opportunities…I think he will deliver,” she said.
Through his adult life, A. Akilathasan a bank employee voted for a prominent Tamil nationalist party. Having lost his younger brother during the war and having faced multiple rounds of displacement, he thought the Tamil party would be the community’s voice. “Over the years, it has become clear that they are all talk and little action. They have not been able to deliver. I want to give the President, who is in power, a chance. I am hoping he will do what is necessary,” he said.
Published – November 10, 2024 10:02 pm IST
