Shivajilingam urges TNA to avoid backing any particular presidential candidate

If the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) asks the Tamil people to back a presidential candidate, who is not committed to federalism and international investigations, it would only backfire on Tamils as the global powers representing the international community could cite our own stand against ourselves in the future, said 

former parliamentarian and TNA councillor at the Northern Provincial Council M.K. Shivajilingam, who addressed the press in Jaffna on Friday. The TNA should avoid backing a candidate, Mr Shivajilingam said. “The Tamil people are intelligent. Let them decide on their own without giving them any hint,” he said. “When we complained to the international community that a former military commander was not acceptable to Tamils as governor to the North, the international actors questioned us how former commander of the SL military, General Sarath Fonseka was then acceptable for the TNA in the presidential elections held in 2010, Mr Shivajilingam said. 

 None of the two main candidates, Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithiripala Sirisena, are prepared to accept international investigations. None of them are prepared consider a federal solution to the national question. If we back any of these candidates, the international community would interpret our stance as a given to the policy represented by these candidates. Mr Shivajilingam said he was respecting the stand taken by Tamil National Peoples Front leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam. He also added that Tamils could consider a third candidate, who recognises Tamils right to self-determination.

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