Tamil parties to have talks on making new Constitution

Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) leader MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam said yesterday that his party would wait until 08 February for the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) to finalise its decision on participating in tripartite discussions regarding a political solution for the Northern people.

Ponnambalam said that the discussions aimed to unite Tamil political parties in proposing a common solution during the drafting of a new Constitution.

ITAK Acting Leader and Northern Provincial Council Chairman C.V.K. Sivagnanam informed the media that he had communicated to Ponnambalam that an interim report, prepared during the Yahapalana era, under former President Maithripala Sirisena, and then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, for a new Constitution, had been discarded by ITAK.

Sivagnanam, who has received an official invitation for Tamil parties to unite on this issue, indicated that a favourable decision would be announced soon.

A meeting between Sivagnanam and Ponnambalam, along with TNPF General Secretary Selvarasa Kajendran, took place on Saturday evening at Sivagnanam’s residence in Nallur. During the meeting, the TNPF formally invited ITAK to participate in discussions, aimed at addressing the issue of a new Constitution in Parliament, which are expected to occur this week.

Sivagnanam said that ITAK’s efforts toward a new constitution are not new. He said that Ponnambalam and Siritharan, head of ITAK’s parliamentary group, had already held discussions in Parliament. The matter was also reviewed by ITAK’s Central Committee, which did not oppose the initiative.

Instead, a seven-member committee has been formed within ITAK to advance the issue.

He said that the TNPF had submitted a written letter to him and ITAK General Secretary Dr. P Sathiyalingam. Opportunities to meet with Sathiyalingam, Siritaran, and former MP MA Sumanthiran in the coming days were also discussed. ITAK plans to announce its decision after further consultations.

Regarding the interim report prepared during the 2016-2018 Good Governance era, Sivagnanam said that it has been discarded and is no longer relevant. In 2021, TNA submitted a draft constitution to the expert committee, led by President’s Counsel Romesh de Silva, under the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration. By incorporating that draft and considering Ponnambalam’s views, Sivagnanam expressed confidence in reaching a collective position.

Ponnambalam met with Sivagnanam last Saturday and formally invited ITAK representatives to join discussions where Northern parties would deliberate on the drafting of a new constitution.