Media reports suggest that data published by the Election Commission of Sri Lanka underscore that Sri Lanka’s Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa, who lost to Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Saturday’s presidential election, garnered the highest share of the Tamil minority’s vote.
It has also been learnt that the Premadasa cumulatively secured over 40 per cent of the votes across Tamil-majority areas in the island’s north, east and central hill country.
If one is to believe these reports then Tamils were not in support of recently-elected President Dissanayake. However, answers to this can be sought from how Tamils have been treated in Sri Lanka.
In 2005, when Dissanayake was part of the Chandrika cabinet, he opposed the formula of working with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during the post-tsunami period. At that time, Tigers controlled a major part of the North and East of Sri Lanka.
This act was perceived as his reluctance to help the Tamils who were also badly affected by the tsunami at that time, and hence a massive reconstruction was called for.
Hence, experts are of the view that Tamil political parties in Sri Lanka can not extend support to Dissanayake or the politics he brings to the table.
The problematic part of Dissanayake is the political vision set out by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna — whose leader is Anura Kumara Dissanayake — which claims to be communist but excludes Tamils and Muslims from almost all realms of activity.
Sri Lankan MP Mano Ganesan while delivering an address at the World Tamil Diaspora Day celebrations organised by the Tamil Nadu government in the Chennai Trade Centre said: "At the same time we are supporting the Tamil nationalism, we are supporting the nationalism of the countries we live in. We, the Sri Lankan Tamils, are loyal to our government in Sri Lanka. But, our loyalties are not accepted”.
Additionally, Dissanayake made his name during the anti-India protests of 1987, opposing the India-Sri Lanka accord, which actually remains the only document on which peace has been negotiated so far.
It has been learnt that there were several flaws in the solution that was suggested and adopted for the Tamil question. It is feared that Dissanayake's victory can lead to no progress on the Tamil quest for a political solution.
As far as Dissanayake’s relation to India is concerned, he has toned down his anti-India rhetoric significantly and has even visited New Delhi at India’s invitation. However, clarity has not been gained to an extent where one can derive a conclusion on Sri Lanka's relation with India in the upcoming days.
Henceforth, time will shed light on Tamils status and India's relation with Sri Lanka under AKD's regime.
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