The North is a crucial region of Sri Lanka, especially in elections. The votes from the northern and eastern provinces, where most of the Tamil population resides, significantly influence the outcome of national elections. This was evident during the presidential elections. However, when discussing the North, we cannot forget the brutal conflict over the rights to that area. The war between the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) organisation and the Sri Lankan army lasted for three decades, resulting in thousands of lost lives. By May 2009, Sri Lankan forces were able to defeat the LTTE militarily. At that time, the president was Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka led the army.
Why did JVP support Mahinda in 2005?
The 2005 presidential election was a pivotal event in Sri Lanka. Mahinda Rajapaksa, representing the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, faced off against Ranil Wickremesinghe, the leader of the United National Party and a former president. In this election, the Janata Vimukthi Peramuna, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, supported Mahinda Rajapaksa. If they had not backed him in his efforts to end the war in the North and bring peace to the country, Ranil Wickremesinghe would likely have won the election.
While it is speculative to discuss how decisions regarding the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) might have unfolded had Wickremesinghe been in power, it is crucial to recognise that the Janata Vimukthi Peramuna played a significant role in the military efforts to end the war and promote peace in the nation.
Anura did what Mahinda could not
On December 2, 1995, the troops of the 53rd Division entered the city of Jaffna without encountering any resistance. After a fierce 50-day battle, the Sri Lankan Army successfully captured Jaffna, delivering a significant defeat to the LTTE terrorists. These military operations were conducted under the orders of then-President Chandrika Kumaratunga. Many residents had already fled to the Vanni when the army took Jaffna. However, this operation allowed some to return to their villages.
The capture of Jaffna was celebrated with great joy by the Sinhalese in the South. In contrast, commentators noted that the Tamil people’s sentiments differed. This divide is evident in the reluctance of the Tamil population to view Mahinda Rajapaksa as a hero despite the death of Prabhakaran in 2009 and the eradication of terrorism. During the 2010 presidential election, voters in the Northeast chose Sarath Fonseka, the army commander who led the campaign against the LTTE, over Rajapaksa.
The political landscape in the North has shifted once again, as evidenced by the results of the recently concluded parliamentary elections. Anura Kumara Dissanayake emerged victorious in the North, reflecting the people’s will and signifying a dramatic change in Sri Lankan politics. This shift dealt a blow to what has been labelled as “Tamil racist politics.”
Winning the Northern Province for a Sinhala political party in the South has always been considered a distant dream. Many believed it had never happened before and would never happen. However, this year’s general election proved those predictions wrong, as a southern political party won in the North for the first time since independence. The National People’s Power succeeded in securing all constituencies in the North.
Alfred Doreyappa was elected mayor of Jaffna after winning the 1970 Municipal Council elections under the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. Tragically, Alfred Doreyappa was assassinated by a group that included LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran on July 27, 1975. The murder occurred when the mayor left a temple after receiving blessings.
Victory for Jaffna district
The National People’s Power successfully won three seats in the Jaffna district, which has left groups in the North, including the Tamil National Alliance, feeling disheartened by this victory. M.A. Sumanthiran, a prominent figure, lost his election bid. The defeat of the Ilankei Tamil Arasu Kachchi is a significant setback for the Tamil nationalist movement, marking a decline in their influence since 1949.
Young voters, in particular, do not trust the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). In the 2020 parliamentary elections, the National People’s Power received 853 votes from the Jaffna district. However, this number rose significantly to 80,830 votes in the recent elections. Karunanathan Ilankumaran, a technician and trade union activist, was the leading candidate in Jaffna. Other candidates included Rajeevan Jeyachandramurthy, a principal, who placed second, and Sri Bhavanantharaja Sanmuganatha, a retired medical administrator, who came in third.
In the 2020 elections, the Ilankei Tamil Arasu Kachchi, which had won 10 seats, secured only 7 seats this time. With the additional bonus seat received under the national list, their total representation has decreased to 8. Douglas Devananda, the leader of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), has concluded his three-decade-long political career, which began in 1994.
Greetings from the Canadian Dravidian Congress
The Canadian Dravida Congress has congratulated the National People’s Power, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. In a statement, the Congress emphasised that Sri Lanka is undergoing significant political changes, which present a crucial opportunity for sustainable peace. As an organisation committed to Sri Lanka’s development, the Canadian Tamil Congress also expresses its readiness to support the new government.
The Canadian Dravida Congress is confident that the current president will focus on critical long-term measures for reconciliation and justice. They believe working with the international community is essential for achieving accountability and justice in Sri Lanka.
During the last presidential election, Anura Kumara Dissanayake could not secure victory in minority areas. However, after taking the oath of office, he expressed his commitment to earning the trust of citizens who did not believe in him.
Tamil and Muslim political parties retreat
Since the beginning of democratic politics in Sri Lanka, power in the northern and eastern provinces has been concentrated in a few political parties based on ethnicity. However, a significant change occurred in this year’s parliamentary elections, where the previously dominant political parties lost some of their influence. The people actively chose to transfer the traditional political power held by the central Tamil and Muslim political parties to a new group of candidates from the National People’s power.
The trust of North
In this context, the National People’s Power has achieved significant success, securing power in 3 out of 6 parliamentary seats in the Jaffna electoral district. Additionally, they won 2 seats in the Wanni electoral district, 2 in Trincomalee, 1 in Batticaloa, and 4 in the Digamadulla electoral district. This marks a notable shift, as traditional parties like the Tamil National Alliance and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, which have historically held power in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, did not perform as well this time.
The National People’s Power gained a foothold in the electoral districts of Northern Province and Trincomalee and Digamadulla in the Eastern Province. Meanwhile, the National People’s Power could not secure a win in Batticaloa, where the Ilangei Tamil Arasu Kachchi emerged victorious.
This election saw the parties within the Tamil National Alliance contesting separately, contributing to the outcomes. Besides Batticaloa, where the Ilangei Tamil Arasu Kachchi claimed one seat, each district in the North and East saw one seat won per district due to these divisions. The fragmentation among the parties representing the Tamil Alliance can be traced back to the leadership loss following Mr Sampanthan’s passing, resulting in the Tamils’ diminished influence this time. Notably, the Democratic Tamil Alliance, part of the Tamil National Alliance, won one seat in this election.
During the 1994 presidential election, a military atmosphere prevailed in the country’s northern regions. Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike secured votes in the Northern and Eastern Provinces despite slightly decreasing overall voting percentages. However, she did not receive the same level of support in the 1999 presidential election, where Ranil Wickramasinghe, representing the United National Party, won those provinces. In the 2005 presidential election, the United National Party also had a majority in those regions; however, voter turnout was alarmingly low.
In the 2015 presidential election, residents of the electoral districts in the Northern Province expressed significant interest in voting. The Northern Province recorded the highest percentage of registered voters who cast their ballots then. In the Jaffna electoral district, 66.28% of registered voters participated, while the turnout was even higher at 72.57% in the Wanni electoral district.
Despite winning the presidential election 2019, Gotabaya Rajapaksa did not receive the majority of votes from the northern regions. His remarks emphasising his reliance on Buddhist Sinhalese support contributed to this decline in voter support.
In the presidential election held last September, P. Arianethiran, a Tamil candidate, secured a majority of votes in these two crucial provinces. Sajith Premadasa, the candidate from the Samagi Jana Balavegaya, also performed well. However, within just two months, the people of the Northern and Eastern provinces chose to empower a new political movement, seeking to move away from established national political authority.
Former Members of Parliament have been sent home
According to the results of the parliamentary elections, several former Members of Parliament (MPs) who represented the Northern and Eastern provinces could not retain their seats this time. Among those who lost were former minister Douglas Devananda, leader of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party in the Jaffna Constituency, and Angajan Ramanathan, a former member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. M.A. Sumanthiran, a former MP from the Ilangai Tamil Arasu Kachchi, along with Selvarasa Gajendran of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress and former MP Dharmalingam Siddharthan, leader of the PLOT organisation, also failed in the elections. Kulasingham Dilipan, the former member of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party from the Vanni constituency, also lost his seat this year.
Additionally, M.S. Taufik, who represented the All Ceylon Muslim Congress from the Trincomalee district, and Neo Kapila Athukorala from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna were also defeated in this election cycle. Notably, C.V. Wigneswaran, a member of the Jaffna Constituency, and Charles Nirmalanathan, a member of the Vanni Constituency, did not contest in this year’s parliamentary elections.
Deceiving people for so long
The people of the northern and eastern provinces have worked to replace the old political parties and representatives, bringing in a new government led by the National People’s Power. One of the main reasons for this shift is the widespread dissatisfaction with the traditional Sinhala and Tamil political parties. Many residents in the North and East believe these parties have historically deceived ordinary citizens at the grass-roots level. Whether in the South or the North, people have rejected political activism centred around family rule. The residents of these provinces emphasise that such leadership has not benefited the ordinary people, and they feel a leader who truly understands and connects with the hearts of the North and East has yet to emerge. Given these circumstances, the people have trusted Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The successful independent candidate campaigning on Facebook is noteworthy, particularly in Sri Lanka. Dr Arjuna, the former Medical Superintendent of Chavakachcheri Hospital, won a seat in the Jaffna district as an independent candidate through an effective social media campaign. Upon taking on his role as medical director, he implemented measures to provide excellent service to the community, addressing the weaknesses in the Northern Health Administration.
In this context, Dr. Arjuna openly criticised some members of the medical profession, which contributed to him becoming a local hero due to his courageous activism. The people of Chavakachcheri supported him overwhelmingly, rejecting the political rhetoric of Tamil leaders who had previously made false promises regarding their needs.
Dr. Arjuna’s achievement is significant; he has alleviated the people’s suffering and emerged as a hero in their eyes. This demonstrates that the public is becoming increasingly aware of the truth, conveying that they will no longer be deceived.
The North has sent a clear message to the entire political landscape of the South, indicating a continued trust in its politics. This trust in the North is significant and should not be taken lightly. Failure to act on this trust may lead to serious consequences. A political force has emerged in the South that the North can no longer depend on, underscoring the situation’s urgency.
