Tamil political parties must come together and adopt a unified approach to press for a new constititution that resolves the ethnic issue, said Vanni District MP Dr P Sathiyalingam in a media briefing held in Vavuniya this week.
Speaking on the need for collective action, Sathiyalingam asserted, "our party is steadfast in its commitment to achieving a resolution to the ethnic issue through the formation of a new constitution".
"When such an opportunity arises, it is crucial for all Tamil political parties, both those with parliamentary representation and others, to come together and voice a common stance during negotiations with the government," he continued.
Sathiyalingam highlighted his party’s efforts to foster unity among Tamil parties in the past, recalling pre-parliamentary election discussions with EPRLF, PLOTE, and TELO about contesting the elections jointly. He mentioned that while unity was proposed, other parties had initially insisted on Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) contesting under their symbol.
Addressing challenges faced during local government elections, Sathiyalingam explained, “In earlier local elections, we suggested contesting separately but collaborating post-election to secure administrative control. However, this was misunderstood by other parties, who chose to contest independently, leading to difficulties in forming local governing bodies despite winning majorities”. He stressed the importance of Tamil political unity in the context of a political solution, stating, “My belief is that all Tamil political parties should move forward together".
"Our party, with its 75-year legacy and significant representation in the North and East, will take the necessary steps to bring Tamil parties together to achieve a unified goal,” Sathiyalingam concluded.