Tamil Parties Decide to Prepare a Joint Policy Document on the National Question
23-Jan-2026.
At a time when the government has announced preparations for a new Constitution, the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) and the Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA) have decided to jointly prepare a common document that reflects the aspirations of the Tamil people and proposes solutions to the national ethnic question, by bringing together all Tamil political parties operating within the Tamil national political platform.
The parties have emphasized that postponing Provincial Council elections indefinitely on the pretext of reforming the electoral system is unacceptable under any circumstances. They stressed that elections must be held within the stipulated timeframe under the existing system.
This was stated by M. A. Sumanthiran following discussions held between the ITAK and the Democratic Tamil National Alliance in Jaffna on 20 January.
Elaborating further, he said that discussions were held on both the actions taken and the inaction of the government regarding constitutional reform. While the government has recently spoken of making certain preparations, it remains unclear how genuine these efforts are. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice have also expressed views on this matter.
“In this context, we have decided to prepare a document that can genuinely reflect the aspirations of the Tamil people. Our two parties will jointly undertake this effort, and we hope that other stakeholders operating within the Tamil national political sphere will also join us.
“It is a pressing need of the times to articulate a unified Tamil national position. Although several draft proposals and documents already exist that communicate Tamil aspirations to the government and the
international community, we intend to review them collectively and present a clear, consolidated position. We aim to complete this process very soon and welcome others to contribute their views.”
Addressing the postponement of Provincial Council elections, he said that the continued non-functioning of Provincial Councils has caused significant harm. Although the Provincial Council system was introduced as a response to the Tamil national question, it was neither a complete solution nor one fully accepted by Tamils. Despite its shortcomings, it has remained defunct for seven to eight years, even though it is a constitutionally mandated institution.
He noted that the President’s election manifesto promised to complete Provincial Council elections within one year. However, more than a year and four months have passed without any indication of elections being held. Instead, deliberate delays are being introduced, including the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee.
“Therefore, the government must abandon these delaying tactics and conduct Provincial Council elections immediately under the existing system. We are not opposed to electoral reform, and reforms can be undertaken. However, postponing elections altogether in the name of reform is unacceptable under any circumstances. The elections are long overdue, and the government must act without making excuses.”
Referring to the proposed legislation to replace the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), he said that the government had promised to repeal the PTA, but introducing an even more draconian law in its place is wholly unacceptable.
He recalled that during earlier drafts, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) had taken an even firmer stance than his party, insisting that the PTA be repealed entirely without introducing an alternative law.
While ITAK participated in discussions, the JVP refused to take part, maintaining that no replacement law should be enacted.
He noted that during protests held across 25 districts, JVP members had actively joined and publicly reiterated this position. “Today, they have reversed their stance and introduced another bill. This new draft contains provisions far worse than the existing PTA. Our position remains firm: the PTA must be repealed entirely, and no alternative law should be enacted. We will convey this clearly to the government,” he said.
