No strings attached to no-faith vote - TNA | Sunday Observer

No strings attached to no-faith vote - TNA

8 April, 2018

Debunking the conspiracy theory that the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) support for the Prime Minister at last week’s No Confidence vote had hinged on 10 tough conditions, the country’s main Tamil party said their primary objective in voting against the Joint Opposition motion was to ensure the continuity of the Government of National Unity, so that it can meet its 2015 pledges of reform and democratisation.

Speaking to the Sunday Observer, TNA Spokesman and Jaffna District Lawmaker, M.A. Sumanthiran said the TNA had merely pointed out three areas where the Government’s attention needed to be focused immediately. These included the return of lands, answers for families of the disappeared, the release of political prisoners and employment issues in the North and the East.

“Our support for the Prime Minister was not conditional on them agreeing to any of this,” Sumanthiran explained.

“In extending our support to the National Unity government to fulfill its mandate, we pointed out the things that need to be rectified immediately if it is serious about meeting its pledges. These are basic things, no one can say it is wrong to ask for private land to be returned or to ask for families of the disappeared to be given answers, or to ask that people being detained for 20 years without trial, be released, or that discrimination must end,” he said.

The TNA Jaffna District Legislator told the Sunday Observer, that the constitution-making process was halfway through in Parliament, and also needed to be completed if the Government is to fulfill its 2015 mandate.

“We want the Unity Government to continue until these tasks are completed and their mandate is fulfilled,” he reiterated. There were no other conditions attached to their support in the vote,” the TNA MP emphasised.

The TNA’s 16-seat bloc ensured that the Prime Minister obtained a 46-member majority to defeat the JO’s no-faith motion, 122 to 76 votes on Wednesday night.

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