The Hon. Ramanathan Archchuna

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I would like to start with former President J.R. Jayewardene’s words in 1983: “I am not worried about the opinion of the Jaffna people. Now, we cannot think of them, not about their lives or their opinion. The more you put pressure in the North, the happier the Sinhala people will be in the South. Really, if I starve the Tamils out, the Sinhala people will be happy.” He said this in 1983.

¶ 02 Yesterday was the remembrance day of “Black July” 1983. Unfortunately, when I speak in Parliament in Tamil, the Hon. Prime Minister does not wear the headset to listen to the interpretation. That is how the Tamil people are ignored in this Chamber. Sir, I will continue in Tamil.

¶ 03 Yesterday, to whitewash Black July, our Hon. Minister Chandraseker and Hon. MP Ilankumaran, along with a group who arrived by train from the South, held a celebration in Jaffna. In the 1970s, the Sinhala-Tamil problem centered on the claim that too many Tamil students were entering universities. Then, instead of district quotas, students were sent to campuses purely by merit. If you check Wikipedia, you will see that a Tamil once became Speaker of this Parliament. From 1948 to 2025, our Tamil people have been progressively suppressed and killed. In 1974, we brought forward the concept of Tamil Eelam by uniting the North and East. In 1983, we were chased through Colombo, tyres were put around our necks and we were burnt. Thereafter, we took up arms. You too took up arms; we too took up arms. In this country, a group once labelled terrorists have done politics and even reached the presidency. But we are still branded terrorists.

¶ 04 In today’s speech, the Hon. President spoke only in Sinhala; the translation will never reach Tamil people in their lifetimes. Parliamentary speeches also never reach them. He asked: “Among your children, would you allow any of them who teach in national schools to go and teach in ordinary schools?” The 13th Amendment introduced Provincial Councils in 1987. From 1988 to 1990, Mr. Varatharaja Perumal was Chief Minister of the merged North-East Provincial Council. Provincial Councils are derided as “white elephants,” yet they were meant to allow people to manage their own education, agriculture, health, etc., in provinces where different nationalities are majorities — Muslims in Puttalam and the East, Tamils in the North. However, to date, the 13th Amendment has never been fully implemented. The Sinhala governments in power for decades failed to act, and now the Anura government continues the same whitewashing. The Sinhala nation that burned the Jaffna Library — Asia’s treasure — now gives Rs. 100 million and says, “Build bathrooms; forget Black July!”

¶ 05 I attend DCC (District Coordinating Committee) meetings. Education is important — a good example is our Hon. Minister Chandraseker; and I am happy the Hon. Harini Amarasuriya has a doctorate. Unfortunately, some Ministers in the NPP Government — we call it the JVP Government — lack basic qualifications to be Ministers. I ask the Hon. Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya: just as you bring education reforms, please set a basic qualification for who can be appointed as heads or chairs in such bodies.

¶ 06 There is a 2022 circular on DCC meetings. A National List MP may attend to discuss only the funds allocated to them or through their representative — Section 26 is clear: apart from matters relating to their allocated funds, a National List MP cannot raise other issues at the DCC. The Northern Province was once renowned for education, but now you have pushed Jaffna to the bottom at O/L. In DCCs discussing Northern development, the Chairman lacks even basic educational qualifications. Please ask him to read Section 26 of that circular. Why can’t you appoint a former President as DCC Chair if he wishes? Even so, you have appointed Minister Chandraseker as DCC Chair through your party. Earlier I heard “two-tongued politics”; I do not know how to say it in Tamil.

¶ 07 Please, Hon. Rajeevan, be seated!

¶ 08 In our Northern Province, such shameless politics is being practiced. One key issue: at Hartley College, students for intermediate Grades 6, 7 and 10 were admitted through interviews and a circular was issued. You are misusing Provincial Council authority. After interviews, the Governor’s Secretary writes instructing not to admit students. A student may aspire to study at a national school from Grade 10. Your reforms now push everyone towards national schools. If so, convert all provincial schools to national schools and abolish the 13th Amendment! Why deceive the Tamil people? Not only at Hartley, but at Vembadi Girls’ High School, Grade 7 admissions also faced such malpractice, harming a child awaiting admission. I will not disclose her name.

¶ 09 I very humbly request: put aside your politics and appoint learned persons like Hon. Rajeevan as DCC Chairs. We discuss our region’s development there. Do not appoint those with no knowledge of it as Chairs. District Secretaries like Mr. Pradeepan and Mr. Muralitharan struggle to conduct meetings under such Chairs. Therefore, for the Northern Province’s development, I kindly request Hon. Rajeevan to share his views.