Former Tamil Provincial Council Members Urge Immediate Elections
23-Sep-2025.
Former Northern Provincial Council members emphasized that no one can abolish the provincial council system, which was established beyond India’s influence. They urged the government to take prompt action to hold elections, as the provincial council system ensures the political existence of the Tamil people.
At a private hotel in Jaffna on September 21, a discussion was organized by "One Text Initiative" focusing on the past experiences of the Northern Provincial Council and the urgent need to hold provincial council elections.
Former opposition leader of the Northern Provincial Council, S. Thavarasa, ministers Kurukularaja and Kalanithi Sarveswaran, and members Saba Kugathas, Kesavan Sayandan, Kajatheepan, Immanuel Arnold, Sukhirdan, Thavanathan, Kamalendran and others participated. They expressed their collective views during a press briefing after the meeting.
Immanuel Arnold stated that the discussion was constructive in reviewing past operations of the Provincial Council. A key concern was the continuous postponement of elections. All parties agreed that mechanisms must be in place for the Provincial Council to function effectively. He stressed that for the Tamil Arasu Party (ITAK), the Provincial Council represents the second political platform available to
Tamils, and elections should not be delayed.
Saba Kugathas, representing the RELO party, criticized the JVP-led government for being ideologically opposed to the provincial council system. He accused them of deliberately using the delimitation process and the debate on whether to hold elections under the old or new system to cause further delays.
He added that holding elections under the old system would be simpler and that private members’ motions have already been submitted for this purpose.
Thavanathan, representing the EPDP, said that while the provincial council system is not a complete political solution, it is recognized as the beginning of addressing the ethnic conflict. Therefore, the government must ensure timely elections without delay.
Kajatheepan, from PLOTE, noted that Tamil people have long demanded a federal solution, not the provincial council system. However, since the provincial councils remain the first constitutional step, Tamil representation within them must be guaranteed.
Former Education Minister Kalanithi Sarveswaran (EPRLF) emphasized that the provincial council system is tied to the existence of the Tamil people, especially in the North and East. He argued that if the government refuses island-wide elections, at least elections in the North and East should be held.
He further pointed out that both the international community and India, even at the UN, insist on the provincial council mechanism. Removing this system would provoke direct confrontation with India. Hence, he expressed hope that the government would not abolish the system.
