The future of Tamil politics in Sri Lanka

While divisions within Tamil parties bolster ruling parties, the NPP’s rise offers hope for new politics in Sri Lanka.

The Tamil political parties of Sri Lanka, namely All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC), the Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC), Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA), Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA), collectively raised their voices for Tamil political aspirations that have remained unresolved due to a lack of political will within majoritarian politics. On July 24, they decided to work on issues where there is consensus while maintaining their separate political identities, policies and positions . They have already met the President and plan to meet the opposition next, followed by a meeting with the diplomatic community to appraise their position. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in his election manifesto, underlined the need for a new constitution to fulfil Tamil political aspirations and received overwhelming support from Tamil voters.