Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi

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இலங்கைத் தமிழரசுக் கட்சி
ඉලංගෙයි තමිළ් අරසු කච්චි
Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi Lanka Tamil State
Party
ITAK party flag
Mavai Senathirajah (2013)
Party leader Mavai Senathirajah (since 2014)
founding 1949, and again in 2004
Place of foundation Colombo , Sri LankaSri LankaSri Lanka 
Alignment Tamil regionalism
Parliament seats
11/225

Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi ( ITAK , Tamil இலங்கைத் தமிழரசுக் கட்சி , Sinhala ඉලංගෙයි තමිළ් අරසු කච්චි , "Lankan Tamil State Party"), formerly also known as the Federal Party , is an interest group of the Tamil population in Sri Lanka. The ITAK existed from 1947 to 1976 as an independent party and in 1976 became part of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF). In 2004 it was re-established as a spin-off from the TULF and has since formed the largest Tamil party in Sri Lanka in terms of votes (as of 2020).

history

History until 1976

Shortly after Sri Lanka's independence (until 1972 under the name Ceylon ) in 1947, the leadership of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) decided to participate in the government led by the United National Party (UNP). Thereupon a faction of the ACTC split off under the leadership of C. Vanniasingam , EMV Naganathan and SJV Chelvanayakam and in 1949 founded a new party, Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK). In English-language press organs in Sri Lanka and in the international press, the new party functioned under the name Federal Party (FP), mainly because its main concern was the federalization of Sri Lanka with the formation of a separate Tamil state. Further demands were the equality of Tamil and Sinhala, as well as the end of state activities to settle non-Tamils ​​in the predominantly Tamil areas. After the government under SWRD Bandaranaike declared Sinhala to be the only state language in Sri Lanka in 1956, tensions between the ethnic groups increased and the ITAK advanced to become the most important Tamil party. In 1965, under the government of Dudley Senanayake , an attempt at compensation was made, but this was met with opposition from Sinhala nationalists and did not last long. The ITAK was not able to enforce its maximum demands in the 1950s and 1960s, but after parliamentary and regional elections it often acted as a kingmaker or as a tip on the scales , as none of the major parties in Sri Lanka alone could achieve an absolute majority in parliament and the governments were dependent on majority procurers. This enabled the ITAK / FP to repeatedly assert the interests of the Tamils. This situation changed after the parliamentary elections in Ceylon in 1970 when the United Front under Sirimavo Bandaranaike won a two-thirds super-majority in parliament with 116 out of 157 seats. The possibilities of political influence were thus ruined for ITAK / FP. ITAK party leader Chelvanayakam was so shocked by the election result that he made the much-quoted saying that “only God can save the Tamils”.

The conditions for the Tamil minority subsequently deteriorated significantly, which in turn led to a radicalization of the positions of their political leaders. On May 14, 1972, four Tamil parties ( All Ceylon Tamil Congress ACTC, Ceylon Workers' Congress , Eelath Thamilar Otrumai Munnani and All Ceylon Tamil Conference ) joined forces to form the Tamil United Front , which was later renamed the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) and in 1976 ITAK was also absorbed into this organization.

ITAK as part of the TULF

In the Vaddukoddai Resolution 1976, the TULF no longer demanded the federalization of Sri Lanka, but a fully independent Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka. This demand was rejected in unison by Sinhalese politicians of all stripes. In the parliamentary elections in 1977 the political signs were reversed. This time the UNP won a three-quarters majority in parliament and then, based on this comfortable majority, implemented constitutional reforms that transformed Sri Lanka from a parliamentary to a presidential system . The small parliamentary group of the TULF remained without political influence and the Tamils ​​continued to see their interests and demands neglected. From 1983 the civil war broke out openly between the militant Tamil Tigers (LTTE) and the Sinhalese-led governments. The TULF got caught up in tension because on the one hand it wanted to represent the interests of the Tamils, but on the other hand it rejected the LTTE's terrorist activities. The LTTE claimed sole representation for the Tamils ​​and did not hesitate to murder prominent Tamils ​​who criticized their actions. Many higher-ranking TULF politicians have been victims of LTTE assassinations.

In 2001, the TULF, Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) and the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) formed a new alliance, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). The TNA formally recognized the LTTE as the representative of the Tamils ​​in Sri Lanka. This subsequently led to a rupture within the TULF.

History since 2004

When the TNA wanted to run in the 2004 general election , it had to do so under the name of one of its constituent parties, as it was not itself recognized as a political party. The TULF party leader V. Anandasangaree, an outspoken critic of the LTTE, refused to run under the name of the TULF. A large number of the TULF supporters who wanted to support the TNA then founded the ITAK under the leadership of R. Sampanthan and the TNA stood for election under the name of ITAK.

Party chairman was initially R. Sampanthan, who was replaced by Mavai Senathirajah in 2014 (re-election in 2019). In the parliamentary elections in 2010 and 2015 , the TNA also ran under the name of ITAK. Since the end of the civil war in 2009, the political goal of establishing an independent Tamil state has become completely unrealistic and the ITAK has returned to its earlier call for regional self-government of the Tamil areas within Sri Lanka. However, this demand for the introduction of a federal system has so far been rejected by all of the larger Sinhalese parties and also by the winner of the 2019 presidential election , Gotabaya Rajapaksa . After the 2015 parliamentary election , ITAK occupied 11 seats within the 16-seat TNA parliamentary group.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Mavai elected as ITAK's new leader. The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka), accessed March 21, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Mavai reappointed as Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi leader. Colombo Gazette, June 29, 2019, accessed March 21, 2020 .
  3. ↑ a b c d Mapping Sri Lanka's Political Parties: Actors and Evolutions, Chapter 1.3 Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi. (pdf) Verite Research / Westminster Foundation for Democracy, pp. 17–20 , accessed on March 21, 2020 .
  4. ↑ a b D.BSJeyaraj: Political Role of Federal Party (ITAK) in Unmaking and Making Govts in 1960. Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka), July 31, 2015, accessed on March 19, 2020 (English).
  5. ↑ TNA submits nomination lists for NE electoral districts. TamilNet, February 23, 2004, accessed March 21, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Mavai elected as ITAK's new leader. The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka), accessed March 21, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Mavai reappointed as Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi leader. Colombo Gazette, June 29, 2019, accessed March 21, 2020 .
  8. ↑ Top candidates say 'NO' to 13 demands of Tamil Parties. Ceylon Today, October 20, 2019, accessed March 22, 2020 .