Tamil parties extend support to President

Rohan Mathes

COLOMBO: The CWC has two reasons which led to join the Government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, newly sworn in Minister Arumugam Thondaman said yesterday.

"One, we have to safeguard our minority community. Second the President has expressed his intention for a negotiated settlement to the ethnic conflict.

As a major minority group, we should be with the Government and strengthen the President's hands, for a negotiated settlement, though we may have other differences of opinion," said Thondaman addressing the media after he was sworn-in as the Cabinet Minister of Youth Empowerment and Socio Economic Development.

The CWC members along with its leader who met the President at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday pledged their support to the Government.

The CWC was yearning to support President Rajapaksa's Government since last February by taking-up ministerial portfolios, the CWC leader said responding to questions raised by the media.

Thondaman reiterated that they would call upon both the Tigers and the Government to come to the negotiating table and seek a negotiated settlement instead of an armed conflict.

"A mass exodus of Tamil refugees from the North and East to India, could not be ruled out and that too has to be settled amicably on the negotiating table," he added.

The Minister expressed his satisfaction on the portfolio he has been bestowed with, saying he would endeavour to serve best the under-privileged youth. CWC Parliamentarians M. Sivalingam and M. Sathichanandan also took oaths before the President as Deputy Minister of Estate Infrastructure Development and Deputy Minister of Education.

CWC Vice President R. Yogarajan opined that to be of optimum service to his community and deliver the goods, they need to be partners with the Government. "The uplift of our people and our focus on their needs is our main concern," he said.

Deputy Minister S. Radakrishnan said he would endeavour to serve all the people with full commitment to the best of his abilities to bring prosperity to the nation.

The Upcountry People's Front Party (UPF) leader T. Chandrasekeran was also sworn-in as Minister of Community Development and Social Inequity Eradication, before the President.

He told the media that since 1994, the time he assumed office as minister, their policies have not changed and to achieve their goals in serving their predominantly estate community, they had decided to join hands with President Rajapaksa.

"We would fully support the peace process and seek hard to bring both parties to the negotiating table and opt for a peaceful solution to the ethnic conflict.

I will influence the Government and the LTTE by utilising the good rapport I have and have had with the LTTE. I will serve not only the estate community but all the communities we could serve", he said.

He further said the new Ministry of 'Inequity Eradication' which he obtained on request from the President would be of much importance in the present context of racial concord.

CWC Vice president R. Yogarajan said that he was very much committed to give the maximum benefit to his community and to do that they needed to be partners of the Government.

CWC MPs M. Sivalingam and M. Sathichanandan took their oaths as Deputy Ministers of Estate Infrastructure and Education respectively. UPF MP S. Radharisnan also was sworn-in as Deputy Minister of Education.