JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — Douglas Devananda, secretary general of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), said on Saturday that Sri Lanka's Tamil people should not expect any government in the country's south to voluntarily grant a political settlement, arguing instead that Tamils must create the conditions necessary to secure their own political rights.
Mr. Devananda made the remarks during a meeting with key EPDP figures and party activists from the Nallur electorate.
"No government that comes to power in southern Sri Lanka will present a political solution for the Tamil people on a golden platter," he said. "We must create the conditions ourselves to secure our political rights."
Mr. Devananda defended the EPDP's long-standing political approach, saying history had demonstrated that the party's alternative political policies were the most practical path toward resolving Sri Lanka's ethnic question.
He reiterated the party's support for strengthening and fully implementing the Provincial Council system, arguing that a provincial power-sharing arrangement was the only framework likely to receive India's support.
"The system of power-sharing based on the provinces must be strengthened and fully implemented. Only such an approach will have the support of the Government of India," he said.
Mr. Devananda also criticized the Tamil National People's Front-led Tamil National Council, whose delegation recently met political leaders in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, including Chief Minister Joseph Vijay. Without naming individual delegates, he accused them of pursuing "self-serving politics" by calling for an international investigation into alleged wartime atrocities and advocating federalism.
"Such empty slogans will bring no benefit whatsoever to our people," he said.
Mr. Devananda said the EPDP's long-term objective remained to begin with the Provincial Council framework before advancing toward what he described as "federalism at the centre and autonomy at the state level."
He argued that, after years of political setbacks, other Tamil political parties had begun to embrace positions that the EPDP had advocated for decades.
Mr. Devananda also acknowledged that the party had failed to communicate its political programme effectively to the public, describing that as one of the principal reasons for its political setbacks.
He urged party members to intensify efforts to take the EPDP's policies and proposals to the public through every available platform.
