President meets Tamil and Muslim political alliance, says committed to abolishing Executive Presidency

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, M. A. Sumanthiran, Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, Suresh Premachandran

• Alliance of Tamil and Muslim political parties raises Provincial Council polls, land issues, housing and concerns affecting Northern, Eastern and Malayagam communities

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressed his commitment to abolishing the Executive Presidency and called for a broad national consensus before embarking on constitutional reform, telling an alliance of Tamil and Muslim political parties that Sri Lanka should prioritise an inclusive national dialogue over a hastily drafted constitutional amendment.

Representatives of an alliance comprising six Tamil and Muslim political parties met the President at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday, where discussions focused on constitutional reform, Provincial Council elections, land issues and development challenges affecting the Northern, Eastern and Malayagam (Hill Country Tamil) communities, according to the President’s Office.

According to the President’s Office, the alliance urged the Government to introduce a new Constitution, hold Provincial Council elections and address issues affecting Tamil-speaking communities.

The Provincial Council elections featured prominently in the discussions, with President Dissanayake noting that Parliament had appointed a Select Committee to examine matters relating to the conduct of the elections and saying he expected to engage with the Committee on the issues that had arisen.

The Government’s proposal to introduce a new Constitution, as outlined in its election manifesto, was also discussed.

According to the President’s Office, Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) General Secretary M.A. Sumanthiran said drafting a new Constitution should be undertaken through a broad national dialogue rather than by a single political party, arguing that the process should address the concerns of Sri Lanka’s diverse communities.

Responding to the proposal, President Dissanayake reiterated that the Government remained committed to constitutional reform and the abolition of the Executive Presidency but said the immediate priority was to build a new national consensus.

According to the President’s Office, the President said the Government sought to build a country in which people acted together as Sri Lankans rather than along ethnic lines, adding that his vision was for a system of governance accountable to Parliament.

The meeting also discussed the Government’s proposal to grant estate workers and estate staff legal ownership of 10-perch residential land plots.

Tamil Progressive Alliance representative V. Radhakrishnan expressed hope that the current administration would succeed in implementing a measure that previous governments had been unable to introduce because of opposition from plantation companies, according to the President’s Office.

President Dissanayake said plantation lease agreements with the State, which are due for renewal before 2042, would provide an opportunity to incorporate provisions granting the Malayagam community legal ownership of residential land.

M.A.M. Tahir, Selvam Adaikalanathan, Rauff Hakeem, Jeevan Thondaman

The President also said landslide risks in the Central Highlands required environmentally sustainable solutions and noted that a dedicated authority had already been established to address those issues as part of broader efforts to improve conditions for the Malayagam community. Housing and economic assistance for estate communities also featured in the discussions.

According to the President’s Office, Ceylon Workers’ Congress Leader Jeevan Thondaman said beneficiaries of Indian-assisted housing schemes continued to face difficulties meeting the costs of essential services, including water and electricity, despite receiving ownership of their homes.

In response, President Dissanayake said proposals had already been made to establish a new assistance program jointly through the Thondaman Foundation and the Nevada Foundation to provide economic support to the community. He also said the Government intends to allocate a higher level of funding for the Plantation and Community Infrastructure Ministry in the 2027 Budget than was provided this year.

The President also reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to resolving longstanding land issues in the Northern Province and Central Highlands, stating that land should rightfully belong to the people and noting that several commissions had already been appointed to address those matters.

Representatives of the alliance also raised concerns over the Provincial Council electoral system, the work of the Delimitation Commission and what they described as outdated policies of the Department of Archaeology, the Department of Forest Conservation and the Mahaweli Authority affecting communities in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.