The second reading of the Budget was passed in parliament a short while ago with a majority of 104 votes with 150 voting for and 46 voting against. The TNA abstained from voting.

The TNA moments before the budget vote was taken released a statement detailing why the party would abstain from voting. In the release the TNA spokesman MP Suresh Premachandran stated that, “The budget that has been presented has not made any allocation for the relief, resettlement and rehabilitation of particularly of the displaced Tamil people and the Tamil people in general.”

He claims that the government processes that its priority is resettlement of the displaced people. However the statement adds that, “these words have not been translated in to actual figures in the budgetary estimate.”

Full release;

The parliamentary group of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) met and discussed its position in regard to voting in respect of second reading of the budget for the year 2011.

The budget that has been presented has not made any allocation for the relief, resettlement and rehabilitation of particularly of the displaced Tamil people and the Tamil people in general. The government processes that it’s priority is resettlement of the displaced people. However these words have not been translated in to actual figures in the budgetary estimate.

Substantial number of Tamil people of north and east have been displaced from their original houses have been living for several years elsewhere under drying condition.

The resettlement of these people is the fundamental obligation of a responsible government. But the government has failed it’s duty at this budget also. Apart from these, the allocation made for defence expenditure has continued to increase year by year even after the conclusion of the war.

Having considered all these, as the representative of the Tamil people, it is our firm decision that we cannot support the budget in anyway. Infact all our members of parliament who spoke at the second reading have unambiguously condemn this budget. We cannot support the budget which makes no provision for the benefit of the Tamil people.

From the commencement of this parliament our position has been that the government must engage in discussion with us, the  elected representative of the Tamil people on this immediate resettlement and rehabilitation concerns and resolution to the national problem.  However no meaningful steps have been taken by the government in this regard up-to-date. In this context we would like to demonstrate our good faith in participating in the discussions concerning the extremely important issues of resettlement and political solution. There for TNA has decided to abstain for voting against the budget 2011 at the second reading today.


Suresh K.Premachandran MP             
Spokesman
TNA