By Maheesha Mudugamuwa

The government would not allow the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to continue to keep alive the demand for a separate Tamil homeland, which the LTTE earlier tried to obtain through terror, for the sake of democracy in the country, Investment Promotions Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said yesterday.

Responding to a query, at a media briefing held at the Government Information Department yesterday, Minister Yapa said that the TNA refused to participate in the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) because it did not want the national issue to be solved.

However, President Mahinda Rajapaksa had requested TNA leader R. Sampanthan recently to nominate members to the PSC, but he had rejected it, the Minister said.

The TNA has had several rounds of discussions with the government on a political solution to the national issue, but the talks have often ended in disagreement over various issues.

"The TNA is reiterating that it has no confidence in a PSC and that means that it does not believe in the parliamentary process," Yapa said.

He also said that the TNA’s only concern had been the devolution of power to Tamils in the North and East, make loud noises about an ethnic problem and dragging the government into a war crimes probe over the last phase of the military operations against the terrorists.

They have completely neglected matters of importance to the Tamil people in their daily existence, such as to live in peace and security, bring up their families, and prepare the future of their children, the Minister added.