ANNOUNCING THE FIRST CABINET OF THE TRANSNATIONAL GOVERNMENT OF TAMIL EELAM

November 3, 2010 It gives us great pleasure to announce the first cabinet with executive powers created within the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE). This cabinet of eleven will be made up of the Prime Minister, three Deputy Prime Ministers and seven Ministers. The three Deputy Prime Ministers appointed on a regional basis and the seven Ministers have each been assigned a portfolio. The Ministers concerned have also chosen Deputy Ministers for each of the Ministries. The Constitution of the TGTE has endowed the responsibility of selecting the three deputies to the Prime Minster. It is appropriate at this juncture that I explain the process adopted in selecting and appointing the members of the cabinet. Expressions of Interest in written form were sought from all members of the TGTE with an interest in a cabinet position, in the same manner we called upon members to serve in working groups during the interim phase of TGTE. Prospective candidates were asked to outline details of the Ministry they were interested in serving, their educational background, their employment and experience, past contribution to the Tamil liberation struggle, the plans they had in mind for the respective Ministries, and the amount of time they were willing to commit for the work of the TGTE.  It is heartening to note that many members have taken part in this process with enthusiasm, and the appointment to the Cabinet and to the deputies positions announced today has come from among those with an expressed interest and abilities to perform in the particular roles. The names of members appointed to Cabinet positions and the position of deputies are listed below, followed by some background information on each selected member.

Prime Minister Mr Visvanathan Rudrakumaran
Professor Eliathamby Selvanathan - Finance Selvanathan is Professor of Economic Statistics at Griffith University in Australia. He holds a Masters degree in Informatics and Applied Mathematics (Romania) and a PhD in Economic Statistics (Australia).  Prof Selvanathan has had a long association with the Tamil national struggle and has held several senior positions in Tamil organisations in Australia, such as the TRO, AFTA and ETOQ.