PC system to be amended or abolished?

… NJC among those pushing for doing away with 13th A

By Shamindra Ferdinando

State Minister for Provincial Councils and Local Government Affairs, Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera has called for a comprehensive examination of the Provincial Council system.

Depending on the report, State Minister Weerasekera would recommend to the Cabinet whether to amend the PC system or do away with it, a spokesperson for the Ministry told The Island.

The State Minister has called for a report on the PC system from Ministry officials with the focus on funds made available over the past three decades and how it benefited the public.

Sri Lanka established the Provincial Council system in terms of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, introduced in keeping with the 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord.

State Minister Weerasekera issued directives as regards studying  the PC system on Monday (25) close on the heels of Jaffna District lawmaker and leader of the Thamil Makkal Theshiya Kuttani C.V. Wigneswaran warning, in Parliament, not to touch the 13th Amendment as it was introduced in terms of an agreement with India.

A spokesperson for the National Joint Committee told The Island that the government couldn’t afford to continue with the utterly useless Provincial Council system which was nothing but a white elephant.

The spokesperson, while noting that Justice Minister Ali Sabri PC is on record as having said recently that the PC system, set up on the basis of an understanding with India, wouldn’t be abolished, pointed out that India never disarmed all terrorist groups as promised. The LTTE survived for nearly 20 years after India pulled out her troops deployed here in March 1990, the NJC official said. Therefore, there was no obligation on Sri Lanka’s part to continue with a costly administrative structure forced on us, the spokesman said.

The official pointed out that the new administration should decide on the matter without further delay.