SLFP won’t support Federalism: Mahinda Samarasinghe
The SLFP neither supports nor is willing to discuss federalism, Skills Development and Vocational Training Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said.
He was addressing a media briefing at the Information Department yesterday.
Samarasinghe added that such moves would destabilise the current politically stable environment.
The minister’s statement was in response to the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) having passed a resolution sponsored by the TNA to urge the government to introduce provisions to the proposed new constitution enabling the merger of the North and East and granting federalism.
“The NPC can pass any motion but we cannot support something which goes against our constitution,” Samarasinghe said.
The minister added that the central government would instead be more open to discuss greater devolution of financial and political powers to local government.
He cited the move to revert back to local governments controlling their own finances from the Treasury rather than it being channelled through line ministries as one such example.
Southern Provincial Council Chief Minister Shan Wijayalal de Silva explained that while many motions were regularly passed at every Provincial Council in the country, in the end, it was only the Governor of the Province who had the legal authority to implement them.
“All local governments meet annually to discuss our common problems but the Northern Province Chief Minister sadly never attends these meetings. He accepts the invitation but never turns up,” de Silva said.
Samarasinghe who also commented on Opposition Leader, R. Sampanthan’s recent unannounced visit to the Kilinochchi Army Camp, said: “We don’t expect such behaviour from such an experienced politician. Neither he nor his MPs are barred from the camps, there is no war, he can go there anytime as a public representative but there is procedure to be followed when doing so”.
He added: “Such actions merely provide fodder for extremists to achieve their own narrow agendas. That is something neither Sampanthan nor we want.”
(Source: Daily News)
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The resolution of the Northern Provincial Council calling for federalism is way outside the constitutional framework of the PC, according to the 13th Amendment. No PC has the right to pass a resolution which calls for the fundamental change of an entrenched clause of the Constitution; one which concerns the very character and structure of the State. This act is profoundly unconstitutional. Most bizarre is the imminent presentation of the outrageously unconstitutional NPC resolution to the PM and the Speaker!
The sinhala politicians are the initiators of a federal setup for Sri Lanka.
On his return from the United Kingdom it was S.W.R.D Bandaranaike in the mid 1920s who proposed a federal arrangement for this country. He wrote several articles urging a federal arrangement.
In 1929 before the Donoughmore Commission the Kandyan League advocated a federal constitution. They proposed three units of power-sharing in the country. The first comprised of the territory of the Kandyan Kingdom, the second comprising of the territory under the Low-Country Sinhala Kingdom and the third comprising of the North and the East, the Tamil speaking areas in the country, where there was also a Tamil kingdom.
The NPC is requesting the majority Community to implement its own wishes !!!!
Why not abolish the white elephant Provincial councils which was forced down our throats by India which no Sri Lankan can forget or forgive
The provincial councils should be abolished in the New Constitution.
There should be a proviso, that all public officials should be retrenched.
The Councillors are not an issue.
The Southern Provincial councillors are all gun-toting kudu dealers.
The Lily White angels of the North and East have their own un-constitutional agendas.
It is only the public officials in the Provincial Councils are lecherous bloodsuckers living lavishly off the public purse.