Future of provincial council system must be decided by the public -President

Saturday, 22 June 2013 03:55 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The provincial council system in Sri Lanka is not a total failure and had provided many benefits, and therefore the future existence of the system should be decided by the people Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday. Addressing the heads and chief editors of media institutions at the Temple Trees Friday, the President said although the provincial council system has been branded as a white elephant by many factions, it should be utilized to provide useful service to the public. However the system has been established in the country for many years and cannot be changed by sudden decisions, he added.

The internal politics of any country is the most crucial factor than any other matter, he said, adding that the government has to consider the public opinion in taking political decisions. He rejected media reports about the government planning to breach agreements reached in the 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord which created the provincial council system. “We have not violated anything on the Indo-Lanka accord,” the President said responding to media queries. Expressing his views on 13th Amendment to the Constitution, President Rajapaksa said the government has appointed a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) for the political parties to discuss the issue and take a decision not because of the upcoming Northern Provincial Council election. “These amendments are not solely for the North and East. It is the rest of the Provincial Councils in the country that has to be changed and it is the view of the general public,” the President said. The government has proposed an amendment to the 13th Amendment to repeal the provision which empowers the President to merge two or more provinces. The revision will be presented in Parliament as an urgent bill. He urged the media not to entertain a wrong opinion regarding the 13th Amendment and requested all the political parties to participate in PSC and make their contribution. The government is well aware of the pro-LTTE political fronts that are active in local and international arena to achieve their violent objectives and therefore the international community will be informed at foreign missions level about all ideas regarding the 13th Amendment, President told the media. He dismissed reports which say that India had raised concerns with Sri Lanka on the 13th Amendment and said the reported visit by India’s National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar to Colombo in July is of a routine nature for discussions on the joint defence cooperation among Sri Lanka, India, and Maldives. Ministers Basil Rajapaksa, Susil Premajayantha, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Keheliya Rambukwella, S.B. Dissanayake and Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga also participated in the meeting.