Bhathiya Barukanda
I want to ask the President why he is creating the confusion particularly at this time when the Presidential election is in the offing. When we all know, the constitution in Section 30 (2) very clearly says that the term of the Presidency is Five years, he creates unnecessary confusion and unnecessary debate on it. There is no necessity for the Cabinet to decide on the amendment of that particular clause in the constitution.
Speaking on the adjournment debate on the amendment to the section 30(2) of the constitution in Parliament on Thursday he said that obviously when the President does that there is no trust in him. People begin to think there must be an ulterior motive in actually doing this. The President has some more months to go, there are things which can do which can create confidence in the country. President goes to north and makes commitments that the 13th Amendment to the Constitution will be implemented as it has already become the law of the country.
I am saying please implement the 13th A, you don’t have to wait.” said Eran Wickramaratne
We know over a period of time politicians, in 1971 created Divisional Development Councils, 1973 District Political authority, 1978 District Minister system, 1981 District Development Councils and then in 1988 the Provincial Council system was created. All these devolution procedures were game played by the central governments.
Whichever without getting into the politics of it, I am asking the President now this has been in our constitution, therefore implement the Provincial Council system. People do not want commitments from the President on the implementation of 13 A, it is in the law of the country. These are the things the President can do. Why is the President not doing these things asked EranWickramaratne.
In this country things that are legal, things that are in constitution and things that are in law, things that would solve the problems in the country should be implemented by the President. This not the argument about the north and the east, but this is an argument on the devolution in the south as well. Lots of people forgot the fact that in the north out of the past 30 years that we have had this 13th Amendment, only for six or seven years there had been the provincial Council in the north. But in the south of the country we have had provincial councils all alone and the governments never gave the funding though we have a Finance Council to allocate money to them.
Central Government funding even today is about 68 percent on recurrent expenditure and about 86 percent on capital expenditure of which salaries are 75 % of them.
We created Provincial Councils without thinking of economic logic of their outcome. These are powerful tools if the PCs are properly used and if they are properly empowered and they given powers and facilities.
There is an argument that the PCs are not economically viable and duplication or overlapping the works which is absolute nonsense. Somebody says if the PCs are abolished the GDP will increase. We have a Colombo centric development model for the last 50 years and the people outsides are not benefitted. And there has been no capital investment.
Therefore he urged the President that there is some thing he can do and please implement the 13th Amendment rather than just creates confusion on the Presidential Elections.
