Vasu urges govt. talk with NPC to iron out issues

By Saman Indrajith-December 15, 2013,

National Languages and Social Integration Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara told Parliament on Saturday  (14) that he hoped the government would commence talks with the Northern Provincial Council to iron out the differences between the two institutions of governance at the centre and periphery.

The minister, participating in the third reading stage debate, on Budget 2014, under the expenditure heads of the Ministry of Local Government and Provincial Councils, said that there had been no cutting off of funds allocated to the NPC as alleged by the opposition.

"As far as I know we cannot rule a country through authoritarian means but consensual means. This need for consensus has been pointed out by the late South African leader Nelson Mandela. There could be differences between the TNA and our political vision. But the government and NPC should cooperate," he said.

The Minister said that the NPC had asked for a civilian governor for the province. "They never mentioned that they did not want a Sinhala governor. The NPC had made a request and it is up to us to consider whether we could accept it or not. It is a matter that the government and the NPC should discuss to reach a consensus," the minister said.

"Then the NPC had said that the government should have talked to them before appointing a DIG to the Northern Province. The NPC had not asked for police powers that had not been given to other provinces. What they had said was it was better had the government consulted them before appointing the DIG."

"These are just demands. What I am saying is that the government and the NPC should talk and reach a consensus with regard to matters such as these. Without cooperation and consensus we cannot move on. Those talks would not be like the talks between the Alliance and the TNA but between the NPC and the government," the minister said.

Responding to allegations raised by UNP Hambantota District MP Sajith Premdasa, who said the government had withdrawn the funds allocated to the NPC, the minister said the funds to the provincial councils were allocated by the government on the recommendations of the Finance Commission. The Finance Commission took few matters into consideration in allocating funds to PCs such as the population and the per capita income of each Province, the need to reduce social and economic disparities and the need to reduce the differences between the per capita incomes among Provinces. The amounts determined and allocated to each province differed on those grounds the minister said adding that there was no withdrawing of any funds allocated to the NPC.

MP Premadasa, earlier in the day, said that government should not cut funds for the NPC just because it was under the powers of the TNA. "People have come out and exercised their franchise and voted for the party they wanted. They are experiencing democracy for the first time in three decades. Do not let them lose their trust on the means of democracy and push them back to military means by cutting funds meant for them just because you lost the election in the North," the MP said.