North-East Proposals For Federalism Inflammatory
By Faizer Shaheid –May 3, 2016
Faizer Shaheid
In the most recent times we have witnessed hypocrisy at the hands of and a violation of the mandate and trust bestowed upon the Northern Provincial Council. We have also witnessed the epitome of freedom of expression where a resolution passed by the Northern Provincial Council in direct conflict with the Constitution has been tolerated. A resolution which is directly and reprehensibly racist and schismatic and seriously jeopardizes the attempts at peace and reconciliation which is one of the successes of the present regime.
In this generally peaceful paradise isle, an element of intolerance had always been a spot of bother. It is almost culturally ingrained in the system. However, we are now in the 21st century, and the people of Sri Lanka have now realized the importance of electing visionary and policy oriented intellects to represent them. When the people elected to defeat the last regime on 08 January, they voted against the fascist politics at play, they voted against the ethnic discord prevailing in the country and they voted in favour of human rights. Today, the fact that they could openly make a proposal of this nature is exemplary of this freedom.
Although the Members of the Northern Provincial Council, just as any citizen of Sri Lanka, are free to express his or her opinion at any platform, I am a firm believer that the other citizens of this country also have the right to criticize the ideas proposed by the other. This is what the freedom of speech truly entails, and my intentions are to criticize the call for a separate state by the Northern Provincial Council.
I do understand that a Provincial Council has the right to pass a resolution asking for Parliament to make law. However, as according the Article 154G (4), the resolution has to be on a matter set out in the Provincial Council List in the Ninth Schedule. It had earlier passed a Resolution on 10th of February, 2015 recognizing genocide and now it has passed a resolution calling for a separate state. Neither of these two are within the purview of a Provincial Council.
