Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Manifesto For The Northern Provincial Council

By S.Sivathasan -September 5, 2013 |

S.Sivathasan

I would have wished to see a Manifesto along the following lines.

Preamble

The Northern Provincial Council will hold as sacred and inviolable, the rights and entitlements of all ethnicities in the Province. This enduring principle shall guide and direct the Council’s policies and approaches. The ideal, that the people of the Northern Province shall have no less freedom than the rest of the country, will be deemed the fount for national harmony. The Council shall strive to foster it.

Sovereignty lies with you the people and we seek your mandate for the governance we envisage in the Northern Province. We set out our proposals in the Manifesto, with total transparency and commit ourselves to realizing them with your endorsement and support.

The Call

You have made enormous sacrifices for freedom with a view to providing a good life for generations to come. They have sustained our spirit and strengthened the resolve to build on your collective contribution.

The Tamil leadership was unrelenting in its labors for an elected Provincial Council. It was reinforced by the resurgence of Tamil Nationalism in Tamil Nadu and the strong support of the Indian Government. The time has come for the Provincial Council to be elected by you in September.

With a decisive mandate from you the Tamil National Alliance will seize the opportunity to make the Provincial Council an effective instrument of devolution. We shall work towards welding the Tamil community here and abroad and make all efforts for substantial power and finances to be vested in it. The need for an impressive victory will be clear to you for realizing such a target.

Scope of the Provincial Council

“Legislation without Representation” aptly describes the 13^th Amendment to the Constitution. “Taxation without Representation” was revolting to the American Colonies, more than two centuries ago. Lack of parliamentary representation for four years preceding the Amendment to confer devolution was equally revolting to all Tamils.

With the mandate we obtain from you, our principal task will be to widen the scope of devolution and to make the Provincial Council really powerful.

Commitments:

Our commitment is to restore: