NPC CM to be sworn in before President

by Sulochana Ramiah Mohan-Saturday, 05 Oct 2013

While the newly-elected Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC), C.V. Wigneswaran, is expected to be sworn in before President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday, 7 October, fissures have erupted within the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) over the decision.

TNA Spokesperson, Suresh Premachandran, said the decision to have a swearing in ceremony was taken by TNA Leader, R. Sampanthan, and the TNA delegation that met the President yesterday.

Thereafter, the TNA Provincial Councillors of the NPC will be sworn in before Chief Minister Wigneswaran on 11 October in Jaffna, he said.However, Ceylon Today reliably learns, the Alliance had initially planned for the Chief Minister to be sworn in by a Justice of the Peace (JP) in Jaffna, but had changed its decision in favour of holding a ceremony at Temple Trees, after the meeting with the President.

Premachandran defended the change of plan, saying the TNA needs to work with the government.
“The NPC is part of the government,” he said.

Meanwhile, two newly-elected TNA members of the NPC, on the condition of anonymity told Ceylon Today, that they have been quizzed by the party supporters over the latest development.

Several of the TNA supporters have noted that there is a provision in the Provincial Councils Act No 42 of 1987 that the Chief Minister can be sworn in before a Justice of the Peace.

“The TNA should have first asked the people for their preference as they have been elected to serve the people. However, the TNA leaders have kept the others in the dark. We just heard the news over the radio about the oath taking ceremony and we are puzzled,” said one disgruntled Provincial Council member, who polled a record number of preferential votes.