North and East Parliamentarians should play bigger role - Prof. Balasundarampillai

by Ananth PALAKIDNAR

The President of the Jaffna Citizens Council for Peace and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Jaffna Professor P. Balasundarampillai urged all political parties from the North and the East to be more cohesive with the ruling party with regard to fulfilling the political aspirations of the people they represent.

Prof. Balasundarampillai, commenting on the outcome of last week's election to choose members for Sri Lanka's seventh Parliament, told the Sunday Observer that unlike in the past, Tamil parliamentarians elected from the North and the East should be more compromising towards achieving their goals.

All political parties, the Tamil parties in particular, are entering the Parliament in a totally democratic atmosphere after three decades.

Therefore, the Members of Parliament elected from the North and the East have a highly responsible role to play politically to fulfil the aspirations of their people.

On the other hand, the ruling party and its alliance must also accommodate parties from the North and the East in a compromising manner to make the peaceful atmosphere that prevails in the country a reality in future too.

He said, "Priority must be given for the establishment of a Northern Provincial Council, so the devolution of powers through this administrative body to the North will be effective." Secondly, the rehabilitation and resettlement process should be expedited.

The IDPs who had gone through the agony of the war should be allowed to re-start their lives from their own home lands.

"Thirdly, a Ministry for Tamil and Hindu Cultural Affairs should be established to preserve the Tamil and Hindu cultural identities which had been marred to a great extent due to the war", he said.

Prof. Balasundarampillai said Tamil Parliamentarians elected from the North and the East have a bigger role to play in addressing the grievances of their people, apart from the political stance they adopt".