UPFA confident of winning NPC

By Ranil Wijayapala

Sundaram Divakalala, a former civil servant who headed the Education and Sports Ministry as it's Secretary in the former North East Provincial Council and a social worker who gave prominence for the development education sector in the war affected North and East, is a candidate at the forthcoming Northern Provincial Council. He has accepted the offer made by the EPDP leader Minister Douglas Devananda to contest the Northern Provincial Council election representing the EPDP a constituent party of the UPFA. The Sunday Observer interviewed him while he was engaged in his election campaign in Jaffna.

Question: As a former Government servant what made you enter politics and contest the Provincial Council elections?

Answer: I was the Secretary of the Ministry of Education in the North East Provincial Council when I retired from the government service. I always feel throughout my career that without the political support the Government servants in the decision making position can't implement whatever the project they propose and the decision they take. So, I decided to contest the elections and implement the policy of the government or whatever the government in power. After the retirement I also engaged in social work and when engaged in these social work I thought if I have political power, I can do more work effectively and more efficiently. So when the offer was made to me I accepted it.

Q: Is there any specific reason for you to selecting EPDP the constituent party of the UPFA to contest the election?

A: I knew Minister Douglas Devananda for a very long time as a young boy and as a freedom fighter. As a freedom fighter he was there for 18 years. In the passage of time he felt, fighting against the Government to release the people was wrong and then he decided to get out of it and entered the parliament. He also has a very good experience as a Minister for the last 13 years. More than that I see him as a decent politician and a person who keep to the word. He was able to foresee what is good for the people. So I was following him even though I was not politically connected with him. When he brought this political idea I thought it is better to join a person who is always honest who means what he has to do and a person who stick to his policies.

Q: Were there any pressures from any person or organization against your candidacy at the election?

A: No there were no pressures from anybody. Absolutely no pressures.

Q: As a whole what do you think of the Provincial Council system at present and specifically about the ongoing debate on the Police and Land powers under the Provincial Council system?

A: If we talk about the 13 th amendment or the 13 plus that people are talking now which is in the highlight in the media I can say I worked as a Secretary of a Ministry of a Province covering North and East under the same powers given. I felt and I feel and I think that the 13 th amendment is a starting point for us to develop our province.

The Provincial Councils have adequate powers. There are about 13 subjects are devolved completely to the Provincial Council and 13 powers are concurrent powers which the central government and the provincial council share.

With the powers exclusively with the provincial Council and then powers given in the concurrent list, if we can implement those powers correctly and effectively, I think we can develop the province socially and economically.

If you want solve the political problem of the Tamil speaking people in the North East specially and Tamil speaking people in general I feel the powers which is given in the provincial council not adequate.

Q: What about the Police and Land powers?

A: When you consider Police and the Land powers as it is given at present, is adequate. Interestingly, some political parties which are saying that no powers are given under the 13 th amendment relating to Police matters and the Land matters. But subsequently, I read somewhere the main person who is contesting with that policy has said very clearly that the powers given in the 13th amendment is enough to work. So I don't see any problem there. Of course the southern people also can feel that the police power can be misused. I don't see that Police powers could be misused within the overall Sri Lankan constitution.

There are provisions to control that within the judiciary. If the Provincial council is misusing of course there are ways to deal with that. I don't see any reason for any one to get scared about it. The constitution is very clear about the land matter . So the province is given land power and if the land is situated in such a way and used by two provincial councils both provincial councils has to agree upon any of the decision arrived by the individual provincial council. That, I think resolve the problem .

I feel the southern politicians and the Tamil politicians in the North and East and agree upon any development on our own. So we will get the goodwill of the politicians of the south to develop the North.

Q: How do you asses the situation in the Northern province four years after the end of the war?

A: We should accept that there is a lot of development taking place. Some people say that there is no development and no change of life four years after the war. I think it is not fair to say like that. There are lot of development the development of the road and also the railway track to Kilinochchi is going to start on September 14.. In any country in any economist will agree that the infrastructure specially the road infrastructure and rail infrastructure is very efficient and very needed for development.

That is what Singapore has proved to us. Li Quan Yu was the former Prime Minister who brought Singapore to this state after starting that process by developing the infrastructure and improving the rail tracks and made those station attractive for the people to come.

That is infrastructure.When we take the education sector, I read somewhere nearly Rs 4,000 million was spent each year for the development of the education in the Northern province. It is very evident from the building which are coming wherever the buildings were destroyed new buildings are coming . I don't say that the buildings alone will develop the education.

Human facility has also been given after the end of the war. In addition there are two parts for the development of the education one is technology for education and the other one is technological education. Now both are being developed.

When we take the health sector which is an essential part of the public, the people in the North are thankful to the Government. A four storey building in Jaffna hospital with all modern facilities was opened by the President. Not only that even in the rural areas hospitals are coming up.Water supply electricity I can show so many sections which have been developed after the end of war. We must also see the new face of Jaffna. New buildings are coming up new designs are coming up and business centres are coming up.

There is a lot of development . So in the process when the powers come to the provincial council we say to the people that we always share power with the Government . If we come to power I think we can develop Northern Province as Minister Douglas Devananda says we will develop the Northern province into another Singapore within five years.

Q: There is perception that though physical development is taking place not much has been done to heal the wounds and the grievance of the people in the North?

A: Of course. Now you have to look at this question from two sides. Anywhere in any part of the world where an abnormal situation prevailed for a long time the livelihood of the people will be affected. Even in Japan after the world war or wherever the disaster took place, grievances were there. There are several dimensions to that. When we say grievance when a person has lost his inmates or relatives the grievance is there. Specially those who were missing of course grievances will be there. It will take

some time for them to believe that such things will take place where the abnormality prevail. That is one side.

The other one is political grievances. That is why we are demanding the political rights through the parliament system and groups were engaged in armed struggle. That is how they demanded their political rights . I should accept that the political rights of the people of the North was not given. That of course I agree. It will take some time to address that grievance I

will find this at this juncture we should first develop the province economically and socially and politically and then address those grievances.

Q: What is your vision for the province after winning the election?

A: My vision is socio economic and political emancipation through education.

Q: Can you elaborate on this?

A: All those countries existed under abnormal conditions and there are so many thousands reports to say during the period of political conflict, education was under attack. For any country to develop education is fundamental. If we give proper adequate and standard education that first step in developing the region then we will have to go into the state of political idea where they feel the pain of mind for political rights. I feel that the President will settle that issue and bring solution to that.