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| Sunday, 18 January 2004 |
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Politics |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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PC elections soon by P. Krishnaswamy Elections to the seven provincial councils in the country, excluding the long defunct Northeastern council, are likely to take place by the middle of this year. The seven councils have gone through three terms while the Northeastern become non-existent roughly one and half years after its establishment in November 1988 due to renewal of the war. The term of the Northwestern (Wayamba) council is expiring on February 8 and the terms of the other six end in May.
PA leader President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and UNF leader Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe held lengthy discussions last week with their respective PC chief ministers, ministers and allies on putting up candidates and campaigning, informed political sources said. Critics say that the PC system, originally intended for the Northeastern province by way of a solution to the ethnic conflict, has been offered to the Southern provinces unsolicited and they remain 'white elephants' which do not generate enough revenue but depend on the centre for funds. The Elections Department, meanwhile, decided to increase the number of members to the councils, commensurate with increase in electors, based on the 2002 electoral registers. But Minister Prof. G.L.Pieris has proposed constitutional amendments to freeze the existing number of members and to hold elections the same day, on Saturday. Official sources of the elections department said that they had decided to increase the number of councillors of the Western PC to 139 (present number 102), Central PC 67 (p.n. 56), Northcentral PC 38 (p.n. 31), Uva to 38 (p.n. 32), Sabaragamuwa to 49 (p.n. 42), Southern PC 63 (p.n. 53) and Northwestern 62 (p.n. 50) with bonus seats added to that. The district-wise numbers of electors, based on the 2002 electoral registers, are Colombo 14,667,751, Gampaha, 1,327,145, Kalutara 746,138 (Western province); Kandy 880,632, Matale 312,556, Nuwara Eliya 436,236 (Central province); Galle 716,608, Matara 550,503, Hambantota 384,361 (Southern province); Kurunegala 1,089,482, Puttlam 450,057 (Northwestern province); Anuradhapura 514,149, Polonnaruwa 254,061 (Northcentral province); Badulla 511,115, Moneragala 262,742 (Uva province). About 300,00 persons of Indian origin of the plantations who became eligible for Sri Lankan citizenship under the recent Citizenship Act, however, will not be able to exercise their franchise rights in the forthcoming PC elections since the elections are based on the 2002 electoral lists, the sources said. PC ministers and councillors, representing different political parties with whom the ' Sunday Observer ' spoke expressed the view that the provincial council is very important as a local administrative set-up, which inter alia, represents the oppressed communities and has a wide scope for undertaking development activities very effectively on district and provincial levels. They said the councils were starved of funds and did not have powers, which were originally envisaged under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, to raise funds on its own. They also pointed out that certain powers which were initially devolved to them over police, law and order, healthcare and education were gradually being taken away from them by the Centre and it was a question of wrestling for power between the central and provincial ministers. Excerpts of views of PC ministers and members: B. Anthony Victor Perera (People's Alliance), Minister of Fisheries and Co-operatives, Northwestern PC: "There are shortcomings in devolution of powers envisaged under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. Initially the Divisional Secretariat, public administration of the province including Grama Niladharies and the police were given to the councils. But they were taken away by the Centre later on. Thus the PCs have been pushed to a secondary status. Certain powers relating to healthcare, education and highways were also taken away in a similar manner. National colleges and appointment of technical hands to hospitals are now under the purview of the Centre. There is no co-ordination between the ministers of the Centre and the province and it is a question of wrestling for power. The PCs were supposed to undertake development projects for the social, economic, religious and cultural advancement of the local population which has not been possible due to the power struggle between the Centre and the Province. "The PC was originally meant for the Northeastern province where it is not in existence, but we have it without having asked for it. Had adequate powers been devolved to the Northeastern province, as envisaged under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, it could have helped to ease the ethnic conflict and curb terrorism. "As Minister of Fisheries and Co-operatives, I am not getting even five percent of the finances that I need. There are 40,000 fisher families in my province and my efforts to introduce development schemes to uplift their economic, educational, social and cultural standards were futile for want of funds. The School Girls' Elle team that has continued to remain national champions for seven consecutive years and the men's national championship team come from my district. But they have not been given recognition on a national level. Children of the fisher folk are physically healthy. They need incentives in both the sports and educational spheres. The treasury has cut down funds for primary education. "The other gigantic task that we are facing is protection and promotion of fisheries resources for which too we need funds. Commercial prawn farming which began about one decade ago has now spread to 12,000 hectares in the province. Due to bad water management and pollution of lagoons, 75 percent of them are no longer profitable. Schemes have to be introduced for remedying the situation. Prawn feed which are now being imported at high costs can be produced locally. We have drawn up plans in co-ordination with the Federation of Fisheries Industries, an international NGO, for promoting the fisheries and prawn farming industries but we are not getting enough funds to implement them." V. Radhakrishnan, Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) member and Minister of Education, Industry, Mines and Mineral, Social Services, Estate Infrastructure and Livestock Development of the Central Provincial Council: "A minister of the PC is equal in rank to a deputy minister in the central government. But the facilities and funds that are being extended to a provincial minister are far below that of the former. In spite of the fact that the provincial administration can function as a very effective and an important body in undertaking development activities on a local level by being able to reach the people direct, unlike the central government, the system is not working properly due to want of funds, non-devolution of adequate powers and power struggle between the Centre and province. I am not getting even 10 percent of the funds needed for development of plantation infrastructure. The state of plantation hospitals are extremely bad. There are shortcomings in the educational field as well." Sarath Sikurajapathy, UNP councillor in Central PC and Leader of the House: "The PC certainly is a very effective body of district and provincial level governance. The people can always reach it to express their needs and problems council can take quick remedial measures. But those who rule the country do not seem to be the least worried about difficulties being encountered by the PC in executing its functions. There are 29 MPs representing the Central province and none of them has ever taken up in the House the various constraints the PC is encountering in undertaking development activities and fulfilling the needs of the local population. Powers originally devolved to the council were gradually taken back by the Centre. This include powers relating to Grama Niladharies, agriculture and school administration. We are not getting even 50 percent of the funds that we require. Our budget for the current year was passed last November. But we have not received the funds so far. Of the 58 councillors, only five - the Chief Minister and the four ministers - are working while the others are just idling. That is because they are getting a meagre Rs.10 lakh annually which is not enough even to construct a road extending one km. There are 13 electorates in our province and much development work has to be done." Dr. Wickremabahu Karunaratne, Chairman, New Left Front (NLF), member of the Western PC: "The PCs are important with administration on a provincial level. They give room for representatives of the marginalised and opposed communities and reflect their views. Contrary to our belief that the Tamil national problem is our only national problem, there are other problems relating to the people of Indian origin of the plantations. They have got proper representation after the PCs were set up. The allocation of funds to the PCs should be enhanced for them to function more effectively. They should also have powers to raise funds on their own. Police powers should be restored to the PCs for the maintenance of law and order. Furthermore, there is a dearth of leadership of higher calibre and quality in the provincial level." M.S.M. Aslam, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) member of the Western PC: "Ours is the only revenue generating PC. We have been able to render very good services to the local population since an amount of Rs. 2.5 million is being allocated annually to each member. Additional funds are also being disbursed the provincial ministers for development activities. But adequate devolution of powers is being delayed. Certain former members of the Western PC who agitated for more powers to the PCs are now become MPs but they seem to be reluctant to take up the question in parliament. We have been able to implement several job-oriented projects which will provide employment opportunities to over 10,000. There is an acute shortage of teachers, especially in Tamil schools in Kalutara district. We are now in the process of appointing teachers to these schools." T.V. Chennan, leader of Ceylon Workers' Alliance and member of the Uva PC: "The annual allocation for a Uva PC member is only Rs. 5 lakhs. What development work can a councillor do with such a paltry amount. The UNP government is meting out a step-motherly treatment to PCs under PA administration. Development activities can be undertaken very effectively if adequate funds are available. Plantation areas in the province require lot of development works. Also more powers need to be devolved to the PCs." |
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