Provincial council and power sharing!

- Virakesari Editorial

(July 27, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) All sides have accepted that a political solution is a must to find a lasting solution to the national ethnic problem. However, no one is prepared to put forward a solution or implement it. They fear and hesitate that they have to go against the views of extremist forces in the country.

Both major parties have understood that extremists are going to be hurdle even for a lesser power sharing. As a result, all steps taken to find a solution has been a failure and ethnic problem is dragged on.

The general view is that political parties are trying to do politics with the basic right of the minorities to secure political gains and they don't find a right solution to the problem.

Law Reforms and Harbour Development Minister Dilan Perera said that lasting political solution to the ethnic conflict could be found only through a federal concept. Hence, he recommends that the government should devolve police and land powers to provincial councils.

"I am not against the word "Eelam". My stand is that all communities should live in the island calling themselves Sri Lankans. Police and land powers have not been devolved to the elected Eastern Provincial Council as enshrined in the 13th amendment. Elections are held for Provincial Councils under the 13th amendment to the constitution. Hence we have formed the movement to urge the government authorities to devolve powers to PCs. Our struggle for more powers to PCs would continue," said Dilan Perera.

Meanwhile, JHu has condemned this movement and called it is a plot to stop the war against LTTE. Due to the failure of the government to find a political solution to the national ethnic problem for the last three decades, the country has not developed.

Today Sri Lankan national problem has attracted the attention of the international community. The reality is that all crisis can be solved by putting forward power sharing federal solution.

(An English translation of the Editorial in Virakesari, a Tamil daily, based in Colombo)
- Sri Lanka Guardian