The devolution of powers under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution will be presented as the ruling UPFA’s political solution to the national problem in the new policy statement of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
This will include elections to the Northern Provincial Council by mid this year, SLFP General Secretary Minister Maithripala Sirisena said.
“Once the NPC is in operation, we will analyse its functioning and if there are drawbacks we will bring about necessary changes to address them,” the Minister told the Sunday Times.
He said the 13th Amendment provided the framework to devolve power. “We have set up the Provincial Council in the east and it is functioning well,” he said.
Mr. Sirisena said even former President J.R. Jayewardene who introduced the PC system could not implement it properly in the north. “The north and the east were de-merged during the term of President Rajapaksa. So by mid 2010 we will hold the PC elections in the north and then we will take the necessary steps to address the shortcomings in this system, “he declared. |
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