The chief minister of the Northern Province on Friday rejected concerns that the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) was trying to divide the country by calling a federal system.
Speaking to journalists in Sinhala, Mr Wigneswaran said such a system would unite the country.
“The country is not divided by a Federal system as claimed by some people. Politicians have reiterated for years that a federal system leads to division of the country and the people have been forced to believe that. This system is being practised in several countries such as India, America, Canada and Switzerland,” he was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying.
“The resolution had been drafted so that power could be devolved to every province. Why is it wrong for the Tamil people to get their things done in Tamil? Tamil people should be allowed to do their things in Tamil while the Sinhalese are allowed to do their things in Sinhala. The ethnic problem was created after Sinhala language was made the official language in 1956. If a solution was needed to the problem Tamils and Sinhalese should be allowed to do their things in their own languages."
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