A recent bill, with regards to development in the eastern provinces that was passed this week, has received wide criticism from local Tamil councillors and further civil circles, reported TamilNet.
The bill allows for the establishment of a Department of Divineguma for Development, which essentially incorporates several local development authorities into one single unit under Colombo’s Development Ministry, which is headed by the Sri Lankan President's sibling, Basil Rajapaksa.
The leader of the opposition in the Eastern Provincial Council, Mr C Thandayuthapani, described the proceedings as, ‘snatching away the very little powers that were devolved to the provinces.’
The opposition party in the Northern provinces, the Tamil National alliance (TNA), has also filed a court case to stop a similar bill from being passed in the North.
Meanwhile, the Eastern provincial Council Chief Minister, Abdul Majeeed Mohamed Najeeb, described the bill as a route to ‘fast development of the Eastern province irrespective of ‘cast, Creed and race.’
Members of the opposition described the Chief Minister’s decision to put the bill up for vote as, ultimately, clearing the way for the Colombo centric system to dictate the development in the east.
Incidentally, commenting on the issues in Sri Lanka, the Chief Minister of India’s Tamil Nadu, M Karunanidhi, recently concluded that self rule of the Tamils in Sri Lanka was the sole solution to the long-term denial of basic rights.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
