Video: Govt. using 13-A as a red herring: UNP

12 July 2013 12:31 pm Views - 2667

UNP parliamentarian Lakshman Kiriella said today the Government was using the devolution of police and land powers to provincial councils as a red herring to divert the people’s attention from the burning issues, because of which the Government was unable to go before the people.

“Today the government has nothing to talk about. The economy has collapsed. The cost of living and unemployment has worsened. Therefore the government has to have some cause to go before the people. It was once the Halal issue and now the 13th Amendment is being used as a red herring. Neither Halal nor the 13th Amendment are major issues facing the county,” Mr. Kiriella said.

He said according to our Constitution, police and land powers were with the central government and as such neither the Provincial Councils nor the Chief Minister can decide on police or land powers on their own.

“According to our Constitution lands belong to the central government. The number of police personnel recruited to the provincial councils has to be decided by the central government. Provincial councils cannot take arbitrary decisions on distributing lands either. Every decision needs to be approved by the President,” Mr. Kiriella said.

He said if power was not devolved, the country could not be united and said the central government had to work amicably with provincial councils.

“No country that devolved power has been separated.  Only the countries that have not devolved power like Sudan and Kosovo have been divided. If we try to take off powers vested in them, we will have to face problems locally and internationally,” he said.

Mr. Kiriella said the government itself does not speak with one voice on the 13th Amendment and said if it wanted to it could abolish the 13th Amendment or make amendments to it.

“The government has the two-thirds majority to abolish it. But it can’t do so as there is no firm stance within the government. It will not get a two-thirds majority if it attempted to abolish the 13th Amendment. We will also come to the PSC if it reached a compromise. (Ajith Siriwardana)






Pix by Pradeep Pathirana