Resolution not to divide country: CV

Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wignewaran said yesterday the recent resolution that was adopted to propose a federal system was not aimed at dividing the country but to unite it.

Mr. Wigneswaran said the country was not divided by the federal system and that federal system was a system in which everyone could get together and work.

“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 said.

Mr. Wigneswaran said he submitted the resolution that was approved by all the councillors of the Northern Province to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday together with the opposition leader of the Northern Province.

“You will see what our people s’ opinion was when the content of the resolution is revealed,” he added.

He expressed these views after a discussion with Rural Economic Affairs Minister P. Harrison at the Estate Infrastructure and Community Development Ministry yesterday.

When asked if it was reasonable to demand an independent administration for the Northern Province, Mr. Wigneswaran said the resolution had been drafted so that all the provinces could get an independent administration and added that they had not demanded a separate administration.

“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,” he said. PIC BY KUSHAN PATHIRAJA