Nine Provinces cannot be minimised to eight

We are very firm that the North cannot be merged with the East as financial allocation was made for employment opportunities and development projects based on region, electorate, district and the province

Nine Provinces cannot be minimised to eight nor the North be merged with the East. We are very firm on this matter, Parliamentarian Abdullah Mahroof said.

He made the above comment to the media on Saturday. There had been no shooting incidents in our district during the past 3 ½ years. Two Police Officers had been brutally murdered in

Vavunatheevu in Batticaloa on Friday and the people fear whether the situation would revert back to the situation before 3 ½ years, Mr. Abdullah Mahroof said. He said that they were opposed to the minimising the provinces to eight.

“We are very firm that the North cannot be merged with the East as financial allocation was made for employment opportunities and development projects based on region, electorate, district and the province.

As such we are not prepared to compromise to reduce the financial allocation for a merged North and East and deprive the legitimate rights of our people in the coming years. We have discussed our demands with the President and the Prime Minister.

Moreover, we have placed our clear and concise policies before them and we are prepared to forge ahead with those who accept our party policies,” Parliamentarian Abdullah Mahroof said.

“The stance of our leader and mine is that we will not allow the President or Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to disrupt the five- yearmandate given to the government in January and August 2015 respectively,” he said.