The Eastern Provincial Council yesterday passed a dramatic resolution during its sessions last afternoon, calling for the full implementation of the 13th amendment.
Chief Minister Najeeb A Majeed with the President and former CM
The resolution wants all powers entitled to the Councils by the 13th Amendment to be granted and rejected proposals to dilute the 13A as attempted by the Government a few months ago.
The resolution was debated and passed in the Council despite massive resistance from the Eastern Province Chief Minister Najeeb A Majeed.
The resolution was presented by the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress whose seven members in the 37 seat EPC usually supports the UPFA.
The TNA and UNP supported the resolution while many of the UPFA councillors were not present. However, without the SLMC support, the UPFA would still not have a majority in the EPC to defeat such a resolution. The resolution passed with a majority of 16 to 1.
The Chief Minister of the Eastern Province walked out of the chamber when the SLMC and Opposition members insisted on the resolution being debated.
The only Councillor to vote against the resolution was Priyantha Pathirana of the NFF led by Wimal Weerawansa.
With the resolution passed yesterday, the EPC becomes the only Provincial Council to oppose the central Government’s proposals to revise the 13A and dilute the powers of the councils. Seven other councils have approved the Government’s plans. The Northern Provincial Council which was recently elected is also likely to vote overwhelmingly against changes to the 13A.
The Government initially hoped to bring revisions to the amendment and slash the powers of the councils ahead of the Northern provincial election although the attempts failed after New Delhi exerted pressure on Colombo.
Read the resolution here
Javi / October 2, 2013
Nothing is permanent what goes round must come round.
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Fathima Fukushima / October 2, 2013
Very good CM Najeeb.
If Tamilians get power why not Muslims. Muslims never took up arms. Chinalams did (1971 and 1989). Tamilians did (1975 – 2009). Muslims never did. So Muslims should be rewarded for peace.
Batticaloa here we come!
Trincomalee has 80% Muslims. Amparei has 60% Muslims. Only Batticaloa needs to be FIXED. We will fix you Muttakalappu.
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Naga / October 2, 2013
Fathima, there is no need for you to fix Batticaloa. Muslims already control Batticaloa. Batticaloa’s economy is in the hands of the Muslims after LTTE decimated rich Tamil farmers and other well to do Tamils. Most of Tamil Podiyars (Tamil paddy land owners) sold their paddy lands to the Muslims and left the granary of Paduvankarai because of the ‘kapam’ demands of the LTTÊ. Most of the shops in the Batticaloa town are now owned and run by Muslims. Ottamavadi Muslims have illegally encroched and colonised vast stretches of lands from Welikande to Ottamavadi. Helped by Deputy Minister Hisbullah, Kattankudy Muslims have encroached and colonised state lands in the Manchanthoduwai, Navatkudah and Kallady areas and extended their habitat from Kattankudy through Aryampathy to Puthukudiyiruppu and beyond. Eravur Muslims have expanded on both sides of the Eravur Town and even spread out to the interior villages like Urugamam.
In another fifteen to twenty years time, Muslims will be the majority community in the Batticaloa district. Batticaloa’s Muslims elected MPs like Hisbullah and Ameer Ali who joined the government and did all what they can do to help their community while Batticaloa Tamils elected morons like the three present TNA MPs who continue to sing the LTTE song while happily enjoying the pay and privileges provided by the SL government. Batticaloa Muslims,in the past, were mainly traders, but now you will find Muslims in the professions and in government service.
The development of the Muslim community in Batticaloan is phenomenal and the Muslim MPs have contributed greatly to their community’s advancement and growth. I am not writing this out of jealousy. Muslims deserve to advance and they have been greatly helped by their politicians. That is not the case with the Batticaloa Tamils.
Batticaloa Tamils have shrunk in importance and their economy and education suffered during the reign of LTTE. Batticaloa Tamils provided the manpower to the LTTE and LTTE in turn ruined the agrarian based economy of Batticaloa Tamils. I am so bitter of LTTE and the Jaffna Tamils in general because their thirst for Eelam only helped to ruin the Batticaloa Tamils. The Jaffna centric politics of TNA, TULF and Federal Party did nothing to help the Batticaloa Tamils.
Unless the Batticaloa Tamils realize their folly in continuing to elect TNA fellows as their MPs and Provincial Councillors this downward trend of the Batticaloa Tamils will continue. Pillaiyan and Karuna cannot give effective leadership to Batticaloa Tamils. Educated Batticaloa Tamils should get up from their slumber and start a movement to liberte the Batticaloa Tamils from the clutches of TNA and Jaffna centric Tamil leadership. They should provide the Batticaloa Tamils a new leadership like the one we had in pre-1956 days.
When I say this the politcally correct Northern Tamils will call me anti-Jaffna and blame me for engaging in regional politics. I say all these not because I am anti-Jaffna but because of the realization that Batticaloa Tamils achieved nothing by following the Jaffna centric leadership provided by Federal Party, TULF, LTTE now the TNA.
The need of the hour is a new political and socio-economic movement for the renaissance of ‘Mattakalapu Tamilagam’ which extends from Kottiyaram in the Trincomalee district to Panamai in the Ampara district.
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Mohamed Marzook / October 2, 2013
Why wish CM Najeeb? Cannot understand. He opposed to the mation being discused in the Council. It was the determination of the Member Jameel, opposition and SLMC members that helped the motion to be passed in the Council.
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Bedrock Barney / October 2, 2013
I wonder which mosque is going to be targeted now? Finally the SLMC after being gagged, bound, dragged down an alley and gang raped by the UPFA has decided that being gang raped is not good thing. The abundance of light bulbs going off under the taqiyah’s of the SLMC must be the result of getting whooped upside the head at the last PC elections.
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Piraña / October 2, 2013
Eastern province has a Tamil majority at 40% followed by Tamil Muslims 35% . Muslims
in the eastern province have Tamil blood from the maternal side with some admixture of Arab blood from the paternal side. There are also many pure Tamil blooded converts to Islam making the entire eastern Muslims to have Tamil ethnic blood to varying degrees. Let all the Tamils regardless of the religion unite . The decision to seek full implementation of the 13 A clearly shows the Tamils want a unified Tamil ( speaking) province in Srilanka.
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Piraña / October 2, 2013
Eastern province has a Tamil majority at 40% followed by Tamil Muslims 35% . Muslims
in the eastern province have Tamil blood from the maternal side with some admixture of Arab blood from the paternal side. There are also many pure Tamil blooded converts to Islam making the entire eastern Muslims to have Tamil ethnic blood to varying degrees. Let all the Tamils regardless of the religion unite . The decision to seek full implementation of the 13 A clearly shows that the Tamils want a unified Tamil ( speaking) province in Srilanka.
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Anpu / October 2, 2013
@Pirana
There is more Tamil Blood in Sinhalease http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2013/01/origin-of-sinhala-language-and-sinhalese.html
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Native Vedda / October 2, 2013
Anpu
“There is more Tamil Blood in Sinhalease”
The proof, both are self destructive stupid people.
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Anpu / October 2, 2013
Thank you NV.
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R. Varathan / October 2, 2013
If the Rajapakses retaliate in anger for the EPC Resolution calling for the restoration of the 13th Amendment by dissolving the EPC, they risk the danger of the revival of the TNA, with Muslim support, in the Province encouraged by events of Sept 21.
Varathan
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Javi / October 2, 2013
If it is another nana thopi pertu?? Time alone will tell if it ends up like the demerger N&E or worse- keep your fingers crossed.What is pullai/no obstruction terrorist doing there even now?
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crazyoldmansl / October 2, 2013
What exactly is DRAMATIC about this? Is the 13th amendment outlawed or something?
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Mahesh / October 2, 2013
A good move by the EPC. Hope other PCs will follow the same.
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Ajith / October 2, 2013
It again proves that Tamil speaking people of North East do not accept the command of Sinhala Buddhist administration which cannot ensure justice and safety to other communities as equals. These people believe that the land and police power is essential for maintaining law and order and efficient administration.
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gamini / October 2, 2013
Good timing for the CHOGM to highlight the Issue for a Definite start for a probe and a solution.
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punchinilame / October 2, 2013
With the CW members going on tour to Batticoloa in November, the freedom
they (EP) seeks in deciding on 13A will stand good ground. The firmness
of the TNA Vote must have guided the EP and hope others will follow.
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Safa / October 2, 2013
13A is part of the constitution and all elected representatives have taken an oath to uphold the constitution including Ranwaka, Athureliya and Modawansa. So there is nothing new in this.
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Saro / October 2, 2013
It’s sad that the Sri Lankan politics divide the nation on ethnic lines linguistically. This is also a warning to Rajapakse that his power will be challenged in the future elections. He cannot depend on the support of the Muslim countries in the world bodies if he alienates Muslims. He will be caught in between the web. He sought the Muslim help to destroy Tamils but before the work is finished his supporters laid their hands on the former.
Today is the day the great soul Gandhiji was born. He is the world stateman and respected by all , friends and foes. He wanted to offer the first primiership of whole undivided India to Muslim leader Jinnah in order to keep the country as one and promote inter religious harmny. But in Sri Lanka leaders encourage the religious and racial extremists to destroy the businesses and warshing places of minorities.
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Park / October 2, 2013
In any country the constitution should never be violated. The present Cheap Justice was appointed by the President who relied on the Parliamentary Select Committee. This PSC appointment was ruled as illegal by the courts. The regime refuse to accept the judgement from the court in this instance. Now the regime is going behind the same courts which is lead by an illegal Cheap Justice and wants to follow the judgement of the courts to say that 13th amendment does not give land powers to the Provincial Council. I do not know how this is possible, may be only in Sri Lanka which is a “failed state” where the rule of law is administered by a “failed judicial system”.
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