28 March, 2024

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Northern Provincial Council: Fiduciary Responsible?

As far back as in October 2014, President Mahinda Rajapaksa accused the Northern Provincial Council government of hampering the development of the Northern Province. His specific charge was that “the government has provided a significant amount of services for the welfare of people in the North” and that  “They are not allowing us to do our work and they are not doing work either … The Chief Minister of the NPC and his administration are hindering the development work in the North in fear of losing votes from the general public (DBS Jeyaraj, 12 Oct.2014).

C.V. Wigneswaran

In March 2016 the JHU’s Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe claimed “that Chief Minister Wigneswaran had spent only 20 per cent of the allocations for the development of the Northern Province last year. The Chief Minister had returned the balance 80 per cent to the Treasury at the end of the year.”

TNA sources say that year was an aberration and that the monies are very carefully spent. Many confirm that it was indeed an aberration. However, a fresh issue has come up over health insurance for NPC Members. Did the NPC act with fiduciary responsibility in that use of funds for Members?

These health insurance premiums were provided for just one year from 1 Aug. 2017 to 31 July 2018. The premiums from NPC funds  amounted to Rs. 25,93, 669.96. That is, each of the 38 NPC members was purchased insurance for Rs. 68,254.

Reimbursements for medical costs to members amounted to a small fraction of this. The details of the main recipients whose reimbursements exceeded or came close to costs are, based on RTI information: Rs. 5,00,000 for the Chief minister, Rs. 3,20,000 for the Opposition leader, Rs. 1,66,000 in two claims for Member Sivajilingam, and Rs. 60,000 for Member Sivayoham. That is a clear profit of Rs. 15 lakhs for the insurance company.

One Jaffna resident, a service-oriented doctor, said, “While NPC Members treat themselves like this to top class medical attention, ordinary folk lack that luxury.”

A government doctor into extensive private practice saw nothing wrong: “Insurance companies need to make money if they are to provide services. Do you think we need to provide free services to those involved in gang fights?”

He was referring to the incident around 6:00 am yesterday, 06 Sept 2018, at Kalliyankaadu. Ten men on 5 motorbikes had attacked the occupants of 4 houses with swords. Reports indicate that a person in Nallur had, about a month back, been attacked by a gang and that this was a counter attack for revenge.

Among the houses attacked yesterday, one was attacked by mistake. In that house, 24 year old Selvarajah Sujeevan had been lying down sick. He received four deep hacks and was in very bad condition at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. His father, Veluppillai Selvarajah also was cut very badly. One Sarojinidevy aged sixty from another house was injured likewise.

The civic minded doctor responded, “Selvarajah Sujeevan certainly needs state help for his treatment and that is being provided at the Teaching Hospitl. But is that enough, especially for Sujeevan who is not a gang member?”

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Latest comments

  • 0
    2

    The topic is that some politicians are making some western insurance companies rip Sri lanka as HEalth Insurance as Rs 26 million was needed. So, how much GMOA or doctors get. I hope Sri lanka’s health is free of charge.

  • 0
    5

    I know Al Jazeera, BBC, Telegraph and guardian are western voices and propaganda.

    • 5
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      JD, where do you clowns crop up from? What is it, everyday you wake up with visions of Mara state?

  • 3
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    Oh ! For gods sake what’s going on?? Cutting and chopping young and old?? Who are these animals??
    Bang them up in prison for life.
    Sick of hearing this kind of act by unemployed idiots.
    Are they copying the southern brethrens??
    Live and Let Live, that’s he correct way morons.

  • 3
    5

    Jaffna hospital may be a bit OK, but go to any of the base hospitals like Point Pedro or Thellipallai, Chavakachcheri etc. and you see how extremely understaffed they are. The doctors and nurses work like slaves and they are not remunerated according to the number of hours put in. The essential drugs are simply not there.
    In fact, 30% or more of the staff and nurses are Sinhalese, while Wigneswaran does not want any sinhalese to even come to the North. He wants Tamils to “interbreed” exclusively, and of course, he fully endorses the caste system although he has not yet said it in public. We have a man from the Dinosaur era (or at least with that mentality) being the Chief Minster.
He thinks it is enough to make stirring racist proclamations and build statues of Sangkili to recreate mythical bloated history – வீங்கிய வரலாறு – instead of worrying about jobs, health and education, i.e., the basic needs of the people.
    We have to be thankful to these sinhalese doctors, nurses and paramedics who come here (even though they probably don’t want to) because the Health Dept. mandatorily post young recruits to “outstations”. T
hese young doctors don’t even know Tamil and so it is to our disadvantage. But they are making a huge effort to understand their patients and help them out, even by acquiring some Tamil. Will the administration of Wigneswaran arrange them some Tamil classes?
NOoooo! He would rather drive them out from the “exclusive Tamil Homeland”. He doesn’t want Sinhalese or Muslim doctors. He would not even have Tamils who are Christains, if he can arrange for that.
What about the many Tamil MMBs that come out of all the southern Universities and even from the Jaffna University itself? Why are they not posted preferentially to Tamil speaking area?

  • 1
    5

    This is not about wigneswaran, not about TNA or not about Mahinda Rajapakse. This is about Ranil’s Economic development and financial hub of Sri lanka. Women in the middle east, and men in the South Korea sedn money. Ranil spend those for HEALTH INSURANCE per term or per year Rs 69000 or Rs 26 million only for the NPC crowd in Yapanaya. Earlier Sri lanka had afree health care when sri lanka was a poor third world country. Now Sri lanka is middle income country we make people work and earn some money and politicians pay that to foreign Health Insuramce companies. So, Ranil will stays pet of the western govts and foreign companies, Sri lanka is developed. Those women have broken families, Husbands drinkards or DRuggies, Daughters and sons gone wild engagin in naked beach parties with their new human rights of access to liquor shops. What a way to go. Chicago or East London or may be some African Sahara recreated in Sri lanka

  • 1
    2

    “They are not allowing us to do our work and they are not doing work either … The Chief Minister of the NPC and his administration are hindering the development work in the North in fear of losing votes from the general public (DBS Jeyaraj, 12 Oct.2014)”

    I didn’t take this person – DBS Jeyaraj seriously. He always trying to hindering NPC chief minister Viganeswaran. His is a close relative of M.A.Sumanthiran who is master mind of all propaganda against Vikneswaran and it’s administration. The so called Journalist Jeyaraj’s articles also one of the propaganda. Just wait and see, this DBSJ will write an article abut Vigneswaran’s adminisration after dissolved the council.

    On the other hand, I fully agreed this statement -“While NPC Members treat themselves like this to top class medical attention, ordinary folk lack that luxury”

    Yes, true, most of the Tamil politicians, some time all are enjoying luxury life by the name of Tamil nationalism. The TNA leader R.Sampanthan is a living example. He enjoying luxury life provided by government many years. But for people? nothing! Unfortunately, ordinary people don’t have enough awareness to understand these political culprits. If some one try to get Sampanthan’s personnel salary details through RIT as a MP, then you can find out many interesting things. In his personal staff list, his son and daughter also there.

    Other thing is many Tamil politicians are very old so they need health insurance

  • 1
    0

    CT Eds. Good story:
    Which Insurance company has benefited from this scam? Corruption has both a Supply and demand side.
    Insurance premiums for Health, education (and also cars) are a huge scam in Sri Lanka post-war– to loot the masses of Lanka. by foreign insurance (AIA, Fairfax) companies that have also bough up local companies as Fairfax did Union Assurance and raised car premuiums by 500 percent. They are sucking out the wealth of the country and partly reason for Lanka’s massive debt trap.

    Insurance companies need to be Regulated by the state and monitored. The insurance scams are part of the financialization of social welfare (Health and Education) to benefit the Global 1 percent in the “Winner take it all Economy” or the IMF, WB, ADB sponsored neoliberal global economy that has put Sri Lanka is huge foreign DEBT TRAP.

    Also, Ministry of education has insured all school children who are healthy and low risk while elderly people who need insurance most are neglected to benefit local and global insurance companies that are sucking out wealth for Lanka. This too needs investigation by journalists.

  • 8
    3

    Oh my goodness, it’s total bedlam in Jaffna. It looks like 30 years of fascist Tiger terror and state terror have taken their toll on the people of the north. But then, what is the problem with Wigneswaran? He’s supposed to be an educated chap, a former supreme court judge, exposed to the cosmopolitan ways of Colombo. That’s why TNA gave him the nomination for the chief minister position. In the end Wigneswaran has proven that he’s an arrogant Tamil-Saiva fundamentalist out of touch with the political sensibilities of both the Tamils and Sinhalese. Even a 3Wheel driver has a better understanding of today’s political realities than the eccentric CM. His bizarre views are shared only by the lunatic fringe of Tamil nationalism like Gajendrakumar and his TNPF, the diasporic Tiger rump, and the Tamil Nadu nutjobs like Vaiko, Seeman and Thirumavalavan. How can one explain the schizoid behaviour of Wigneswaran in sending Prabhakaran’s fighters to prison as terrorists under the PTA when he was a judge, and now as CM hailing him as a great hero. But nothing is more spookier than Wigneswaran worshipping serial rapist and murderer Premananda.

  • 0
    1

    It is obvious that this CM and the NPC are doing “EVERYTHING ELSE” other than to “DEVELOP & MANAGE” the Province. Not a different story with the rest of the PCs. Yet another FAILED attempt.

  • 0
    3

    “that Chief Minister Wigneswaran had spent only 20 per cent of the allocations for the development of the Northern Province last year. The Chief Minister had returned the balance 80 per cent to the Treasury at the end of the year.”

    What a a serious tragedy! We have the poorest of the poor people in the nation and the least performing in education. He has in essence cheated us of needed relief to appear a good boy with the Sinhalese. What lack of capacity in any person holding office or not. What insensivity.

    Saying inactiond or delayed action, he sent Mr. Kurukularajah home. Mr. Kurukularajah has done so much more for the people than CV Wigneswaran..

    At least he could have given the 54,000 and more war widows who daily fill the temples for food and plead with the churches for help some relief. He could have at least subsidised idiyappam flour for them to have at least 25 cent profit per idiyappam -often the only skill they have, because there was no time to hand down culture while everyone’s prime concern was keep alive. He could have given better and appealing school meals for the the little ones or upgraded their stinky stained brown old squatting toilets and put taps their and walled up the wells or subsidise sand for their bombed and patched up leaky white ant crawling hovels. The list is too long. They have seen precious little comfort.

    There is no justification for wealthy C. V. Wigneswaran to have another term, even as the peon in his office. But then the saamy appearance wins with hopeless peoples.

    At your stage in life says our Hindu sashtras and Saiva neethi.aram, porul, inpam, ….

    “… பரனை நினைந்து இம்மூன்றும்
    விட்டதே பேரின்ப வீடு.”

    VIDUvatho peraaasai inre, theduvatho perinba VEEDU

    • 0
      1

      good boy with the Sinhalese? He is the quintessential result of Tamil Nationalism

  • 3
    1

    Wigneswaran spurned the offer of USD 150 million aid offered in 2015 by the UNDP Representative in Colombo for providing assistance to farmers in the North. But he wanted a job for his nephew Nimalan on a salary of USD 5,000 to supervise the Project. When this was turned down, he rejected the aid. That speaks volumes about his bloated arrogance.

    Today (7th September) Wigneswaran and his two Ministers have been hauled up before the Supreme Court for contempt of court following a case filed by another Minister dismissed by him.. What a public shame to a retired Supreme Court judge?

    Unfortunately, his stooges are praising him sky high for his confrontational and sterile politics.

  • 5
    3

    The NPC administration under Chief Minister is an unmitigated disaster for the people of the North. Even after 5 years in office, the man does not know the purpose for which the NPC or for that matter any PC was created. It was to bring economic development near to the people. For the purpose of improving the livelihoods of the people who suffered during the war. A majority of them are living hand to mouth existence, but economic development is anathema to Wigneswaran.

    He makes the stupid statement that economic development is not what the Tamil people want, they want a political solution to the ethnic problem. What can you expect from a nitwit with this archaic mindset?

    Under his stewardship, the NPC has passed 415 resolutions during the last 5 years. This is a record for a PC and should qualify for a place in the Quinces Book of record.

    In politics, he is a novice. He spent 25 years as a judge and after retirement devoted his time to hold anniversaries for the serial rapist Premananda who received two consecutive life sentences for raping 13 girls, most of the underage. He also murdered and buried a young engineer who dared to challenge the nefarious activities of Premananda. Not just anniversaries, Wigneswaran has built a temple for Premananda at Puiyankulam.

    • 0
      3

      Thanga’s version of It-ain’t-over-till-the-fat-lady-sings is ” …….after retirement devoted his time to hold anniversaries for the serial rapist Premananda…..”.

  • 0
    1

    Tamils claim thy need more money for the health because more people access psychological services suffering post traumatic disorder as a result of the war. If we take that logic people from the south need even more money to deal with disproportionately high percentage of obesity. Obesity is contributor to not only cardiovascular health but also to to diabetes, OSA etc

  • 0
    0

    In my opinion, what is discussed here is only the tip of the iceberg. It is clear that any politician in Sri Lanka believes in the dictum “Make hay while the Sun shines”. That is true including the Northern Provincial Council in one way or the other. The truth or the falsity of under-spending is one thing. It is clear that the elite in the council have one foot in Jaffna and the other in Colombo and no “Son of the soil” has taken the reins of the council. If so, the amount under-spent would be far less and there would be a greater interest in seeking greater welfare of the people.

  • 0
    0

    Thank you CT for raising the question: “Northern Provincial Council: Fiduciary Responsible?”
    CT must be evenhanded and highlight outright corruption/nepotism/impunity in other Provincial Councils.
    .
    NPC is handicapped by the constant vigilance of GoSLs. A former NP Governor (Army retiree) GA Chandrasiri insisted that ALL NPC expenses must have his personal approval. Not sure as whether this practice continues or not. Complaints and/or requests for devolution of power to NPC meets the response: Terrorist runt preparing ‘separation’.
    .
    By the way CT, what is the relevance of the Kalliyankadu mob attack? Surely you are not blaming NPC or this or are you?

  • 0
    1

    Someone wants to get rid of Wigneshwaran……………..Sumanthiran? Indian RAW? Ranil? Anyway I am happy one of the biggest Tamil Nationalists would go down unceremoniously!

    • 0
      0

      Tamils have a way about causing damage to themselves by causing their their own self-destruction. Prabakaran only exemplified that with cynide capsules.
      Knowing that, Sinhalese should keep quiet, and leave Tamils to do what they are best at doing for themselves and not get spattered with Tamil blood on their hands.
      Everything would work out fine for the Sinhalese at the end.

  • 0
    0

    Where have all the Tamil doctors in Sri Lanka gone. All patriotic Tamils must take this opportunity to help their fellow countrymen including NP and EP. They seem to be selfish in trying to go abroad.

    • 1
      0

      Not very long ago, a Tamil lobby persuaded the Ministry of Health to insist that Tamil doctors who graduated from the University of Jaffna would serve in Jaffna for a minimum period before being posted elsewhere.
      The young Tamil doctors were up in arms against the ruling. That is the lot who will offer their life and blood to secure Tamil Eelam but not the extra income that they can earn to save the lives of fellow Tamils.

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