SLMC to oppose abolition of provincial councils system

Colombo: Sri Lanka`s main Muslim party, an ally in ruling coaltion, has resolved to oppose the abolition of a constitutional amendment that provides for devolution of power to the Tamil dominated northern and eastern. The opposition to the move to abolish the thirteenth amendment was one of the eight resolutions passed at the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress` 24th delegates sessions held here yesterday, the party spokesman said today.

"....Shall oppose any attempt to weaken and/or sabotage the existing provincial councils system," the text of the resolution seen by PTI stated. In the recent months President Mahinda Rajapaksa has come under pressure from his Sinhala majority nationalists in his coalition to abolish the thirteenth amendment which was adopted in 1987. The constitutional amendment was part of the Indian intervention to broker ethnic harmony in Sri Lanks. "The SLMC has always believed the provincial council system to be a constructive step towards ensuring self government", the resolution adds. The SLMC is currently an ally of Rajapaksa and its leader Rauff Hakeem is the justice minister. The party also urges the government to formulate a national policy for resettlement of the internally displaced people, particularly in relation to the ethnically cleansed Muslims from Jaffna by the LTTE in 1990. The party also demanded the full implementation of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recommendations. PTI