'Take steps to avoid collapse of TNA Government'

Dr K Vigneswaran, who was advisor to two Sri Lankan Tamil Chief Ministers, A Varadarajaperumal and S Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, has urged the Northern Province Chief Minister, C V Wignewaran, and the provincial Governor, Maj Gen G A Chandrasiri, to have a dialogue, instead of going on the path of confrontation which may end in the collapse of the fledgling Tamil National Alliance (TNA) government there.

“When I was with Varadarajaperumal, I was able to get many things done by meeting the then Governor of the North Eastern Province, Gen Nalin Seneviratne. Likewise in the Eastern Province, Chief Minister Pillayan was able to do much because he kept meeting the military Governor, Vice Adm Mohan Wijewickrama,” Dr Vigneswaran told Express.

“The Provincial Councils Act 42 of 1987, which gives flesh and blood to the 13th Amendment (13A) of the Constitution, clearly states that civil servants are under the control of the Governor. However, by having regular meetings with the Governor, a CM can have his way in this regard. In the Eastern province, the CM had even set up departments, simply by engaging the Governor and making use of the silence of the Act on who is authorised to establish departments,” Dr Vigneswaran said.

But the Northern CM and the TNA, egged on by the pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora, were heading towards a confrontation with the Governor and Colombo, he rued.

However, the CM says the Governor had stalled his move to establish “departments” for Transport and Housing on the grounds that the 13A allowed him to establish only “authorities” and not “departments”.(Indian Express)