Opposition politicians urge government to halt unilateral spending by Governors

By Yohan Perera

A group of opposition politicians has accused provincial governors of unilaterally spending funds allocated to provincial councils and called on the government to promptly hold long-delayed Provincial Council elections.

Speaking at a joint media briefing yesterday, MP Dayasiri Jayasekera criticised the government’s delay in conducting elections and reactivating the Provincial Councils. “Governors are currently making arbitrary decisions and spending funds as they please. The governor of the North Western Province, for instance, has spent Rs. 3 billion without proper oversight,” Jayasekera claimed.

He raised concerns about the neglect of schools under provincial jurisdiction, citing government plans to close institutions with fewer than 50 students. “Such decisions cannot be made unilaterally, as education is a devolved subject under the 13th Amendment of the Constitution,” he stressed.

Jayasekera urged the government to hold Provincial Council elections immediately, emphasising that active councils would provide a platform to resolve regional issues. “Elections can be conducted under the proportional representation system with a simple amendment, or Parliament can approve delimitation under a new system. Either way, the government must make a decision—whether to hold the elections or abolish the councils entirely,” he stated.

Addressing the longstanding call to devolve police powers to the provinces, Jayasekera suggested a cautious approach. “I believe provincial police commissions should be established first, and powers devolved to these independent bodies—not directly to Chief Ministers—to prevent politicisation of law enforcement.”

Former MP Premnath C. Dolawatte alleged that the government may be attempting to introduce a new constitution to bypass the need for Provincial Council elections.

Former MP Buddhika Pathirana added that the government should pay attention to repeated appeals from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has consistently urged Sri Lanka to hold Provincial Council elections in accordance with its constitutional commitments.