DELEGATING LAND AND POLICE POWERS WITHOUT FACILITATING SEPERATISM
Posted on June 2nd, 2014
By Damien Fernando
After the meeting the HE had with the new prime minister of India the once again the talk of delegation of police and land powers to the provincial councils is doing the rounds. The need and also the motives of people demanding for delegation such powers in a small country like Sri Lanka are debatable. However the current situation may require finding a middle ground. Considering the activities of Tamilnadu government and the separatist Diaspora delegating full police powers especially to the Northern provincial council could end up with rejuvenating the separatism. Rather than hiding the reasons the government should bring these concerns to the open. Thereafter with the concurrence of all Provincial councils certain civilian duties of the police that cannot be used for separatist activities should be delegated to the provinces. Similar hybrid solution should be considered fort land powers as well.
Civilian police duties such as traffic management, domestic disputes, women and child abuse cases, minor robbery, minor assault complaints, crowd management, minor fraud cases etc. are activities than can be delegated to a provincial police force. Having or use of arms is not required to carry out these duties. Hence the provincial police stations will be similar to pre 1971 where few or no arms were used in policing activities. The federal police or armed forces should intervene in the cases of civil unrest with or without the request of the provincial police.
Other cases such as armed robbery, terrorism related cases, narcotics, VIP security etc. should be kept with the central police department that will have to establish sufficient presence in the provinces. The responsibilities of the provincial police and the federal police should be clearly documented. A central unit comprising the senior officers of federal police and representatives of provincial police (departments of all provinces) should handle the disputes and their determinations should be the final.
With regard to land powers, a part of the state land in a province could be leased to the provincial councils, to be used for development activities that benefit the public in general. The central government will remain the absolute owner of all state land. Approved list could be introduced stating uses of leased land. By this list the use of leased owned provincial lands should limited to activities of general benefit such as agriculture, education, irrigation, utilities such as electricity and water, and roading etc. The provincial council could be authorized to sublease the land for other development purposes for periods not exceeding 20 years but only with the concurrence of the absolute owner (the central government). The central government should retain the right of re-acquisition (cancelling lease to the PC) of the lands that it suspects of been used for a detrimental activity such as terrorism or environmentally harmful activities etc.
Most importantly in the centre should retain the right to suspend the civilian police and land leases in the cases of another bout of separatism or such activity.
Naturally the people with a separatist mindset will continue to demand for the pound of flesh stating that the ownership of the land should be completely vested in the PCs. Similarly they will demand that full police powers should be delegated. The government should openly state the reasons for the inability of doing that considering the separatism. At the same time government should point out that if the demand for devolution is for public good what is important is to have the authority to put the land to the public benefit than who has the absolute ownership.
(the writer can be contacted on lankan.ian@gmail.com)
June 2nd, 2014 at 2:16 pm
I respectfully DISAGREE.
Who BENEFITS from such action? Who support it?
1. Sinhalese – NO.
2. Muslims – NO.
3. Tamils – CERTAINLY NO. They don’t want such LIMITED powers.
Ultimately NO ONE benefits from it!!
But I agree we have to face this SOONER THAN LATER. MR will soon do it which will be his END.
June 2nd, 2014 at 4:37 pm
The Devolution of Land and Police Powers to Provincial Councils, or any other sub-national entity, is a RECIPE FOR NATIONAL SUICIDE heralding the END OF SRI LANKA as a Sovereign Unitary Nation.
If we have great difficulty now holding together the Nation constituted as a Unitary Nation, how can we expect to prevent its disintegration when SEPARATISTS are Empowered by Law to Carve out and Protect separatist MONO-ETHNIC fiefdoms with institutions and facts on the ground using the devolved Land and Police powers?
Why are we even seriously debating this issue of asking the WILY FOX to mind the HEN-HOUSE?
Every Patriot who loves the Motherland should FIGHT TOOTH and NAIL to prevent this UNMITIGATED DISASTER from ever being implemented in Sri Lanka!
June 2nd, 2014 at 4:44 pm
I have often called the Tiger Nominated Agents (TNA) of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Separatist TRAITORS who should be ARRESTED, PROSECUTED, CONVICTED and SEVERELY PUNISHED to the fullest extent of the Law.
Perhaps NOTHING DEMONSTRATES the TREACHERY of the TNA more than this attempt by them to commemorate the death of that ARCH VILLIAN, the late unlamented Sun God and LTTE leader Velupillai Pirabhakaran at Mullavaikkal!
Why is the GOSL still DILLY-DALLYING without PROSECUTING & PUNISHING these TRAITORS to the Motherland?
…………………….
MAYOR VETOES TNA’S PRABHA MEMORIA. TNA planning to create disturbances in Jaffna
By Vijayanai Edirisinghe
DailyNews.lk
June 1, 2014
Jaffna Mayor Yogeswari Pathgunarajah successfully prevented attempts by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to commemorate the death of LTTE leader Velupillai Pirabhakaran at Mullavaikkal, our sources say.
In the face of strong opposition and objections of the Jaffna Mayor, the TNA had to cancel their plans to commemorate the LTTE leader’s death anniversary.
According to information, under the pretext of commemorating the dead, plans were being made to rouse the people of Jaffna and create disturbances in Jaffna where peace prevails now.
The Mayor said a group of TNA Provincial Council members had sought her permission to hold the memorial at the premises of the Jaffna Municipal Council.
She said she had vehemently opposed the idea, and had turned down their request. “Tamil leaders like Alfred Doraiappa and A.Amirthalingam served the people of the area and they were murdered by the LTTE.
“There were many others worthy of commemorating who were killed by the LTTE.
“The TNA should commemorate the deaths of such leaders. I told them this clearly,” she added.
“When such noble people who were the victims of the LTTE terror are not commemorated, I could not be a party to this by allowing the TNA to commemorate the terrorist leader.
“I also did not want anyone to cause chaos or disturbances in Jaffna City which is at peace today,” she said.
– See more at: http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=local/mayor-vetoes-tnas-prabha-memorial#sthash.nJhovq3S.dpuf
June 2nd, 2014 at 4:46 pm
I have often called the Tiger Nominated Agents (TNA) of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Separatist TRAITORS who should be ARRESTED, PROSECUTED, CONVICTED and SEVERELY PUNISHED to the fullest extent of the Law.
Perhaps NOTHING DEMONSTRATES the TREACHERY of the TNA more than this attempt by them to commemorate the death of that ARCH VILLIAN, the late unlamented Sun God and LTTE leader Velupillai Pirabhakaran at Mullavaikkal!
Why is the GOSL still DILLY-DALLYING without PROSECUTING & PUNISHING these TRAITORS to the Motherland?
…………………….
MAYOR VETOES TNA’S PRABHA MEMORIA. TNA planning to create disturbances in Jaffna
By Vijayanai Edirisinghe
DailyNews.lk
June 1, 2014
Jaffna Mayor Yogeswari Pathgunarajah successfully prevented attempts by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to commemorate the death of LTTE leader Velupillai Pirabhakaran at Mullavaikkal, our sources say.
In the face of strong opposition and objections of the Jaffna Mayor, the TNA had to cancel their plans to commemorate the LTTE leader’s death anniversary.
According to information, under the pretext of commemorating the dead, plans were being made to rouse the people of Jaffna and create disturbances in Jaffna where peace prevails now.
The Mayor said a group of TNA Provincial Council members had sought her permission to hold the memorial at the premises of the Jaffna Municipal Council.
She said she had vehemently opposed the idea, and had turned down their request. “Tamil leaders like Alfred Doraiappa and A.Amirthalingam served the people of the area and they were murdered by the LTTE.
“There were many others worthy of commemorating who were killed by the LTTE.
“The TNA should commemorate the deaths of such leaders. I told them this clearly,” she added.
“When such noble people who were the victims of the LTTE terror are not commemorated, I could not be a party to this by allowing the TNA to commemorate the terrorist leader.
“I also did not want anyone to cause chaos or disturbances in Jaffna City which is at peace today,” she said.
June 2nd, 2014 at 10:57 pm
Thank you for the responses. If there are no interference from India then it is not an issue. However if Sri Lanka is forced to delegate, then delegating the required powers as explained is one option. Also while delegating all police powers could and would facilitate separatism delegating the civil police work would help the ordinary folk.
June 3rd, 2014 at 1:28 am
These two groups of foreigners in Sri Lanka get everything they want. Pacha (liars) people said
they had kingdoms in Sr Lanka. Nobody has ever seen a brick from those kingdoms (must be shanty
kingdoms). It didn’t work. So they run to TN to get more of the cake. Then the traitor diaspora go
after vote-greedy d cameron, etc. people.
Then the mossies multiply and multiply and have lots of votes. So the politicians give whatever they
ask. Thanks to UnPatriotic Party (UNP) Sinhalese are divided. So it is party time for these two lots
of traitors. Why don’t the Government prosecute these traitors and teach these cancers a lesson?
June 3rd, 2014 at 11:43 am
Glad to see many Lanka lovers commenting & supporting the measures taken by Jaffna Mayor. She is one of the few who has NOT supported the TAMILS just beacuse they are tamils.
LAW & ORDER must prevail in Jaffna or Batticalo or any other North & eastern cities as well as in the South. THE problem is that Sinmhalese are devied into many fractions & small units who want to get THEIR SAY in political matters. Some are with the GOVT. but most are against the present govt.
WE can write , complain & resist BUT the levers of power is with the President of Sri Lanka. He has enermous powers given to him by the electorate. SO HE DECIDES sometimes alone how to grant any favours or concessions as he feels fit. ALWAYS these are political decisions ,NOT what is good for the vast majority of Sinhalese & other races in Sri Lanka.
Few months ago, it was CHOGM, wait till that is over, then came another UNHRC resolution, WELL wait till that is over TO PROSCRIBE 16 tamil dominated orgs & individuals as UNDESIRABLES involved in BRINGING BACK LTTE with the help of TNA.
We waited till THAT RESOLUTION is over to act. Didn’t the GOSL know with its intelegenicia THAT THESE trouble makers should be banned & arrested.? THAT WILL be a bad gesture to UNHRC vote. So the GOSL waited…NOW wait till NEW INDIAN PM get his WHIMS & FANCIES in place till we do somthing about POACHING & INDIUIAN OCCUPATION of our country.
There must be a UNITED FORCE that HE PRESIDENT HAVE TO LISTEN to, not to delay anymore to TAKE CORRECTIVE measures to keep Sri Lanka away from DRUG DEALERS, HUMAN SMUGGLERS & CORRUPT POLITICIANS……..Then & then only Sri Lanka can prosper NOT BY LISTENING MODERATE TAMILS…beacuse there are NO MODERATES in Tanmil Communiy…..J
June 3rd, 2014 at 1:52 pm
Tamil nationalist CURSE is spreading like DENGI fever in Colombo too.
Soon these curses will also demand police powers, land powers, devolution.