By Dilrukshi Handunnetti
The
government will hold a separate
provincial council election to elect
members to a newly established Eastern
Provincial Council by August, Local
Government and Provincial Councils
Minister, Janaka Bandara Tennakoon said.
He
told The Sunday Leader that holding the
Batticaloa local election was only a
precursor to 'test the waters' and
promised to make all arrangements to
hold a 'free' PC poll by August. "That
will be a historic moment. It will also
complete a process that we have just
begun.
"It
began with the liberation of the east.
Next comes the election process. It will
also be the first time in 21 years that
a separate PC would be created in the
east. It will be a separate entity that
reflects the ethnic balance of the
unique province," he said.
Minister Tennakoon added that all these
years the northeast were amalgamated
under the 13th Amendment and was
considered a single entity, much against
the wishes of the Sinhalese and Muslims.
"The required referendum was never held
in 21 years and now the Supreme Court
has decided to separate the two
provinces," he added.
The
Minister further explained that fruits
of economic development, long denied to
the people of the east since war broke
out would now become possible when power
is devolved to the province.
