NWP Chief Minister takes up post

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 February 1999, 22:06 GMT]
Speaking soon after he assumed duties, the recently elected Chief Minister of the Northwestern Province, S.B.Navinna, said that the obstacles faced by the Sri Lankan government in serving the people of the Province have been removed by the recent elections.

He took up his new post after a religious ceremony at the Chief Minister's Office in Kurunegala today.

Mr. Navinna said in his speech at the function that his only aspiration was to serve the people of the Province and genuinely develop the area.

He said that development activities had been greatly undermined as the opposition UNP for 10 years had ruled the Northwestern Provincial Council.

He said that the he had sacrificed his seat in Parliament twice due to his honest desire to serve the people of the province.

The Deputy Minister for Media Anura Priyadhrshana Yapa said that the Northwestern Provincial Council had been provided with necessary power to carry out development activities in the area with the state assistance.

The inaugural meeting of the Northwestern Provincial Council is to be held on February 9.

The Governor of the Provincial Council, Siripala Jayawardene, has said that all the newly elected Provincial Councilors should take their oaths on 3 February.

However it is widely thought that the UNP and JVP members will not take their oaths before the Governor, in protest at the election malpractices conducted by the ruling People’s Alliance which swept the polls.

Gamini Jayawickrema Perera of the UNP said that they will not accept the membership of the Provincial Council as per the wishes of the party’s supporters.

The JVP has also said that it will take a decision later this week to boycott the Provincial Council.