Jaffna Governor interferes, disrupts administrative authority of local councils

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 September 2011, 02:13 GMT]
Civil society sources in Jaffna accused colonial governor of Northern Province, Maj. Gen. Chandrasri, of interfering in the administrative affairs of the recently democratically elected local councils and placing barriers to smooth governance in Jaffna. During a meeting held few weeks, the Governor has allegedly ordered Government officers to follow orders given only by the Governor, and to ignore directives from the elected officials of local councils, civil sources said.

In the July civic elections Tamil National Alliance (TNA) won the civic elections by more than two third majority in all of the urban councils and most of the Piratheasa-Chapai (PS), embarrassing the ruling UPFA in Colombo which expended huge resources to swing the elections in UPFA favor.

Local council officials said Governor is taking steps to sabotage the functioning of the councils which were beginning to exhibit effective governance of the localities.

Residents in the North say Colombo is carrying out only a limited set of development activities in Jaffna. Even in these efforts controlled by Colombo, engagement is limited to only ruling party loyalists.

TNA MPs and members were excluded from a meeting held Thursday in Kaarai Nakar. TNA members and anyone associated with the TNA are routinely not invited.

Further, TNA was a conspicuous absentee in another meeting held Wednesday on the "grease devil" issue, civil sources said.