January 16, Colombo (LNW): Milinda Moragoda, Founder of the Pathfinder Foundation, has urged political parties to prioritize the abolition of the Provincial Council (PC) system in their upcoming campaign manifestos for the national elections. Moragoda reiterated his proposal to eliminate Provincial Councils, advocating for the direct devolution of power to strengthened and reconfigured Local, Urban, and Municipal Councils.
Emphasizing the proximity of these local bodies to the citizenry, Moragoda asserted that they are better equipped to address and resolve community-level issues. He argued that for a country with a population of 22 million, an additional layer of administration in the form of Provincial Councils is unnecessary.
Moragoda proposed this measure as part of a broader strategy to restructure and modernize Sri Lanka’s governance and economy. He envisioned a small, efficient, and people-centric Government, suggesting the removal of the Provincial Council layer. Instead, he proposed achieving necessary coordination through a district-level framework involving relevant Members of Parliament, key figures from existing Local Government offices, and other stakeholders.
The original purpose of the 13th Amendment, enacted in 1987, was to enhance provincial autonomy and address Sri Lanka’s ethnic issues. However, Moragoda argued that this structure has proven to be redundant, costly, divisive, and inefficient. In lieu of the Provincial Council layer, he recommended establishing an empowered Senate or Upper House to handle matters related to religious, ethnic, and regional diversity.
Moragoda believes that a representative and properly composed forum, such as an empowered Senate, would be better positioned to identify solutions for the complex issues facing the nation.
