By Easwaran Rutnam Minister of Women's Affairs, Rehabilitation, Social Services, Cooperatives, Food Supply and Distribution, Industries and Enterprise Promotion, and Trade and Commerce in the Northern Provincial Council Ananthy Sasitharan says China has “infiltrated” the North in the guise of being involved in development projects. Sasitharan told The Sunday Morning that most people in the North are not happy with an agreement Sri Lanka signed with China to carry out a project in Allaipiddy, in the North. She says that any signing of agreements related to the North, with any other country must have the support of the Northern Provincial Council; which is the elected body of the Northern people. Excerpts of the interview below: What is your opinion on Sri Lanka having joint ventures with other countries, like India and China, to implement key development projects? There is nothing wrong in having joint ventures with other countries but our issue is that most of these agreements are not transparent and do not involve local councils. So do you feel the Northern people may have nothing to gain from some of these major development projects signed between Sri Lanka and other countries? No, not at all. The Northern Provincial Council is not consulted when projects involving the North are discussed. Our opinion must be sought. There needs to be transparency. The Government must come out and say they are in discussions with a certain country, lay out the reason behind the project, and then discuss with us. They must have the support of the local communities when going for a project which is supposed to benefit the people of an area. The issue is the Government does not know what the people in the North really want. They are implementing projects saying it is to develop the North but what is needed first is to improve the livelihoods of the people in the North. This Government, like the former government, has failed to look at the real issues faced by the people in the North. They are just going for agreements only to show the international community that something is being done after the war, and that the country is moving forward. But in my opinion the people are still stagnant. But don’t you think these development projects will benefit Sri Lanka as a country in the long run? Eventually, we will see the real consequences of allowing China to construct the Colombo Port City by filling the sea with sand and rock. Merely signing agreements with some countries and implementing mega projects alone is not sufficient. The people need to know what is happening and why. You spoke of China, isn’t China involved in some development projects in the North? Yes, there is an agreement with China on a project in Allaipiddy. They are trying to show that there were historical ties between China and Allaipiddy. But the public are not very happy. They were not consulted before this project was initiated. What is your opinion on the housing project implemented with Indian assistance in the North? Giving a house is good, but that will not improve the lives of the people. With the house, the public must be given a stable livelihood. When you give a house they will have a roof over their heads but no food to eat. The other issue is that those who really need houses are not the ones getting the house. There is a situation when some people who really don’t need a house are given houses under the housing project, who just close the house and go and stay elsewhere. So when countries sign agreements with Sri Lanka, they must make sure the people really stand to benefit from those agreements. Are these projects bringing employment opportunities for the people in the North? Unfortunately what we see is that outsiders are given jobs here, not the people from the North. Also, the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) pick their supporters and give them priority when there are openings here. So the others are ignored. Sometimes you find that those not selected are more suitable for the post, but yet they are ignored and politicians ensure their supporters are picked.