• Public service must be more efficient in delivering; change of mindset needed

• Northern Province accused of being corrupt in 10 years of audit reports

• Illegal and unregulated fishing cannot be allowed to continue

• Expects the public service to see problems, take initiative, and fix them

• North needs to be part of the bigger picture; ‘bunker type’ view of issues needs change

By Asiri Fernando The Northern Province of Sri Lanka has been disproportionately affected by conflict for decades, with the people of her five administrative districts disadvantaged in many ways. While there has been some progress since 2009, the Province remains underdeveloped and lacks investment. With rising unemployment and poverty, the plight of those in the Northern Province is further compounded by political and social divisions, an inefficient and allegedly corrupt public service, legacy issues stemming from the past conflict, and ongoing man-made crises, from illegal fishing and sand mining to concerns about food security. In an interview with The Sunday Morning, recently appointed Northern Province Governor Jeevan Thiagarajah discussed the key issues faced by the people in the Province and what the Government is doing to improve their lives. Following are excerpts from the interview: You were recently appointed as the Northern Province Governor. In your opinion, in order of priority, what are the key issues faced by residents of the North today? One is that the people are still waiting for government services to touch their lives. Secondly, many undergo a day-to-day struggle to make ends meet. Thirdly, people in the Northern Province have ambition, but need the tools. Fourth, I think they need certainty and confidence about the market, and they need guidance on where to go for what. The people of the Northern Province are very capable. Occasionally, there is a fear brought about by gang violence and crime, but that is a passing phase. However, it struck terror in some neighbourhoods for some time. The region has also faced exploitation through illegal sand mining. Additionally, the poor need water sanitation and roofing. For them, if they have one, they might not have the other; that needs to change. Moreover, we see that sometimes even though “big businesses” come, the plight of the people in the area remains the same.     It is astonishing that you don’t have enough women speaking up for other women and that there are only a few women in politics. I feel that in the past, caste was an issue. Now, caste is not around but “class” has come around. There is a new class that is keeping a lid on the rest of the community. This class also exists within the public service; it oppresses fellow public service officers. The lower-ranked officers get persecuted left, right, and centre, and are sent on all kinds of insensitive transfers. This new clique has come together now, to keep a lid on the rest of society. This is a dangerous trend.  When it comes to public services, it can’t be business as usual. Public services must be more efficient and deliver results. We need a change in the mindset within the public service. We (the public service in the Northern Province) stand accused of being corrupt through audit reports over a period of about 10 years. I have written formally to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) to investigate the audit reports and take action against corruption allegations. What does the Government plan to do to improve the growing unemployment issue in the Northern Province? We are looking at several approaches. The first is to attach value to the skills that a person has. We have the National Vocational Qualification Level 2 (NVQ system) for existing skills. Every farmer and fisherman is entitled to get the NVQ2. We want to ensure they can get the NVQ2 so that there is recognition of the skills that they possess, which gives them a career path to enhance and certify their skills. Then we need to help them enter a market where their skills are recognised. This is a struggle, since jobs need to be created in the market. The question is, where do you create the job? Nationally, regionally, or overseas? This is a key challenge we are dealing with. We can make the agriculture sector smarter. We are looking at improving export agriculture, and we plan to expand the services sector. We need to upskill people for the overseas market. Also, for example, the Province can be a second home. You could have a beautiful traditional home, with a well-trained person to take care of hospitality matters. So, with moves to upskill those who need employment and finding new markets or creating them, we win.  We have to help the Northern Province find new markets while ensuring the labour is not exploited. We advocate for fair pricing.  The sudden change in the fertiliser policy in Sri Lanka has caused hardships to the agriculture sector. Residents of the North who spoke to us indicated that they may not even be able to grow enough crops to feed themselves. How do you plan to address the looming food crisis? On 29 December we have planned a meeting called the “Water, Environment, Agriculture, and Security Forum” with a range of stakeholders, where we will focus on a target-based plan and a two-year initial agenda. The security we will discuss is about water, environment, and food security. This plan aims to deliver a surplus in those three areas at the end of the programme. We plan to promote the growing of vegetables, fruits, and raising of poultry and dairy in every home where there is adequate land. Additionally, we are awaiting test results of organic fertiliser samples from five districts which have been submitted to the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) for standards testing. Once we obtain the reports, we plan to market SLSI certified organic fertiliser. I believe we will have the fertiliser ready for the next growing season. We also need to explore enhancing inter-provincial trade and co-operation. I think we have a perception problem about recycling and using treated wastewater for agriculture. This is an approach we may need to look at. We do need nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) for agriculture. We need to find the right quantities. We are keeping a close eye on crop production. Illegal and unregulated fishing by Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen have caused significant issues to the Northern fishermen over the last decade. As the Governor of the Northern Province, what action have you taken to mitigate the impact of this issue?  This issue is a serious matter. As the Governor, I am working closely with all the ministries and agencies. I have expressed, officially, the need to meet with the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu to discuss this issue, among other matters of interest. I think we can put our heads together to bring down the temperature of this issue. Of course, both of us are bound by the authority of our respective central governments. I went out and saw with my own eyes what’s happening. This cannot continue. At the very least, I think we need a moratorium for a time-bound period on this issue until we find a solution. Because you can’t negotiate when emotions are high, and parties might not talk rationally while tensions are high.    The President has set a renewable energy target of 70% for 2030. What plans are in place to bring green energy to the Northern Province? One approach we are looking at is rooftop solar power for low-income families. The Northern Province is what you would call “sun-kissed”. We have more solar potential than we can use; it is an asset. Further, 22% of the Province is coastline, and has high potential for wind power. However, once generated, storage of power and the ability to transmit it effectively to the national grid is a challenge that we anticipate. However, with a large number of houses and apartment blocks coming up, people may want solar power, but lack the rooftop space to fix the required panels. One option may be to look at solar farms to power apartment blocks. I would like to see the Province become a solar power producing one, so that we can sell it. I feel that such an approach will be a smarter option for the future. It is not easy, but if we have a sound proposition, it is possible. We need to explore options which will benefit us the most in the long term, like ones with technology transfer and profit sharing. There are plans afoot to modernise the Palaly Airport and Kankesanthurai Harbour. What connectivity goals does the Government have through such projects? Both the port and airport are assets that can be better used. The Palaly Airport can handle cargo, training, and maintenance services. We are already talking to one airline that wants to operate out of Palaly early next year. The facilities will have to expand with the services offered. Similarly, Kankesanthurai has to become a bigger harbour. Port expansion has to take place; it is a requirement. Having said that, we need fisheries harbours more. Fisheries harbours have to be upscaled fast as a matter of priority.   Does the Government have a viable plan for poverty alleviation in the North? If so, what will it deliver? This is a complex issue. Within the area’s population, in some communities well over 50% are on Samurdhi benefits. This is unacceptable. Do we have people who are hungry? Yes. We have some people who do not know how to deal with their poverty. We are looking at several solutions, including some that can be implemented fast. One such measure we plan to implement is the “dining hall for the poor”. These dining halls, established in rural settings, will have easy to source locally grown food. We have enough development and planning officers in the Province; they will soon renew field visits. As the Governor, I have given a directive to them that they need to provide management services for the poor. The officials should sit down with the person and figure out a working solution for that person’s needs, and on behalf of the person approach the banks or relevant institutions to obtain assistance. So, we are now expanding management services for the poor. Having said that, our (the Government’s) version of “poor” and their (the community/individuals’) version of what “poor” means may be different. The happiness index of communities may differ, so we need to understand their happiness index to help the poor. This is why I have told the public service of the Province that they need to be out of the office and among the people they serve three to four days of the week. They need to cover the rural areas. As the Governor, I do this. I expect the public service to see with their own eyes and fix problems. This is the only way we can understand our people and understand their happiness index. Many in the North are concerned about their land rights and have been calling for land held by the state to be released back to them. What is the status of the lands that need to be released back to their owners? Land is a serious matter. People had made around 30,000 submissions regarding reclaiming land that has either been returned or has been acquired. Some have said there are no problems, and that so many lands have been handed over. I can say there are many instances where administrative land has been handed over. But from a legal point of view, some of the titles of the lands are fictitious. Some people have complained several times regarding the land ownership. However, we (the public service) have, for some very odd reason, not acknowledged the complaints. Thousands have complained. But when someone turns up and asks about their complaint and land issue from the Assistant Government Agent – Lands, even though they have a mountain of papers, the people are told “we don’t know”. The AGA-Lands uses this as a strategy to tell the people who inquire: “We don’t know anything about your land”. This creates distrust and anger towards the Government among the people because it looks like the Government isn’t helping them. Recently, in a very sensitive area, there is a lady who is claiming several acres. But legally she owns only 25%. She can’t confirm her boundaries. To do so, she needs her neighbours to confirm the boundaries. The neighbours cannot be found. And, without confirming the boundary, the state can’t confirm what course of action to take. Nobody has told her this, she is an elderly lady. What I am trying to do is help ensure the title is correct. The purpose of public service is to help the citizens. So, these unresolved issues are making returning lands and establishing ownership a complex matter. But we are looking at every claim filed. Also, we need to look at this in terms of the security doctrine that is used now. The doctrine of 2022 will be very different to 1990. These are ongoing conversations that are being had and need to be concluded, on the basis of what the security forces determine to be a threat no longer. I have also requested to know what decisions have been taken on this matter since 2009. Decisions have been taken. I have asked the establishment for this information. There are a lot of emotions surrounding this matter. This issue is used for demonstrations. The issue that somebody is making a claim is taken and is made into a political issue. That is politics. However, one should not cross the law.  With these matters being politicised, we have raised concerns about MPs intervening in these. Non-state elements telling the public service how to perform their duties, or telling state officials that “you cannot get down from your vehicles in the performance of your duties”, cannot happen. This even leads to the law-and-order machinery being pushed aside. My impression is that I represent the state and not the Government. So, the state is bound to uphold the law. There should not be any politics. I am duty bound to ensure the law is enforced.     Why does the North remain “militarised” after a decade of peace? What is being done to address concerns about the military taking over civilian functions in the North? When it comes to heavy lifting, development work, and providing support services, the Army is very good at it. We (the Northern Province) do not have heavy irrigation and earth working equipment. So, you have to look at the closest available option (the military). Not a single person in an armed forces uniform, or police uniform for that matter, is encouraged to break the law. Nor will the law breakers go unpunished, as the law applies to all. The armed forces have told me that they are very concerned about the maintenance of human rights, and they look at human rights concerns when they develop strategies. That is the reality. In the long run, I think, even though we may face some challenges, in a few years this Province can produce officer material for the armed forces. They can one day become senior officers of the armed forces. We (the Northern province) can produce men and women of the highest standard. We can also provide capable men and women for law enforcement, the Special Task Force (STF). So, when that happens what are they going to say? “Get out”? The first commander of the Ceylonese Army was Maj. Gen. Anton M. Muttukumaru. He was one of our finest examples of what an Army commander should be.   We (the North) need to be part of the bigger picture. For too long we have been out of the bigger picture. We need to aim high. This Province has to aim high, and we can. We can match the world’s best. We need to come out of this “bunker type” view of issues. Over the years, there have been a number of reports and incidents of Police brutality in the Northern Province. What has been done about it? Police brutality, no matter the scale, is not negotiable. It is an absolutely no go. There should not be any cover ups. There is an internal mechanism to deal with such issues and to have internal oversight. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) also has oversight on the matter. Also, at the provincial level, the Governor interacts very closely with the Police department. We all work under one framework, so everyone is on the same page. If there is any transgression, it may be tantamount to an act of omission on the part of the Governor. If the law enforcement authorities misbehave, the Governor will be held responsible. The Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) is a controversial piece of legislation. There is a strong push from local and international parties to repeal or update it. Many MPs from the North have called for the PTA to be scrapped. What are your views on this issue? As a Governor I am privy to information that is not in the public domain. If there is a threat, it needs to diminish. And corelation to the threat diminishing is the roll-back of anti-terrorism measures. The threat diminishing is a requirement to roll back measures. Terrorism is not what it was 30 years ago. With time it has changed, and what took 30 people to do back then may only take one person now. The meaning of terrorism has evolved. I think terrorism can be a range of acts. On the higher scale, terrorism would be acts that destabilise a state. So, you could for example hack into very sensitive government assets. Today a person can sit behind a few high-end computers and destabilise a country from afar. We need to understand that we are dealing with new kinds of terrorism. It is a question of how you deal with terrorism. We have to decide if it is going to be a policy of containment, a defencive policy, or an offensive one. The law will always say you can’t be a terrorist.   India and China are increasingly active within the Northern Province. Are you concerned that the Northern Province could become a new battleground for geo-politics? I can’t see two other countries waging war over a province. We (Sri Lanka) are talking with many countries about improving trade, investments, and seeking new markets. This is the conversation we have with every diplomatic delegation that visits the North. That is the only conversation that we are having and will be having.