The UN Resident Coordinator in the island, who also assumes the role of Humanitarian Coordinator of the UN System, has recently neglected the request by Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran to partner with the Northern Provincial Council ‘Government’ to conduct a comprehensive Need Assessment Report on the requirements of the war-affected population in North and instead entered into an agreement with the Colombo Government Ministry to conduct the same project.
This was revealed to the public by Mr CV Wigneswaran himself, at a public address delivered by him on the occasion of the opening ceremony of the Chavakachcheari Town Hall on Saturday.
English translation of the Tamil transcript of what Mr Wigneswaran told the gathering on his interaction with the UN Representative in Colombo follows:
“Recently, I requested the United Nation’s Resident Coordinator to work with the Northern Provincial Council to conduct and submit a comprehensive Need Assessment Report to identify the special requirements of the war-affected population here and to propose appropriate measures through their research in order to properly address the needs of the affected population. The immediate response was very positive and it looked like a full cooperation was going to be extended by the UN Resident Coordinator on the effort.
“But, what happened in practice?
“Neglecting us, an agreement was signed with a [Sri Lankan] Government Minister on the same project.
“It was the same [SL] minister who was earlier issuing reports to media that I should come and see him. This SL minister had interfered without our knowledge and entered into an agreement with the UN Resident Coordinator.
“When we questioned the UN Resident Representative, the response was that the UN could enter into agreements only with the [Colombo] Government and not with the Provincial Council.
“There was no responsible answer from the UN Resident Representative to the question that why they had entered into this agreement without informing us.
“Not only that. When we questioned the UN Resident Representative, why the NPC was not even included in the Steering committee, the UN representative was telling us that we would be ‘consulted’ before proceeding with the project.”
“Things are taking place like the brood parasitism of laying eggs in the nests of crows
“The conduct of [SL] Government and its collaborators throughout the country reminds us as if their interpretation of politics is committing injustice,” Wigneswaran said.
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Wigneswaran in his speech was also referring to habitual lies coming from Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The CM was referring to Rajapaksa ditching a promise on the transfer of the Chief Secretary, who is not committed to the work of the province but engages in sabotages.
The Colombo minister involved in the UN project hijack and was accused of ‘brood parasitism’ by Wigneswaran was Basil Rajapaksa, news sources in Jaffna said.