The events unfolding are murky — it is unclear which direction the nation is heading. Since the introduction of provincial governance and the office of governor, Sri Lanka has not previously witnessed developments of this troubling nature. An appointed representative of presidential executive power has removed elected members — the Vice Chairman of the Chavakachcheri Urban Council and the Mayor of the Vavuniya Municipal Council — from their posts and council membership through Extraordinary Gazette notifications.

In one such order, Governor Nagalingam Vethanayahan declared the officials “not qualified to serve,” effectively erasing the sovereign rights of those chosen by the ballot. Suspending a mayoralty might be defensible; dismissing an elected member outright is a hallmark of tyranny.

These moves come amid growing concern over the political will of the National People’s Power (NPP) government regarding powersharing in the Northern and Eastern provinces, historically inhabited by Tamilspeaking communities. Powersharing was enacted under the IndoLanka Accord, a bilateral agreement between India and Sri Lanka. Since the NPP came to power, speculation has mounted that the JVPled coalition seeks to dismantle or paralyse the 13th Amendment. The dismissal of two elected council members by the Northern Governor appears to lend weight to that speculation.

The people’s choice of........

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