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Title:	Development administration in Sri Lanka: minorities demand for Kalmunai administrative district
Authors:	Athambawa Sarjoon (P67876)
Supervisor:	Mohammad Agus Yusoff, Assoc. Prof. Dato' Dr.
Keywords:	Administration Minorities Kalmunai Sri Lanka Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia -- Dissertations
Issue Date:	24-Mar-2017
Description:	Development administration in post-independence Sri Lanka has been challenging, due to a number of issues relating to accommodating the rights and interests of ethnic minorities. The continuous side-tracking of minorities concerns pushed them to claim and advocate for more power and autonomy. One such major issue is the demand calling for the formation of a separate administrative district (referred to as Kalmunai) in the coastal belt of the Amparai district. Although the people of this area have been advocating this for 50 years, in the last 15 years, this demand has been politically contested and strongly criticized by many parties. This study attempts to explore the factors that motivated the concept of a new administrative district, the factors that have been challenging the feasibility of establishing this, and the potential impacts at national and regional levels if and when, the new district is formed. This study uses both qualitative and quantitative data collected through desk analysis, semistructured interviews, focus group discussions and observations, and they are presented through interpretive and descriptive arguments. The findings of the study reveal that conceptualization and the advocacy of the Kalmunai administrative district demand was an outcome of several interconnected reasons. These include domination of ethnic majority (Sinhalese); violation of official language policy in district administration; discrimination, and the marginalization of ethnic minorities in the affairs of district administration in Amparai, one of the two districts where the Tamilspeaking Muslims predominantly live. The findings further reveal that though the accommodation of the demand in political agreements had politically benefitted the national political parties, the establishment of the proposed district had been challenged due to constitutional barriers and the non-supportive attitudes of major political parties, major ethnic groups, and administrative elites. Further, the opposition from nationalist forces and the fragmentation of Muslim politics and civil society has also challenging the establishment of the proposed district. This study,however, found that the establishment of the proposed district would not only improve service delivery and empower the linguistic rights of minorities in district administration but would also support to enhance ethnic and social cohesion and socio-economic and political development in the region, as well as in the country, if the district administration is carefully organized and managed. However, the history of ethnic politics and district administration suggests that this would happen only when government authorities, bureaucrats, and ethnic majorities extend their constant supports and willingness for the concerns of ethnic minorities, while adopting a workable monitoring mechanism.,Certification of Master's/Doctoral Thesis" is not available
Pages:	312
Publisher:	UKM, Bangi
Appears in Collections:	Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Fakulti Sains Sosial dan Kemanusiaan

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