Jaffna’s Cultural Hall steers new controversy

Secretary to the State Ministry of National Heritage, Performing Arts and Rural Arts Promotion, S.T. Kodikara has recommended the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs to hand over the management of the newly built cultural hall in Jaffna to the CEO of the Nelum Pokuna Theatre.

In a letter dated 26th January 2021, the Secretary S.T. Kodikara has added,

“Considering technical requirement to be met with priority, it is recommended to hand over management of the newly built Cultural Hall in Jaffna to the Chief Executive Officer of the Nelum Pokuna Theatre in order to make arrangements to activate it until the Municipal Council in Jaffna is ready to take over the management.”

This aforesaid Cultural Hall in Jaffna is a result of a tripartite agreement between India, Sri Lanka and Jaffna Municipal Council, Jaffna. Construction work of this massive project of 2000 million LKR was commenced in September 2016 and finished six months ago.

This recommendation to hand over the management of the Cultural Hall in Jaffna to the CEO of the Nelum Pokuna Theatre had made quite a controversy up in the North, since the so-called CEO of the Nelum Pokuna Theatre is a military officer- Brigadier Sujith Balachandra.

In a context where the Office of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights has submitted a report on Sri Lanka regarding human rights, specifying that militarization of government functions in the country is a potent emerging threat to reconciliation, accountability and human rights in in the country, many suspicions have risen among the public that these recommendations to hand over the Cultural Hall in Jaffna to the CEO of the Nelum Pokuna Theatre, could be alarming a red flag.

When inquired from the Mayor of the Jaffna Municipal Council, Vishvalingam Manivanna, he told MediaLK that there is no such thing as handing over the Cultural Hall in Jaffna to the army to manage.

“These are just recommendations.  We are doing everything to manage the Cultural Hall by the Jaffna Municipal Council ourselves.”