We must be proud of Asian identity - Local Govt. Minister

INDIA: As Asians, as brothers and sisters, as friends and neighbours we can elaborate our relations with great pride. We are of the same blood, of the same people.

We all come from Indus and Ganges valleys and our histories are great. We have been a part of the greatest civilisations, said Local Government and Provincial Councils Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon.

He was addressing the participating members of the Local Government, Mayors, Councillors, Managers and other officials at the first Mayors Conference held at Dehadun, Uttarachal, India.

He said the historical evidence and folklore show how close we have been, sharing our culture and religions and many practices. Our relationship has always been for the betterment of our societies and our people.

He said: "I come from a political background where my late father was an elected member of the Municipal Council of Kandy, in the hill capital of Sri Lanka. A strong leader, a visionary and a social worker, he became a Cabinet minister and served in many portfolios.

This gave me the opportunity to learn of municipal administration, while seeing the dedication and commitment my father made to keep a world renowned and a city of historical heritage as a destination not only for local tourists but for world travellers.

"I am happy to listen to all of you who have gained experience in the world over and in your own state or municipality lets share our knowledge within the region, work in unity and have a common goal to serve; to make our cities the destination for all travellers.

We have been brought together to participate in an important undertaking - a conference represented by all mayors and officials of the region.

We approach this task fully conscious of the fact that the crowning point of this endeavour has to be the laying of a firm basis for civic reflection and discussion on how best each one of us, individually and severally, can contribute to the process of making our countries more prosperous and happier places to live in.

Under the guidance of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, we have taken many measures to develop the cities in Sri Lanka, with his guidance to develop amenities and resources to provide the maximum comfort to the city dwellers and visitors to the cities.

The present form of urban local government in India owes its genesis to British rule. Indian history shows that Lord Ripon who is considered the founding father of urban local government as he implanted the concept of municipal authorities as units of self-government.

His Resolution of 18 May, 1882 on local self-government dealt with the constitution of local bodies, their functions, finances and powers and laid the foundation of local self-government in modern India. Local self-government played an important role in the Independence Movement of India.

Centuries of colonial rule saw a decline of indigenous administration and the Ordinance in 1865 which created Municipal Councils to Colombo and Kandy was conceived as a means of training the Sri Lankans in the art and science of self-government.

The Legislative Council, by a Bill constituted the Colombo Municipal Council in 1865 and Council met for the first time on the 16th January 1866.

The establishment of the Colombo Municipal Council was perhaps the first substantial step taken by the rulers to give the Sri Lankans as a whole the feeling that Colombo was their city and capital.

"We have a long history of Local Government in different forms in both our countries and in the Asian region, and these forms pre-dated anything the West ever had.

With this legacy of experience, our countries should work together to strengthen local Government Institutions from the village level upwards in order to properly ensure that we keep democracy and peoples participation in governance alive, he said.