P. Sathiyalingam Explained

Honorific-Prefix:Honourable
P. Sathiyalingam
Native Name:பி. சத்தியலிங்கம்
Native Name Lang:ta
Honorific-Suffix:MPC
Office1:Minister of Health and Indigenous Medicine, Northern Province
Term Start1:11 October 2013
Term End1:7 August 2017
Successor1:G. Gunaseelan
Office2:Member of the Northern Provincial Council for Vavuniya District
Term Start2:11 October 2013
Party:Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
Otherparty:Tamil National Alliance
Profession:Physician
Blank1:Ethnicity
Data1:Sri Lankan Tamil

Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam (Tamil: பத்மநாதன் சத்தியலிங்கம்) is a Sri Lankan Tamil physician, politician and former provincial minister.

Early life and family

Sathiyalingam is the son of S. Pathmanathan, a communist who contested the 1970 parliamentary election in Vavuniya.[1]

Career

Sathiyalingam was Medical Officer of Health (MOH) for Vavuniya.[2] [3] [4] He is chairman of the Vavuniya branch of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society.[5] [6]

Pathmanathan contested the 2013 provincial council election as one of the Tamil National Alliance's candidates in Vavuniya District and was elected to the Northern Provincial Council.[7] [8] After the election he was appointed Minister of Health and Indigenous Medicine.[9] [10] He took his oath as minister and provincial councillor in front of Chief Minister C. V. Vigneswaran at Veerasingam Hall on 11 October 2013.[11] [12]

Resignation

Starting in late 2016, several charges of irregular practices were levelled against the four provincial ministers for Northern Province.[13] Chief Minister Vigneswaran appointed a three-member committee consisting of retired judge S. Thiyakenthiran (chair), retired judge S. Paramarajah and retired District Secretary S. Patmanathan to investigate the charges.[14] [15] In June 2017 the NPC was plunged into chaos after Chief Minister Vigneswaran asked P. Ayngaranesan and T. Kurukularajah to resign after the three-member committee found evidence to substantiate charges of corruption, abuse of power and misuse of funds levelled against the two ministers.[16] [17] Vigneswaran also requested that the two other ministers, B. Deniswaran and Sathiyalingam, who had been exonerated by the committee, to go on leave.[18] [19]

On 14 June 2017 a motion of no confidence against Vigneswaran was handed to Governor Reginald Cooray by several ITAK and opposition members of the NPC.[20] [21] This resulted in the Tamil People's Council, led by Vigneswaran, organising hartals across Northern Province in support of Vigneswaran.[22] [23] Following mediation by religious leaders a compromise was agreed between Vigneswaran and the ITAK/TNA leadership on 19 June 2017 whereby Vigneswaran would withdraw the request for Deniswaran and Sathiyalingam to go on leave and in return ITAK would withdraw the motion of no confidence against Vigneswaran.[24] [25] [26] ITAK provincial councillors met on 6 August 2017 and decided not to take any ministerial positions in Vigneswaran's administration.[27] [28] Sathiyalingam resigned on 7 August 2017.[29] [30]

Notes and References

  1. News: Jeyaraj. D. B. S.. TNA's Tussle Over Provincial Ministry Posts in North. The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 5 October 2013.
  2. News: Jayasuriya. Srinath Prasanna. Get back: LTTE orders striking health workers in North East. The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 24 September 2003. 13 October 2013. https://archive.today/20131013155235/http://archives.dailymirror.lk/2003/09/24/frontpage/2.html. 13 October 2013. dead.
  3. Web site: District Tobacco Control Cell – Vavuniya. Regional Director of Health Services - Vavuniya. 2013-10-13. https://archive.today/20131013155242/http://vavuniyahealth.org/Detailevent.asp?eid=81. 2013-10-13. dead.
  4. News: Tamil Civil Society Memo to the TNA regarding the Eastern Provincial Council Elections. Tamil Guardian. 29 July 2012.
  5. Web site: Sri Lanka Red Cross Regional Operation and Coordinating Office (ROCO) opened in Vavuniya. Sri Lanka Red Cross Society. 2013-10-13. https://archive.today/20131013155159/http://beta.redcross.lk/old_site/eh_news170.html. 2013-10-13. dead.
  6. Web site: Contact Directory Northern Province. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 157. 18 September 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131017115532/http://www.hpsl.lk/Files/Contact%20Directory/LKE0779_North%20Contact%20Directory%202013.pdf. 17 October 2013.
  7. PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications PROVINCIAL COUNCILS ELECTIONS ACT, No. 2 OF 1988 Northern Province Provincial Council. 25 September 2013. The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1829/33. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131228114115/http://www.documents.gov.lk/Extgzt/2013/PDF/Sep/1829_33/PG%201763%20%28E%29%20%20I-%201%20%20%28P.C%29.pdf. 28 December 2013.
  8. News: PROVINCIAL COUNCIL ELECTIONS 2013 – Results and preferential votes: Northern Province. The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 26 September 2013.
  9. News: ITAK announces NPC ministers, EPRLF challenges. TamilNet. 10 October 2013.
  10. News: Sri Lanka's first Tamil CM announces Cabinet. https://web.archive.org/web/20131023133757/http://newindianexpress.com/world/Sri-Lankas-first-Tamil-CM-announces-Cabinet/2013/10/10/article1829560.ece. dead. 23 October 2013. The New Indian Express/Press Trust of India. 10 October 2013.
  11. News: NPC members take oath in Jaffna after honouring fallen Tamil Heroes. TamilNet. 11 October 2013.
  12. News: Northern Provincial Council TNA members take oaths. The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 11 October 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131014080431/http://www.sundaytimes.lk/latest/38525-northern-provincial-council-tna-members-take-oaths.html. 14 October 2013.
  13. News: Balachandran. P. K.. Charges against Northern Province Ministers signal shift in Sri Lankan Tamil politics. 9 July 2017. NewsIn.Asia. 14 June 2017.
  14. News: Ayub. M. S. M.. Wigneswaran 's anti-corruption drive eclipsed by sectarian politics. 9 July 2017. The Daily Mirror. 16 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  15. News: Heads to Roll at NPC?. 9 July 2017. The Nation. 10 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka. https://web.archive.org/web/20170828230633/http://nation.lk/online/2017/06/10/heads-to-roll-at-npc.html. 28 August 2017. dead.
  16. News: No confidence motion against Sri Lanka's Northern province CM. 9 July 2017. The New Indian Express/Press Trust of India. 15 June 2017. Chennai, India.
  17. News: Thangarasa. Sumithi. Wigneswaran calls for the resignation of two Provincial Ministers. 9 July 2017. Daily News. 14 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  18. News: Srinivasan. Meera. ‘No confidence’ in CM Wigneswaran. 9 July 2017. The Hindu. 15 June 2017. Chennai, India.
  19. News: Kamalendran. Chris. TNA, Wigneswaran in battle for North. 9 July 2017. The Sunday Times. 18 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  20. News: Thangarasa. Sumithi. No Confidence Motion against Wigneswaran. 9 July 2017. Daily News. 15 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  21. News: 21 Northern Provincial councillors declare no-confidence in Chief Minister. 9 July 2017. Tamil Guardian. 14 June 2017.
  22. News: Hartal in Jaffna in protest of attempts to oust Chief Minister Wigneswaran. 9 July 2017. Tamil Guardian. 16 June 2017.
  23. News: Imtiaz. Zahrah. Confidence on Wiggie: TNA split. 9 July 2017. Daily News. 17 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  24. News: Srinivasan. Meera. Uncertainty ends in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province. 9 July 2017. The Hindu. 19 June 2017. Chennai, India.
  25. News: NPC cools down. 9 July 2017. The Island. 20 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  26. News: Imtiaz. Zahrah. ITAK withdraws petition of no-confidence Wiggie and Sam call it even. 9 July 2017. Daily News. 20 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  27. News: Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi opts out of ministerial posts in Lanka’s Northern Province. 27 August 2017. NewsIn.Asia. 7 August 2017.
  28. News: Following revenging acts by CM & ITAK will decline Minister Posts. 27 August 2017. Tamil Diplomat. 7 August 2017.
  29. News: Chaturanga. Sithum. NPC minister resigns. 27 August 2017. The Daily Mirror. 7 August 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  30. News: Northern Provincial Council health minister resigns. 27 August 2017. Tamil Guardian. 7 August 2017.

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