International Business Management 11 (4): 929-940, 2017 ISSN: 1993-5250 © Medwell Journals, 2017 Corresponding Author: Athambawa Sarjoon, Politics and Security Research Center, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia 929 Public Service Delivery: Impact of Establishing an Administrative District in the Kalmunai Region, Sri Lanka Athambawa Sarjoon, Mohammad Agus Yusoff and Mohammad Azziyadi Ismail 1,2 2 3 Department of Political Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Kandy District, Sri Lanka 1 Politics and Security Research Centre, 2 Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, 3 Selangor, Malaysia Abstract: One of the key arguments expressed by many theorists and advocates of decentralization is that it allows for more channels to increase the outreach of public services. Greater institutional capacity and an enhanced mode of language for service delivery in a decentralized administrative model is believed to dramatically improve service delivery in plural societies. Many developing countries have thus initiated decentralization initiatives. This study examined service delivery limitations and impact of establishing a decentralized administrative district in the coastal belt of Amparai district, commonly known as the “Kalmunai region” of Sri Lanka’s Eastern province. Qualitative data in this case study revealed that the residents of the region, the majority of whom are Tamil-speakers have long faced a number of problems and challenges accessing the public services offered by the district’s secretariat and other decentralized government departments located in Amparai town. Those challenges were found to be mainly related to the location of the district’s capital and the use of Sinhala rather than Tamil as the official language of the district administration. The situation was found to have resulted in a public demand for a separate administrative district for Kalmunai region. Overall, this study provided evidence to suggest that the establishment of the proposed administrative district would significantly facilitate the delivery of public services to the Tamil-speaking community in the Kalmunai region through properly and efficiently administered the district-level decentralized institutions. Key words: Decentralization, public service delivery, tamil-speakers, Kalmunai administrative district, Sri Lanka INTRODUCTION which was to be made functional within a few days in a Since Amparai was given district status in April 1961, new administrative district in the region became stronger the district administration has continued to be heavily and the central government, headed by Srimavo, contested. Most of the areas of the present Amparai ultimately gave in to public pressure and established district were a part of the Batticaloa district referred to as Amparai district as the new administrative district of the “Batticaloa-South.” The region’s population was mainly Batticaloa-South region on 10th April 1960. A few areas comprised of Tamil-speakers, the majority of who have which were under the jurisdiction of other districts were settled along the coast. A few thousands of relatively new also annexed to the newly formed district (Jabbar, 2013; Sinhalese settlements were found more towards the Sarjoon et al., 2015). The secretariat buildings of Amparai interior parts of the region. Due to difficulties pertaining were also placed in the Sinhalese-majority interior area, to the accessibility of the services offered by Batticaloa namely at Amparai town. district secretariat (also known as Kachcheri) the After Amparai administrative district was established, Tamil-speaking community at Batticaloa-South demanded the Tamil-speaking majority expressed concerns regarding that a separate administrative district be established quite a number of issues. Consequently, they demanded which was to be called Kalmunai district. In the early the following: establishing a Kalmunai district; shifting 1960s, the central government responded by proposing to the district secretariat and other decentralized government open an ad-hock-based circuit Kachcheri in the region departments to Kalmunai or to the coastal region of the week. However, voices calling for the establishment of a