The novelty of Mr. Wickremesinghe's proposal may be summarized in a single phrase, i.e. the devolution of power should be asymmetrical. The concept of asymmetrical devolution of power is also new to the Sri Lankan devolution discourse. According to the Oxford Dictionary, asymmetry means incongruity or disharmony. In mathematics, it means something without symmetry, i.e. quality of not having two parts that match exactly. Asymmetrical devolution refers to a situation in which subjects devolved to different provinces are not the same.
Some provinces have more powers than the other provinces.
Some refer to Kashmir as an example for asymmetrical devolution because Kashmir's joining the Indian Union was based on an agreement that Kashmir could enjoy more powers than other Indian states. But the best example for asymmetrical devolution of power is Spain, Spain consists of different ethnic groups. So the formation of modern state in Spain was a perennial problem. A power-sharing arrangement including spatial devolution has to be introduced to keep Spain as a modern state. An attempt in this direction was taken in 1931.