Panic struck certain quarters in politics last week after media reports appeared quoting Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera as having said that the new draft Constitution would be presented to Parliament for enactment prior to the budget.
The interested parties and groups took this news by storm. It could possibly lead to an uproar.
Later on, when a question was directed at the Minister during a session with a select group of local and foreign journalists, he clarified on his remarks made to the press during his visit to Jaffna recently.
He said it was his opinion that it would be better if the draft Constitution could be taken up in the House before the budget debate scheduled to start on November 10. Otherwise, he was not specific about a time-critical plan for the presentation of the draft for passage through Parliament.
The Government is involved in the exercise of evolving a new Constitution to replace the present one. In fact, the Steering Committee, headed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and consisting of members from all the parties, has fast- tracked the process by having sessions consecutively.
Six subcommittees have been appointed by the Steering Committee on different aspects of constitution making, and they were asked to make their submissions before August 31.
Four had met the deadline, but the committee headed by MP Bandula Gunawardane working on the subject of public finance, has sought further time to work out the final report for consideration by the Steering Committee in making the new Constitution.
Currently, the Steering Committee is discussing, according to sources, proposed electoral reforms, Executive Presidency and Power Devolution. The committee is planning to present a report to Parliament for approval before proceeding with drafting the bill to be enacted as the Third Republican Constitution of Sri Lanka.
All in all, the Government wants to accelerate the process, but it entails a lot of work to be done by reconciling contrasting and contradictory shades of opinions.
After Minister Samaraweera’s remarks to the press in Jaffna, the Joint Opposition also raised the issue with the Prime Minister during a meeting last Monday.
The Joint Opposition leaders inquired informally on the sidelines of the meeting. It is learnt that the Prime Minister ruled out the possibility of doing it within such a short time.
JO leaders meet PM
The Joint Opposition delegation led by its Parliamentary group leader Dinesh Gunawardane had a discussion with the Prime Minister on Monday regarding a host of issues. Important among them for the Joint Opposition -acting under the leadership of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa- was the delay in conducting the elections for the Local Authorities, which are overdue two years at the moment.
Apart from litigation, the Joint Opposition is pressing for the elections as soon as possible. The Prime Minister ruled out the possibility to do it within the remaining period of this year because of practical difficulties.
He said the Government would be busy within the next couple of months with work related to the 2017 budget, and the election could be considered next year as a result. According to the new law governing the local elections, it has to be conducted under a mix of the Proportional Representation System (PR) and the First Past the Post (FPP) System.
One third has to be elected on the basis of Proportional Representation and the rest under the other method.
During the meeting, the Prime Ministers is reported to have informed the Joint Opposition that differences of opinion remain regarding the system, and some believed the ratio of members to be elected under each system should be altered.
He had reportedly said the Government was working out electoral reforms for Parliamentary elections at the moment, and a similar model should be implemented for the local elections as well. Though the delimitation committee headed by Asoka Peiris was expected to submit the report to the Elections Commission by yesterday, it could not meet the deadline.
It is learnt the committee has much more work, and a couple of further months will be spared for it. The Surveyor Department has also some work in demarcating the boundaries of the electoral wards, and it is also a time consuming exercise.
As things stand at the moment, the Government led by the United National Party (UNP) is eager to revert to the previous method of electing members under Proportional Representation, whereas the ward system is favoured by the Joint Opposition
New party in the offing
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) MPs, sitting with the Joint Opposition, are currently working on the formation of a new party.
Former Minister Basil Rajapaksa plays a pivotal role in the task, and already, the committee appointed in this respect has agreed on many aspects. The committee consists of other parties of the Joint Opposition namely, the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP), the National Freedom Front (NFF) and the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU).
The party will be formed for and by the SLFPers disgruntled with the leadership of President Maitripala Sirisena. Following that, the new party will team up with other parties like the MEP, the NFF and the PHU to form the new political alliance. The new party and the new alliance in the offing are the buzz among the political circles these days.
The new party to be formed is expected to deal with grassroots level organisation of people whereas its alliance partners will focus more on national politics. In the context of a major split in the SLFP now clear, the UNP which is the principal party of the Unity Government, has undertaken a key membership drive to propel itself for electoral success in the future. It is planning its anniversary celebrations on a grand scale, and President Sirisena will attend the Convention.
As a countermeasure, former Minister Basil Rajapaksa is advocating a similar membership drive for the party to be formed.
“Once the new party is formed, we have to launch a membership drive. Otherwise, we will be in a disadvantageous position,” he said.
TNA engages with people in south
Meanwhile, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader R. Sampanthan, who is also the Opposition Leader, undertook a visit to Matara and addressed people at a meeting organised by UNP MP Buddhika Pathirane.
It was the first time in recent years a Tamil political leader with his base in the north and the east, addressed the people of the Deep South
In his address, he referred to the historical features of the South as part of Ruhunu Kingdom, and said Sinhala and Tamil people were parts of the same history and tradition. The kingdom fell to the Portuguese and Dutch later.
Mr. Pathirane accompanied him to a Pirivena in the district. “A senior monk in that Pirivena told me that there is an ancient temple of Lord Shiva in Matara some distant away. That temple is apparently now in ruins. According to Sir Pole Peiris, one of our famous historians, there were five ancient historic temples of the Lord Shiva in Sri Lanka.
“One is Thirukoneshwaram in Trincomalee, Thiruketheeswaram in Mannar, Munneshwaram in Chilaw, Naguleshwaram in Jaffna and Thondeshwaram in the South. I have a strong feeling that this old Shiva temple, that is now in ruins, is the ancient Shiva temple of Thondashwaram. I also went to the Vishnu Devalaya.
“I went to the Kataragama Devalaya. The Poojas were conducted for us and we received the blessings from these temples. It only showed me how much we are part and partial of one history, one culture and one tradition, particularly the Sinhalese people, the Buddhist people and Tamil people the Hindus in particular,” he said.
The TNA seems to have changed its political strategies. It is a party primarily concerned about the political rights of Tamils in the north and the east. It has advocated a power sharing arrangement between the Centre and periphery. However, all efforts to secure a political package were foiled because they did not enjoy public support from the south. It now appears that the TNA has undertaken to engage with the majority community to fend off possible protests for a power sharing arrangement under the Constitution making exercise presently underway. To convince people on the pluses of power devolution or sharing, he said the Southern Provincial Council would also get more powers in such a context.
“We are now endeavouring to frame within the consent of all the people in this country. This Constitution is going to be framed within the framework of a ‘united, undivided and indivisible Sri Lanka.’ The country will be one united, undivided, indivisible country, which cannot ever be divided. I convey that message to you as the democratically elected Leader of the Tamil people. I convey the message that Tamil people do not want the country to be divided. But all the people in this country want power to be devolved within the regions. All the power, required to maintain the unity of the country and the territorial integrity of the country, will be in the Centre.
“Defence will be in the Centre. Army, Navy and the Air force will be the Centre. That will be under the control of the Central Government. Foreign Affairs will be under the control of the Centre. Currency, Finance will be under the control of the Centre.
Immigration and emigration would be under the control of the Centre. All the powers need to be kept at the Centre to ensure the unity and the indivisibility of the country, he said, would be with the Centre.
