Meandering on hazardous tracks: a professional speaks her mind Constituents should prevail upon their MPs to vote against new Constitution if brought in –Dr. Anula Wijesundere
Dr. Anula Wijesundere, a consultant physician involved with the work of the Nationalist Movement in Sri Lanka, speaks about the constitution making process, women’s rights and the impact of the price reduction of beer as proposed in the Budget.
She is the president of the organization ‘Society for the Upliftment and Conservation of the Cultural, Economic and Social Standards (SUCCESS). Alongside, she is the vice president of the Temperance Association of Sri Lanka. Besides, she is also the co-chairman of the National Joint Committee, an umbrella organization of around 20 patriotic organizations. Excerpts of the interview:
- UNP is hell-bent on bringing it by hook or by crook
- We have lost faith in the JVP although we thought it is fair-minded
- We believe JVP will vote for a new Constitution
- Mere quotas for women candidates will not be helpful without creating an atmosphere for them to come into politics
- Constitutional recognition of LGBT rights will break up the family structure
- Sri Lanka’s concept of extended family is very important
- It is a foolish decision by Finance Minister to reduce tax on beer
- It will encourage young people to drink stronger beer in large quantities
- It is against Yahapalana policies
Q How do you see the current constitution making process?
People are not asking for a new Constitution. It is being done due to the machinations of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the Tamil diaspora, LTTE loyalists and NGOs. It is also influenced by the governments of the United States, Britain and India. There is no mandate for the President to bring in a new Constitution. The President only said he would bring in amendments to it [ constitution] that warrants the approval of the people by referendum. This is just to please the federalists and the Tamil diaspora. The LTTE has been destroyed militarily; but, its mindset is still present.
If you look at the constitution making process, it was the Lal Wijenayake Committee Report that came first. They advocated a federal state. It said Sri Lanka should be a secular state. In fact, it said the national flag should not reflect any religion and proposed that the four Bo-leaves were removed. It sought to legalize the LGBT rights.
All religions, practised in Sri Lanka do not condone LGBT rights because they break up the family structure. We know it exists. But, we should not give a provision in the Constitution to recognize it. It will encourage people to enter into such relationships if we do so. Some countries have legalized it, But, it is against all religions. Every religion values the family as an institution.
They had deliberations for one- and-a- half years. They went about the country; we went and gave our suggestions. These were purely their own ideas and not the ideas of those who made representation to the committee. They have acted regardless of views expressed by the people who made representations. We totally rejected this report.
Q After that, there were six sub-committees appointed. They also submitted reports. What are your views on them?
There was one committee to work on the centre-peripheral relations. It was headed by TNA MP Dharmalingam Sithanathan. Why was a TNA MP appointed to head such an important committee? It should have been given to an MP from the majority community. That is the most important of all the six committees.
Every sub-committee report has been scrutinized by TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran and Government MP Jayampathi Wickremaratne. They are total federalists. They appear to have incorporated their own ideas into these reports. Why did 29,000 war heroes sacrifice their lives and another 40,000 war heroes got disabled? That is to maintain the unitary status and territorial integrity of our country. What the LTTE could not achieve through military means is now going to be given to them on a silver platter.
In the report by the sub-committee on the centre-peripheral relations, it has been proposed to give land, police, finance and administration powers to the periphery. There is also power on taxation proposed to be devolved. That way, all the vital powers of the Central Government are proposed to be given away. Then, the President and the Central Government will have no powers absolutely. Then, the entire power is devolved to the provinces.
Police and land powers must be maintained with the Centre that must also have powers in taxation, finance, health etc.
If you devolve health further, it will lead to a further crisis. Already, the health sector is in crisis. There are dangers in the devolution of police power. If a person commits a crime in the Western Province and goes to the North, the police will find it difficult to take action. The provincial IGP is responsible to the Chief Minister, not the Governor. The Governor can be appointed only with the approval of the Chief Minister concerned.
Q In your opinion, how can we achieve reconciliation among the different ethnic groups then?
You talk about reconciliation. The Education Minister of the Northern Province refused to hoist the national flag at a school function in Vavuniya in front of all the students. The Northern Governor Reginald Cooray should have taken action. And all have taken an oath of allegiance to the State. The Governor should have dismissed him. Is that reconciliation?
Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran wants all the Buddha statues to be removed. Today, reconciliation is one sided. It is only with the Sinhalese. If there is genuine reconciliation, the Sinhalese who lived there as bakery owners and carpenters should be allowed to resettle. In the South, all three communities live in harmony with each other. In the North, it is not so. Can a Sinhalese put up a business there?
All the Sinhalese, who were driven out should be allowed to return. Earlier, there were four Sinhala medium schools in Jaffna. Now there is not a single school. As for the Grade 5 scholarship examination, there is a cut-off point for the entire country covering the Tamil medium. For the Sinhala medium, there is no cut off point for three districts.
No legal document is worked out in Sinhala in the North and East. Correspondence is done only in Tamil at government institutions in the North.
We met the President and brought to his notice the common problems faced by all the communities in terms of education, land, employment, food and water etc.
In Navakulli, there were 30 Sinhalese families. Now, there are only ten; the rest have left because there are no schools for their children.
Q In what way are you planning to defeat the constitution making process?
That is a major problem. As you see, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is hell-bent on passing this new Constitution. He is determined to do it by hook or by crook. So UNP MPs will not vote against the party policy. We have lost all faith in the JVP. We thought they were fair-minded but the JVP will also vote with the government. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is always there for it.
We are going to ask people at electorate level to prevail upon the members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) in the government to vote against the new proposal. People should tell them not to come to their areas asking for votes if they vote in favour of the new Constitution.
Q As part of reconciliation, there is a lot of talk about the need for empowerment of women by NGOs. There is discussion on women’s emancipation from a western point of view. As a woman activist, how do you look at it?
It is the Buddha who espoused the supreme place for women in society. He advocated complete equality between males and females. The Buddha always highlighted virtues of women as mothers, spouses and so on, in different Suttas. In the medical profession which I represent, there is no gender discrimination at all.
Q In politics, the government ensured a certain quota for woman candidates. How do you look at it?
Women do not enter politics because it is considered a dirty game. There is so much of corruption. Most politicians are there to amass wealth for future elections. There may be a few who are honest but the majority are dishonest.
It is good if women take part in politics. Then, they will speak up for the rights of women. When Renuka Herath was the Health Minister, she got maternity leave extended for women.
A mere quota will not work properly without creating a conducive atmosphere for women to enter politics. Politics must be a fair playing field. It must be on clean ground.
Q In your view what are the pressing concerns of women?
Most women are educated now. So they can get gainful employment to supplement the family income. What is important is to strike a balance between family life and career life. To achieve a balance, the support of the husband is necessary.
The concept of the extended family in our culture is important. You do not find it in Western countries. In those countries, when parents age, they are sent to live in elders’ homes. There is such a tendency in our country too. Yet, it is still a small percentage. In most countries, parents live with their children. When parents are away for work, grandparents look after grandchildren. The presence of grandparents is also important to ensure spirituality in the family. Their influence enhances the religious atmosphere. It will certainly help character building of a child.
It is against our culture to send aged parents to elders’ homes. Every religion in our country emphasizes the importance of looking after parents during their old age. They have sacrificed so much to give us a better life. It is the imperative duty of children to look after their parents during the sunset years of their lives.
Q As a medical specialist, what are the grievances of women you have identified?
Poverty is a main feature in rural Sri Lanka. Poverty is caused by drunkenness among men. When men are addicted to alcohol, they spend a lot of money on it leaving little for other expenses such as for food and children’s requirements. Drunkenness also triggers sexual harassment of women. Alcohol Dependence Syndrome is a major problem. I have written many newspaper articles about it.
Q What is your view on the budget proposal to reduce tax on beer?
I have raised my voice against it. I wrote about it and I have made representation in this regard. I spoke against it representing the Sri Lanka Medical Council and the Temperance Association of Sri Lanka. Today, a price of a coconut is Rs.95. Once tax is reduced, a can of beer will be Rs.85 making beer less expensive than a coconut. The Finance Minister says the reduction of tax on beer will reduce the consumption of hard liquor and kasippu. He must realize that people who drink beer are different; they are of a different segment of society.
One cannot expect kasippu drinkers to take to beer, but more young people will start drinking beer. They will drink beer with an alcohol percentage of 8.5, not beer with the alcohol at 5 per cent. It means they will drink a larger quantity of stronger beer at low cost. It is a very foolish decision on the part of the Finance Minister. On top of that, Labour Minister John Seneviratne proposed to reduce the price of gal arakku as a solace to plantation workers.
Sri Lanka will enter the Guinness Book of Records as the country that promotes the habit of drinking among its people. When the price of beer was reduced once in the past, the consumption increased by many folds.
It is also against Yahapalana policies and it is against the National Alcohol and Tobacco Control Policy. Now, the Presidential Task Force in this regard has no task and force. The President spoke in Parliament; but speaking alone is not enough. He must rescind the relevant gazette notification.
Q You work for the conservation of archaeological sites in the North and East. How is the situation now?
Archaeological sites in the North and East are being vandalized; they are being bulldozed. Recently in Trincomalee, a site in Randala Vihare has been bulldozed and converted to a burial ground. Another archaeological site has been made into a children’s park.
