Set aside political differences, become united to overcome major crisis: Karu Jayasuriya

National Movement for Social Justice requested from all the parties involved in the country's politics to think only about the country at this moment and to become united to overcome the major crisis the country is facing today.

He said this speaking at the Galle District Conference organised by the National Movement for Social Justice and the Collective for Religious Harmony on 'a new constitution for a better country.’

He said the Most Venerable Maduluwavea Sobitha Thera created this national movement in the year 2013 at a time when democracy was under severe threat from the then regime and the country was rapidly moving towards a dictatorship.

He said they called on the 19th amendment to be reinforced and in 2015 Sri Lankan brought in that amendment thereby gaining the respect of the international community and recognition as a civilised country.

"The politicisation of governance came to a halt. Government officials were given the opportunity to serve with dignity. The deterioration of the country, the deterioration of the economy, the spread of corruption and the breakdown of the law, as well as the creation of two laws in one country, happened within the unlimited powers given through the 20th Amendment. Majority of people in the country do not accept the 20th amendment," he said.

Mr. Jayasuriya said it was a great relief now that the President, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice have informed the National Movement for a Just Society that the Government has taken a decision to enforce the 19th Amendment and will take steps to implement it in the coming few weeks.

"Our movement, which raised its voice for this from the beginning, is highly pleased by this news," he said.

"Now is the time for us to look back at the time that has passed since we gained independence. To ask ourselves why a once prosperous country in Asia has now become a poor country before the world. Due to the national, religious and political conflicts in our country as well as the illegal actions taken by certain parties to gain and maintain political power and the complete politicisation of the state machinery, this country has been left in the helpless state it is in today. Then we should not forget the destruction that has been caused to the country due to the looting of the national resources of this country," he further said.

"In this unfortunate time when the country is in the throes of a crisis, it is our strong belief that the country can be saved if we can cast aside our differences and join hands. However we are yet to see a sense of unity in parliament. We appeal to everyone including our political leaders to find a solution through the parliament on behalf of our future generations. As a solution to this crisis, we proposed that an all-party government should be formed and a specific and clear program should be implemented for a limited period of time while the basic foundation for ending the executive presidential system should also be established by that regime. After completing these tasks within a certain period, a general election should be held and the people should be given the opportunity to have a government of their choice. Through all these political reforms, we believe that the strengthening of the parliamentary system will give us the opportunity to work with a common consensus. There, every public representative can be a part of governance through the sectoral monitoring committees.

He said at the request of the President and the opposition as well as ruling party MPs, the Parliament has unanimously approved the proposal presented by their movement. " The agreement of all political parties can be seen as a good sign. The Rajapaksa regime abolished the supervisory committee system. Now is the time for us to be calm. That unity must happen within the parliament. The youth who started the citizen’s struggle wanted to create a society of justice and fairness in this country. A very intelligent and disciplined group of youth played a key role in eliminating the unjust rule that no political party or civil society could. They had reasonable demands. But in recent times, certain elements infiltrated this movement to cause chaos. We cannot condone acts such as the killings and harassment of public representatives, the burning of the houses including that of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, other destruction and loss of life," he added. The public does not approve of these acts of violence. We worked amicably with many intelligent and disciplined groups involved in the struggle. If the country is to move forward, we need the support of the international community. The government must act in a manner that fosters this support. Here the Sri Lanka Police also have a great responsibility. We have been made aware of recent reports where innocent youth have been harassed. We also cannot condone yesterday's forcible entry into the office of the Frontline Socialist Party under the emergency regulations. The government must understand that these acts will only harm the reputation of the government internationally. The people’s dissent will also increase against the government. Therefore, we call for a peaceful environment to be created in the country and the people to act with restraint," he said.