Monday, 24 June 2013 00:00
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SRI Lankans are starting a crucial week that could make the difference between equal rights and discrimination or even peace and war. Despite the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the United National Party (UNP) refusing to be part of a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC), the Government has moved ahead with its appointments and is in the process of presenting a special Bill in Parliament that will give the President the power to merge two or more provinces, thus adding even more emphasis to Executive powers.
Speaker of Parliament Chamal Rajapaksa on Friday nominated the 19 members from the ruling UPFA coalition to the PSC that will be tasked with recommending amendments to the constitution, including the 13th Amendment governing provincial councils.
Leader of House Nimal Siripala De Silva will chair the PSC and Government members are Ministers G.L Peiris, Basil Rajapaksa, Maithripala Sirisena, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, John Seneviratne, Susil Premajayantha, D.E.W. Gunesekera, Douglas Devananda, Rishard Bathiudeen, Lakshman Seneviratne, Wimal Weerawansa, Champika Ranawaka, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, A.L.M Athaullah and Deputy Minister Muthu Sivalingam, and MPs Sudarshini Fernandopulle and Janaka Bandara. The Speaker also announced that rest of the members of the select committee would be announced in the future after receiving nominations from the Opposition of the Parliament.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who hurriedly met media heads, was also vociferous in defending the PSC and insisting that it was protecting the people’s right to decide what they believe to be the best form of governance. He insisted that the future of the provincial system lies with the public despite promises made to the international community including the United Nations when the war ended. Present changes being mooted would also be incompatible with the recommendation of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), set up by the Sri Lankan Government, calling for a political settlement based on the devolution of power to the provinces.
Disappointingly, Rajapaksa remains silent on the important aspect of power devolution, demilitarisation, human rights, investigations on disappearances and abductions or even a broad pledge of security for the Tamil people of the north. Free and fair elections or how minorities would be able to govern themselves in this ever-changing political landscape.
Implementation of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), high security zones and even resolving the sensitive land grabbing issues ahead of the elections were blithely ignored. It was as if the problems faded into the palmyrah shadows before the effervescent spin of the Government. But it is unlikely they will stay that way.
The Government, at the moment, believes that India has been declawed and will do little to protect the 13th Amendment. It has also chosen, predictably, to band anyone who speaks for the 13th Amendment and power devolution into the group of “pro-LTTEers” or traitors as a convenient method of ignoring their points. Having diluted the voices of the minorities, they then hope to create a system that ostensibly is approved of by the “people” but in reality takes power away from the masses and concentrates it even more on Executive powers.
Democracy is achieved by division of power not concentration of it. Therefore moving down this road could eventually bring even bigger challenges to maintain peace in Sri Lanka.
