TNA commends Government’s efforts to bring in constitutional reforms

The importance of the “satisfactory conclusion” of the processes in a genuine and purposeful manner to ensure “permanent peace with justice and equality to all citizens” is the key agenda of the main Tamil political leadership. 

According to the Leader of the Opposition, ITAK MP Rajavarothiam Sampanthan, all Sri Lankans must extend their cooperation to reach the ultimate goal.

Moving the adjournment debate on Sri Lanka’s international obligations, MP Sampanthan commended the efforts of the current Government in this regard. “With the assumption of office of the new Government, Parliament has constituted itself as a Constitutional Assembly, a Steering Committee, comprising representatives of all political parties in Parliament has been appointed, under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister, various subcommittees representing different political parties have been appointed and work is in progress for the evolution of a Constitution to resolve the conflict within a united, undivided and indivisible Sri Lanka, with the maximum possible consensus,” he said.

“The current 1978 Constitution did not have such consensus, nor did the 1972 first Republican Constitution. The failure to evolve a Constitution based on such consensus has been the reason for the failure of such constitutions. Issues relating to transitional justice in respect to which resolutions have been adopted at the Human Right Council also need to be addressed. These too are issues of urgent public importance which the country needs to be kept informed about,” he added.

Highlighting the landmarks of historical importance to all Sri Lankans from the colonial era to present day conflicts, MP Sampanthan said: “All people who lived in Sri Lanka, irrespective of their ethnicity, religion or any other difference, whether Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim or Burgher, made their fullest contribution to the achievement of independence. It is almost 70 years since Sri Lanka attained independence from colonial rule. Ethnic strife had plagued the country shortly after it attained independence. Pacts entered into between prime ministers and the Tamil political leadership to help resolve such ethnic strife and enable all citizens to live together in peace and amity, with equality and justice, were not fulfilled by the ruling elite.”

“An Indo Sri Lanka agreement was signed on 29 July 1987 between Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of India and President J. R. Jayawardene which laid down vital contours for a political resolution. During President R. Premadasa’s term there were the Managala Moonesinghe Select Committee  proposals, during President Chandrika Bandaranaike  Kumaratunga’s term the proposals she made in 1995 and 1997 and the proposals tabled as a Bill in Parliament in August 2000, the Oslo Communique  and the Tokyo Communiqué during Ranil Wickremesinghe’s term as Prime Minister and the speech delivered by President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the inaugural meeting of the All Parties Representative Committee and the Multi Ethnic Experts Committee appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the reports of the said APRC and MEEC. All these processes took the proposals for sharing power much beyond the scope of the 13th Amendment,” he added, highlighting how the armed conflict between the Tamil youth and the Government that ran on for more than 25 years brought much suffering to all Sri Lankans. (AH)