Is the Constitutional Council based on ‘racial quota’ feasible?
Posted on September 5th, 2010
S. Akurugoda
President Mahinda Rajapaksa told the 59th anniversary meeting of the SLFP last week that the proposed Constitution Council under the 18th Amendment which replaces the CC under the 17th Amendment would have a member each from the Tamil and Muslim communities in addition to the Premier, Speaker.
The CC under the 17th Amendment consists of the Prime Minister, the Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition, a representative of the President, five persons nominated by the PM and the Leader of the Opposition and a person nominated by the MPƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s belonging to political parties or independent groups other than the representative political parties or independent groups to which the PM and the Leader of the Opposition belongs. Out of the five members nominated by the PM and the Leader of the Opposition three shall be from minorities.
The proposed CC shall consist of the Prime Minister, the Speaker and the Leader of the Opposition, a nominated MP of the PM and a nominated MP of the Leader of the Opposition. The MPs shall be nominated in such manner as would ensure that the nominees would belong to communities which are communities other than those of the PM, the Speaker and the Leader of the Opposition.
Thus it can be seen that the proposed CC under the 18th Amendment has retain the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”racial quotaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ given under the 17th amendment when nominating its members.
The above statement of the President is valid only if the PM, the Speaker and the Leader of the Opposition is from the Sinhala Community. We have had several non-Sinhala Speakers and one non-Sinhala Leader of the Opposition since the Independence and there is no guarantee that these positions are always filled by the Sinhala community. Under such a circumstance, the nomination to the CC will not be feasible unless communities other than Sinhala, Muslim and Tamil are represented in the Parliament.
While addressing at the ceremonial opening of the fourth session of the sixth parliament on 19th May last year, President Rajapaksa said that there are only two communities in this country. One is the people who love this country. The other comprises the small groups that have no love for the land of their birth. Those who do not love the country are now a lesser group.
By including ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”communal interestƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ factor to the Constitution of the country and to the Council of the highest order, just to please the small groups that have no love to the country,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the segregation of the citizens according to communal lines will continue and could aggravate an already regretful situation.
S. Akurugoda
September 5th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
Very true ! What happens if Primeminister would become Tamil, Speaker would become Tamil and the foreign minister too Tamil ! Our constitution does not discriminate any race. Why the appoint additional unnessary politicians to waste nantional weatlth and create more problems ?