By Gagani Weerakoon Courtesy  Ceylon Today

With the sole intention of defeating any move to divide the country through constitutional means, ‘Eliya – Illuminating Aspirations’ an organization formed under the patronage of former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa was launched at Hotel Golden Rose, Boralesgamuwa on Wednesday (6) evening. Alleging that the proposed new Constitution would give separatists what they had failed to achieve through terrorism, Rajapaksa vowed to defeat the project.

The proposed constitutional reforms were meant to appease the LTTE rump, pro-LTTE Diaspora and a section of foreign powers, Rajapaksa said, lambasting the ruling UNP-SLFP Government for seeking to divide post-war Sri Lanka on ethnic lines.

The former Defence Secretary said ‘Eliya’ wouldn’t allow the government to betray the country under any circumstances.

Explaining the movement’s objective, Rajapaksa stressed the importance of educating and mobilizing the masses against the ongoing moves to introduce a new Constitution at the expense of the unitary status of the country.

He said the proposed Constitution had the backing of those countries which had made desperate attempts to save the LTTE during the final phase of the Vanni offensive.

Armed forces had made tremendous sacrifices to neutralize the LTTE militarily and any effort to undermine the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be resisted at any cost, Rajapaksa added.

The event attracted a large number of professionals, including artistes, doctors, engineers, lawyers, politicians and members of the general public.

Among those present were former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, former speaker Chamal Rajapaksa, former Cabinet Ministers, including Basil Rajapaksa, Wimal Weerawansa, Dullas Alahapperuma, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Bandula Gunawardena, Leader of the Joint Opposition Dinesh Gunawardena, Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, Gamini Lokuge, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, former Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva, former Governor of Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Manohara De Silva PC, Tamara Kunanayakam,
Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka and Maj Gen (retd) Kamal Gunaratne.

Many key speakers at the event shared similar sentiments as former diplomat Tamara Kunanayakam, who said, “A radical overhaul is underway – of our political, economic, financial, social and cultural system. A new Constitution is being discussed, also a plethora of radical reforms are being rushed through. The fact that many are being challenged as unconstitutional indicates that the new Constitution is aimed at making what is constitutional today un-constitutional tomorrow, and making what is legal illegal, by a simple trick of changing the Law!”

The issue is not whether a new Constitution is needed or not, it is the fundamental and inalienable right of the people to determine the economic, social, political and cultural system in which they choose to live. But that choice will be theirs only if it is made freely, not with a gun pointed at their heads. Today, Sri Lanka finds itself practically under a form of tutelage to the US, a global power whose strategic objective is to maintain its global hegemony.

Kunanayakam said that it is symbolic that the US Ambassador chose to announce Washington’s decision to ‘assist’ Sri Lanka draft its Constitution and implement the Human Rights Council, standing on the amphibious warship USS New Orleans, which is used to land and support ground forces on enemy territory and patrols provocatively close to China.

“It is also ironic that it is from Temple Trees that the Acting US Secretary of State Alice Wells declared last week that ‘The United States is – and will continue to be – an Indo-Pacific power.’ She was the first to announce America’s ‘first ever naval exercise’ in Sri Lanka in October, in Trincomalee. You will agree that rewriting the Constitution under such conditions can only advance Washington’s cause, not ours! There are other guns pointed at us: the 2015 Human Rights Council resolution and the notorious IMF/World Bank conditionalities.”

The movement stated that what began as an agenda to abolish the Executive Presidency was transformed overnight into a full-blown reform of the Constitution.

Meanwhile, speaking on the lines of public’s duty in thwarting efforts to bring a new Constitution that would destabilize the State, Consultant

Dr. Seetha Arambepola said the majority of the public is of the opinion that their only weapon against what is happening is the universal franchise.

“We, as public, shamelessly continue to have faith in those whom we have elected to power, who continue to mercilessly betray our faith in them. We shamelessly believe that the one we voted into power will fulfil our aspirations. We have failed to realize the person we voted for has joined another camp and is being guided by another force, and is catering to their demands,” she added.

While noting that professionals and the educated working force have a right to guide or reprimand the rulers who have not gone through any examination or possess any qualification other than the fact that they had received people’s votes,

Dr. Arambepola stressed the public have the right to force the rulers to see, hear and feel the correct path when they act deaf, dumb or oblivious to burning issues.