Dhammasiri Ranwalage 

 Analysis of  the Current Situation

Election mania has hit the country yet again barely after elapse of two months since provincial council elections and just a year after provincial council election in the Northern Province to show off to CHOGM participants.

Even though the elections in the north created more problems and gave more weaponry to the conspirators, the government has not realized that no matter what government does to please the Tamils, it cannot satisfy neither Tamils not the conspirators.  Just one or two individuals within the government have been foolishly orchestrating this huge money wasting election galore ,despite the clear-cut mandate given by the people to UPFA  in last general elections to rule for a certain period and to the President  for another two years. What is the purpose of repeated elections and premature elections which will demish the 2/3 majority? It is worthwhile to reconsider priorities now.

Such unscrupulous action by few individuals has not only created anxiety among supporters  but cracks also are appearing within the coalition giving rise to dangerous consequences and giving the UNP opposition unnecessary advantage. Spying and threatening of Buddhist monks and ministers who worked well  by  bring in on corruption charges will also add to fuel to the burning fire lit by UNP , TNA and others but as all these have been initiated by the few individuals, they cannot blame anyone else if people are brought to streets by angry suppressed own UPFA members.

What is required is to set a proper platform to remove barriers set by previous governments, both UNP and SLFP. There was a time that people were suppressed by UNP during Premadasa Government that the President (current ) attempt to go before the UN Human Rights Commission with appeals from mothers and families of people who were killed by the JVP or the state sponsored goon squads like Green Tigers  was thwarted at the Bandaranaike International Airport.  We cannot call condemn people taking to streets as American Conspiracy” of Spring Uprising”.

 Executive Presidency Powers

A country cannot depend on one person forever. Even if we assume the current President as the best in the history, the constitution should be robust enough to prevent power abuse. It is clear from the various incident in the near past that the President is required to interfere unnecessarily in day to day activities of Police, Ministries and other areas of general governance. This makes ministerial duties redundant and creates unnecessary friction within the government. Few cabinet ministers publically declared they are shy to be ministers and yet they carry being ministers. Therefore    JHU’s demand of constitution amendments are justified but what is unbelievable is that they too did not bother about  the more urgent  necessity of getting rid of the Provincial Councils Ebola virus  but jumping up and down creating havoc on Executive Presidency headache.

 What is Urgent before 2/3 majority is diluted ?

The main obstacles we currently face, which prevents rapid progress and prosperity of the country is the Provincial Council System created by the 13^th Amendment. Tamil Homeland” concept, brought into the constitution in the form of 13A and Provincial Councils System by the Indians under duress during a pervious UNP regime has adversely affected our economy and wellbeing of the majority greatly.

Today we have a government that stipulate higher  marks from Sinhala students than to those from the minorities to pass the all-important scholarship exam. We have a government that ignored all the Sinhala people evicted by threat of murder (and by actual murder) by Tamil Tigers. We have a government that refuses to speak Sinhala in the east while Tamil is taught to Sinhala students and a government which ignores great inconveniences endured  by Sinhala families  living the areas invaded by Islamists in the east. Meanwhile, attack on Buddhism by Islamic extremists openly continues and Buddhist Sangha’s image is allowed to be tarnished by various Muslim initiated  incidents despite the assurance given in the constitution that The Republic of Sri Lanka shall give to Buddhism the foremost place and accordingly it shall be the duty of the State to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana, while assuring to all religions the rights granted by Articles 10 and 14(1)(e).   The government hides the truth in fear of the support of the Muslim countries at the UNHRC proceedings. Except for  one or two there are no true Buddhist ministers in the government.

Meanwhile Northern council has become a Council of Hate” passing more than 100 resolutions against the sovereignty of the nation and openly violating 7^th schedule of the constitution. In fact this schedule shall also be amended to read as  “I ………………….. do solemnly declare and affirm / swear that I will uphold and defend the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and that I will not, directly or indirectly, in or outside Sri Lanka, support, espouse, promote, finance, encourage or advocate the establishment of a separate or a Federal State within the territory of Sri Lanka.”

Currently it reads separate State” only, thus allowing TNA separatists to campaign for laying foundations to work towards separation in the future in other ways.

When one examines closely, there is no other country in the world which has a constitution polarizing  Sinhala, Tamil, Buddhist , Christian and Muslim communities than our constitution. The Article 22 (amended by the 13^th A) is clearly divisive, dividing the country into Tamil Official Language areas and Sinhala Official language areas. This encourages the provincial councils to reject Sinhala speakers and purposely cause hardships in order to chase away them from certain provinces even though the constitution rights makes it illegal to do so. This obviously does not apply to so call Sinhala Speaking Areas” as the majority of Tamil speaking officials work in these areas and Tamils find no problem at all in so called Sinhala areas. What will happen in the future is very clear.  Sinhalese will be foreigners in those Tamil Areas”, which includes not only the North but also the East.

All these discriminations against Sinhalese must come to a stop. Only way to do it is by bringing in constitutional changes to counter the communal hatred generating and divisive 13^th amendment designed created by India to keep Sir Lanka under their command.

Before more turmoil is generated people should rally now to protest against the Indian 13^th Amendment Ebola.