Proposals made to the Public Representation Committee on Constitutional Reforms, on 27 January 2016 at Vusumpaya.
Posted on January 31st, 2016
DecentLanka2015
Here are the proposals we made to the Public Representation Committee on Constitutional Reforms, on 27 January 2016 at Vusumpaya.
They don’t in anyway cover all areas for a complete Constitution. Yet they do include concepts for Constitutional making.
Our main argument is that this new Constitution should provide for a political solution for the National Question and for that reason the APRC Final Report should be used as a base document for deliberations as that carries a broad consensus among pro Sinhala Southern political parties for power sharing, beyond that of 13A.
PROPOSALS MADE BY THE ALL PARTY REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE TO FORM THE BASIS OF A NEW CONSTITUTION
APRC Final Report His Excellency The President MahindaRajapaksaon 11th July, 2006 at the All Party Conference (APC)decided to appoint a committee of representatives of the parties at APC called the All Party Representative Committee(APRC) and mandated it to formulate a draft proposal for Constitutional reform. The President mandated the APRC to evolve a GhomeͲgrown new constitutionJ which will provide Ga comprehensive approach to the resolution of the national questionJ. The initial members of this Committee are given in Annexure 1
For Full Report Follow the link
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items16/APRCFinal-Report%20(Unofficial)%202010%20July%2020.pdf
On 27 January, 2015 we met with the Chairman of the Public Representation Committee on Constitutional Reforms, Senior attorney at law Lal Wijenayake at “Visumapaya”, Colombo 02 and handed over the documents below along with a complete copy of the Final Report of the All Party Representative Committee (APRC), as our written proposals for a new Constitution. We firmly believe a new constitution is needed for this country, not because political leaders in this government wants to have a new Constitution for reasons not spelt out and explained clearly, but for the people to have a decent, contented life with peace and stability. A new Constitution that would guarantee such life through governance held responsible in ensuring such life for all Citizens without discrimination. We also firmly believe such a society will not be possible unless there is a broad consensus in working out a practical, stable and an acceptable solution to power sharing. Power sharing in a governing system is a pre requisite for a stable socio political life in this country that has not been able to resolve the ethnic conflict politically, since independence. For that reason, we propose the Final Report of the APRC should be used as a base document for deliberating a new constitution. This report after 03 years of long debates and discussions, brings out for the first time in our post independent history a very broad consensus among the pro Sinhala forces in creating a State with shared power that goes beyond the 13 Amendment. In this report, the SLFP, the MEP and the JHU along with 12 other political parties have officially accepted power sharing with provincial councils as the unit of political power for provincial people. We therefore proposed this APRC consensus should be utilized in working out a new constitution along with the conceptual note on constitution making, we handed over.
For Full Report Follow the link
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items16/Constition.Making%20Submissions%20All%20Documents.pdf
Thank you.
Co-convenors
DecentLanka2015
Collective for a Decent Lanka
Contact Neville Ananda – Attorney at Law -0777876811
Sujeewa Dahanayake – Attorney at Law -0777324062
January 31st, 2016 at 5:53 pm
IF you want reconciliation STOP arresting Singhala people. RELEASE SUNIL RATNAYAKA and YOSHITHA RAJAPAKSHA.
There CANNOT be any reconciliation if you release Tamil terrorists and arrest Singhala innocents.
February 2nd, 2016 at 7:13 pm
I do not agree with the proposal to remove the protection given by the state to Buddhism, which has been there for several thousand years and even under the British colonial power. Removing the prevailing status of Buddhism is not of any benefit or a solution to any prevailing issue with other communities in Sri Lanka.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with continuing to recognise Sri Lanka as a Buddhist nation and providing adequate constitutional protection, just like Christianity is given in countries like the USA, UK, Australia, Norway etc and Islam is given in all Muslim nations. It was only last month the British prime minister David Cameron repeated that UK is a Christian nation, even though it is now a multiethnic, multi religious nation. This is not wrong.