SRI LANKA NEEDS TO CANCEL THE 19TH AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION AND INCLUDE AN ANTI DISCRIMINATION CLAUSE
Posted on November 10th, 2018
BY EDWARD THEOPHILUS
Current political crisis in Sri Lanka clearly indicates that 19th amendment to the constitution has led to a political crisis and it is baffled to take decisions. After the approval of the amendment, many issues emerged in relation to all segments of the state. According to the constitutional provisions, it is quite difficult to amend the various clauses of the constitution as it needs two third majority of the members of the parliament or an approval from a referendum. The writers of the 19th amendment is silent when problem arose. It also seems that there are no people to take responsibility to the amendment.
In this situation, it is obvious from the current crisis that political parties need to take fresh mandate from the public at the next election to thoroughly review the constitution and to introduce a new constitution with other promises. Under the yahapalana Regime of 2015 promised to introduce new constitution, it has not happened. The effort was a waste of government resources. Political parties must educate public that with this confused amendment the country cannot be governed and cannot achieve the wishes of people.
The other important thing is that there should be a wider debate over the contents of the constitution with the participation of the public because the contents of the constitution impact on different people of the society. The implied meaning of the clauses need be explained clearly. In this way it would be a strategy to reduce possible mistakes and constitutional crisis in the future.
The recent statement of Mr Muralitharan also vital to concentrate as more than 75% of population of Sri Lanka are Sinhala Buddhists and any contents of the constitution must not go against the rights of Sinhala Buddhists while safeguarding the rights of Non-Buddhists and secular people. People of Sri Lanka needs understanding that religious people cannot discriminate secular people and secular people also cannot discriminate religious people. The same principle must be applied to sexuality too. The reality in Sri Lanka is that people in one sexuality attempts to discriminate people in other sexuality and the behaviour of religious and secular people also seems to be similar. The best option is to include an ani-discrimination clause using the right wording.
People are subject to do mistakes. There are many problems in the world in relation to misconduct of sexual behaviour and many kids are suffered by these types of misbehaviour. In the same way it is needed to understand that without a sexual behaviour, human living of this world might be ceased to exist. Therefore, sexual behaviour, religions, people are important to existence of the country. The constitution needs to recognized that people have rights as well as responsibilities.
Too much concentration on this type of issues in Sri Lanka reflects the stupidity of many people. On the other hand, many young people seem to be using religious, secular or sexual behaviour as a life style. The behaviour of a person is a dynamic factor that is influenced by the environment, which has a good cultural design, which means that the society of the country has rules and regulations to control the human behaviour.
November 10th, 2018 at 3:54 pm
MOVING FORWARD – WHAT IS TO BE DONE!
It is time the SLFP died its natural death and so too the UNP. These two geriatric political parties though brought into existence on lofty ideals have over the years failed to bring peace and prosperity to the citizens of Sri Lanka. The only thing that they did famously is to divide the Sinhala polity in the middle. This brought in the minority racists and religionists to the fray and made them kingmakers of Sri Lanka. The end result is for all to see – our past political history- the machinations and the deleterious effects of the doings of Chevanayakams, Amirthalingams, Sambandans, Thondamans, Ashroffs and now Hakeems and Baithuddeens!
After 70 years what the nation needs is time and space to move forward as one nation leaving behind the enmity and divisiveness. For this to happen the unity of the Sinhalese is paramount. Minority politics and their aspirations will never see daylight with only half of the Sinhalese agreeing. This is why the unity of the Sinhalese is of paramount importance for the good of all concerned.
What ailed Sri Lanka during the last 70 years is the constant demands of minority Shylocks asking for their pound of flesh and nothing else. Even after making the TNA with only 16 seats in the Parliament the main Opposition Party, did they have anything to do with the governance of the nation? They abstained from every parliamentary activity that had to do with the governance of Sri Lanka and only participated in legislating actions that would lead to the balkanization of Sri Lanka and in the end her destruction as an independent political entity in South Asia. Their main purpose of occupying the position of the Opposition was to prop up the unpopular, traitorous, mega-thief Ranil and his cohorts – now famously referred to as the “Butterflies”!
And so it goes for the Islamists spreading Wahabbism throughout the length and breadth of SrI Lanka. Just at the eleventh hour when there was a clear need for ousting mega-thief Ranil they left to Mecca indicating that they will return to enjoy the spoils!
It is time, all those well-meaning Tamils and Muslims leave the divisive politics and join the mainstream to achieve their realistic aspirations. Division of the country into fiefdoms or giving land and police powers to Eelamists is no way to achieve lasting peace in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka simply does not have space nor the security measures necessary to entertain such wishful thinking!
It is time, Sinhalese of all hues, be they UNP, SLFP, Buddhist or Christian unite behind Pohottuwa to take the country away from the cannibalistic politics of today and towards prosperity. It is time the Sinhalese demanded from Pohottuwa that it cannot be ‘ Politics as Usual’ as it used to be. It is time they got rid of the useless riff-raff, the traitorous, self-serving and the bribe-taker lot among them and move forward with only those who can be trusted to make way for progress. Pohottuwas must leave space only for the best in the SLFP, the UNP and those among minorities to join.
Other nations such as Malaysia and Singapore sorted similar problems right at the beginning of their independence from Colonial Powers. This is why these countries prosper and Sri Lanka not!
UNLESS AND UNTIL THE SINHALESE UNITE AS ONE THERE IS NO SOLUTION TO THE MINORITIES. THIS IS THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL TRUTH BEHIND POLITICS IN SRI LANKA. This is what ailed Sri Lanka for the last 70 years. It is only the United Sinhalese who can accommodate those peaceful intentions of the minorities and take the nation towards progress! All take heed!
Time is of the essence, let us not bungle it this time! All patriots, be they UNP or SLFP, who wish well for Mother Lanka, unite behind Pohottuwa! The wolves of the so-called International Community are the door to make Sri Lanka another Libya, Iraq, and Syria! United we can stand, divided certainly it is oblivion, death, and destruction a la Libya, Iraq and Syria!