{"id":119654,"date":"2021-10-27T16:47:58","date_gmt":"2021-10-27T23:47:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=119654"},"modified":"2021-10-27T16:47:58","modified_gmt":"2021-10-27T23:47:58","slug":"regime-change-constitutions-is-sri-lanka-ready","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2021\/10\/27\/regime-change-constitutions-is-sri-lanka-ready\/","title":{"rendered":"Regime Change & Constitutions \u2013 Is Sri Lanka ready?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shenali D Waduge<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n
\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Have\nwe learnt any lessons from 73 years of so-called \u2018independence\u2019? Have we learnt\nlessons from 42 elections held since 1931? Have we learnt lessons from\nParliamentary & Presidential forms of governance? Have we studied the\nhidden hands behind every revolt, rebellion, insurgency & even terrorism?\nHave we identified these entities who are also responsible for dispatching\nothers in disguise to carry out same destabilizing agenda? Have we a team of\ndedicated people who not only study these trends but devise ways to mitigate\nsame? Is there any point in having such a team if their warnings fall on deaf\nears? Do our leaders know the scale of the threats at hand or are they simply\nriding to survive their period of governance & pass on the mantle to the\nnext but with each turn the country\u2019s sovereignty gets diminished &\ndiluted. With these thoughts let us move on to the topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regime Change <\/strong>is\nthe modern form of \u2018invasion\u2019 without boots by securing local lackeys to carry\nout the task on behalf of their pay masters and sit in prominent positions\n& carry out the desired changes. These are generally targeting laws,\nlegislative documents, reversal of circulars, extraordinary new gazette\nnotifications and changing anything that legally prevents the paymasters from\nsecuring what they want. Therefore, when local lackeys bring about sudden and\nsurprising legislative changes \u2013 you should know they are only carrying out their\norders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For\nan example during the regime change in 2002 that resulted in terrorists given\nterritory and confining the national army to barracks while the armed\nterrorists went wherever they liked, the US made a proposal to waive off all\nloans given to Sri Lanka in lieu of handing over our entire forest cover to US.\nIf not for environmentalists and patriots objecting, the government would have\nhappily given into this request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colonial Legacies <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\nno one can put aside is the colonial legacy we have failed to discard. We are\ncontinuing to embrace 443years of colonial brainwashing totally disregarding\nthe centuries of traditional rule which saw no constitution, no ethnic strife,\nno animosities, no terrorism and was an animal-friendly environment following\nthe dasa-raja dhamma rule. No politician has seen fit to ask the UN or\ndiplomats questioning Sri Lanka about ethnic divisions, to produce a single\nexample of such divisions before 1505. No politician has been brave enough to\ntell the UN & the Western diplomats that it was they who divided people as\nmajority & minority, it was they who coloured the caste system which was\nonly used to identify the profession of people, it was they who created system\nof favorites and promoted those that carried tales to them, it was they who\ncreated a system of education that purposely denied the majority education\n& provided education & jobs to minorities to raise their stature above\nthe majority. That education system completely reversed the education system that\nexisted. The colonial education system was to denationalize the people and\ndistance them from their proud history to not defend the nation. This system\ncontinues still as even current curricular is decided by international monetary\nagencies who use the carrot of \u2018funding\u2019 to decide what type of curriculum is\ntaught and provide scholarships to the curriculum creators who will never\npromote anything of national value. This subtle influence exists in other\nsectors of the country\u2019s governance systems as well. When colonial crimes are\nnot placed on any tribunal- what justice are these former colonial invaders\ntrying to preach!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Euro-centric laws<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\nthe colonial invaders realized they could no longer continue to hold power in\nthe territories they occupied, they handed governance to the local lackeys but\nkept power via euro-centric laws that they dictate even to this day. All of the\nlaws that exist are rooted in the colonial rule where advantage comes to a\nhandful of nations who form a bloc even inside the UN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

44 countries in Europe, US,\nCanada, Australia & New Zealand demand 147 countries function to its\ndictates & command. How fair is this?  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\nare completely ignoring that these countries existed before them & they had\ntheir own indigenous laws, cultures and traditions which have been completely\ndropped out of international legal systems. It is time to review this and the\nnon-Western countries in the UN must demand a revisit to the indigenous laws\n& customs that existed in ancient times to be given their due place. The\ncurrent euro-centric laws that exist with neo-liberal policies advantageous to\na handful are never meant to bring \u2018EQUALITY\u2019 except to fool masses with\nslogans and well-funded dead-end initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weakening the Nation & its\nPeople<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have had 2 insurgencies and 3 decades of terror \u2013 what is\nimportant is that Sri Lanka lost some promising youth. The external goal was to indoctrinate youth & pit them against\ntheir own with ultimate goal of \u2018killing off\u2019 promising youth who would have\nbecome powerful future leaders. <\/strong>These were great losses to\nthe nation because these youth (for right or wrong) came forward with courage\nto fulfil what they were indoctrinated to do. Imagine if that zest was diverted\nto build the nation. We would have had very powerful leaders. To prevent\npowerful leaders emerging the foreign hands have a knack to create issues to\nget our own to eliminate them. Congo lost a promising leader when the US &\nUK assassinated Patrice Lumumba. Myanmar\u2019s national leader Aung Sang was also\nkilled but his daughter was happy to be a neo-liberal pawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\ncannot ignore the foreign hands that played a role in each of these devastating\nperiods of our past. The countries involved, the constitutional changes they\nforced upon us, the agreements they forced us to sign, their missionaries sent\n(in robes & civil) \u2013 these entities still prevail under a different\ndisguise. But their objective has not changed. Only their modus operandi. We\ncannot foolishly think they have mended their ways simply because they extend a\nhandshake and push new agreements via different players. Have we not learnt\nlessons to take stock of the risks and dangers of our actions? Are we not able\nto devise alternative ways or in the least come up with out of the box methods\nto surprise our historical enemies? Have we failed to identify the gifts &\nwhat is hidden inside?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regime Change & Constitutions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nthe recent past we have seen numerous West-infused regime change taking place \u2013\nthe general slogans have been to \u2018deliver democracy\u2019 \u2018liberate the people\u2019\nusher \u2018freedoms & rights\u201d etc. With every regime change has been a new\nconstitution primarily to change the impediments that block the regime changers\ngetting what they want from the country that they have subtly taken over via their\nlackeys. Kosovo had a new constitution but over 10 years after \u2018independence\u2019\neven entire EU has not recognized Kosovo. South Sudan\u2019s new constitution is\nseeing meddling by West too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best example Sri Lanka can learn from is looking at Nepal\nwhose new constitution resulted even in an economic blockade with India\ndemanding changes to Nepals constitutional clauses which Nepal was not\nagreeable to. This resulted in India blocking its borders preventing food,\nmedicines and fuel entering Nepal via India\u2019s borders. China had to airlift\nprovisions for the people. Why have we forgotten the parippu drop of 1987 by\nthe same nation which is now getting a part of Colombo Port- a Port where Sri\nLanka\u2019s imports come through. Imagine a similar scenario when Sri Lanka pursues\nwith a new constitution if Sri Lanka includes anything disagreeable to\nIndia? When Sri Lanka\u2019s leaders fail\nto tell India that the people do not want 13a and even when the country had 2\/3\nmajority if the government in power failed to remove the 13a \u2013 can we expect\nthem to remove 13a in a new constitution? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ironically,\nthe country that mothered the constitution does not have a written constitution\nbut UK and EU & US have a knack of insisting legislative changes to Sri\nLanka which are slowly being rolled out in Sri Lanka & additional pressure\nis being exerted using bogus resolutions via UNHRC insisting on further\nconstitutional changes. Thus, it is all a ploy and part of their bigger plot to\nweaken Sri Lanka. Local lackeys are used to come up with fancy reasons to why\nchanges are needed & dramas are choreographed to use social media to\npromote their goals. We must all look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Presently,\na key pillar is being targeted with the aim of diminishing the national\nsecurity and intelligence apparatus with the UNHRC head threatening to get\nwitness statements against the army commanders who helped defeat LTTE. Again,\nno politician has seen fit to ask the western diplomats or the UN\/UNHRC why\nrestorative justice is being applied to LTTE terrorists and retributive justice\nto the world\u2019s only army that defeated an internationally banned terrorist\ngroup. The politicians will soon meet their waterloo in their role for\nweakening the nation legislatively, constitutionally & legally \u2013 the very\npillars that our enemies are trying to weaken via new constitutional changes\nwhile continuing their infamous divide & rule theatrics funded from abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\n1789 US Constitution has 27 amendments while India\u2019s 1950 constitution has 104\nAmendments, the last in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How dangerous is it to tamper\nwith a constitution in volatile times?<\/strong>Learn from Africa. None of\nthese amendments are of any benefit to the People except to centralize power\naway from the People. The People presume they are invited to be involved but it\nis only a cosmetic fa\u00e7ade as the real draft changes happen unknown to the\nPeople. With the People believing changes are for their benefit, they\neventually find out too late that they have been disappointed again and again\n& again. Africa\u2019s amendments have been\nto tighten the power over the people with feigned \u2018freedom\u2019 & \u2018security\nsafeguard\u2019 promises<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do we really need to change the\nconstitution when the country is economically & politically unstable & socially\nvulnerable!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1978 Constitution has seen 20 amendments. 16 out of the 20\nby the very architects of the constitution & changed between 1978 &\n1988 while the 17a <\/sup>came\nonly in 2001, 18a in 2010. 19a\nshowed that constitutions should not be done in a hurry and with\nill-intent. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Representatives\nof Sri Lanka should have allegiance to only one country and they must pledge to\nonly protect the dignity & sovereignty of that country. Anyone must be\nallowed to contest \u2013 rejecting is left to the People by vote. Will\nconstitutional changes ever see a pruned Cabinet\/Parliament? NO. The National\nUnity Government showed politicians greed for power. Will crossovers be banned\nin a new constitution? Hardly! Will President\/Parliament\/Judiciary be willing\nto be bound to uphold the constitution as they only hold \u2018delegated\u2019 powers\ngiven by the People? No Constitutional Council can have members who are not\nanswerable to the People.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

None of the Governments since 1987 even with a majority in\nParliament took action to remove 13a \u2013 however, adverse as it may look, within\nthe existing constitution, detrimental clause can either be removed or weakened\nwith additional amendments. There\nis no requirement for a new constitution.<\/strong>Land & Police\npowers must return to the Centre \u2013 national assets and resources belong to the\nCentre not to provinces, archaeological and historical sites must remain under\nthe Centre. We don\u2019t need a new\nconstitution \u2013 a few new amendments can address grey areas<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\nwe need more than a constitution is a completely new electoral system for\npeople to elect people in proportionate to the population that they contest\nfrom & the ability of these people to remove anyone not functioning to\ntheir wishes. It is shocking that a party getting 250,000 votes can send 10 MPs\nto parliament because of the current PR system. The entry requirement to\nParliament must be returned to 12.5% instead of the current 5% which will stop\nethnic-king makers from holding governments to ransom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We must take a holistic look at what is unfolding in Sri\nLanka. Our enemies are laughing\npulling the strings of various people and parties they control to fight each\nother and create the necessary coloured revolution for their entry on the\nargument that Sri Lanka is incapable of running its own country. <\/strong>A\nteam of lackeys is deployed to prepare the mental mindset of the people \u2013 a\nbunch of Sri Lanka haters 24\u00d77 complaining about the country. While they are choreographing\nthe social change the notion of a new constitution is only to erase the\nobstacles that prevent these elements grabbing what should belong to not only\nus but future generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are\nyou able to put the picture together?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shenali D Waduge<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shenali D Waduge Have we learnt any lessons from 73 years of so-called \u2018independence\u2019? Have we learnt lessons from 42 elections held since 1931? Have we learnt lessons from Parliamentary & Presidential forms of governance? Have we studied the hidden hands behind every revolt, rebellion, insurgency & even terrorism? Have we identified these entities who […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shenali-waduge"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119654\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}