{"id":50997,"date":"2016-01-12T13:36:46","date_gmt":"2016-01-12T19:36:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=50997"},"modified":"2016-01-12T01:11:33","modified_gmt":"2016-01-12T08:11:33","slug":"this-is-not-the-time-to-write-a-new-constitution-for-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2016\/01\/12\/this-is-not-the-time-to-write-a-new-constitution-for-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"This is not the time to write a new Constitution for Sri Lanka ."},"content":{"rendered":"

By Charles.S.Perera<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

To day Sri Lanka is not \u00a0socially, politically and economically in a settled state for this Government to decide on\u00a0 writing a new Constitution.\u00a0 The Communities are divided as it had never been before, the Tamils are acting as \u00a0if they are already a Community apart.\u00a0 Sampanthan who is critical of the \u00a0Sinhala majority, and fights\u00a0 for the recognition of Tamils as a separate entity\u00a0 cannot possible be recognised as the leader of the Opposition. In the mean time the Muslims are claiming a separate administration in line with the Tamil Community.<\/span><\/p>\n

Normally the Opposition in a democratic system is a government in waiting , \u00a0to replace the government in place in case of its defeat in Parliament, or as an alternative at the next Parliamentary election.\u00a0 Is the opposition with Sampanthan as its leader and Anura Dissanayake the Chief Opposition Whip suitable for an alternative government ?<\/span><\/p>\n

Bikkhus Ratana ,\u00a0 Omalpe, (and Late Sobhita) are political monks, who were interested in the\u00a0 political aspect of the country ,\u00a0 can they therefore\u00a0 be expected to look after the interest of Buddhism, because they helped Maitripala Sirisena and Rani Wickramasinghe mess up Sri Lanka?<\/span><\/p>\n

Under the present government, \u00a0Sri Lanka has lost its independence. Whatever the President Maithripala Sirisena says about an existing good governance, the people knows that Sri Lanka is unrecognisably \u00a0changed from what it had been before.\u00a0 There is no governance at all where the people could place their confidence. Sri Lanka is being shaped into a banana State\u201d of\u00a0 foreign domination for the benefit of USA , the West and India.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sri Lanka is not being ruled according to the decisions taken by the Parliament of Sri Lanka, and its government, \u00a0but according to the dictates of USA , the West, India and Prince Zeid Ra\u2019ad Al-Hussein. Ranil and Chandrika are the Agents representing the interests of the USA and the West.<\/span><\/p>\n

UK is reorganising the Armed Forces of Sri Lanka in the North. India dictates whether Sri Lanka needs fighter planes or not. An agreement signed between Sri Lanka and Pakistan\u00a0 for the purchase of fighter jets has been turned down by Sri Lanka on a demand made by India :<\/span><\/p>\n

However, mere days after the deal was reported\u2026. the deal had been cancelled. The reason for the cancellation of the deal is revealing of current diplomatic dynamics in South Asia. According to the Indian Express, the Sri Lankan government, led by President Maithripala Sirisena, cancelled its plans to purchase the JF-17s after a diplomatic missive\u201d from New Delhi suggesting that Colombo should refrain from adding these aircraft to its fleet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It has already been reported by the Reuters that,\u00a0 an unidentified\u00a0 European Investor has agreed to park\u00a0 US$ one billion to help Sri Lanka\u00a0 to\u00a0 sore up forex-reserves and defend its currency. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Is Sri Lanka being sold to foreign interests ?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Security of Sri Lanka has completely broken down, \u00a0Maithripala Siriseana acts in his own interest to boost his ego since he has already lost his Presidential\u00a0 powers to Ranil. He \u00a0\u00a0releases lands for the Tamils, and releases terrorists who had been imprisoned.\u00a0 He gives into the demands of the Tamil politicians, Wigneshawaran, and the Tamil diaspora for devolution of political power.<\/span><\/p>\n

Maithripala Sirisena who says that wearing a trouser or a white shirt does not make a gentleman, is not a gentleman himself,\u00a0 having stabbed his leader on the back to fulfil his political ambition and join a set of politicians completely opposed to the development of Sri Lanka as an independent Sovereign State. Maithripala Sirisena, Ranil and Chandrika are all self seeking individuals, full of personality belief(sakkaya ditti).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, they cannot be depended\u00a0 as patriots who will act in the interest of the country. We cannot depend on them\u00a0 to preserve Sri Lanka\u2019s Sinhala \u00a0Buddhist cultural tradition, which is what is special about Sri Lanka.\u00a0 It is what which distinguishes Sri Lanka from India, or\u00a0 a Muslim or a Christian Country.<\/span><\/p>\n

The existing Constitution had served Sri Lanka through its \u00a0most difficult period of time and it should not be shelved in preference to a patch up\u201d Constitution to satisfy the wants of only a selected\u00a0 group of people of Sri Lanka or USA or the West. At the time JR Jayawardhana wrote the Constitution of 1978, the country was still not divided as it is today and there was at least a semblance of unity amoung the Communities.\u00a0 The same cannot be said of Sri Lanka under yahapalanaya.<\/span><\/p>\n

The present government with Sirisena \u2013Ranil and Chandrika at its head has one thing in its mind , which is to make the people of Sri Lanka forget what Sri Lanka was under Mahinda Rajapakse from 2005 to 2015 (a peaceful vibrant\u00a0 developing country)<\/span><\/p>\n

It is only a popular government of the people which \u00a0could write a new Constitution if \u00a0it desires, but the present government of President Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil wickramasinghe, is not a popular government. They have \u00a0just\u00a0 managed to group together self interested, \u00a0bought over political individuals from few other political \u00a0parties and call themselves a national government.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

President Maithripala Sirisena did \u00a0not \u00a0get the popular vote of the people of Sri Lanka as a whole. Sirisena\u00a0 was elected President\u00a0 \u00a0because the Tamils\u00a0 in the North and East, and the Muslims and Catholics elsewhere voted en block for him, and Ranil formed his government after the Parliamentary elections \u00a0with the TNA-which got the majority Tamil votes from the North and the East.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yahapalanaya government of Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickramasingha is not a popular government of the people, therefore this government has no mandate of the people to write a New Constitution to Sri Lanka<\/span><\/p>\n

The people of Sri Lanka has other hides to beat than think of a new Constitution.\u00a0 The cost of living is unbearably high, prices of consumable articles have risen beyond the reach of \u00a0the people, unemployment is \u00a0soaring, there is dissatisfaction in the hearts of the people,\u00a0 they do not want the Yahapalanaya government any more, but they have no alternative and are therefore forced to put up with it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet Maithripala has overlooked every thing to dump a new Constitution on the people.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

A steering Committee has been named by the Prime Minister for the purpose of the preparation of the New Constitution.\u00a0 The members of the Committee had been selected by Ranil Wickramasinghe- the Prime Minister and they do \u00a0not represent the\u00a0 political view of all sections of the people.\u00a0 There is doubt about the honesty of the man selected to write the Constitution \u00a0Dr. Jayampati Wickramaratne.\u00a0 Abeyrata.com reported as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n

Will President\u2019s Counsel Dr.Jayampathi Wickramaratne reveal to the public why he was suspended from\u00a0Peradeniya University in the final year (1972), just before he could sit for the Bachelor of Science Special Degree in Chemistry? \u00a0Wickramaratne is the Presidential Advisor on Constitutional Affairs \u00a0and also one of the members of Yahapalana\u00a0\u00a0Sirisena\u2019s much publicized Special Commission to Probe Corruption.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Apeyrata has reliably unearthed Wickramaratne\u2019s history: he \u00a0allegedly has cheated at exams by illegally obtaining question papers. \u00a0 Report says Finally, he got caught and got suspended\u201d.Wickramaratne has been accused of \u00a0conveniently erasing his entire 4 years at Peradeniya from his CV. \u00a0After being thrown out of Peradeniya, he went to Law College\u201d the report says.\u00a0\u00a0Did he continue with his cheating ways at Law College too?\u00a0\u00a0Did he buy question papers before the exams?We also ask: Is someone who got suspended from the nation\u2019s highest institution of education for cheating fit to serve on such a commission or even get any type of government position?….\u201d https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2015\/02\/28\/suspended-exam-cheat-is-on-sirisenas-special-commission-to-probe-corruption\/comment-page-1\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

If there are even rumours of the honesty of a man selected\u00a0 to write or be a member of a team to write the Constitution, should he be considered suitable to write the Constitution of Sri Lanka ?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

This government has appointed to important places people on whom people cannot place their confidence , such as the Governor of the Central Bank. The Yahapalanay Government falsely accuses the personnel of the previous government of Mahainda Rajapakse, without investigating the offenders on their side.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the case of the Journalist Eknaligoda, army officers are being taken for questioning, when there are doubts of involvement of even one of the important Ministers of yahapalanaya about a letter written by Ekneligoda to\u00a0 lankaenews website on 8th<\/sup> December, 2009 exposing the Minister\u2019s private life<\/strong>. Has the FCID investigated\u00a0 the issue ?<\/span><\/p>\n

Both the President Sirisena and his Prime Minister RanilW gives much publicity that Sri Lanka which \u00a0was sidelined by the International Community , has been brought back into its fold.\u00a0 Of course the International Community was enemies of Sri Lanka during\u00a0 the period of terrorism against which the previous President Mahinda Rajapakse was fighting. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But at what a cost did Maithripala Sirisena, and Ranil Wickramasinghe bring \u00a0Sri Lanka back into the fold of the International Community ?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is how they did it, first they started pacifying India giving it every thing it demanded, such as distancing Sri Lanka from China, allowing CEPA or ECTA agreement to extend Indian services employment\u00a0 sector to Sri Lanka, building a tunnel and a road to join Tamil Nadu to North of Sri Lanka, and very thankfully accepting USA and UNHRC Geneva Resolution to set up a hybrid\u00a0 court with foreign lawyers, judges, and prosecutors to try\u00a0 the Armed Forces for war crimes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Under these circumstances, can this Government of Sirisena and Ranil still be trusted to write \u00a0a new Constitution to Sri Lanka ?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It was the International Community which discouraged Sri Lanka under President Mahinda Rajapakse from taking a military solution against terrorism, and demanded that the government come to a peace settlement.\u00a0 If Sri Lanka Government under President Mahind Rajapakse was bootliking the USA and the West, like Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickramasinghe and accepted the demand of the West, we would\u00a0 have never been able to eliminate terrorism from Sri Lanka.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another fallacy the yahapalanaya government and its supporters, are \u00a0vociferous about \u00a0is the democratic\u00a0 right the journalists now have under yahpalanaya to write, say or criticise this government without fear of being killed or taken in a \u00a0White Van.\u00a0 But the fact was that \u00a0\u00a0there was neither a white van culture, nor a censure of free speech in Sri Lanka under \u00a0President Mahinda Rajapakse, and if there was one it cannot be put as imposed by Mahinda Rajapakse.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So called democratic freedom to speak\u00a0 under yahapalanaya is utterly \u00a0false.\u00a0 In the Parliament to-day the real opposition to government is the 53 Parliamentarians led by Dinesh Gunawardhana.\u00a0 But their right to speech is drastically reduced to about 8 minutes to each.\u00a0 They are unable to stand up and speak freely about this government\u2019s \u00a0undemocratic activities which have affected \u00a0the Sovereignty of Sri Lanka.\u00a0 The Government of Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickramsinghe has become a Police State, though they keep saying that there is \u00a0democratic right to free speech under yahapalanaya government.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It seems even the \u00a0speaker of the Parliament is not \u00a0free to make an independent ruling in the House ?\u00a0 It is the Prime Minister who decides for him.\u00a0 As it is any Constitution written under the aegis of this government of Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickramasinghe will not be a suitable Constitution acceptable to the people of Sri Lanka. Therefore the writing of it has to be stopped.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ranil Wickramasinge speaking at the ceremony to mark the One year of Yahapalanaya, said \u2026. Parliament will convene tomorrow (9) to prepare a constitution for the creation of a Constitutional Assembly and that good governance will be confirmed from there onwards\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He stated that there are those who oppose the proposal being brought tomorrow as well as those who agree with it. I think it is an attitude difference.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tomorrow we have to decide whether we change our attitude to go forward in the path of good governance or whether we continue to remain stuck in the same old politics which was rejected by the public, he said. We who have come this far will not give up the fight.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But where then is the democratic right of consulting other parties as to the wisdom of writing a Constitution now ?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It is in the interest of Sri Lanka that they- Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickramasinghe \u00a0\u00a0change attitude\u00a0 to go forward in the path of good governance\u201d, because with a police force, a bribery commission and a Commission of Presidential Inquiry the country is not free and all those who had contributed to make this country what it was until the 8th<\/sup> January,2015, are being constantly put into embarrassment by being arrested and questioned\u00a0 on false charges, and the government since 8th<\/sup> January,2015 has not gone one inch forward on the path of progress and development.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Maithripala Sirisena the President says , if people want to keep the executive presidency because it helped to win the 26 year war, then what it means is that they expect another war.\u00a0 He has got it all wrong because the threat of\u00a0 terrorism raising its ugly head again cannot be ruled out under the present climate of the government surrendering all its rights to the North and East, and allowing the Tamil separatists to openly canvass for separation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sirisena cannot be assured of the Tamils giving up their demand for separation now, because he has \u00a0reduced the military in the North and East and released lands to the Tamils and allowed former terrorists to leave the prison.\u00a0\u00a0 C.V.K Sivagnanam the Chairman of the NPC has said in an interview, \u2026.. as citizens of this country we want equal opportunity and on devolution, we should have particular rights to administer ourselves within our North and Eastern territory. Of course there are those who feel that the North and East cannot be merged and certainly they are entitled to say that. We are also on the other hand entitled to say that we want it\u201d .<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Sri Lanka \u00a0has lost its Sovereignty and has become \u00a0a\u00a0 colony of \u00a0\u00a0USA, the West and\u00a0 India.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Ranil said referring to the former Government of President Mahinda Rajapakse , \u00a0as rejected by the public, which is not true as it was only a small population of the Sinhala Buddhists\u00a0 along with the Sinhala block vote of UNP who voted for the yahapalanay, but the Maithripala Sirisena and UNP was really elected by\u00a0 the Tamil votes of the North and East and the Muslim votes.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, this Government is not a popular government of the people of Sri Lanka. It has no \u00a0confidence of the people of Sri Lanka.\u00a0 Therefore Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickramasinghe have not the mandated of the people to write a new Constitution to Sri Lanka. They should stop it without adding further to the mess into which they have pushed Sri Lanka.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Charles.S.Perera To day Sri Lanka is not \u00a0socially, politically and economically in a settled state for this Government to decide on\u00a0 writing a new Constitution.\u00a0 The Communities are divided as it had never been before, the Tamils are acting as \u00a0if they are already a Community apart.\u00a0 Sampanthan who is critical of the \u00a0Sinhala […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-charles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50997","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=50997"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50997\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}