{"id":70813,"date":"2017-10-19T13:54:05","date_gmt":"2017-10-19T20:54:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=70813"},"modified":"2017-10-19T13:54:05","modified_gmt":"2017-10-19T20:54:05","slug":"a-new-constitution-promise-need-or-bluff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2017\/10\/19\/a-new-constitution-promise-need-or-bluff\/","title":{"rendered":"A new constitution: Promise, need or bluff?"},"content":{"rendered":"

DR. UPATISSA PETHIYAGODA\u00a0Courtesy The Island<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

October 19, 2017, 9:50 pm<\/span><\/p>\n

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Buddhist monks objecting to the proposed constitution<\/p>\n

Your columns have attracted much discussion on whether a New Constitution was promised or necessary. Whether such has been promised or not is a matter of contention. Since electoral promises are not meant to be taken seriously, this is -rather like a blunt pencil \u2013 somewhat pointless. Regarding a requirement, many, including the Mahanayakes have dismissed the need. There was also Maithripala Sirisena\u2019s promise that no change requiring a referendum will be made.<\/p>\n

To many, this debate is boring. To me, the Constitution to the populace is akin to a soother to a baby. It serves to curb disturbing howling, and promises the sucker, milk which it does not deliver. Once the chap is lulled into drowsiness or sleep, the soother can be thrown away. The masses are in disquiet. There are daily riots and demonstrations. The issues are multiple \u2013 SAITM, Uma Oya, Central Highway, Hambantota Port, the Mattala Airport, bond scams, coal and gas tenders, destruction of Wilpattu, – pushing of Salawa and Meethotamulla tragedies into the pages of history. Add to this the escalation of Living Costs and the seeming unconcern of politicians, engaged in their own quest of obscenely increased rewards. In other words, it is a real “pigs\u2019 breakfast”.<\/p>\n

The philosophy appears to be to allow the \u2018files\u2019 (or grouses) to accumulate, inviting termites who in due time, will dispose of them. Meanwhile, the indulgence in senseless rituals \u2013 prize-givings and sports meets, ribbon cuttings and tree plantings, Visits to \u2018holy\u2019 places like Thirupathy, Kataragama, Anuradhapura, Maligawa and Malwatte and Asgiriya – inconsequential meetings, conferences and seminars and a multitude of other diversions which take away from the monotony of useful work is disquieting. I believe the Sinhala word “kalakanni” may be of relevance. But then, like water, we may have \u2018found our own level\u2019.<\/p>\n

Mercifully, the contagion has not spread to the developed World. I have not seen Trump plant a single tree, Merkel cut a single ribbon, or May watch a single concert \u2013 these are simply not newsworthy and at best, merely personal diversions. Not so here \u2013 in addition to the direct cost in money and wasted time, a horde of lesser minions put in their grinning attendance \u2013 all at State (that is you and me) cost. This extravagance is also accompanied by others not working either, because politicians have arrogated to themselves, every exercise to need their personal intervention \u2013 classifiable as “acts of commission”.<\/p>\n

To cap it all, there is the proposition that a draft Constitution will be subjected to a popular Referendum. My understanding is that a referendum (a la Switzerland) relates to a single issue with a “Yes or No” vote. Hypothetical examples \u2013 an Executive President or not, should promises be honoured or not (?). Certainly not for a document running into a hundred pages and perhaps five times that, if annexures and dissident views are included. Limited literacy of the public and indeed of Parliament, means that to expect a considered opinion is optimistic lunacy. So, to revert to the title of this piece, Constitution talk looks like an attempted bluff.<\/p>\n

DR. UPATISSA PETHIYAGODA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DR. UPATISSA PETHIYAGODA\u00a0Courtesy The Island October 19, 2017, 9:50 pm Buddhist monks objecting to the proposed constitution Your columns have attracted much discussion on whether a New Constitution was promised or necessary. Whether such has been promised or not is a matter of contention. Since electoral promises are not meant to be taken seriously, this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[100],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-new-constitution"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70813","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=70813"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70813\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}