ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe has reiterated his call for implementing an India-backed constitutional amendment aimed at resolving the country’s ethnic issue, amid muted opposition from various parties including sections of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).
Speaking in parliament on Wednesday August 09, Wickremesinghe said there are various issues pertaining to the implementation of the 13th amendment to the constitution as well as the provincial council system that it birthed.
“We have to resolve these issues in order to move forward as a country,” he said.
The amendment must be implemented in a way that is suitable to Sri Lanka’s future growth, but this can only be achieved only through consensus built on open and comprehensive dialogue between parties represented in parliament, said Wickremesinghe.
Thanking everyone that attended an all party conference on July 26 to discuss the ethnic issue, the president acknowledged that no consensus was arrived at that day on the objective of the 13th amendment: devolution of power.
“No ideas on a consolidated power devolution mechanism were openly expressed there. It was evident that some parties were either hesitant or a bit reluctant to express their views, while some other parties attended the conference with distrust,” he said.
Wickremesinghe suggested that this element of distrust could be attributed to bad experiences at previous all-party conferences.
“Let’s change this at least now,” he said, calling for a more inclusive political culture of government-opposition collaboration and a departure from the established tradition of rivalry for the sake of it.
The nation’s development relies on the joint efforts of following a fresh path with this new approach of consensus, he said.
The president’s media division (PMD) quoted Wickremesinghe as urging all MPs to avoid engaging in personal debates and instead focus on envisioning the nation’s future. He called for sincere unity among parliamentarians to collaboratively make decisions that prioritise the country’s long-term interests, the PMD said.
The 13th amendment holds the utmost legal significance in the country, the president said, emphasising the necessity of respecting and adhering to it and stressing that both the executive and legislature have a responsibility to uphold and implement its provisions.
Calling for a comprehensive review of his proposals on the amendment, Wickremesinghe invited all parliamentarians to share their thoughts, as the ultimate decision about the role and future of provincial councils lies solely within parliament’s jurisdiction.
By reaching a consensus with universal support, he said, Sri Lanka could protect its identity, enhance unity, and decentralise power for greater accessibility.
Plans to revise provincial council laws and introduce new ones with parliamentary agreement were highlighted by Wickremesinghe who also proposed changes including adopting the District Proportional System for voting, enabling Members of Parliament to join provincial council elections, and increasing women’s representation to 25 percent or higher.
On presidential pardons for prisoners, Wickremesinghe said, of the three categories of prisoners namely remand prisoners, those on death row and those serving other sentences, those in the last two will be considered for a pardon, based on the recommendations of the Minister of Justice. Presidential approval has been granted to release 11 prisoners from the category of those with other sentences, he said.
The president said efforts are underway to accelerate the formation of the National Land Commission (NLC) and a National Land Policy. A preliminary NLC law has been created and is being reviewed for crafting a policy on State land usage. A Land Commission Policy Act is anticipated by September to provide direction for NLC’s operations.
The Office of Missing Persons (OMP) has initiated efforts to locate missing individuals and measures are under way to speed up the data entry process, with the goal of completing it within three months, said Wickremesnghe. The issuance of the Certificate of Absence (COA) is also being fast-tracked, he added.
The Department of Immigration and Emigration has also received a list of 2,678 Sri Lankans residing in South Indian Rehabilitation Camps, among whom individuals possessing both Sri Lankan birth certificates and National Identity Cards (NICs) are eligible for All Country Passports, he said. The process for issuing this documentation is expected to take two to four weeks.
A significant portion of the land occupied by the security forces and police in 2009, around 90 to 92 percent, has been gradually released, said the president, noting that this includes 22,919 acres, consisting of 817 acres of state-owned land and 22,101 acres of privately owned land. The occupied land area by security forces and police is 3,754 acres, with 862 acres being state-owned and 2,892 acres being privately owned, he said.
Wickremesinghe also highlighted the importance of improving air and sea connectivity in the northern region. Plans include enhancing the KKS Harbour, Vavuniya and Palali Airports, and establishing a ferry service between the Northern Province and South India, he said. Additionally, efforts are underway to create Investment Promotion Zones in KKS, Paranthan, and Mankulam, he added.
President Wickremesinghe assured MPs that he would not engage in actions that threaten the country’s sovereignty and unity. He called on all parliamentarians to participate constructively in the pursuit of national reconciliation, emphasising that the people’s interests are fundamental to the nation’s development, the PMD said.
The enactment of the Election Expenses Control Act, aimed at curbing financial abuses and irregularities during elections, was also highlighted by the president.
“External entities or foreign countries cannot resolve the nation’s challenges on our behalf,” said Wickremesinghe, calling for unity among citizens to independently address Sri Lanka’s issues and steer the country towards rapid economic and social progress. (Colombo/Aug09/2023)