SLPP says Steering Committee report does not address Tamil issues

MP Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena (right) at the media briefing yesterday along with MP Anura Priyadharshana Yapa – Pic by Lasantha Kumara  

• Argues economic issues affecting community not addressed
• Argues proportional representation reduces space for majority government   

By Nuwan Senarathna

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) yesterday said the Steering Committee report presented to the Constitutional Assembly (CA) would not resolve issues of the Tamil community as it does not take into consideration the economic challenges faced by people of the Northern Province.

“The Steering Committee report presented to the Constitutional Assembly does not address issues of the Tamil community. The report does not provide any sustainable solution for the social economic challenges of Northern Province community,” MP Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena told reporters at SLPP headquarters.

He said the new Constitution would not address issues of the Tamil community unless broader discussions were carried out to identify the root cause of the issues affecting the Tamil community. He noted collective discussion was necessary to address issues pertaining to the Northern Province.

“All parties should come together and discuss the issues of the Tamil community. If we need to amend the Constitution, that has to be done after considering the opinions of all the parties,” he added.  

Abeywardena said the Steering Committee report presented to the CA had misled the Tamil community with promises that were practically impossible to fulfil. He noted that the Constitution-making process had commenced to satisfy foreign nations and the Steering Committee report was also prepared to fulfil the needs of international communities. 

“The intention of this report was to gain advantages in upcoming elections,” he added. “The Steering Committee report suggests three Provincial Councils can be merged and function as one. But this would only create more issues. Therefore, this committee report consists of suggestions that could lead the county to a dangerous situation.”

Meanwhile, MP Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said the Constitution could be amended without abolishing or changing the Executive Presidency.

Yapa pointed out that Sri Lanka needed a strong Government to resolve social and economic issues. Therefore, he argued an amendment to the existing Constitution while retaining the Executive Presidency would be the best possible option in the near term.

“If the Executive Presidency is abolished, we have to look for a new method to form a strong Government to attain stability. But according to the Steering Committee report presented to the Constitutional Assembly, under a new Constitution we cannot form a strong Government,” he argued.

Yapa pointed out that if the suggestions of the report are taken into consideration, no party would be able to form a strong Government. He said the report of the Steering Committee had raised concerns with regard to electing MPs. He noted the report suggests that a certain proportion of MPs would be elected based on criteria such as ethnicity.

According to Yapa, the Steering Committee report had recommended the proportionate electoral system to be in place, but that would reduce chances of either of the two main parties establishing a Government without the involvement of minority or smaller parties.

“Proportionate electoral system is being used in Germany, but no political party was able to form a majority Government after the recent elections. This shows that a majority Government cannot be formed under the proportionate system. But in Germany, their Chancellor is very strong. Therefore their Government functions without any issue,” he said.