By Dharisha Bastians

The Tamil People’s Council, led by Northern Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran has proposed a federal solution to Sri Lanka’s ethnic question, and recommended a pre-constitutional agreement between the Government and Tamil representatives, before the constitution writing process begins.

The Council, made up of several Tamil political parties and civil society groups, is recommending an agreement on the lines of the Dayton Agreement, a pact which ended the Bosnian War or the Good Friday Agreement between the UK and Northern Ireland.

“It would not be possible to engage in a constitution making exercise without agreeing to the basic vision of the State. For Sri Lanka to become a secular non-hierarchical State, the Sinhala Buddhist polity will have to recognise that there needs to be a new social contract drawn between the Tamil People and the Sinhala People in Sri Lanka through which would emerge a new State – a new plurinational Sri Lanka,” the proposal lays out.

The TPC has recommended that the pre-constitutional framework should be undersigned by a third party like the United Nations or a foreign Government “Such as India or the US.”

The proposals, drafted by a special sub-committee set up for the purpose, were presented to Justice Wigneswaran at the Veerasingham Hall in Jaffna on Sunday (31).

The TPC, which has been striking out from established Tamil National Alliance positions, even proposes that a state of emergency be declared nationally if there was any attempt by a State to secede from the federal republic, and the “state” which it is the unit of federation the TPC is proposing, could be taken over by the Government of the region concerned. In such an event, the Governor takes over the executive functions of the chief minister and the board of ministers, according to the proposal.

The TPC, headed by C.V. Wigneswaran, Chief Minister of the Northern Province and P. Lakshman, a Jaffna-based cardiologist, includes representatives of the Tamil National Alliance and several civil society organisations of the Northern and Eastern provinces.

The proposal calls for Sri Lanka to be identified as a “secular country” that guarantees freedom of religion of all people and will treat all religions as equal. It seeks the repeal of the “foremost place” granted to Buddhism under the 1972 and 1978 constitutions. The proposal also calls for the re-merger of the North and East and refers to the “state” as the “North-East State”. The TPC will recognise the “distinctive political character” of the Muslim community in the “North East State,” the proposal assures. “Sinhalese living in the North-East State shall enjoy all rights enshrined in the Constitution and the laws additionally to be enacted by the North-East State Assembly through its own enactments on human rights,” the TPC recommendations noted.

The somewhat detailed proposals, suggest that the Federal Government be organised on the principles of the Westminster style of Government, an electoral system that follows the German style mixed electoral system and a President elected by presidential college. It also calls for the setting up of a second legislative chamber known as a Senate, where all states will have equal representation.

MR slams decision to sing national anthem in Tamil

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday slammed the decision to sing the national anthem in Tamil during Independence Day celebrations on Thursday.

Rajapaksa claimed that the Government had decided to sing the national anthem in Tamil to please India.

He said that the national anthem should be sung in one language and not two or three languages.

The former President noted that even in India where several languages are spoken, the national anthem is sung only in one language.

Rajapaksa also said that he has not been formally invited for the Independence Day celebrations. He also confirmed that the joint opposition will boycott the event. (Colombo Gazette)