By Saman Indrajith

The Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) yesterday (15) said that the government was bound by a national responsibility to introduce a Constitution acceptable to all communities in the country.

 Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella, addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s Office, Colombo, said that only the Soulbury Constitution had been able to ensure the contribution of the minority and minor parties to constitution making.

 “When the country was set to be granted independence, Lord Soulbury came to Sri Lanka in 1946 and announced that he was working on a Constitution for the independence of Sri Lanka. He met the representatives of all parties, religious and communal organisations and minorities for that purpose. After Independence in 1948 it was implemented. Thereafter our leaders introduced two constitutions – the first republican constitution by Sirimavo Bandaranaike government in 1972 and the Second republican constitution by the JR Jayewardene government in 1978. The minority parties were not involved in formulating them. Both governments had two-thirds majorities in Parliament. The incumbent government too has the same power and we are asking it not to commit the same mistake. It is bound by a national responsibility to bring about a constitution acceptable to all.”

He said that the Yahapalana government had prepared an interim report on a new constitution and the incumbent government could make use of it. “During the time of Yahapalana government I moved a motion in Parliament in February 2016 to convert the then Parliament into a constituent assembly for preparing a new constitution. That motion was passed unanimously and the constituent assembly was formed. A steering committee ensuring the representation of all parties in Parliament was appointed. It had 20 MPs including me. The others were the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Nimal Siripala de Silva, Rauff Hakeem, Susil Premjayanth, Rishad Bathiudeen, Patali Champika Ranawaka, D.M. Swaminathan, Mano Ganeshan, Malik Samarawickrama, Dilan Perera, R. Sampanthan, Dinesh Gunawardena, Douglas Devananda, Anura Dissanayake, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Bimal Ratnayake, M.A. Sumanthiran, Prasanna Ranatunga, Jayampathi Wickremratne and Thusita Wijemanne.

“We had 78 meetings. We summoned representatives of all political parties, civil and religious organisations, trade unions and chief ministers of the provincial councils. I remember that it was the chief ministers of in the southern parts of the country who demanded more devolution of power to their provinces. The steering committee after considering all those opinions prepared an interim report and submitted it to Parliament and it was discussed during five sitting days. Almost every MP was given time to present his or her opinion over the content of the report. Finally, taking into consideration those opinions and the interim report, we prepared a document, which cannot be called a draft as there were agreements and disagreements. While we were getting ready to submit that document to the House, the 2018 October the coup took place and we lost parliamentary power. If the government is taking a genuine effort to formulate a constitution acceptable to all communities it could start from where we stopped. It does not need to start it all over again. There is no point of trying to reinvent the wheel. It could make use of the interim report and our observations. The incumbent government could start discussing the points of disagreements. As I said once the wheel has been invented and the government could move ahead because that process had the participation of all parties and all communities. It was for the first time after the Soulbury Commission that such a collective effort was made. The government could make use of it. If this government could bring about a constitution acceptable to all communities alike that would be a victory for our nation. The international community will praise this country and the government too can gain from it.”

Kurunegala District SJB MP Nalin Bandara also addressed the media.