With emphasis on parliamentary language:

Dignity and decorum of House, a must - Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne

By Uditha KUMARASINGHE

Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne says the Government has not yet reached a final decision on the amendments to be made to the constitution. The Premier in an interview with the Sunday Observer said, however the ongoing talks with the Opposition are vital to the Government as it can get an understanding on various views expressed on these constitutional reforms. The constitutional reforms should lay key emphasis to change the present electoral system which has created various clashes within the members of the same political party.

Q: Two more Opposition MPs crossed over to the Government recently. Are more Opposition MPs ready to join the Government?

A: Certainly, there are more Opposition MPs willing to join the Government. These MPs have said that they would join the Government and extend their support to the Government. I think we are short of another three MPs to get the two third majority. The UNP Kandy District MP Abdul Cader also votes with the Government. Therefore getting a two third majority has become a very easy target for the Government.

Q: The Government is also having talks with the Opposition on constitutional reforms. What is the progress of these talks?

A: At present the Government has not yet reached a final decision on what amendments are to be made to the constitution and how it should be made. But various politicians have expressed their views in this regard and those views are published in the media. Except that the Government has not reached any final conclusion on the amendments to be made to the Constitution. However, these ongoing talks are vital to the Government as it can get an understanding on various views expressed by politicians on constitutional reforms. These views may be very useful when the final touches are made to change the Constitution.

Q: There was a report that the Executive Presidency would remain despite earlier reports about an Executive Prime Minister. What is the best for the country - a strong Executive Presidency or an Executive Prime Ministership?

A: I think the terms Executive President or Executive Prime Minister are not so important. If we want we can also introduce any other name for these portfolios. The most important fact is the powers vested in these posts. We should focus our attention on how powers are vested in that particular person who holds that post and how those powers are applied Parliament. Finally we should consider whether those powers are suitable to the people based on accepted democratic norms. Except the sharing of powers, the name of the person who holds that post is not important. Even if a Prime Minister has wrong powers, that is not good. Therefore the Constitution should be formulated properly to suit our country. The person who holds that post may be President, Prime Minister or somebody else. Only the democratic structure of the constitution given to that post effects the country and its people.

Q: What are the harmful effects of the present constitution and how could they be rectified?

A: The electoral system introduced by this Constitution should be changed. It has created various clashes within the members of same political party. This has caused difficulties to the representatives to serve the public. As a result, the people are not in a position to get the maximum advantage from those representatives. In addition, difficulties have been encountered in implementing certain clauses included in our constitution. This situation has arisen when steps are taken to appoint some committees. Sometimes it has become a difficult task to appoint some committees with joint participation. This situation should be rectified by paving the way to implement these committees without any delay. According to my view, these are the two key shortcomings in our Constitution that should be rectified.

Q: You have been in Parliament for several decades. How can Parliamentary discipline and standards of debate be raised?

A: There are accepted traditions and rules which govern the manner of speaking in Parliament. But these traditions are not implemented properly in Parliament today. There are some words which cannot be used in Parliament. If a certain Bill is moved in Parliament, we cannot speak out of context. We should speak within the framework of that particular Bill. Today most of the MPs speak outside of the framework of that Bill. I see this as a shortcoming when the attempts are made to uphold the dignity and decorum of the House. The behaviour of some politicians does not suit accepted principles of Parliament. This should be brought to a dignified level.

Q: There are lot of new,young faces in Parliament. What is your advice to them on their future path?

A: I see these newly elected MPs as a very talented group of young MPs. They have good oratory skills and understanding on politics. Over 60 new MPs have been elected to Parliament. I think this a significant development in our political sector. Our senior Parliamentarians should also guide them on how to behave in Parliament in a more disciplined and dignified manner. Because all these young MPs possess the talent for implementing a good political program.

Q: There are lot of attempts by certain Western countries to bring various charges against Sri Lankan Government and Security Forces on war crimes, human rights violations etc. How can Sri Lanka defeat these conspiracies internationally?

A: At present countries have been divided into two camps. Only a few countries maintain the view that human rights' violations had taken place in Sri Lanka in the final stage of the battle against the LTTE terrorists. Most of the world's powerful countries are with Sri Lanka. They say these alleged charges against Sri Lankan Government are wrong. According to this situation, I think a division may be created in the world. At present this division is visible in the main political stream in US and UK as well.

Before the 1960s a division had been created in the world as socialist and capitalist countries based on the individual alignment of individual countries towards Russia or USA. There is a tendency of creating similar situation among the world again. When attempts were made to impose various restrictions on Iran, Russia did not accept them. Russia is also one country among the five decision-making countries in the world. If Russia opposes, no decision can be taken. China is also with us. China also does not accept these charges levelled against Sri Lanka. A division may be created in the world like in the past owing to this moves taken against Sri Lanka by some Western countries. This indicates to the entire world that most of the countries have fully endorsed the moves taken by the Sri Lankan Government.

Q: What is the significance of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission? Do you think it will contribute positively towards peace and reconciliation?

A: Of course. After President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed this commission, it has a right to look into whether any mistake has been made in the past, present or any such mistake can happen in the future as well. The President has appointed most eminent persons to this commission. After having a comprehensive study, this commission can reveal to the entire world, the justifiable situation in Sri Lanka. The appointment of this committee is a correct move taken by the President. But the steps taken by the UN Secretary General to appoint an expert panel on Sri Lanka is completely wrong as one individual has no powers to take such action against an independent country.

Q: The LTTE international network is spreading a lot of lies about resettlement and also the reconciliation and rehabilitation of former LTTE cadres. What are the Government's programs in this regard?

A: After eradicating the three decades-old terrorism, the Government has spent just only 14 months. During this short period, the Government has been able to resettle over 300,000 displaced people by safeguarding their rights. The entire world should realise that it is a very difficult task to resettle such a large number of displaced people within a very short duration. The Government is not in a position to resettle the people until demining activities are completed in some areas. Instead of their original places, these displaced people don't like to go to other areas. Therefore landmines should be cleared by turning those areas into safe places for living. So it will take some time to resettle these people. But we have exceeding our expected targets.

The Government has also addressed the infrastructure facilities of the people resettled in Northern areas. The Government has already taken a number of measures to uplift the socio-economic conditions. The Government has been able to overcome the suffering faced by these people over the past 30 years and create the necessary environment conducive for them to live. The Government through this move will show to the entire world how we have assisted to the communities to resume their normal life. They had to undergo severe hardships due to terrorism. Most countries including China, Japan, France, US and India have assisted the Government. These countries have provided various assistance to Sri Lanka as they have fully accepted the initiatives taken by the Government to resettle the people.

Q: The Hambantota Port, Mattala Airport and other mega development projects have been started. What will be the impact of these projects for the country's prosperity?

A: The Hambantota and Moneragala are two economically backward districts in the country. The establishment of Hambantota Port would develop these two districts. According to the depth of Hambantota Port, any ship in the world can enter it. Hambantota is an aviation hub. It would generate a lot of income and employment opportunities to our country. This would also open avenues to export our products as well. More tourists will also arrive in Sri Lanka due to the establishment of the Mattala Airport. A program has been formulated to stock water and provide irrigation facilities to the Moneragala district to conduct agricultural activities without any hindrance.

The development of Hambantota and Moneragala districts will spur the development of the entire country. Several major ports are also under construction at present. As a result, our international relationship via sea routes will be further expanded.

These development projects would lead to massive economic development in the country within the next few years. The country's agriculture, industries, commerce and tourism sectors have also shown steady progress.

The Government has also begun the spiritual development of the people. In order to mark 2600 "Sambudhdha Jayanthi" to be celebrated next year, the Government has already commenced a program to develop mental and spiritual values among the people. Arrangements have also been made to conduct an international Buddhist congress in Sri Lanka next year in collaboration with all Buddhist countries.

Q: Are there any special development plans for Central Province as well? You are very close to the agricultural sector. What can be done to develop agriculture further?

A: Yes of course. The Central province makes a significant contribution to the national income particularly from tea, rubber and coconut sectors. Steps have been taken to develop the road network in the province and construct new roads as well. A new water supply scheme has also commenced to provide irrigation facilities to cultivators in the province. Initiatives have been taken to upgrade the Kandy, Peradeniya, Gampola, Nuwara Eliya, Nawalapitiya and Matale hospitals into full fledged hospitals.

In order to develop the agriculture sector, measures should be taken to increase our irrigation facilities. Every year, there is a shortage of water for about four months. There should be emphasis on stocking more water to face this situation while a systematic program should be commenced to protect the fruit and vegetable cultivation during this period.

Steps should also be taken to adopt more post harvest technologies to preserve fruits and vegetables. I was always against both importing products and selling them at cheaper prices. If we want to provide fair price to our local products, the prices of these imported items should be increased to the level where consumers would be unable to afford them.

Q: Illicit drug trafficking and the use of drugs has become a major problem. What kind of measures should be taken to prevent this situation?

A: The President has also given guidelines to formulate a program to address this issue. Various illegal drugs are imported to Sri Lanka from foreign countries. A group of businessmen are engaged in this racket.

There is an essential need to conduct a wide scale investigation to find out the key persons who are behind this and take stern legal action against them. In addition public should be educated on the harmful effects of these drugs. Measures should be taken to rehabilitate drug addicts and reintegrate them into the society as good citizens.