‘No substitute for PSC’

Although enacted more than a quarter of a century ago, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution had not been implemented by any of the previous regimes as it lacked public support, External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris told a gathering of diplomats, academics and officials at the German Association for Foreign Policy in Berlin on Friday.

The Minister explained to the audience the need to discuss the matter at a Parliamentary Select Committee as consented by different stakeholders of the government at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting.

Minister Peiris is on a seven-day official visit to a number of European countries including Germany where he held bi-lateral discussions with his German counterpart Dr. Guido Westerwelle.

He said a debate is ensuing on the question whether any changes, reflecting developments in Sri Lanka during the past two decades, are necessary prior to implementing the 13-A on the grounds since elections are being contemplated for the Northern Provincial Council later this year.

‘As expected, a wide range of views has been expressed on this subject in recent weeks by varying shades of political opinion.’

He said that different regimes with divergent convictions and priorities, were unable to implement the major provisions of the 13th Amendment during the past 25 years due to lack of support and now a debate has been initiated to reach a wider consensus.

He said legislation was passed by Parliament in 1990 to give effect to some key aspects of the 13th Amendment but was never brought into operation by any previous regime.

‘It is in this context that deliberations on these issues in the Parliamentary Select Committee assumed heightened importance,’ he said adding that Constitutional reform is a matter within the responsibility of Parliament and need a special majority’. The Minister said that there was no substitute for an all inclusive Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) process.

- MF