Govt. to set up Constitutional Secretariat
A high-powered committee to draft new Constitution:
Prof. Suri Ratnapala to be chief consultant:
by Rasika Jayakody
The government is to pass a resolution in Parliament seeking its
approval to set up a Constitutional Secretariat to draft a new
Constitution.
A committee, headed by Parliamentarian Dr. Jayampathy Wickramaratne,
has already been appointed to take measures in this regard. Among its
members are senior lawyer Suren Fernando and Additional Secretary
(Legal) to the Prime Minister Bimba Thilakaratne.
Prof. Suri Ratnapala, a veteran in the field of legal studies, is
likely to be the government’s chief consultant when formulating the new
constitution.
Prof. Ratnapala, who was in Sri Lanka for a brief visit last month,
held several rounds of discussions with the top rung leadership of the
government in this regard, an authoritative government source told the
Sunday Observer.
He further said Professor Ratnapala, who is currently based in
Australia, has agreed to take up the task.
Ratnapala is presently a Professor of Public Law and Director of the
Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law in the School of
Law at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.
Ratnapala served as a Senior State Counsel, representing the Sri
Lankan state in landmark constitutional cases before he migrated to
Australia where he completed masters and doctoral degrees before
accepting tenure at the University of Queensland. He was appointed to
the Chair of Public Law in 2001, in Australia
Prof. Ratnapala, in 2014, gave expert opinion to the Bar Association
of Sri Lanka on the applicability of the 18th Amendment with regard to
former President Mahinda Rajapaksa seeking a third term.
Meanwhile, the spokesman said the government ha decided to totally
abolish the Executive Presidency and it will come into effect after the
first term of President Maithripala Sirisena.
President Sirisena, in his speech at the funeral of Ven. Maduluwawe
Sobhitha, assured that the government would totally abolish the
Executive Presidency as promised in his election manifesto, early this
year.
“The President and the Prime Minister have already stated that a new
constitution will be presented to Parliament in 2016. It will be passed
before September, 2017, as a new constitution requires the support of a
two third majority in Parliament. So, the current national unity
government will be entrusted with the task of passing the new
constitution,” he explained.
He also added that the government would go for a referendum on the
new constitution if the need arises. “Although the government promised
introduced a new constitution in its election manifesto, there are
differences of opinion over the nature of the new constitution.
Therefore, it would be essential to hold a referendum after passing the
new constitution in Parliament,” he said. |