Overall Constitutional amendments, the need of the hour - Minister Wimal Weerawansa

By Uditha Kumarasinghe

Construction, Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities Minister Wimal Weerawansa said airing views regarding the abolition of the Executive Presidency was only a political gimmick. The Minister in an interview with the Sunday Observer said if the powers of the Executive Presidency were changed, subsequently the electoral system and the 13th Amendment should also be changed.

It is not appropriate to curtail or abolish the powers vested in the Executive Presidency without clipping the provisions of the 13th Amendment which is favorable to separatism.

The Minister is of the view that the need of the hour is an overall constitutional amendment which will benefit the country. Making amendments to certain clauses of the Constitution would lead to anarchy.

Minister Weerawansa said when the Yal Devi goes back to the North after a lapse of 24 years, the people will be aware of what the end of the war on terrorism really feels like.

The destruction of the Yal Devi saw the breach of the economic and cultural bridge connecting the North and the South which caused a serious psychological impact on both sides of the divide. The Yal Devi was the vector of religious, cultural and social sentiments between the North and the South.

It was also a symbol of a vast network of transactions between fellow citizens of one country.The running again of the Yal Devi amounts to the re-establishment of relations between sons and daughters of the same land. More than being a rail link it is a reunion of hearts.

Q: President Mahinda Rajapaksa is reported to have said that he would consent to scrap the Executive Presidency if the TNA renounces separatism and embraces a unitary form of Government. How would you evaluate this development?

A: The pro-LTTE diaspora worldwide, the TNA and those who promote racism want to govern this country with the agreements reached upon with the minority, completely ignoring the view expressed by the majority. They say if the minority view goes against the view of the majority, the country should be governed through an agreement reached with the minorities.

That is why they stress for the need of a federal constitution.

However, the Executive Presidency is a major constraint to promote this ideology. The TNA retained the power of the Northern Provincial Council. But the Central Government only deals with the Northern Provincial Council through its Governor.

If there was no Executive Presidency and the powers of 13th Amendment existed, perhaps the country would have turned into a federal state. If attempts are made to remove certain clauses of the Constitution, nobody knows the complexity that is created.

The Executive Presidency has come up as a result of proportional representation. If the Executive Presidency is abolished,proportional representation should also be removed.

The Northern Provincial council hicds of the TNA is connected to the Central Government because of the Executive Presidency. It is not appropriate to curtail or abolish the powers of the Executive Presidency without clipping the provisions of the 13th Amendment which favours separatism. Because these are interconnected.

If the powers of the Executive Presidency is changed, subsequently the electoral system and the 13th Amendment should also be changed.

If certain clauses of the Constitution is removed, it would lead to the collapse of the entire system. Most of those who air their views on the Executive Presidency use it as a political gimmick. We also agree to curtail or abolish the powers of the Executive Presidency through an overall change made to the Constitution.

Our view is that an overall constitutional amendment is needed for the country. Without doing so,amendments made to certain clauses of the Constitution would lead the country to anarchy.

Q: Many people want to clip the wings of the Executive Presidency, but we can't forget the fact that it was the Executive Presidency that helped Sri Lanka to eradicate terrorism and ensure a peaceful and law-abiding country. What are your views on this?

A: Following a request made by then President J.R. Jayewardena, Prof. Wilson was instrumental in drafting this Executive Presidency and electoral system to the constitution.Prof. Wilson was a relation of Chelvanayagam. He drafted this Executive Presidency and electoral system by creating avenues for minorities for political bargaining.

In most countries,candidates who poll the highest number of votes at a Presidential Election are elected as President whether he has exceeded 50 percent or not. But in our country, counting of the second preferential votes has been included into the Constitution, because Prof. Wilson must have realised that in the future, there will be a need for minority votes to elect a President by counting the second preferential votes.

If minority votes enabled a President to be elected through a second preferential vote, that President will be favourable towards the minorities.

Therefore, the electoral system under the Executive Presidency has created an unstable Parliament. It has also created an electoral system which gives political bargaining power to minority groups.

Prof. Wilson's intention was not to strengthen the country but to give room for minorities for political bargaining. But this was not reflected in the past two to three decades as the LTTE's bargaining power through weapons was the highlight.

Today the LTTE's bargaining has ended. Once again, avenues have been created for minorities to bargain.

If this Executive Presidency and the electoral system continues further in this manner, it would lead to losing the hard-earned peace and stability.

We think the Constitution should be changed in a manner which would not provide a stimulant for the minorities to use their bargaining power and for separatist elements to realise their goals.

Q: What have you got to say about JHU parliamentarian Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera's draft constitution which he released on Tuesday. Would you like to comment on the major proposals in it?

A: I also knew about it only through newspaper reports. Sometimes, my analysis may be incomplete. It is not clear whether these set of proposals introduced by Ven. Rathana Thera were from the JHU or the Pivithuru Hetak organisation. Anyway the JHU, MEP, NFF and other Buddhist organisations come under nationalistic movements.

Though we have minor differences, there was a common ideology among these nationalistic forces. We look at these proposals from a historical perspective. But these proposed amendments have no connection to that historical sequence of events.

It has also been proposed to clip the wings of the Executive Presidency. It has made certain references on the electoral system as well. It has also proposed some Executive Committee system which gives representation to Provincial Councils.

Some controversial references are included in these proposals.

This draft constitution has not made any reference on the 13th Amendment. Therefore, this is not a reflection of the country's national forces.

We think a transformation should be made in this country. It should be based on four major objectives which includes the formulation of the country's fundamental law without providing any room for separatism or racism, take forward steps to ensure democracy and good governance, make positive changes within the electoral and political party system and streamline the public administration system.

We can build a new chapter in our country based on these four facts. We can't see the 19th Amendment reflecting past goals.

At present various unofficial statements have been made on a snap Presidential Election. The budget debate will commence next week and after that Parliament will be prorogued.

Even if these proposals are accepted, technically there is no possibility of amending the Constitution before the Presidential Election.

As the representatives of the country's national forces, if there are shortcomings in this Government, we cannot act in an irresponsible manner reverse the significant victories achieved during the tenure of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

What is more appropriate is to further ensure the victories gained and take steps to win over victories that have not yet been gained.

Q: TNA's boycotting state functions such as the re-commencement of the Yal Devi is a case in point that they have not abandoned secessionist sentiments but committed to achieve in a peaceful way what Prabhakaran failed to achieve militarily. Your comments?

A: Once we militarily defeated LTTE separatism, we should have banned the political wing as well by not doing so it was one of the biggest mistake made by us.

At present, this political wing with the help of some Western embassies are promoting separatist sentiments among the Tamils. The Tamil community is systematically coming out of that vacuum and realise the ground reality. That is why the TNA have shown a complex behaviour.

If there are differences in ideologies, we should work together on matters of development. If we look at it from that perspective, the TNA is not willing to cooperate.

As a person educated in a prominent school in Colombo and interacting with the elite English speaking society in Colombo, it is difficult to understand how the Northern Province Chief Minister has fallen victim to some narrow-minded people.

The Yal Devi returned to Jaffna after a lapse of 24 years and is a significant event for the people o Jaffna. It gives strong sentiments regarding the end of the terrorist war. The feeling that the gap between the North and the South has reduced will also be felt. But the TNA does not like to see the people in the North experiencing it.

They only want division. Whatever massive development that takes place, the TNA attempts to infuse separatist sentiments into the minds of the Tamils.

This ensures their political survival and caters to the interests of some Western countries which attempt to divide Sri Lanka.

Other than criticising the Government, the Northern Provincial Council is not doing anything for the Tamils. The TNA's sole intention is to drag the Tamils 30 years back again.

Q: The Opposition UNP and other political parties have condemned the gas and fuel price reduction as election stunts, though they were the very people who fought for it. Is this not the political opportunism prevalent in developing countries?

A: Electricity rates were reduced during the recently concluded Uva Provincial Council election. Then the Opposition alleged that electricity prices were reduced targeting the Uva PC election.

When the amount of electricity generated through coal power plants are increased, the necessity of getting power from diesel power plants is drastically reduced. As a result the fuel surcharge is also saved. That is why the President decided to reduce electricity rates by 25 percent.

Some relief should also been given to industrial sector. Reduction of electricity rates by 25 percent is one of the biggest reliefs given to the people. But the Opposition does not appreciate this move.

When gas prices were reduced, the Opposition says it is done targeting the presidential election. When relief is given in the Budget, they would make the same comment.

If prices were reduced targeting the Presidential Election then why were the prices of cigarettes and liquor increased by the Government? The Opposition does not respond to that. This is the political opportunism.

Q: Some UPFA constituent parties make public statements critical of the Government which are harmful to good governance and democracy. Your comments?

A: Dialogue is not harmful to democracy. The UPFA Government is a coalition. The constituent parties of the UPFA have different views and there is dialogue among them. All these constituent parties continue their dialogue to achieve common goals of the UPFA.

Otherwise there is no use of dialogue, if it is with the intention of a destructive motive.

Express positive views on the forward march of the Government and the changes to be made for that is not harmful whatsoever.

We could see what happened to those who held different views during the tenure of the latePresident J.R. Jayewardena.

He did what he wanted. That is why he signed the Indo-Lanka agreement, banned some political parties, unleashed the Black July progrom and also banned the May Day celebration.

Thousands of youth were killed during the 1988 to 1989 period.

The democratic approach practiced by the UPFA may be significant to those who resorted to dictatorial ruling. There were no dialogues in the former UNP Governments.

In the modern world, there are various clashes about views expressed and new ideas are generated as a result. The country is moving forward based on those ideas. That is what should really happen.

Q: Could you explain how the newlyl aunched Northern railway could act as a conduit to reconnect the North and South economically, culturally and socially?

A: I believe that before we construct expressways, we should have constructed express railways.

Because train compartments are occupied by people belonging to all classes. If express railways were constructed first, all the people would have benefited from it.

A railway bridges the gap between people. When the Yal Devi goes to the North, the people will experience the taste of real freedom that was deprived during the three decade terrorist war and that it has in fact come to an end..

The destruction of the Yal Devi saw the breach of the economic and cultural bridge connecting the North and the South which caused a serious psychological impact on both sides of the divide.

The Yal Devi was the conduit for religious, cultural and social sentiments between the North and the South. It was also a symbol of a vast network of transactions between fellow citizens of one country.

The Yal Devi's being put back on track amounts in a way to the re-establishment of relations between sons and daughters of the same land.. it is much more than just a rail link, it is the beginning of the reunion of hearts.

Q: The Opposition always puts the blame on the Government for borrowing money to fulfill its goals.. Except for a few, all most all countries run their economies on loan funds or borrowings.Economically are these practices not prudent?

A: Japan's debt burden is far higher than ours as a percentage of the GDP. But the Japanese economy is not insecure. Because Japan's production largely benefits from industry, agriculture and new inventions.

Japan earns a considerable income by providing goods and services to other countries. They can handle their economy.

During the tenure of Ranil Wickremesinghe, our debt burden which was 110 percent of the GDP has been reduced to 73 percent now. This is a clear indication that if more initiatives are taken to increase the GDP, we can reduce our debt burden.

It is not appropriate to obtain loans without increasing our GDP. To increase our GDP, a huge amount of money which goes out of the country to import milk powder, sugar and other agricultural products should be stopped.

The Government should intervene and provide concessions to the private sector to commence such industries here.

Q: The Popes proposed visit is proof of Sri Lanka's religious tolerance and mutual respect for rights despite minor incidents being blown out of proportion by anti-Sri Lankan forces. How do you explain the significance of the Pope's visit?

A: Sri Lankans never harboured religious intolerance. It was the temple which safeguarded the people even during the colonial era irrespective of religious differences. Because tolerance and conduct taught in Buddhism is different to that of other religions.

I am telling this as a neutral person and not as a person with an extremist mentality.

Under these circumstances, Buddhists don't harbour religious intolerance. But that does not mean, we should bow down and permit anybody to do whatever they like.

Religious coexistence prevails in Sri Lanka. But attempts are made by certain elements to disrupt this coexistence. It is the extremist organisations within the Muslim society which is destroying their society. Tamil extremism is also similar. Extremism is something which destroys themselves while destroying others as well.

That was what the LTTE did. Extremism cannot exist in a society.Because it has been historically proved that our society is a society with tolerance and civilisation. But certain conspirators are in Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim society who attempt to disrupt this religious coexistence.

These minor incidents took place with the help of external forces being blown out of proportion to give a wrong impression to the world.

Q: As a developing country, Sri Lanka's post-war reconstruction is amazing despite the Western world's obsession with human rights violations. Don't you think the UN resolutions have weakened democracy and good governance in small countries?

A: Any dictator who dances to the whims and fancies of the US is good for them. Problems and conflict occurred only in the Middle East countries which have anti- US Leaders.

Similar situations did not arise in Middle East countries such as Bahrain and Dubai which have pro-US Leaders.

The UN is like the Inter University Student Federation (IUSF) of the JVP. Because the JVP is equal to the IUSF while the IUSF is equal to the JVP.

Likewise the UN has become an integral part of the US. All those who hold portfolios in UN committees are favourites of the US.

If 60,000 youth were killed in the South during the tenure of the late President J.R. Jayewardena, it would not be a problem because he danced according to the whims and fancies of the US. As President Mahinda Rajapaksa is not doing so and ended the war against terrorism, he is not good for the UN.

A massive transformation on world balance of forces will take place in the next decade. Power in the East is being strengthened.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will take a firm stand with the Eastern powers.Therefore, the UN and other Western powers want to interfere into our internal affairs.