Thu, May 30, 2013, 07:33 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.![]()
May 30, Colombo: Sri Lanka's major Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) says that the government was covertly backing the move to abolish the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
TNA parliamentarian, Attorney at Law, M. A. Sumanthiran said the move by the nationalist party Jathika Hela Urumaya to propose the abolition of the provincial council system under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution is backed by the government since the JHU is a constituent member of the governing party with a member in the Cabinet.
Explaining that the JHU is a constituent party in the government with a member in the cabinet and therefore is bound by collective responsibility, Sumanthiran said the government is "obviously behind this move, but does not have the courage to do it directly."
He noted that the JHU has participated in the provincial council system and have a minister too in the Western Provincial Council while the JVP too has participated in this system when Minister Wimal Weerawansa was a member of the JVP.
"It is therefore hypocritical for both to now object to the provincial council system only to deny the Tamil People of the North the opportunity to participate in it," he pointed out.
"There must be a power-sharing arrangement agreed upon that enables the Tamil People of this country to live as equal citizens with dignity and self-respect, handling their own affairs in their own areas," the Tamil legislator said.
However, Sumanthiran noted that this government's track record on finding a lasting solution to the ethnic issue will not infuse any degree of confidence.
He added that India has a moral responsibility to ensure that the 13th Amendment is fully implemented and also to ensure that Sri Lanka goes beyond that.
May 30, Colombo: Sri Lanka's major Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) says that the government was covertly backing the move to abolish the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
TNA parliamentarian, Attorney at Law, M. A. Sumanthiran said the move by the nationalist party Jathika Hela Urumaya to propose the abolition of the provincial council system under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution is backed by the government since the JHU is a constituent member of the governing party with a member in the Cabinet.
Explaining that the JHU is a constituent party in the government with a member in the cabinet and therefore is bound by collective responsibility, Sumanthiran said the government is "obviously behind this move, but does not have the courage to do it directly."
He noted that the JHU has participated in the provincial council system and have a minister too in the Western Provincial Council while the JVP too has participated in this system when Minister Wimal Weerawansa was a member of the JVP.
"It is therefore hypocritical for both to now object to the provincial council system only to deny the Tamil People of the North the opportunity to participate in it," he pointed out.
"There must be a power-sharing arrangement agreed upon that enables the Tamil People of this country to live as equal citizens with dignity and self-respect, handling their own affairs in their own areas," the Tamil legislator said.
However, Sumanthiran noted that this government's track record on finding a lasting solution to the ethnic issue will not infuse any degree of confidence.
He added that India has a moral responsibility to ensure that the 13th Amendment is fully implemented and also to ensure that Sri Lanka goes beyond that.