By P.K.Balachandran

The Sri Lankan parliament on Wednesday unanimously resolved to draft a new constitution for the country. An amended resolution, moved by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, was passed without a division.

The PM had introduced a resolution to change the constitution, first on December 23 2015, and it was to have been debated and passed on January 9, a day after the first anniversary of the victory of Maithripala Sirisena in the Lankan Presidential election.

But it ran into rough weather with the bulk of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance (UPFA) of which it is part, moving many amendments which could not be discussed and voted on quickly.

The opponents wanted the Preamble of the resolution to be deleted in its entirety as it was a divisively political statement on the importance of Sirisena’ victory in the Presidential election; his promise to restore democracy and also to abolish the Executive Presidency which irked the Mahinda Rajapaksa faction.

The opposition also wanted the “Constitutional Assembly” (composed of the entire membership of the present parliament) to be established under the existing relevant Standing Order of parliament and not outside it.

Finally, after arduous talks between the ruling United National Party (UNP) and others, it was decided to delete the politically divisive Preamble in its entirety. All agreed that the Constitutional Assembly may be formed without reference to any Standing Order of parliament though the Standing Orders could be used while drafting.

Courtesy:New Indian Express