{"id":44866,"date":"2016-01-27T05:55:29","date_gmt":"2016-01-27T09:55:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=44866"},"modified":"2016-01-27T05:57:46","modified_gmt":"2016-01-27T09:57:46","slug":"tna-concerned-about-power-sharing-proposals-in-constitution-more-than-labels-of-unitary-and-federal-says-ma-sumanthiran-mp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=44866","title":{"rendered":"TNA Concerned More About Power Sharing Proposals in Constitution Than in “Unitary” and “Federal” Labels says MA Sumanthiran MP"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Dharisha Bastians<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Tamil National Alliance yesterday expressed disappointment over the delays in formulating a mechanism to draft a new constitution for Sri Lanka, and urged the Government and all Sri Lankans to seize the historic opportunity to change the country\u2019s Governance culture.<\/p>\n

Addressing a media briefing at the Opposition Leader\u2019s Office in Colombo yesterday, TNA Spokesman and Jaffna District Legislator M.A. Sumanthiran said the Tamil party did not want to see a dilution of the constitution- making exercise, even as the President sought consensus on the mechanism to draft the new supreme law.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole constitution making exercise is aimed at changing the governance culture in Sri Lanka. It is important that this change happens,\u201d Sumanthiran told reporters.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important that the objectives stated in the preamble of the resolution presented to Parliament on 9 January be achieved,\u201d he said, adding that the Government should move forward, keep to time-limits and set up a constitutional assembly without delay.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe President\u2019s desire for consensus must not be used by regressive forces to scuttle this constitution making project,\u201d Sumanthiran asserted.<\/p>\n

The TNA Lawmaker said that the effort made by the Government to enact a new constitution was important, because it was also an attempt to redress the grievances of a people who were \u201csmall in number\u201d, and as a result of those numbers have suffered deprivation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we are to put behind us the bitter experiences of the past and move forward as one country, there must be a new set of rules by which we must engage with one and other,\u201d he added. This new set of rules had to be introduced through a new constitution, the TNA Spokesman said. \u201cA new constitution won\u2019t solve all our problems. But it is an important first step towards this new engagement,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Sumanthiran said the TNA was less concerned with labels referring to \u2018unitary\u2019 or \u2018federal\u2019 character of the state, but more interested in what the new power sharing proposals would entail.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Tamil people have made it clear in one their political aspirations for power sharing \u2013 not as a separate nation, but within Sri Lanka, in a country where they can also have a share in governance,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

The TNA Lawmaker said that consensus on devolution was not impossible, citing the 2000 draft constitution drawn up by the Chandrika Kumaratunga administration. \u201cKnown as the GL-Neelan consensus, that draft constitution was approved by the entire cabinet, which included Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was a minister at the time. Even the UNP only opposed the constitution on the basis of the continuation of the executive presidency, and not the proposals for power sharing,\u201d Sumanthiran explained.<\/p>\n

He recalled that the question of sharing power had arisen in 1949, soon after independence. In the drafting of Sri Lanka\u2019s first republican constitution in 1970, the concerns of the Tamil people, which were much less than separatism or federalism had been shot down by majorities in the constitutional assembly, Sumanthiran said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch acts of majoritarian tyranny led us to all the bitter experiences of the past,\u201d he said. The idea that majority numbers can suppress the political aspirations of a minority people is not in keeping with democratic principles, he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first time we have a Tamil party that is willing to participate and contribute to the constitution making process. We have two main parties sharing power in Government. This opportunity is not to be missed,\u201d Sumanthiran urged. <\/p>\n

Courtesy:Daily FT<\/em><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Dharisha Bastians The Tamil National Alliance yesterday expressed disappointment over the delays in formulating a mechanism to draft a new constitution for Sri Lanka, and urged the Government and all Sri Lankans to seize the historic opportunity to change the country\u2019s Governance culture. Addressing a media briefing at the Opposition Leader\u2019s Office in Colombo …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘TNA Concerned More About Power Sharing Proposals in Constitution Than in “Unitary” and “Federal” Labels says MA Sumanthiran MP’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44866"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44866"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44866\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44868,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44866\/revisions\/44868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}