Mangala calls for new Constitution to help

resolve the ethnic conflict

April 29, 2015

Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera yesterday called for a new
constitution to help resolve the ethnic conflict.
This call was made during his speech at the debate on the 19th
Amendment in Parliament yesterday.
Following is the full text of Samaraweeras speech.
Mr. Speaker, I hope that good sense will prevail and that today, the 28th of
April 2015, will be a historic day for Sri Lanka. It should be remembered as
the day which heralded the beginning of the end of the all powerful
executive presidential system in our country. Since introducing the First
Republican Constitution in 1972 we have journeyed from a Westminster
form of government to an all-powerful Executive Presidency introduced by

the Second Republican Constitution. However, both these Republican

constitutions proved to be inadequate to meet the dreams and aspirations
of all the communities, ethnic groups and religious groups living in our
country.
Having suffered the consequences and realised our mistakes, we are
gathered here today to make an important course correction.
Mr. Speaker, the 19th Amendment to be passed today abolishes many of
the executive powers of the presidency while retaining the executive nature
of the presidency.
The Supreme Court held that in order to abolish many of the other powers,
a referendum would be needed. Therefore it will be the task of the next
Parliament to completely abolish the executive system in favour of a fullyfledged parliamentary democracy.
In the course of this debate, it has become clear to all that our country has
suffered for too long from the corrosive and crippling effects that
unchecked, centralised power wracked on our democratic institutions and
political culture.
We know that this unaccountable system was in many ways at the root of
many of the most pressing national problems. It is at the root of the culture
of impunity and the widespread corruption that we experienced over the
last few years.
Mr. Speaker, It is in the context of such experiences that President
Maithripala Sirisena was given a mandate to abolish the executive
presidential system. The citizens of Sri Lanka, and indeed future
generations, will applaud President Sirisena for taking resolute action to
fulfill his promises to the people, within the parameters of

the Supreme Court ruling.

Mr. Speaker, this amendment alone will not be the panacea for all our
nations problems. Reduction of the executive powers of the Presidency is
only one important step in the challenging journey that we, as a nation,
must undertake in order to create a new Sri Lanka.
However, we must take heart from the fact that by working together in this
House, our nation has achieved so much in just 108 days.
I am hopeful that the new Parliament to be elected by the people later this
year will shed divisive politics and unite on issues of national significance.
In particular, I am hopeful that that new Parliament will do what many other
governments attempted but failed to do to introduce a new constitution,
in fact the Third Republican Constitution of Sri Lanka.
A new constitution which will celebrate Sri Lankas ethnic, religious and
cultural diversity and pluralism and meet the aspirations of all the peoples
of Sri Lanka.
Whether it is the tensions between the Sinhalese and Tamil communities or
the Sinhalese and Muslim communities, eradicating the motivation for
terrorism and violence requires us to go beyond dealing with its symptoms.
The root causes of ethnic conflict need to be addressed once and for all,
constitutionally.
Along with democracy, rule of law and human rights, reconciliation and

ethnic harmony must be the foundation for the new Sri Lanka we all dream
about.
Mr. Speaker, a new constitution that addresses the concerns and grievances
of the minorities is the urgent need to be addressed by the next Parliament.
The resolution of our ethnic conflict, which continues after war, is sine qua
non for Sri Lankas march forward toward peace and prosperity.
Mr. Speaker, I am reminded of the preamble of the Constitution of UNESCO:
Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the
defences of peace must be constructed.
On 4th of February this year, the Government made a pledge to ensure that
never again will we allow this country to be traumatised by the shedding of
the blood of her citizens.
Let us not forget that injustice and inequality breed hatred, discontent and
violence. To stand true to her word, the Governments pledge must be
etched into the foremost sites of rebellion the hearts and minds of her
citizens.
Under the leadership of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration, I am
certain that we will form and implement a consensus on the national
question that has evaded previous governments. We will use our collective
political will to construct a great peace for our country.
Foreign policy changes
Mr. Speaker, during the last several years, Sri Lanka pursued a policy of
aggression towards the international community. We alienated our friends
and also international organisations. In the process, we isolated ourselves.
But within a short span of 108 days, we have managed to take some steps
to steer our nation back on course. And todays formal announcement in
Washington on the Secretary of States visit to Sri Lanka on 2 May signifies
the return of Sri Lanka to the centre-stage of international affairs.
As we make this course correction and re-integrate with the international
community, we must not lose sight of our national obligations.
To refrain from opening up our nation to international ignominy and making
ourselves once again vulnerable to intrusive external interventions, we
must initiate a credible domestic investigation into allegations of violations
of human rights.
Such developments are important also to clear the name of our armed
forces who have received international recognition as a professional and

disciplined force. Today, our courageous soldiers are in the Himalayan

Kingdom of Nepal saving the lives of those affected by the recent
devastating earthquake.
Mr. Speaker, as I explained when I addressed this House on 18th of March,
the Sri Lankan Diaspora, whether Sinhala, Tamil or Muslim, has a vital role
to play not only in the reconciliation process but also in taking Sri Lanka
forward as a nation.
I spoke that day about initiating a process to review the individuals and
entities in the diaspora community who were listed under the Extraordinary
Gazette 1854/41 of 21 March 2014. This process has already been initiated.
Mr. Speaker, the time has come for all the people of Sri Lanka who truly
love their country to decide to work together to overcome their differences
and reach consensus.
Let not our short-term political goals hinder our nations progress. Let us
discard the rhetoric of hatred, mistrust and division on both sides of the
divide and stand together hand-in-hand as Sri Lankans to reap the fruits of
the Asian Century.
Posted by Thavam