By: C. Silva reporting from ColomboNext Year, 2008, Sri Lanka will be celebrating 60 years of Independence. Frankly, we have nothing to celebrate for, since all our politicians have let the country and the people down. Sri Lanka sadly lacks good leaders to lead the country. The present crisis situation in the country stems from the disenfranchisement of the Tamils after 1948, where there were more seats in the legislature for the Sinhalese at the general elections of 1956, 1960, 1965, 1970 and 1977. The Sri Lankan Governments had a two thirds majority in Parliaments from 1970-1984, enabling them to enact the Constitutions of 1972 and 1978, despite opposition from Tamil members. Sri Lanka is currently governed under the 1978 Constitution, including the sixth Amendment of 1984, which resulted in the Tamil members leaving Parliament in 1984. The disenfranchisement of the plantation workers and the enactment of these two Constitutions are part of the cause of the Tamil demand for a federal form of government and the LTTE demand for a separate state.
The Sinhala dominated parties were over-represented in Parliament from 1956-1984, as a result of the disenfranchisement of the plantation workers during this time. This period witnessed the removal of constitutional safeguards for the minorities contained in the consensual Constitution of 1947 by the provisions in the Sinhala Only Act of 1956, the Constitutions of 1972 and 1978. These were enacted without the support of the Tamil parties - the safeguard for the minorities such as section 29 of the 1947 Constitution, the Senate, right of appeal to the courts on the legality of the laws, were removed by these moves.
At each stage, when the Sinhala dominated party in government wanted to resolve the ethnic question, the other Sinhala dominated party in opposition opposed it. Thus, no consensual solution was possible through the following attempts:
The Bandaranaike-Chelvanayagam Pact of July 26, 1957.
The ‘Reasonable use of Tamil legislation’ of 1957
Dudley Senanayake-Chelvanayagam Pact March 1965.
The Dudley Senanayake government’s Regulations under Tamil language (Special Provision) Act of 1958, proposed in 1966 were opposed by coalition of SLFP, LSSP, and CP.
The District Councils Bill of Dudley Senanayake which was dropped.
The Provincial Council legislation of 1987.
The proposed Constitution of 1990.
Currently, the United National Party has withdrawn from the All Party Representative Committee and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna has taken a position of non-participation.
The unity of Sri Lanka cannot be assumed or claimed as a historical or present day reality. Sri Lanka’ oneness as a country has to be achieved through consensus (as in 1947) by respecting the rights of communities, who have lived here as separate peoples, until brought under one flag by the British through force of arms. Unfortunately, the Constitutions of 1972 and 1978 (still prevalent) were imposed by the Sinhala majority in Parliament on the Tamils, whose representatives refused to accept it. Do we have the wisdom to cooperate with the Tamils and Muslims to achieve a united Sri Lanka by respecting the rights of all, to arrive at a peaceful resolution of power sharing or are we to condemn future generations of Sri Lankans to division and internal violence?
Our failure to respect the rights of the minorities in Sri Lanka during the past 50 years has led to internal violence, which has stifled the economic growth of the country. Also, it has enabled the emergence of Tamil militancy. Many here and among the Diaspora may not like what I have written. I, as well as many who had the privilege to travel widely in Sri Lanka, wish for a speedy resolution to the ethnic problem. All of us have a duty in appealing to all politicians, for the sake of future generations, to resolve this problem as we and the country have suffered enough.
Post a Comment