 |
| Minister Prof.Vitarane |
Pro. Vitarane suggests that these fears of abuse of these powers are unfounded because the president has a democratic disposition, and that the increase of presidential power by the 18th Amendment provides the political stability necessary for the economic development.
by Dr. Mahinda de Silva
(September 20, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) In the Medical Faculty of the University of Ceylon, Minister Professor Vitarane, my senior colleague and teammate in the University cricket team, was believed to be a Samasamajist, only due to the fact that his relative Dr N. M. Perera was a leader of the Samasamaja party, the LSSP. He did not seem to have any strong Marxist ideological convictions and was not an active member of any leftist organization within the faculty or the University. Over the years, he has risen in the exponentially depleting ranks of the LSSP to its leadership. With no voter base, he would have disappeared from the political scene, having contributed as little to his party, as he has done to the science of Microbiology over 30 years.
He was rescued from oblivion by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who appointed him the chairman of the APRC, to attempt to get a consensus on what was referred to be the "the National question". The APRC had an expert panel to advise it and define its terms of reference. Forgetting that the president had been elected on the promise of preserving the unitary status of the country, the professor and 11 members of the panel, decided to provide a federal solution to the issue, (though avoiding naming it as such). The northern and Eastern Tamils were to have in effect an autonomous federal state which had within it enclaves for other minority communities, the Sinhalese and Muslims as well as one for the Upcountry Tamils.
In March 2007, the professor is reported in the media, to have justified his endeavour to federalize the country by stating that, to paraphrase the professor, nobody can say that Sri Lanka is not divided and that only a person who fools himself would not agree. His argument was that when one travels northwards one has to travel across an area (90 km) controlled by LTTE and that an almost similar situation prevailed in the East.
Of course, his pro-Federal stance made him the doyen of the separatist cabal.
After years of wasting the public’s money the APRC has yielded nothing. Indeed, some might say the President intended it that way, using the APRC to assuage internal and external pressures for a "political solution".
Now, the professor has voted for the 18 Amendment, contrary to long standing principles and policy of the party , despite it is believed, strong opposition from the Central Committee of the party. He made an unconvincing attempt as leader of the party to explain the LSSP stand, in a statement in parliament.
A good part of the statement was taken to denouncing the 78 Constitution. By the way, he did not fail to disclose a hitherto unknown fact, namely that he was present at the protest against it by the leading leftist leaders of the time, outside the old parliament. He faulted the 78 Constitution and the executive presidency for, quote:" The alienation of the voters from the elected representatives, the breakdown of good governance, the dangers of authoritarianism and even dictatorship, the suppression of human and democratic rights, specially of the minorities, and the political instability that could occur, especially when the power in Parliament was held by a party different from that of the President were pointed out by him". With a total disregard for simple logic, he justified the increase of presidential power to almost monarchical proportions of this same executive presidency. Importantly, these powers which among other effects are inimical to democracy would make free elections impossible in the future.
Pro. Vitarane suggests that these fears of abuse of these powers are unfounded because the president has a democratic disposition, and that the increase of presidential power by the 18th Amendment provides the political stability necessary for the economic development.
The LSSP, Prof V said, stands for a new Constitution that completely replaces the 1978 Constitution", an event most unlikely to occur, given the powers given to the President by the 18 Amendment. In any event his party is almost extinct and will have little influence on the issue.
As regards a strong executive and economic development, Dr. Usvatte-Aratchi, economist and scholar in his feature in the news paper on first week of this month titled Eighteenth Amendment: A Rush to Elected Tyranny, states that the view of Prof. G. L. Peries that a strong executive is necessary for development, echoed by Prof . V, "is wholly untrue". He points to the long standing dictatorships of Marcos in the Philippines Mao in China and even the "benevolent’ dictatorships of Africa like that of Nyerere of Tanzania and Mobutu of Zaire, where the economy deteriorated or at best stagnated. In contrast, he says there are many countries, which have prospered with what in comparison to Sri Lanka are very fragile and vulnerable executive branches of government. An example is India, which has a Prime Minster, as chief executive who sits in Parliament and is always responsible to it, and still grows at 8-9 percent annum.
Flattering the president and betrayal of principle has paid off to preserve for Prof. V a ministerial post.
Post a Comment