By C.V. Wigneswaran –

Justice C. V. Wigneswaran MP

Someone asked me; The President has said his Government was prepared to grant all the provisions in the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution barring Police powers. What have you to say?

My response was; I am amused! There is nothing for the Government to give. The Thirteenth Amendment is part of the Country’s Constitution. It is the Government’s duty to implement it. When he says he would give, it confirms that we have an ethnocratic Government in place in Sri Lanka from the time of Independence – Government of the Sinhalese, by the Sinhalese and for the Sinhalese.

This statement of His Excellency is directed to the UN deliberators who are about to congregate this month in Geneva. Sri Lankan Representatives could repeat his ‘’magnanimous statement”” in Geneva and get the sympathies and approval of a number of Countries who are unaware of the wiles of our politicians.

But most certainly His Excellency is not interested in parting with any powers usurped by the Centre so far from the periphery. He had a healthy discussion with us regarding identifying the powers of the Provincial Councils which in course of time have been usurped by the Centre and wanting to take steps to hand them back to the Provincial Councils.

The discussion never went beyond discussion only. No steps were taken to identify the usurped powers nor to hand them back to the Provincial Councils. In fact, he promised to appoint a Committee of Experts to do this work and also to draft the needed Statutes for the Provincial Council. They have to be drafted in Tamil. The first Western Provincial Council in its first year passed 22 Statutes while our first Northern Provincial Council when I was Chief Minister passed 23 Statutes. But we need another 100 Statutes or so. Only competent people could draft them.  Even though the Members of the Committee to handle this were identified His Excellency for reasons best known to him did not clothe the Committee with any official powers.

Thus the statement made by the President is political in nature. He is expecting support from certain sections of our people during the Presidential Election. After the Election he would simply forget his obligations if he wins. I am not blaming the present incumbent of the Presidency. Almost all previous incumbents did the same. They want the votes of the Tamil speaking. Beyond that they are not interested in fulfilling their obligations to the Tamils. I must say Chandrika was different. She brought out a plausible draft constitution, copies of which were burnt in Parliament by Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe’s Party who were in the Opposition then.

I am sure His Excellency expects the Tamils to divide among themselves on the issue of Police Powers. Limited Police Powers to the Provincial Councils is already there in the Law. The Law was the outcome of an Agreement between two sovereign Countries. I wonder how our President could bargain with the Provincial voters about what is already there in the Law.

To my mind, His Excellency’s statement is not genuine. In fact, he told me in open Parliament the other day after the Ceremonial Sitting of Parliament that the Government is prepared to hand over the concurrent powers in List III in the Thirteenth Amendment to the Provincial Councils. He also spoke of a Senate. I responded by email to his Statement made while going out from Parliament. No response. He wants to appease the International Community in Geneva. He wants the votes of the Tamils at the Presidential Election. Beyond that he will not grant any political rights to the Tamils with or without police powers.