By Dayan Jayatilleka –
Sri Lanka needs constitutional change but not a change of Constitution.
A little Political Economy and a touch of class can help in comprehending what’s going on and why. Why a new Constitution/Referendum while an economic crisis looms? Because the economic crisis stems from the same mindset and agenda as the drive for a new constitution. Both originate in the neoliberal globalization project of the current UNP leadership, which necessitates the weakening of the state via its partial disaggregation and dismantling of the strong state the center left (Colvin’s unitary model) and center right ( JR’s Gaullist model) administrations bequeathed us. A referendum will inevitably take place in conditions of economic pain under this government—unless it is drastically reconfigured in a centrist direction–because such pain is the inevitable result of the Ranilist economic doctrine and model.
The case for fast-tracking the new constitution is a scam. The argument is that Sri Lanka will buy time to implement the Geneva resolution which the government co-sponsored, by leapfrogging the accountability/transitional justice issues and moving directly to the political resolution of the ethnic conflict by means of a new Constitution. But even the Geneva 2015 Resolution makes no mention of a new Constitution.
There is another “Geneva commitment” however, to a new Constitution. In his report on Sri Lanka UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid al Hussein referred to a commitment by the Government of Sri Lanka to enact a new constitution via a referendum in 2017; a new Constitution in which international law relating to war crimes and crimes against humanity would be embedded, enabling their retroactive prosecution. So Mangala Samaraweera has promised Zeid al Hussein, and not the UNHRC, to have a new Constitution in place by 2017. Sri Lanka is not under pressure to enact a new constitution due to the need to comply with the Geneva 2015 resolution, but as part of this despicable understanding between Mangala Samaraweera and Zeid al Hussein and his office which would enable the retroactive prosecution of the Sri Lankan military and war-winning national political and bureaucratic leadership.
The case has not been made for a brand new Constitution as distinct from reforms to the existing one. The 19th amendment demonstrated what could be done by observing the strictures of the Supreme Court, and striving for an all-parties consensus, without recourse to a referendum. A necessary revisiting of the 13th amendment after 30 years of experience with it and amending certain clauses so as to make it run more effectively could be achieved without a new Constitution and a divisive, polarizing referendum.
It is only changes which seek to replace the 13th amendment with something that supersedes it qualitatively and structurally, i.e. goes beyond it to such an extent that a two thirds majority in parliament will not suffice for its passage, that require a referendum.
Given that the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Sharvananda ruled in 1987 that the 13th amendment barely kept within the parameters of the unitary state and that too due to the powers of the Governor and the Executive Presidency from which they derived, we must logically conclude that any move beyond the 13th amendment such as that the present government envisages will take the Constitution beyond the parameters of the unitary state itself—and hereby require a referendum rather than a mere two thirds majority.
MR did say ‘13 plus’ on occasion but ‘13 plus’ only means an incremental improvement on 13A, not going beyond its parameters. ‘13 plus’ would only require a two thirds majority in parliament.
Even in the conversations that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had with President Rajapaksa, the term the Indian leader used was “building on the 13th amendment”, rather than “going beyond the 13th amendment”. So even if one were to accommodate Delhi’s formula, “building on 13A” would be the equivalent of MR’s “13 Plus”, and require only a two thirds majority rather than a brand new Constitution via a referendum. The concrete form of “building upon 13A”/“13Plus” would be a Senate and the reshuffle by swaps (not total transfer or abolition) of the Concurrent list—and this would need only a two thirds majority.
The other macro change that the Government envisages that warrants a referendum rather than merely a two thirds in the House, is the abolition of the Executive Presidential system.
The abolition of the Executive Presidency, the reduction of the powers of the Governors and the enhancement of the executive and legislative powers of the Provincial Councils and Chief Ministers, when taken together, would unlock the stable door that JR Jayewardene and Rajiv Gandhi bolted with the 13th amendment. This is why the TNA, in the form of the TULF, did not accept the 13th amendment at its birth thirty years ago and consistently refuses to base the negotiation for constitutional reform upon the 13th amendment.
While the Tamil community spread out all over the world probably deserves a federal unit, such a Tamil majority/Tamil led federal state exists in at least two countries, namely India and Malaysia. It must not be on this small island of Sri Lanka, next door to 80 million Tamils across 18 miles of water. This island, with almost two thirds of its population belonging to a community that has no other large collective presence anywhere else on the planet, requires the cohesion of a unitary form of state. The government obviously wishes to eliminate the unitary character of the Sri Lankan state, which is why it seeks a new Constitution rather than a reform of the existing one.
The abolition of the Executive Presidency will not only weaken the state but will effectively signal the transfer of power to the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers, i.e. Wickremesinghe, Wigneswaran and Ahamed. If the Presidency had been abolished as the PM obviously wished, going by the draft he submitted in 2015 to the Supreme Court and came back truncated, the PM would have had those executive powers, Arjuna Mahendran would still be the Governor of the Central Bank and the financial hemorrhage which Auditor-General Gamini Wijesinghe as well as the two COPE reports had set out, would still be going on! Is that the kind of shift of political power we Sri Lankans want?
Chief Minister Wigneswaran already behaves as if he is the head, not of the Northern Provincial Council under the 13th amendment, but of the ISGA (the Interim Self-Governing Authority) proposed by the LTTE.
Just recently, the Chief Minister of the Northern Province went over to and led a demonstration in the Eastern Province, named the Eluga Tamil (“Arise, Tamils”), modelled explicitly on the LTTE’s “Pongu Tamil”, and raised the slogans of an international investigation into “genocidal crimes against the Tamils”, the removal of the Sri Lankan military from the North and East and the re-merger of the two provinces under a federal system. Wigneswaran has since promised to block the extension of the Palaly runway.
Why should the Sri Lankan military be removed from two provinces of Sri Lanka? The North and East are not another country—or is it that Chief Minister Wigneswaran, Gajan Ponnambalam, the PLOT and the EPRLF (all of which demonstrated with him), believe that these two provinces are indeed another country? One can call for the withdrawal of the military from two areas only if they are an army of occupation, and no military can be an army of occupation in any part of their own country—only in annexed and occupied territory under international law, which no part of this island is. What does this call for withdrawal of the army from the North and East reflect, if not a separatist mindset masquerading as federalism?
If we gave the Northern Provincial Council and its Chief Minister powers and functions beyond the 13th amendment, they would almost certainly go for a referendum in the North and East, calling for re-merger/federalism and eventually for “self-determination”/secession, as the Scottish did and Catalonia has done.
Sundaram K / February 19, 2017
For Dayan everything Mahinda and Weeravanse lot does is patriotic and heroic and what the present government doing is treacherous.
He is waiting for the Mahinda’s return to power to become the Ambassador to the UN.
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Native Vedda / February 19, 2017
The public racist and war monger
selectively uses data to express his bigoted views.
“The abolition of the Executive Presidency will not only weaken the state but will effectively signal the transfer of power to the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers, i.e. Wickremesinghe, Wigneswaran and Ahamed.”
He omitted to mention the names of 7 other chief ministers perhaps he didn’t know the names or the total number of chief ministers.
Here are the rest of the names:
Sarath Ekanayake,
Peshala Jayarathne,
Dharmasiri Dassanayake,
Maheepala Herath,
Shan Wijayalal De Silva,
Chamara Sampath Dassanayake,
and Isura Devapriya.
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nimal fernando / February 19, 2017
A simple Lankan plebeian like me don’t get the hang of all this constitution gobbledygook.
Constitution or no constitution all what I know is, if all Lankans go out and get real jobs all the nation’s problems will disappear instantly.
Simple as that!
And you don’t need an Einstein to figure that one out.
Dayan, other than patriotism, what do you do for a living? If you have no gainful employment you are free to join me; I go fishing every day to catch my supper. Bring along your buddy Weerawansa too when he gets out of gaol. After all, man cant live by patriotism alone.
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Dr. Gnana Sankaralingam / February 20, 2017
There is no point in us quarreling over this. Nothing tangible is going to happen. This government will procrastinate and will bring out something that no self respecting Tamil will accept. To say that granting of inalienable rights of Tamils depend on whims and fancies of Sinhalese, is travesty of justice. For the information of pundits of political science, there is one solution which does not require a two thirds majority in parliament or a simple majority in a national referendum :”Independence”.
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Amarasiri / February 19, 2017
Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka
The Constitution-Making is making A Crisis for Mahinda Rajapaksa and cronies like Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka, as they have nowhere to go.
Why not buy some fishing boats and export the fish to EU, now that GSP Plus may be available. You can fee the small fish to the poor populace, made pooor by Mahinda Rajapaksa and cronies, so that they will get proteins, and other nutrients, as they are low in Mercury.
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Seelawathie Jayasinghe / February 19, 2017
Why DJ feels that him to be the KNOW ALL in preparing the new constitution ?
Dont we the srilankens have no enough experts to know it better than a spinn doctor of this nature ?
Alone last 2 years, this man DJ has been very inconsistent of what he has been talking about… he is more or less like MR and his nature.
Now not being part of current men, DJ seems to be making it difficult to face his life before the nation.. loosing his so called image if he had some fans that thought the man should be one of the best in lanken external affairs…
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Simon De Silva / February 19, 2017
yes, a good question, DJ s interllect is limited to his 4 walls.
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Kumar R. / February 19, 2017
Sundaram,
It is tough to blame Dayan on that count.
The only light, even a dim one, at the end of the tunnel he has is MR. So he would relentlessly prostrate at the feet of MR, never mind how badly MR is willing to character-assassinate Dayan even on Global media. What choice does Dayan have just for even meager bread and butter (or rather, sambol?), never mind the wine and roses for now?
Once he was boasting of a pitiful $15K remuneration as an assistant, adjunct, teaching assistant or whatever at a College in the East – now even that seems a rather distant dream.
As a result, now, he sits back and keeps tossing flower petals at MR incessantly, hoping to, at some point, get noticed by the “supreme commander”.
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Don Stanley / February 19, 2017
DJ: in an era of Fake News, Fake Economic Development, Fake Morality, Fake Religion, FAKE ACCOUNTS AND NATIONAL DEBT, only DEBT owed to the IMF and west by the rest is real!
Indeed, the new Constitution is a GRAND DIVERSION with all the old thieves and cronies staked in the Diyawenna Parliament of corrupt politicians to cover up their looting of the country.
DJ: your patron saint Mahinda Jarapassa is the worst of the lot!
What needs to change are the CORRUPT POLITICIANS – Ranil, Mahinda Jarapassa and his family of looters, and MR3 and their corrupt cronies all must be tried on charges of financial and economic crimes against the people of Sri Lanka and locked up.
As long as the CORRUPT POLITICIANS and POLITICAL CULTURE remain in place even the most perfect New Constitution will be a Fraud and FIG LEAF!
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S.Modaya / February 19, 2017
Are you writing this crap to help grab power for Mahinda Jarpassa so that you DJ can go as SL Ambassador to New York or be made Foreign Minister?!
Ha, Ha Ha! This is a classic example of a so-called academic using Racism and Hate Speech to support a power grab for his CORRUPT political master, Mahinda Jarapassa, who has committed massive FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC CRIMES against the people of Sri Lanka!
DISTRACT, DIVIDE and RULE with Racism is an old political game used by corrupt politicians and their minions (like you), in the Miracle of Modayas Dayan! This an OLD GAME that has been EXPOSED as a tested tactic and strategy of corrupt politicians – we all know this now, so you only embarrass yourself with this crap.
GET A LIFE Dayan! Let the Tamils or Muslims or Dravidians or whoever you like to hate, have their own country in Northeast SL. Who cares, why are you so bothered, brother?!
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Thamilan / February 19, 2017
What is wrong with what the Scottish did? They voted to remain within the United Kingdom!
Why dont the Sri Lankan government devolve powers (like in the UK) and go for a referendum in the Northern and Eastern Provinces?
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Atticus / February 20, 2017
‘What is wrong with what the Scottish did? They voted to remain within the United Kingdom!’
And are now threatening Independence if they don’t get their own way with Brexit negotiations. Nice try Thamilan.
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Native Vedda / February 20, 2017
Atticus
“And are now threatening Independence if they don’t get their own way with Brexit negotiations.”
And what is wrong with asserting independence?
The will of the people is usually expressed through referendum in which the people expresses their consent to rule themselves why should it bother you?
Think about it.
If you can’t think about it please find someone who can.
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Atticus / February 20, 2017
Native, Scotland was a separate Kingdom until 1707, how old is Eelam?
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Native Vedda / February 21, 2017
Atticus
“Scotland was a separate Kingdom until 1707, how old is Eelam?”
This entire island was known as Eelam for more than 2000 years.
How old is Sri Lanka, Ceylon, Sinhala/Buddhist country………?
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sach / February 20, 2017
Because Scottland has no issue with MANUFACTURED history. The whole eelam is manufactured history which is part of a homeland of the native civilisation..:) got it?
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Ajith / February 19, 2017
“Why should the Sri Lankan military be removed from two provinces of Sri Lanka?”
Srilanka military is Sinhala military.North East is a Tamil Territory. When you were part of North East Provincial Government Sinhalese military was replaced by Indian Military and you were not bothered about at that Time. So, Indian military is ok for you instead of Sinhalese military.
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Non PhD / February 19, 2017
This smart patriot and PhD holder who had a marriage of convenience with the EPRLF of Varatharajah Permual is becoming more and more venomus and destroying the future of SriLanka.
I sicerely hope enlightened youngsters particularly from the majority community take Dr DJ head on and expose his true colours to the innocent masses.
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Sri -Krish / February 19, 2017
The earlier Parliamentary system somewhat contained the separatist tendencies within its hold without any major upheaval and the beginning of the separatist war is traced to the JR regime.
It may be interesting to Dayan and others that the minorities still favour the Presidential form for its island wide constituency rather than allow the Sinhalese to decide on their own as they did in 1970 and 1977 under the Parlikamentary form.
The minorities are not with Ranil in this mission
None of the minorities are abolitionist in the strict sense of the term, they are with you in this project .It is the democrats in the majority community that are clamoring for and spearheading the move to abolish the dictatorial Presidential system.
Ah! Strange bed fellows- Dayan and the minorities!
Irony!
The presidential system had benefited JR and his cohorts only marginally, but the real beneficiaries were Mahinda and his clan.
The new initiative to restore the parliamentary system may benefit not Ranil, but Mahinda again since he is deprived from contesting again for the Post of President, but new post of Premiership is within his grip.
Now Mahinda had been is deprived of contesting again for the third term, he could contest for the post of Executive Prime Minister and if he could split SLFP in a way to marginalize both UNP and Maithiri faction he may succeed.
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jim softy / February 19, 2017
Sri-Krish:
You look like Hindian.
As there are two parties for Sinhala people, SL-Fradulent party and Unpatgriotic party – once the vote is divided, minorities can play the king makers and ruin the country.
Since independence Sinhale gradually has become a failed state for Sinhala buddhists as Buddhist mahavamsa mindset is waiting until the last moment,as the leaders uneducated and not read, just greedy scum who only want power and knows nothing about a nation,Tamils, Gays and Lesbians, muslims and the business community are ruining the sinhala sinhala-buddhist civilization. See how business with the help of politicians promoting brothels, Casinos, liquor shops, various kinds of prostitution – they want it legalized too, face book and porno industry.
Sri lanka is not working like a country where buddhism is reigning.
the last nail in the coffin is this constitution.
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Shan / February 19, 2017
What does this call for withdrawal of the army from the North and East reflect, if not a separatist mindset masquerading as federalism?
What does your obstinate stand against an international investigation into “genocidal crimes against the Tamils” reflect, if not giving legality to it?
So long as you don’t have trust in the Tamils and show signs to that effect, how can something constructive be expected from you?
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Non PhD / February 19, 2017
Dear Dr.DJ the smart patriot,
What do you think of the crisis Keith Noyahr & Krishantha Cooray had under your MR’s regime ? How your version of the SL constution failed those innocent citizens ?
Since you know the best of the MR regime and praised them in Nugegoda, any enlightenment from you about Kohuwela gate ?
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Charitha Herath / February 19, 2017
“Sri Lanka needs constitutional change but not a change of Constitution” – Dayan J.
Very true. thanks for the very insightful analysis and practical thoughts on the constitutional making….
Charitha Herath
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Native Vedda / February 20, 2017
Charitha Herath
“Very true. thanks for the very insightful analysis and practical thoughts on the constitutional making….”
What is the difference between constitutional change and a change of Constitution?
Could you clarify it with examples.
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jim softy / February 20, 2017
Native Vedda:
What is the difference between constitutional change and a change of Constitution?
that is why you are dumb.
A constitutional changed was needed by BTF who gave political donations to Ranil. So, Ranil is spending Sinhale – public resources and time to make the financiers happy. Explain it to urban Sri lankans who are the UNP voter base.
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Native Vedda / February 20, 2017
jim softy dimwit
“A constitutional changed was needed by BTF who gave political donations to Ranil. So, Ranil is spending Sinhale – public resources and time to make the financiers happy. Explain it to urban Sri lankans who are the UNP voter base.”
What is the difference between constitutional change and a change of Constitution?
Could you clarify it with examples.
If you can’t please keep out of serious discussions.
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AJ / February 20, 2017
Did the BTF transfer the funds to Ranil through your Sampath bank account or HNB account ?
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K A Sumanasekera / February 20, 2017
Yahapalana PM Dr Batalanda Ranil is a strong believer of the old adage “Sinhalaya Modaya” which his Anglican ancestors coined.
The sad part is the Sinhalayas who have a bit of dough and follow Dr Ranil like sheep are the ones who are in that category.
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Native Vedda / February 20, 2017
KASmaalam K A Sumanasekera
“The sad part is the Sinhalayas who have a bit of dough and follow Dr Ranil like sheep are the ones who are in that category.”
Sinhalayas following others like sheep is not surprising. This is not the first time not going to be last, haven’t you heard about the public racists Anagarika Dharmapala, ….. SWRD Banda, Weeping Widow, Dutta Gamani, Cyril Mathew, ……… Ranawake, …… Wimal Sangili Karruppan Weerawansa, Rohana Wijeyweera, Somawansa, MR, GR, …….
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Kshenuka / February 20, 2017
Here goes the ver changing DeeJay again.What right has this man to speak of a Constitution for our country after having been a staunch supporter of Varataraja Perumal’s Univesal Declaration of Independence for the then existing North Eastern Province.It will be recalled that DeeJay was a senior vociferous and very active supporter of Perumal’s UDI call.
Now the man is hectoring about a Constitution for Sri Lanka !! [Edited out]possible by bringing Rajapaksa back, even though he knows well that this is only a pipe dream.Dream on DeeJay!!
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D.Nimal / February 20, 2017
The constitutional crisis not that limited to government authority ,but CM of NC and jointly TNA want enlarge of power devolution to centre of State power holding by the majority community .
This a new wave of political bargaining power by Tamil decedents, including CBK of Tamil blood stream that inheritance from SWRD Tamil-origin on one hand and on the other hand Indian Tamil-origin are working together which want dismantle and weaken power of centre of the STATE since 2015 January 9th.
The Rules of TNA the Tamil unipolar age of that Tamil domination proved in and out of Sri Lankan, the most disadvantageous to Democracy, Independent, Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of Sri Lankan in modern political times.
The proposed Constitutional shifting BY THE policy makers (MS-NEW UNP-LEADER, UNP-OLD LEADER OF RANIL w..& CBK OF NEO-FEDERALIST)of specially in Parliament need to pay far more attention to history ,if they hope to remedy of Tamil Eealm or Federalists the its ills that effects Sri lanka today.
We had SWRD-SJV federal proposals -1957,the way of history has been political experienced of since 1977,1979,1981 and 1983 under -JRJ-UNP misrules and mishandle of Tamil issues of Federalism.
This must be understood by current leadership of opposition of united front how is the Tamil that leads terrorising democracy, to threat so preoccupied other part of Island or centre of state in Colombo by assist from Western democracies on the other hand.
The IPKF by Gun-point of Indian peacekeeping forces has enter to Island of Sri lanka in 1987 by over-rule ours National Sovereignty and while pave way split Territorial integrity by legally binding 13 Amended of Republic Constitution has embodied to Tamil political power that STATE within the STATE .This was the beginning of loosing power of centre stage of State.
This version of Indian hegemonic of “secular” democracy this could spare them(majority community ) not from repeating history so much as from REPEATING HISTRORIC MISTAKES. Ongoing so-called change of constitution in the process of legally dismantle of nation state by encouraging Tamil Eealm.
Our nation and citizens have been subjects to the tyranny of proposed new constitution by political strangers of “rainbow revolution” occurred in 2015 Presidential Election .
The currently TNA and alliances their hidden agenda kept waiting for what they had been promised ,only of to see MS+CBK + UNP-RANIL..Wicks. regime strip ours sovereignty RIGHTS and eliminate ours NATIONL INDEPENDENCE by means of proposed ‘constitutional’ shifting.
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Vanguard / February 20, 2017
A few people beside Dr. Dayan have called this consitutional circus for what it is : a power grab by Prime Minster Wickramasinghe, who was unelectable as President by any other means, to become Prime Minister and Prime Mover of the political power of this country.
Without the desire for Federalism, a new constitution is not necessary, apart from the above power grab. At any rate, its will be a delicate balancing act to avoid violence as before.
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jansee / February 20, 2017
I quite like the way Dayan’s temperature and pressure has been rising. It is quite interesting to note that he realises he is talking to the wall. Just have to be careful – he is running wildly mad these days. He is quite upset with CMW but I have to resist the temptation of comparing the two – one is a frog leaping to as many places and know we not when the next leap prepared he is. At least he had noticed how CMW does things and gets away with it, an art knows not Dayan.
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Vanguard / February 22, 2017
Do we need a new constitution in order for Sinhalese and Tamils to live peacefully together? Can it be done under the current constitution?
I do agree with the LLRC statement. This country was not governed in a way that ensured fair treatment of minorities.
What to do? Not enough university student seats to go around. Not enough resources to go around?
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Lanka Nitizen / February 23, 2017
Dear Dayan ,I watched your talk show on Shakthi TV 1, what is desperately not being the Dayan we once knew is ,the sudden anthuasissem you have developed to only forcuss on The Bond Scam and the ptesen government reaching out to IMF ,which you believe is a blunder and could cause a economic crisis,and you affirm while the previous regime did not go to IMF ,but still we had a growth of 6% when the present government took over .Can you kindly elaborate ,how and from where did the past government find the financial resources without the IMF ,to have propelled the economy to that % of growth ? Further if whatever mechanism they used if it was so successful and did not require the IMF ,why did the present government follow ?
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Lanka Nitizen / February 23, 2017
And if we had a growth of 6% ,and did not need IMF .how come the Treasury was empty ? How come we still have not even been able to pay our interests on borrowed loans ? From where where did the money come ?& where has it gone ? Did the bond issue alone cause the Economy drop ? Or is it the huge some we have suppose to have borrowed even from private banks at high interest which has put the Country into Crisis ? Which of the two are true ? Or both ?
Once I hopefully have your answers to both my comments Dayan ,next I would like to discuss on the constitution. Hope to hear from you. Thank you rgds
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Walagemba Raja / February 24, 2017
“Sri Lanka needs constitutional change but not a change of Constitution.” – Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka
If so, why is the word ‘constitution’ and ‘change’ synonymous in your own sentence that only a d*ck-head like you would pen?
I agree that Sri Lankan needs change but that change would be so forthcoming if blooming idiots like you are given a ride in a white van to be vanquished like the many extra judicial disappearances that your “Appachi” himself championed not too long ago.
Let me ask you [Edited out] again whether the referendums of Scotland, Catalonia or Quebec succeed in secession?
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Naga / February 25, 2017
This guy Dayan is supposedly a scholar. But, look at his stupid argument “This island, with almost two thirds of its population belonging to a community that has no other large collective presence anywhere else on the planet, requires the cohesion of a unitary form of state.”
Is there any historical or scientific basis for his argument? He is not providing any.
The truth is that this guy Dayan is a racist and anti-Tamil, perhaps even anti-Muslim.
Not just Dayan, almost all the Sinhala politicians are racists and anti-Tamil. The reason is simple. If they are not anti-Tamil, they will not get elected to power in Sri Lanka.
As I said in these columns repeatedly, Tamils will not get anything from any Sinhala government. This constitution making exercise is a farce.
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LANKA NITIZEN / February 25, 2017
@naga ,am still waiting for his reply on my comments, he has become the new Tin Soldier of Pirates of The Island gone bananas. What Scholarship , it is the likes who kindle hate in the hearts of the majority Sinhalese who are actually by nature good at heart and a people who have always been a live and let live mass. Shamefully today ,it is a tiny group of socalled Scholars and highly educated professionals who indulge in promoting racism. The common Sinhalese as long as you do no harm or injustice ,he is always happy to accept what is fair once the truth is properly made to understand and he is willing to walk an extra mile for peace. By giving prominence to such individuals who were once cast aside by their very past lords ,have today it seems for merely some personal benefits they are back on stage. But my question is why is the government dragging its feet ? At this junction no use of referendums, implementation and excute the Federalism and let people feel how liberated they are with working togetherness ,with other races,Politicians and government officials is like ,and also having the total true power in hands to build their own Villages to Cities to Province at a whole ,seems even the government do not want the people to know the greater benefit they will enjoy,it is all about power and wealth greed and at the end of the day most politicians and the super rich want to keep the larger segment as not sheep ,but as goats so they ,their closed allies and families alone can enjoy the comfort and wealth. I would like to see some sincere politicians go door to door and encourage the people to support federalism and explain how much it will liberate the common man.it is a real shame to also see some media who try so pathetically hard to portray as peoples saviour ,but time and time inbetween their actions like pick and choose have exposed how hypocritical they truely are and in reality ,they are more a Fox news of Sri Lank.
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LANKA NITIZEN / February 26, 2017
I thiink Dayan alone knows the secret geni of the lamp who helped the economic growth during the past régime.
One can now comprehend how a handful of petty minded, selfish interlects have give up all ethics and self rightness for ones own benefit to join hands with those who are willing to lie ,fabricate even go to an extend of destroying human life and ones own motherland using bogus nationalism to gain power &wealth and keep it exclusively among ones own famly and friends .What kind of an era are we living in? Where people who lie ,destroy ,rob and transgress in the name of God and religion supported by interlects to convince and hoodwink the unsuspecting simple poverty stricken folks so they may be continuously be used to attack and suppress a bogey community created and demononised by the very demons themselves ,so they may retain a well guaranteed Vote bank permanently.
When will we ever have sincere politicians whoho will dare to do what is right and not politically right ?
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