Attempts to prevent adoption of new Constitution:
Govt attacked for carrying out people’s mandate:
National Movement for a Just Society Convener Prof. Sarath Wijesuriya urged the Government not to give way to the pressures of racist and extremist elements trying to sabotage the Constitution making process.
Speaking to the Daily News, Prof. Wijesuriya called on the Government to go ahead with its pre-election promise, observing that the people have given a clear mandate to formulate a new Constitution.
Speaking out his opinion over the recent offensive comments against Constitution making by Retired Major General Kamal Gunaratne, Retired Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara and Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa, Prof. Wijesuriya said it is high time President Maithripala Sirisena, the Common Candidate who pledged to bring in a new Constitution, takes a firm and bold stand against racism.
“Two former military personnel who held high ranks had stated that those who support a new Constitution must be condemned as traitors and killed. MP Weerawansa had stated that Parliament should be bombed. These comments prove their anti-democratic stance. They are trying to instigate terror and encourage blood-shed in the country again,” Prof. Sarath Wijesuriya said.
Emphasizing that Constitutional reforms are needed to achieve meaningful reconciliation, Prof Wijesuriya said the country cannot move forward without national reconciliation.
“Common Candidate Sirisena asked for a people’s mandate on January 8, 2015 with the pledge to abolish executive presidency. Reconciliation and power sharing were among other things highlighted. A new Constitution is needed to achieve the above three goals. Even former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has made the promise to abolish Executive Presidency. The Joint Opposition members who agitate against the new Constitution are well aware that no draft has been prepared and all proposals are still at discussion level. What they are trying to do is to spoil the people’s mind-sets to cater to their own political agenda. I see the ugly head of racism behind this vicious campaign,” Prof. Wijesuriya said.
Ven. Dambara Amila Thera of the Bhikkhu Front for Good Governance in the meantime was of the view that the recent outburst was a result of Weerawansa and his supporters being attacked at the right place, “they have become unsettled and angry,” he said.
Their masters are expected to be arrested and brought before courts on charges of murder and corruption. To avoid that, all they can do is oppose everything the government does and try to derail their programmes and try to topple the government, Ven. Amila Thera said.
When it comes to Constitution making, Ven. Amila Thera was of the view that they were trying to intimidate all by saying that they will bomb Parliament and that all those who engaged in it are traitors.
“Their main aim is to topple the government to fulfill their own personal interests”, Ven. Amila Thera said.
Commenting on Major General Kamal Gunaratne’s statements, the Thera observed that it was noteworthy that the statements were made on a stage where the former Defence Secretary too was present.
“At a time when we have allegations of human rights violations against the country and it is a risky time for us internationally, we have a Major General who fought the war in the presence of the former Defence Secretary making such statements of killing traitors. Such statements make people wonder and cast aspersions on the Major General if he would have actually fought the war. Many can think that they might have committed crimes, given their statement”, Ven. Amila Thera said.
These two are clearly motivating people to violence and violating the laws in the Penal Code and such threats even amount to terrorism. We need to stress that action should be taken against these people in future, Ven. Amila Thera added.
Senior Lecturer at the Department of History, University of Colombo, Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri too reiterated that Major General Kamal Gunaratne’s statement needed to be taken very seriously.
“It is a threat to people who operate with a conscience. The threat to kill traitors because they don’t agree with him has to be condemned by any democratic citizen”, Dr. Dewasiri said.
National Bhikku Front, Secretary Ven. Walamulle Uditha Thera delivering a special statement to the media said not only legal action must be taken on Wimal Weerawansa’s statement but he should also be subjected to a psychiatric examination.
“Weerawansa is a paranoid person, he looks at everything with fear and suspicion. A person who does not believe in democracy cannot make such a statement in a democratic society. This statement is a serious one. It has to be definitely investigated into. This is similar to someone making a threat against someone’s life. They can kill them or not. The government should also find out where they can source these bombs”, Ven. Uditha Thera said.
He further stated that Weerawansa and his supporters were a group who have lost power, and fallen. And they have come to the point where they think that they should acquire power with the aid of bombs. That is why they are making such statements. They have understood that if they do not somehow get into power, they will have no escape from all the cases lodged against them. The Joint Opposition is a group of people who have all the crimes to their name, perhaps they are uttering such statements to distract the people from their own dirty laundry, said Ven. Uditha Thera.
“A law abiding citizen cannot make a statement saying he is going to bomb the supreme body of this country. Of the 23 million people living in this country, why does he have such destructive and violent thoughts? The government should look into his mental state”, said Uditha Thera.
General Secretary Aryange Ekamuthuwa, Ven. Bendiwewe Diyasena Thera in the meantime said Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa was only promoting terrorism by suggesting that a bomb attack should be made on Parliament to prevent this adoption of a new Constitution. Although the joint opposition group led by Weerawansa had tried to topple the government through various means in the past and their efforts had miserably failed, he said.
Ven. Diyasena thera said the threat posed by Weerawansa clearly proved their inner feelings despite their open pronouncements about democracy.
He said the Joint Opposition should announce its stand on Weerawansa's anti-democratic statement without remaining silent.
Founder Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) Dr Pakiyasothy Saravanamuttu asked that the Speaker of Parliament take stern action against the Joint Opposition Parliamentarian Weerawansa over his irresponsible and offensive statement made on the new Constitution.
Dr. Saravanamuttu said that being Parliamentarians they should be very responsible and should not make such statements and the task of Constitutional reform should be continued.
In the meantime Government Nursing Officers' Union Chairman Saman Rathnapriya said that it was high time that a new Constitution is brought. He added that there was wide acceptance that a new Constitution was required for establishing permanent peace, reconciliation and development. He also added that it was compulsory as 6.2 million people gave their mandate to elect President Maithripala Sirisena to keep his pledge of bringing about a new Constitution.
He further said that Weerawansa's statement ridiculed the Parliamentary system. Being a member he suggested that Parliament be destroyed rather than being willing to contribute to the new Constitution by way of proposals. "It is natural for him to have such destructive thoughts as his brother-in-law too was involved in a bomb blast in Parliament," Rathnapriya said.
Rathnapriya said that even Retired Major General Kamal Gunaratne had made such a similarly violent and racist statement. "Wimal Weerawansa and Kamal Gunaratne are in the same group of Mahinda Rajapaksa who are attempting to come into power," Rathnapriya said. "The people in the country should realize that if their statements are so violent even when they have no power, imagine how brutal they would be when they get power? So we think they would be dealt by law over their statements”, said Rathnapriya.
“Two former military personnel who held high ranks had stated that those who support a new Constitution must be condemned as traitors and killed.
MP Weerawansa had stated that Parliament should be bombed. These comments prove their anti-democratic stance.
They are trying to instigate terror and encourage blood-shed in the country again,” Prof. Sarath Wijesuriya said.
Emphasizing that Constitutional reforms are needed to achieve meaningful reconciliation, Prof Wijesuriya said the country cannot move forward without national reconciliation.
Ven. Dambara Amila Thera of the Bhikkhu Front for Good Governance in the meantime was of the view that the recent outburst was a result of Weerawansa and his supporters being attacked at the right place, “they have become unsettled and angry,” he said.
Their masters are expected to be arrested and brought before courts on charges of murder and corruption. To avoid that, all they can do is oppose everything the government does and try to derail their programmes and try to topple the government, Ven. Amila Thera said. When it comes to Constitution making, Ven. Amila Thera was of the view that they were trying to intimidate all by saying that they will bomb Parliament and that all those who engaged in it are traitors.
Senior Lecturer at the Department of History, University of Colombo, Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri too reiterated that Major General Kamal Gunaratne’s statement needed to be taken very seriously.
“It is a threat to people who operate with a conscience.
The threat to kill traitors because they don’t agree with him has to be condemned by any democratic citizen”, Dr. Dewasiri said.
In the meantime Government Nursing Officers' Union Chairman Saman Rathnapriya said that it was high time that a new Constitution is brought.
He added that there was wide acceptance that a new Constitution was required for establishing permanent peace, reconciliation and development. He also added that it was compulsory as 6.2 million people gave their mandate to elect President Maithripala Sirisena to keep his pledge of bringing about a new Constitution.
National Bhikku Front, Secretary Ven. Walamulle Uditha Thera
National Bhikku Front, Secretary Ven. Walamulle Uditha Thera delivering a special statement to the media said not only legal action must be taken on Wimal Weerawansa’s statement but they should also be subjected to a psychiatric examination.
“Weerawansa is a paranoid person, he looks at everything with fear and suspicion.
A person who does not believe in democracy cannot make such a statement in a democratic society. This statement is a serious one. It has to be definitely investigated into. This is similar to someone making a threat against someone’s life. They can kill them or not. The government should also find out where they can source these bombs”, Ven. Uditha Thera said.
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