What is the issue?
- An interim report of the Sri Lankan Assembly’s Standing Committee on constitutional reform was released recently.
- It is neither a final report nor a constitutional draft, but a statement of the various positions of groups in Parliament on reform topics.
- It reflects the rising opposition within the government for taking forward the constitutional reforms proposed earlier.
What were the key reform proposals?
- The constitutional reform process envisages an undivided and indivisible country, with the province as the unit for devolution of power.
- It introduces the concept of ‘subsidiarity’.
- Under this, functions that can be performed by the lowest tier of government should be vested in it.
- The report also provides for the creation of a second parliamentary chamber representing the provinces.
- The report commits that the controversial terms ‘unitary’ and ‘federal’ be avoided.
- Instead, Sinhala and Tamil terms that suggest an undivided country be used to describe the republic.
- Besides, the electoral system solely based on proportional representation is proposed to be changed.
- A mixed method under which 60% of parliamentary members to be elected under the first-past-the-post system is to be introduced.
- Complying with earlier demands, the reforms aim at abolishing the executive presidency.
- The government has promised that the pre-eminent status given to Buddhism will remain as such; an assurance that may help overcome opposition from the majority.
What are the roadblocks?
- Government - The various factions within the government are divided on the nature and scope of the reforms.
- The Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his team want a new Constitution and the abolition of the presidential system.
- On the other hand, the President Maithripala Sirisena and his Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) insist only on electoral reforms.
- Buddhists - The most ardent opponents of the reform initiatives now are Sinhalese nationalist forces, led by Buddhist monks.
- They are concerned that any further devolution would amount to giving in to the demands of the Tamil and Muslim minorities.
- It would also be appeasing the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam diaspora and foreign powers.
- Also, they worry that abolition of the presidential system would weaken the Sri Lankan state.
- The Buddhist Sangha leaders are concerned that the new Constitution might relax on the “foremost place” position accorded to Buddhism in the current Constitution.
How does the future look?
- The Prime Minister will certainly find it difficult to manage the politics of constitutional reform.
- Besides, the government of Sirisena and Wickremesinghe is no longer as politically strong as it was a year ago.
- Corruption scandals, slowing down of investigations against individuals of the previous government, and economic stagnation have all seriously undermined the political credibility.
- Unless the two leaders repair their relationship, any significant progress in the constitutional reform process is far from reality.
Source: The Hindu
