The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has offered to work with the Government to resolve key issues.
The offer was made in a letter presented to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa at a meeting convened by the Prime Minister with former Parliamentarians yesterday.
In the letter presented to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the TNA noted that the country and the people are in a situation of grave crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The TNA also noted that at all National Elections over the past twenty-five (25) years since 1994, over Five terms of both Parliament and Presidency, the people have in the exercise of their sovereignty – their franchise, rejected the 1978 constitution, and given a mandate for the enactment of a new constitution, encompassing all three components of their sovereignty – powers of governance – including legislative executive and judicial power – fundamental rights and their franchise.
The TNA says this mandate of the people in the exercise of their sovereignty has not been fulfilled and the country continues to be governed under a constitution rejected by the People for over twenty-five years.
The TNA also said that the Parliament elected in 2015 unanimously resolved to convert itself into a Committee of the whole Parliament – termed a Constitutional Assembly with a Steering Committee and sub committees in charge of different Subjects and an Experts Committee to formulate a new Constitution dealing primarily with three issues.
“The National Question the sharing of the Powers of Governance, has since the enactment of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, been addressed by all political parties and political Leaders and successive Governments since 1991 – and much progress has been made – Public commitments have been made to the Country and to the International community – in regard to how this issue would be addressed and concluded in an acceptable way. The support of the International Community was obtained on the basis of such commitments. These commitments have to be kept in the interests of national peace, regional peace and world peace. It would otherwise appear that the International Community was also deceived to betray the Tamil people who were the victims,” the TNa added.
The TNA said that they had decided that they will attend the meeting with the Prime Minister today, because all these issues need to be addressed and to clearly indicate that they are prepared to extend their co-operation to the resolution of these issues in a reasonable and acceptable manner in the interests of the country and all its people.
However, the TNA emphasized that the meeting summoned by the Prime Minister is not and cannot be a substitute for convening the Parliament.
Courtesy: Colombo Gazette
