Midweek Politics: From 13 Plus To 13 Minus
By Dharisha Bastians -October 25, 2012
Dharisha Bastians
There is a certain rustic simplicity to the way the Sri Lanka’s present rulers go about their business. How do you solve the problem of leaked examination papers? Ban tuition classes one week before national exams. What do you do when one un-constituted provincial council is preventing the enactment of legislation limiting the powers of the councils? Repeal the 13th Amendment and do away with the provincial council system altogether. A Government that has grown so accustomed to getting its way cannot and will not be thwarted, not by the Supreme Court and certainly not by the irritant that is the Tamil National Alliance.
The sudden increase in volume regarding the ‘dangers’ of the 13th Amendment emanating from Government proxies and mouthpieces is therefore in no way accidental. Minister Wimal Weerawansa has urged the Government to call a referendum to repeal the 13th Amendment. Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said the 13th Amendment must be repealed or amended without delay, charging that it was a major impediment to the post-war development effort.
“The ongoing efforts by a political grouping led by one-time LTTE mouthpiece, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to hinder the passage of the Divi Neguma Bill in Parliament meant that in spite of Sri Lanka’s battlefield victory over terrorism separatist sentiments were strong,” the Defence Secretary told a local newspaper.
According to the Defence Secretary, this fact was underscored by the fact that the TNA held high level discussions in India recently to push for full implementation of the 13th Amendment. Demonising the TNA as the LTTE rump still agitating for separatism is inimical the Government’s own assurances to New Delhi that it will continue discussions with the TNA regarding a final political settlement. More light was shed on the issue when Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa told heads of Tamil media organisations on Monday (22) that the Government would not hesitate to introduce the 19th Amendment to the Constitution if it felt the 13th Amendment had shortcomings. According to the Colombo Gazette website which reported on the meeting, Minister Rajapaksa had several strange assertions to make during the meeting. Firstly he said that both the LTTE and the TNA had at one time strongly opposed the 13th Amendment, with the Tigers having assassinated Indian Premier Rajiv Gandhi over the issue.
Secondly, the Minister warned that attempts to ‘misuse’ the 13th Amendment would prompt ‘public’ calls for its repeal. Interestingly, Minister Rajapaksa appears to have forgotten that the LTTE opposed the 13th Amendment on the basis that it was a trap set in the Indo-Lanka Agreement to give the Tamils less autonomy than they wished for. In other words, the provincial council system provided for in the 13th Amendment was simply not enough power sharing as far as the LTTE was concerned.
In any case why the Tigers’ position on the matter forms the Government’s basis for discrediting the 13th Amendment is a question to ponder. The Minister’s statement about ‘misusing’ the 13th Amendment on the other hands makes a great deal more sense. As far as the regime is concerned, the TNA is effectively ‘misusing’ the provincial council system provided for in the 13th Amendment, in order to blockade legislation greatly desired by the Government – Divi Neguma.
“The ongoing efforts by a political grouping led by one-time LTTE mouthpiece, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to hinder the passage of the Divi Neguma Bill in Parliament meant that in spite of Sri Lanka’s battlefield victory over terrorism separatist sentiments were strong,” the Defence Secretary told a local newspaper.
According to the Defence Secretary, this fact was underscored by the fact that the TNA held high level discussions in India recently to push for full implementation of the 13th Amendment. Demonising the TNA as the LTTE rump still agitating for separatism is inimical the Government’s own assurances to New Delhi that it will continue discussions with the TNA regarding a final political settlement. More light was shed on the issue when Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa told heads of Tamil media organisations on Monday (22) that the Government would not hesitate to introduce the 19th Amendment to the Constitution if it felt the 13th Amendment had shortcomings. According to the Colombo Gazette website which reported on the meeting, Minister Rajapaksa had several strange assertions to make during the meeting. Firstly he said that both the LTTE and the TNA had at one time strongly opposed the 13th Amendment, with the Tigers having assassinated Indian Premier Rajiv Gandhi over the issue.
Secondly, the Minister warned that attempts to ‘misuse’ the 13th Amendment would prompt ‘public’ calls for its repeal. Interestingly, Minister Rajapaksa appears to have forgotten that the LTTE opposed the 13th Amendment on the basis that it was a trap set in the Indo-Lanka Agreement to give the Tamils less autonomy than they wished for. In other words, the provincial council system provided for in the 13th Amendment was simply not enough power sharing as far as the LTTE was concerned.
In any case why the Tigers’ position on the matter forms the Government’s basis for discrediting the 13th Amendment is a question to ponder. The Minister’s statement about ‘misusing’ the 13th Amendment on the other hands makes a great deal more sense. As far as the regime is concerned, the TNA is effectively ‘misusing’ the provincial council system provided for in the 13th Amendment, in order to blockade legislation greatly desired by the Government – Divi Neguma.
