Solution must go beyond 13th Amendment - CPSL

The presentation of final APRC proposals should not be further prolonged as such a situation will cause a breach of confidence in the APRC, the Communist Party of Sri Lanka said in a media release.

Excerpts from the statement: “The Government has decided to fully implement the 13th Amendment to the constitution. This decision has been taken on the basis of a document presented by the All Party Representatives Committee (APRC) as a sequel to a discussion the President had with the members of the APRC connected with the Government and their leaders.

In the event of the acceptance of the report of the APRC, the next step would be the framing of a new constitution. Such a draft constitution would become law only after its passage through Parliament by a majority of over two-thirds of its members and its subsequent approval at a referendum.

In these circumstances, the implementation of the 13th Amendment will provide at least some relief to the people of the North and East at least for the time being.

It cannot however be a substitute for a final solution. The aspirations of the people of the North and East cannot be met unless a solution which contains devolution and power beyond those in the 13th Amendment is brought forth. This is mandatory for the solution of the national question. The early presentation of the report of the APRC is thus an essential requirement.

It is an established fact that the national question cannot be solved solely through the implementation of the 13th Amendment. If the provisions of the 13th Amendment were sufficient for the purpose their would not have been a national question by now.

This problem has dragged on for the last 20 years and fuelled the military conflict that is still raging because the 13th Amendment was not acceptable to the Tamil people as a solution to their problems.

It was in recognition of this reality that the All Party Conference (APC) was convened in 2006 and an APRC was set upto bring a suitable set of proposals for a solution.

The APRC has since deliberated for over one and a half years and according to information is on the verge of completing its proposals. It is important that the proposals of the APRC should have the agreement of all parties participating in the endeavour.

It is an element important for its success.”