Defending the country from terrorism

All patriotic Lankans are certain to endorse the stand taken by Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake that the country's constitution cannot be subject to ad hoc changes to accommodate foreign interests.

Responding to Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament on Wednesday the Prime Minister vowed that the Government would not allow any Constitutional change as proposed by the former "that would make Sri Lanka subservient to whomsoever".

Wickremesinghe was of the view that international treatises entered into by the President and Government of Sri Lanka have to be implemented by statute to have an internal effect. The issue of course was Sri Lanka's application for the GSP Plus facility which required abiding by certain international treaties on human rights. Don't we already have enough fundamental rights laws to deal with these evaluations without bringing an international dimension into the bargain?

The Premier also stated that the Republican character of Sri Lanka would be changed and the sovereignty of the people affected if Constitutional amendments are made as proposed by the Opposition Leader.

Sri Lanka may be a small country but it does not have to bow to the dictates of any foreign power trying to impose their own standards and mechanisms to deal with human rights in a wholly unique situation, when the country is waging war to save its territorial integrity. As the Premier said what is at stake is the country's sovereignty. The UNP regime thought nothing of the country's sovereignty when the LTTE was allowed to draw up lines of demarcation ceding portions of sovereign territory to a group whose avowed goal is separatism.

True, Sri Lanka is a party to certain International agreements and treaties on human rights. But legislating to enshrine these in the Constitution is fraught with danger and could impinge on the current offensive to rid the country of LTTE terrorism.

In this respect one should salute India who refused the entry to Foreign NGOs and humanitarian agencies following the tsunami catastrophe viewing it as danger to its internal security. India was not hamstrung by such international pacts when its National Security was the overriding concern.

We are certain that India would not to be constrained by these niceties in the wake of the Mumbai carnage in its efforts in hunting down the terrorists.

Such legislation is also bound to precipitate a plethora of litigation on flimsy grounds by vested interests buoyed by internationally binding law, and the State would be kept busy defending itself when it should be defending the country from terrorism.

Amendments that could change the country's republican character could also bring with it its own problems paving the way for alien interference in the country's internal affairs which in turn could detract from the Government's war against terrorism.

What is of paramount importance at this hour is unity by the two major political parties to provide all support to the Security Forces in their battle against terrorism instead of placing roadblocks in this endeavour by promoting iron clad internationally binding legislation that could impede this exercise.

Besides Sri Lanka has been able to manage without the GSP facility according to Minister G.L.Peiris and bartering away the country's sovereign rights on any grounds cannot be condoned.

The UNP even in the past have been liberal in allowing outside forces to trifle with the country's sovereignty.

There is enough interference in our internal affairs by various alien powers without the Opposition Leader adding to it. What is needed today is a unified front to defeat these forces which are attempting to halt the march of the Security Forces from achieving the final victory. Wickremesinghe will do well not to be a pawn of these forces.