'Separatists' should not be members of CC - SPUR

Members of the Constitutional Council should be representative of a balanced cross section of eminent persons reflecting the changing patterns in Sri Lankan society, the World Alliance for Peace in Sri Lanka (WAPS) stated.

It is reported that there are plans afoot to nominate and appoint members of the Constitution Council. While the masses, especially the people in the villages of Sri Lanka either directly or indirectly are on the verge of extricating themselves from the clutches of the LTTE terrorists and the interfering NGOs, quietly but surely another segment of our society mainly consisting of individuals and groups rejected by masses, is proceeding on a social engineering project to limit the powers of the elected President. Their plan unfortunately is not to ensure good governance through proper checks and balances, but to promote individuals who will obstruct the elected President in implementing his mandate, WAPS stated in a released.

The release: "Our views should not be taken as unconditionally encouraging the Chief Executive to abuse his power. More importantly the objective is to stop the Chief Executive and the people who elected him or her to be a helpless captive in the hands of individuals who are neither elected nor suitable to hold an office of this importance as they have openly acted or spoken against the changes which have taken place in Sri Lankan society over the years including the defeat of the LTTE terrorists.

The Constitutional Council is bound to play a critical role in setting standards at the highest level. It is of prime importance therefore that those who are to occupy the seats in the council should posses impeccable credentials in their careers. In the recent American elections President Obama came under heavy fire for his associations with activists linked to violent organizations. He unequivocally denied and disassociated himself with those activists and organizations. Sri Lanka should emulate this example and leave no room for anyone who had any links with separatist or terrorist organizations that had destabilized the nation with brutal violence and threatened the elected governments, subverting the will of the people.

Among the nominees who are now known to the public, Retired Justice V. Wigneswaran and J Uyangoda stand out as persons who do not posses the necessary credentials to be worthy of being appointed to the Constitutional Council.

The Retired Justice has expressed the view that the North and the East of Sri Lanka were independent entities and that the Tamil speaking people were being robbed and converted to a minority by the Sinhalese after Independence etc, etc (Ref to SC Justice C.V Wigneswaran's speech on March 07 welcoming Justice Yapa)

J. Uyangoda, a convicted terrorist guilty of crimes against the Sri Lanka people and is a well-known biased commentator on Sri Lankan affairs and a writer on political and social issues. He has written copiously for the separatist cause against a unitary Sri Lanka and also about the necessity to provide space for the terrorist LTTE in democratic Sri Lanka.

In fact, he is one of the main commentators who have been critical of the actions taken by a number of Sri Lankan Governments in their attempts to get rid of the LTTE terrorists while misleading the world's academic and think tank institutions on socio economic issues relating to Sri Lanka.

We are of the view that Retd. Justice Wigneswaran and J. Uyangoda are not men of eminence and integrity as required by the Article 41 (4) and have definitely proven themselves by their actions to be out of step with the thinking of the vast majority of Sri Lankan populous.

If they are appointed, they will be act as a barrier to the President in discharging his functions for the benefit of the country at large.

Both the nominees have not renounced their allegiances to separatism and its violence and nor have they apologized for their questionable utterances and views.

These two individuals cannot be expected to perform their duties objectively given their past record and ideological commitments.

We request either to withdraw the nominations or prevent the appointment of Retd Justice Wigneswarn and J Uyangoda to the Constitutional Council .We also request all political parties NOT to convert the Constitutional Council to a home for the retired elitists or to promoters of terrorism and separatism If not it will be an act against the will of the people and the integrity of the country.

Arising from this we wish to insist that any candidate, before they are appointed, should take an oath swearing allegiance to sovereign, unitary Sri Lanka rejecting ideological and political commitments to separatism and violence which undermines the democratic state of Sri Lanka."