‘Solution to ethnic issue lies with PSC’

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) is the most appropriate mechanism to have a collective agreement on the ethnic issue and the government has already appointed the PSC, Acting Media Minister and Acting Cabinet spokesman Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said. He said many proposals that came through the PSCs were passed in Parliament in the past.

The 13th amendment is something that has already been passed in Parliament but anything more or less should be approved by a two thirds majority in the Parliament, Addressing the weekly Cabinet press briefing at the Government Information Department auditorium yesterday, the acting minister said that there is no need to explain all these to the media or to the Indian delegation because now it is up to the TNA to forward their proposals to the PSC. TNA is invited for the PSC. The TNA should forward their proposals to the PSC now.

Acting Minister Yapa pointed out that the TNA is not the sole representative of the Tamil community. There are other Tamil political parties and Muslim political parties. Therefore any solution should be a collective one. The solution is here in the PSC in Sri Lanka and it is not in a foreign country. The sole authority of granting a two thirds majority is the Sri Lankan Parliament and not foreign countries. Complaining to foreign countries is pointless.

“The PSC has given an opportunity and a platform to have in depth discussions on the ethnic issue. The LLRC Report recommendations are important and the recommendations and proposals of the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) is also important. Everything can be presented and discussed in the PSC. The Sri Lankan Government will not change its stand on separatism. It did not let the country to divide into two parts by war and the Government will never let it happen”,the acting minister stressed.