Secretary to President at Ranbima title presentation:
13A was forced on country
* Causing disruption to admin process
* PCs a stumbling block to progress
Chaminda Perera
The then government was so much under pressure that it accepted the
13th Amendment to the Constitution without calling for a referendum in
the face of a threat of invasion, Secretary to the President Lalith
Weeratunga said yesterday.
Weeratunga added that public discussion is brewing on the 13th
Amendment and many secrets with regard to the introduction of the
Provincial Council system are coming to light. He said the President
does not show hesitation in shutting down establishments and
institutions if they do not provide the expected services to the public.
“President Rajapaksa always gives clear directives to us to close
down establishments which do not provide the expected services to the
people,” Weeratunga said.
The country’s administrative process was completely changed with the
13th Amendment to the Constitution, which was implemented without the
people’s consent, the Secretary said.
Weeratunga was speaking at the presentation of land deeds to persons
who do not own land, under the 12th stage of Ranbima title presentation
programme launched by the Lands Reforms Commission (LRC) at Temple Trees
yesterday. It was held under the patronage of President Mahinda
Rajapaksa.
“ The time has come for the people to evaluate the pros and cons of
the Provincial Council system which was set up under the 13th Amendment
to the Constitution without calling for a referendum,” he said.
The Secretary said it is left to the people to evaluate the benefits
received from the Provincial Councils which were established in 1989.
He said public views were not sought prior to the enactment of the
13th Amendment to the Constitution on which Provincial Councils were set
up.
The Secretary to the President said the provision of a plot of land
to a person who does not inherit an inch of land in the country has
become a cumbersome process today as there is a clash between the
Provincial councils and District Secretaries over land powers.
“The people seeking land have to go to various places to get approval
due to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution,” he said.
The Secretary said the distribution of lands among the landless was a
simple process before the 13th Amendment was in force.
“An Assistant Government Agent was able to provide a land to a family
who did not have legal ownership of their own land earlier,” he said.
Weeratunga said the LRC which comes under the direct supervision of
the President has carried out tremendous work in all parts of the
country including the North and East.
The Secretary to the President said the country went through an era
in where the people’s lives were in danger due to terrorist atrocities.
Parents were left with no other option than hanging around the gates
of schools fearing terrorist attacks.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa who was determined in eliminating
terrorism from the country faced many obstacles, he said.
He said many countries including the UK, United States, France and
neighbouring India exerted pressure to stop the humanitarian operation
launched by the government to free the country from terrorism.
Weeratunga said President Rajapaksa replying to these forces said the
majority of the people in the country had given him a clear mandate to
free the country from terrorism and he remained committed to achieve
this objective. |