Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva tells public rally:

DECISION TIME ON 13 A

*Imposed on country amid strong opposition

*Premadasa too a strong critic

At the time the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was introduced, the Sri Lankan government and its leaders were under immense pressure exerted by both internal and external forces and as a result they did not have the ability to take independent decisions, SLFP Vice President and Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said.

The minister said as a result, the 13th Amendment which resulted from the Indo-Lanka accord of 1987 was forced upon the country rather than Sri Lanka accepting it of its own free will.

However, the minister noted that the amendment contained both good and bad aspects, and added it was time to take a decision on the nature of this amendment.

Minister de Silva who also heads the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) appointed to look into changes to the Constitution including the 13th Amendment, observed this addressing a public gathering in Badulla recently.

The minister recalled that the SLFP even engaged in a ‘Satyagraha campaign’ at Colombo Fort protesting against the introduction of the 13th Amendment.

“Even a section of the ruling UNP at the time, protested against it. Gamini Jayasuriya resigned and Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa, senior UNP members Lalith Athulathmudali and others openly stated their opposition to the 13th Amendment,” he said.

“Today, the UNP has forgotten that its leader at the time J.R.Jayewardene signed the Indo-Lanka accord after imposing a curfew,” the minister said. He said that today there is a raging debate on the 13th Amendment and added that the best platform for people’s political representative to express their ideas was the PSC.