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Political turmoil over Lankan constitution bill

Ahead of a stormy parliament session which begins next Monday to discuss and vote the controversial constitution bill, the political scene in the Sri Lanka has become volatile with the main opposition party declaring that it would not even participate in the debate.

The United National Party parliamentary group met late Thursday and decided that leader Ranil Wickremesinghe will only make a statement and withdraw from the debate on the bill.

The party said the government was trying to push the bill through with unusual haste. If the bill was presented to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Tigers of Tamil Eelam after it was passed in parliament, and if the rebels proposed amendments during talks, then the process would be at a dead-end, the party noted.

Tamil political parties are still undecided and would take a final decision before Monday after a thorough study of the draft of the new constitution. While some of the Tamil party leaders were unhappy over the bill, others are of the view that it would be the best offer.

Peoples Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam leader Dharmalingam Sidharthan said the bill is far from the proposals of the 1997 bill. His party is not happy with proposals on land and referendum for the merger of north and east provinces. Some members of the Tamil United Liberation Front have already expressed their resentment.

Admist protests inside and outside parliament, President Chandrika Kumaratunga introduced the new constitution Thursday, saying devolution of power was the most effective way to solve the ethnic crisis and appealed for support from the opposition. But the UNP members reacted by tearing copies of the draft bill and burning it in the chamber.

Outside, Buddhist monks, Janata Vimukhti Peramana and others took out protest march against the bill. Kumaratunga's ruling People' Alliance has a strength of 111 in the 225-member parliament.

Since it requires a two-third majority to pass the bill, support from Tamil parties and the UNP is crucial.

Tamil parties together have 24 members while the UNP has a strength of 91. With at least seven UNP members having walked over to the PA, it has an effective strength of 118.

Even if most Tamil party members support the bill, the government is still short of at least ten votes.

UNI

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