Media Minister explains about constitutional amendments.
The 13th Amendment to the constitution and the Indo Lanka Agreement were imposed on the country without the consent of the people. However, the sovereignty of the people is supreme. Therefore, the government has focused the attention on bringing in certain amendments to the 13th amendment as it suits to the country in the present situation.
This was stated by the Cabinet spokesman and the Minister of Mass Media and Information Mr. Keheliya Rambukwella addressing the Cabinet Decisions announcement media conference held at the Ministry of Mass Media and Information auditorium this afternoon.
The Minister also explained that a country has the right to change agreements with foreign countries in conformity with the aspirations and mandate of the people of the country as the sovereignty of the people is supreme. The Minister said that necessary amendments to the 13th Amendment will be instituted in the future, but however, the elections for the 3 provincial councils including the elections for the Northern Provincial Council will be held in September under the present constitutional status.
Responding to a question about certain agitations being carried out by the Bodu Bala Sena organizations the Minister said that the government has given instructions to the relevant institutions and authorities to take stern action against such agitations and prevent recurrence of such incidents.(niz)
http://www.news.lk/news/sri-lanka/5614-media-minister-explains-about-constitutional-amendments
Amendments to 13-A only via PSC; NPC poll would be held as scheduled
The government yesterday said that any alterations to the 13th amendment would be effected only via the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to be set up. It requested other parties to take part in PSC proceedings. That move, it added, was in keeping with the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recommendations.
Addressing a media conference at the party headquarters in Colombo, SLFP Senior Vice President and Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said that the main Opposition UNP and the Tamil National Alliance had not nominated their members to the PSC and that was why there was a delay in setting it up.
Minister de Silva said however that the Northern, North Western and Central Provincial Council elections would be held as scheduled and they would not be affected by the amending of the 13th Amendment.
Asked to comment on the allegation that the government had not invited the UNP to take part in the PSC, Minister de Silva said that the invitation had been extended by the Speaker to all parties at a party leaders’ meeting attended by UNP MP John Amaratunga.
The SLFP was to appoint the PSC on Tuesday, but the UNP had asked for two weeks to decide whether to attend it or not, the Minister said. “We can form a PSC and proceed, but the SLFP needs to go ahead in a very democratic manner with the participation of the TNA and the UNP.” Minister de Silva said that a solution to Sri Lanka’s international problem should come from within.
He said that the Sri Lankan government was capable enough to handle internal matters.
SLFP General Secretary and Health Minister Maithripala Sririsena, SLFP Vice President and Petroleum Industries Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and SLFP Treasurer and Youth Affairs and Skills Development Minister Dallas Alahapperuma also attended the media conference
by Dasun Edirisinghe
IS