Features
‘One Country and One Law’ A Misunderstood Concept?
by M. A. M. H. Barry
PhD, LLM, MA, LLB. BA
Attorney-at-Law
The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal (Aristotle)
Although much is spoken about ‘one country and one law’ in Sri Lanka, it is not a new phrase as all the countries in the world have one legal system. But this does not denote that there must be only one law for each and every aspect which everyone should follow. If this contention is correct, then no country will have different laws at the different levels or for different segments of people. For instance, if we take Sri Lanka, we have different laws in different provinces in some prescribed areas by virtue of the Thirteenth Amendment and Provincial Council Act No. 42 of 1987, and further we have different bylaws in various local councils.
Furthermore, we have several different laws which govern the administration and functions of the different religious places or institutions. For examples, we have Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance No. 19 of 1931 (as amended) governing the administration of temples, The Hindu Cultural Fund Act No. 31 of 1985, The Church of Ceylon (Incorporation) act (No. 43 of 1998), and Muslim Mosques and Charitable Trusts or Wakfs Act (No. 51 of 1956). These acts clearly indicate that different laws are necessary for the functioning and administration of different religious places/institutions.
No sensible person would argue that there should be one law to manage all these religious places because the diversity of the faiths and cultures demand such different laws. These laws exist because this diversity was recognized. It is not possible or correct to demand the people to give up their diverse faiths and to accept one law which could govern all religious places or institutions on the argument that all Sri Lankans should have only one law.
Equality and Equity
One of the fundamental elements of the notion of equality is equity, which requires that justice should be distributed according to the needs of the people as not all people are equal in all aspects, whether they are political, economic or social and they are not identical in strength, resources, means and practice.
The basic concept of equality signifies that the persons who are similarly categorized must be treated equally. To treat equals as unequals or unequals as equals, is equally unjust or violative of the principle of equality (State Bank of India v. State of West Bengal, 1979, 1 Ch LJ 363). All human beings are born equal and they should be treated equally. However, the unequals are identified and recognized not only due to political, economic and social disparities, but also more importantly due to the diversities of religions, cultures and languages. The concept of equality demands recognition of diversities and permits the manifestation of the rights of diverse communities according to the fundamental norms of the constitution or guiding principles of the state, without affecting the substantial laws of the country. In application of indigenous laws, the recognition is given only in a limited areas which are very personal like marriage, divorce and inheritance. For all other purposes general law is equally applicable to all.
The Indian Supreme Court in many decided cases interpreted the art 14(equality clause) by reading it with the art. 15 which prohibits discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth etc. The section 15 though fosters national identity does not deny pluralism of Indian culture but rather it preserves it (MR Jois, Equal Treatment, Jspui, bitstream).
Many leading states where they are federal, semi federal or unitary have either parallel or sub-legal systems, but they are still regarded as the part of one legal system which accommodates the unity of their people.
The sub-legal systems are accommodated in several states in order to recognize the religious or cultural practices of segments of the people in a few selected areas like personal law which deals with the matters related to marriage, divorces, inheritance etc. Several non-Muslim countries including India, Thailand, Singapore, Philippine and notably Israel which is known as the world only Jewish state where the Qadi courts are functioning under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice or Cultural Affairs. The Qadi courts in Israel have jurisdiction to adjudicate matters relating to marriages, divorce, financial maintenance, legal capacity and guardianship, custody of children, paternity and inheritance, among others. The rights of the Muslims to practice their personal law are being protected in Israel despite the fact that there has been a historical animosity between the Arab Muslims and Israeli Jews due to Israel/Palestine land dispute. In Sri Lanka we have a pluralistic legal system which has been accommodated to realize the diverse aspirations and give respect to different communities of whom our constitution acknowledges as equal citizens of the country.
The reasons for recognizing and protecting the ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural rights of the citizens in multi religious/cultural and linguistic states could be realistically, legally and politically attributed to the following indispensable factors (1) social contract (2) protecting religious rights and (3) protecting universal rights. The states by definition and nature are obliged to respect and enforce their duties originate from the above factors.
The social contract is a contract between the state and its citizens. No modern state could exist or function without the social contract and it is the people who give authority to the state or to its agent (government) to manage their affairs. Under the social contract, the people surrender or delegate certain rights to the state and retained or reserved their fundamental rights to themselves.
Furthermore, under the social contract the rights that are not delegated or retained by the people, the state undertakes to protect them (both individual and collective rights). In modern times the people do not give authority to states to establish absolute or totalitarian rule, but they wanted states to protect their basic rights as the primary duty of the state. The terms of the social contract (rights/duties of the state and rights/duties of the people) are normally enshrined and reflected in a country’s constitution and other respective laws
For instance, the tenth amendment to the US Constitution expressly reserves the powers not delegated under the Constitution or prohibited by it to the respective states, or to the people. The US courts have affirmed this position in several leading cases. In Butchers’ Union case (1884-111 U.S. 746) Field J observed “…all men are endowed, not by the edicts of Emperors or decrees of Parliament or Acts of Congress, but by their Creator, with certain inalienable rights’ that is, rights which cannot be bartered away or give away except the punishment of crime, and among these are life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, and to secure these, not grant them but secure them, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Although under the Indian Constitution, there is no similar provision like the tenth amendment to the US Constitution, in Gopalan case (1950-SCR 88) Sastri J. stated “It is true to say that, in a sense, the people delegated to the legislative, executive and the judicial organs of the State their respective powers while reserving to themselves the fundamental rights which they made paramount by providing that, the State shall not make any law which takes away or abridges the rights conferred by that Part (of the Constitution) …”
Hence it is a duty of any state to secure these rights since they are the core values of a constitution. As the part of its primary duty a state should protect its peoples’ rights and ensure the justice to everyone by applying equality and equity in addressing or resolving any problems of the people.
“Justice, Equality and Equity” are the cardinal principles and fundamental requirements not only for successful resolutions of any dispute among the people, but also to unite the diverse people under the one national banner. These cardinal principles are the fundamental values which cannot be subordinated to any other claimed values.
The state duty under the social contract does not change according to the electoral changes as the people vote to different parties at the different elections but this does not provide permission to change or negatively amend the core values or guiding principles of the state. The social contract does not imply that it is a contract only with the majority who voted for any political party but it is a contract with all citizens (different segments). In this context, the state has to protect the interest and rights of all citizens who participated in the electoral process and also who do not participate in the process (who did not vote or do not use their franchise), because the protection of the core values are guiding principle of the state or constitution which could not be politically or morally or even legally be abrogated.
In the US, the constitutional provisions and amendments which protect the rights of the people, especially its Fourteenth Amendment which enshrines the equality clause are regarded as the core values or guiding principles of the state. No debate takes place in the US to negate or weaken these core values or guiding principles as these protective provisions are well entrenched and no one think about their abrogation as these principles are synonymous with the primary objective of the state.
Protecting Right to Freedom of Religion
The right to freedom of religion is not only a collective or community right, but it also an individual right. In modern history, it was regarded as one of the first recognized human rights. The Code of Rhode Island of 1647 and Westphalia Peace Treaty 1648 recognized religious freedom. It was regarded as one of the foundations of Human Rights ideology. The basic elements of freedom of religion and belief have the status of jus cogens or international customary law (Forum 18). It is also a part of Ius Gentium (law of nations) and a part of Lingua Franca (universal language) because the language of human rights has become the moral lingua franca (Micheal H. Perry).
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Integration or Assimilation?
In a multi-cultural, religious and linguistic state like Sri Lanka the national integration is a condition precedent for the nation building. The national integration signifies that the diverse people in a state are incorporated into the society as equals while their diversity is respected and recognized as the part of the state’s polity. On the other hand, the assimilation may be defined as the process whereby all the cultures within a state are assimilated into one dominant culture and thereby, depriving other cultures to exist. The assimilation is not politically, socially, morally and legally possible in a multi-cultural, religious and linguistic state like Sri Lanka as all communities are entitled to their fundamental rights of practicing and preserving the religious, cultural and linguistic rights. Hence, the very definition of the state should reflect the ethnic diversity and aggregation of distinct communities.
The indigenous laws of Sri Lanka were recognized in the context of integrating diverse religious and cultural practice in very rare and exceptional areas which are related to the personal or private life. If the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) necessitate any amendment to mend any deficiency, it could be addressed by making necessary amendments. Already, the committee appointed for recommending reforms on MMDA, headed by former Supreme Court Judge Hon. Justice Saleem Marsoof has completed its report. Hence, the amendment could be worked out on the basis of these recommendation to address any concern or deficiency.
In this context, the notion of one country and one law’ should be seen as a unifier of all communities in the nation building process by respecting and recognizing their rights and consolidating a legal system which could accommodate the aspirations of all the people. Furthermore, the notion of one law also signifies that all people are equal before the law and they are entitled to equal protection of law, and specifically no one is above the law.
Sri Lanka needs unity among the people, which requires every community respects others and everyone community regard other communities as brothers and sisters of one family of the nation without perceiving others in suspicious, apprehensive and mistrustful manner. The law should be actively applicable to prevent hate speeches against each other and to ensure dignity to every community.
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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