Opinion
Statement and update on country situation: Direction Sri Lanka
On 09 August 2022, Direction Sri Lanka issued a Statement with the title “Country First : The Way Forward for Sri Lanka” articulating its Statement with Proposals dated 19th April 2022, identifying what had been achieved so far and setting out what remains to be achieved in relation to the said Statement with Proposals. By the said recent statement of 9th August 2022, Direction Sri Lanka also identified 7 further matters of concern that require to be urgently addressed for due reform in the Country.
For ease of reference, a copy of the Direction Sri Lanka Statement of 9th August 2022 is appended hereto.
MATTERS OF CONCERN :-
1. Direction Sri Lanka is deeply concerned and vehemently opposes the utilization of the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act by the State to apprehend and detain persons who have been involved in the Aragalaya.
It is the considered position of Direction Sri Lanka that the spirit and intendment of the Prevention of the Terrorism Act is only to provide additional law enforcement tools to the State to deal with terrorism and terrorist threats in its common understanding and is not meant to be used in any manner or way to curtail dissent and the freedom of expression by citizens which is enshrined and protected by the Constitution.
The Protestors who are being arrested are those who led a People’s Movement in the interests of a vast majority of the People of this Country, never seen before in recent history. In recent weeks several key activists of the Aragalaya have been arrested and detained.
In this context, it is appropriate that protestors who are alleged to have violated the law but who have acted not in their individual interests but representing the will and aspirations of the people, are not subjected to criminal proceedings.
In contrast, the people of this Country are still waiting to see the Law enforced against the Members of Parliament who damaged public property in Parliament during the Constitutional Coup of 2018 and are also disappointed to note that several of the perpetrators have also recently received Ministerial Posts in spite of their past conduct.
Direction Sri Lanka also invites the attention of the authorities to the Media Interviews given by Actress Damitha Abeyratne as well as former Member of Parliament Ranjan Ramanayake where they allege of degrading treatment and inhuman conditions meted out to detainees and prisoners which would be in flagrant violation of the entrenched Fundamental Rights found in Article 11 of the Constitution which provides that “No person shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”, and calls upon the authorities to immediately address this very serious matter which affects the basic fundamental rights of the citizen and to ensure that there is no room for such unlawful and reprehensible acts to take place.
2. It is the considered view of the Direction Sri Lanka that the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution should be promulgated as soon as possible. The 20th Amendment of the Constitution has vested excessive powers in the office the President and it is imperative that this power is vested back in Parliament and the other democratic institutions. Direction Sri Lanka has previously set out its observations and positions to further strengthen the 19th Amendment to the Constitution (19 +), but now in view of the Determination of the Supreme Court, it is the position of Direction Sri Lanka that the provisions of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution which can be promulgated without a referendum must be enacted most expeditiously, whilst looking at further improvements through further amendments to the Constitution.
3. Direction Sri Lanka also observes that there is a narrative sought to be introduced by some that the Aragalaya was a failure. It is the position of Direction Sri Lanka that this is a completely false narrative sought to be promoted for vested collateral considerations. The Aragalaya constituted a vast majority of the people of Sri Lanka who came together in one voice calling for the removal of the Head of State and the Head of Government who the people saw as being primarily responsible for the predicament of the Country and bringing suffering to the people.
This principal demand and the main objective of the Aragalaya was achieved among many other achievements on 09th July 2022 and the Aragalaya was not only successful but has created history by being possibly the only people driven movement in recent world history that was successful in effectively ousting in a very short period of time a Head of State who was vested with immense powers and who directly and indirectly controlled most of the institutions in the country.
4. From the very inception, it has been the position of Direction Sri Lanka that the Country urgently needs the establishment of an all-party / multi party government not only to deal with the pressing issues at hand but also to demonstrate consensus and legitimacy of government to the international community.
Direction Sri Lanka once again calls upon the President, the Leader of the Opposition and the Members of the Parliament to put aside any political differences and perceived disadvantages and come together with sincerity and honesty and work together in one Cabinet in this grave and dark moment in our nation’s history. The franchise of the people cannot be exercised until an election is held and it can be seen that the will and mandate of a vast majority of people of this country is for their representatives to come together and it is the incumbent duty of the President and each and every member of Parliament to work towards achieving the same.
In this respect, we also call upon the President to offer a tangible action plan with a definitive time frame to the Opposition and we call upon the Opposition to accordingly take up this challenge and national duty at this time of grave uncertainty in the country.
5. In this respect, from the very inception, it was the position of Direction Sri Lanka that such an All Party / Multi Party Government should comprise 18 Cabinet Ministers and 18 Deputy Ministers.
Direction Sri Lanka does not see any benefit to the Country in the appointment of as many as 37 State Ministers which simply does not reflect the need of the hour. Furthermore, several of the persons who have now received appointment as State Ministers do not warrant the same, especially during this difficult time when only the best of the best should be accommodated in providing leadership in the exercise of nation recovery and rebuilding.
IN THE COMING MONTHS, DIRECTION SRI LANKA WILL ALSO WORK TOWARDS :
(A) System Change was a main slogan of the Aragalaya. To identify as to what constitutes as being the System Change the People have called for and to identify the most expeditious ways and means of achieving this System Change.
(B) The formulation of minimum standards to be adopted by Political Parties in selecting candidates for Parliamentary elections and other elections;
(C) To review and report on the ways and means of making the act of representing people in Parliament an Honourable Service. This to also include a review of benefits that should be provided to Members of Parliament.
(D) To identify ways to ensure that all those who have committed financial frauds will be prosecuted and the money defrauded from the country will be retrieved.
(E) To work towards strengthening and giving independence to Law Enforcement Authorities and to ensuring transparency, due process and fairness in the award of tenders and other procurements.
(F) To review the need for the promulgation of a new Constitution.
– TEAM DIRECTION SRI LANKA