Govt. trying to undermine democracy: rauff Hakeem
By Kelum Bandara
The SLMC and the Democratic People’s Front led by MP Mano Ganeshan charged yesterday that the government was trying to undermine democracy by changing the electoral system arbitrarily under the cover of the euphoria created by war victories.
Addressing a joint news conference, SLMC leader MP Rauff Hakeem said that Mr. Ganeshan’s party had teamed up with his party to contest the election to the Western Provincial Council in the districts of Gampaha and Kalutara because they had decided that they would not be able to succeed by nominating their members through the list of a major political party. “There is a short term electoral objective to be achieved through this combination. Yet, there is something more to be achieved going beyond that. It is to defeat the subtle attempts by this government to suppress democracy and change the electoral system so that it can perpetuate power,” he said.
The SLMC leader was referring to the Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Bill presented to Parliament by the government a few months ago to introduce the First-Past-the- Post system for the election to local bodies. The SLMC took up the issue with the Supreme Court which ruled that such amendment should have the approval by the provincial councils because the local authorities come under them.
He challenged the government to declare a general election if possible and ask for a mandate from the public to change electoral system. Mr. Hakeem said the 2004 electoral mandate had been distorted in Parliament today. “We are asking the government to go for a general election without trying to win over MPs to its side through the back door to obtain a two-thirds majority,” he said.
Commenting on the TMVP handing over its weapons, Mr. Hakeem said it was a farce because nobody would know how many weapons they had in their possession. “They have handed over 77 weapons according to media reports. The TMVP led by Mr. Pillayan did it at least symbolically. However, Minister Vinayagamurthy Muralitharan earlier declined to lay down arms saying he was under threat from the LTTE. It is understandable. Once he joined the SLFP, he said he had no weapons. How could it be?” asked the SLMC leader.
He said, “Mr. Muralitharan’s entry into the SLFP is something similar to what existed in the LTTE. Despite being an armed organization, the LTTE had a political wing led by the late S.P. Tamil Chelvam. In the very same way, the SLFP has now opened a military wing in the party headed by Mr. Muralitharan.”
13th Amendment was rejected as a solution to Tamil grievances ages ago: Ganeshan
With talks going on about the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in full to resolve the national question, Democratic People’s Front leader MP Mano Ganeshan said yesterday that the Tamil people had rejected it over 20 years ago.
Mr. Ganeshan told a news conference yesterday that this government was not genuine in pursuing a political solution to the national question. He said the majority report drafted by the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) could have been used as a basis for political negotiations, but the government discarded it.
Asked whether he accepted the fact that the LTTE had almost been defeated, he replied, “I do not know because I am not a military expert. The battle may be over. But, there is another battle awaiting us. Without addressing the root causes, this problem can never be resolved.”
SLMC leader MP Rauff Hakeem, who also participated in the same press conference, said that the minorities, particularly Tamils, feel a ‘sense of alienation’, and mere ‘pious’ pronouncements’ by President Mahinda Rajapaksa would not suffice in this regard.
KB
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