COLOMBO: "An undivided country, national consensus and an honourable peace" will be the basis of his `ideal gram rajya' initiative for resolution of the ethnic conflict, Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said.

Quoting from his November 2005 election manifesto, "Mahinda Chintanaya," he praised the political package suggested by the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party to the All-Parties Representative Conference. Unveiling of the proposals coincided with 2,550 years of Buddha Jayanti and May Day.

Sovereignty

The proposals are premised on the basis that as a sovereign and independent state, Sri Lanka shall be obliged to safeguard the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic, preserve and advance the Sri Lankan identity and recognise the multilingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural character of Sri Lankan society.

"The Republic of Sri Lanka shall give to Buddhism the foremost place and, accordingly, it shall be the duty of the state to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana, which assures all religions the rights granted by Articles 10 and 14 (I) (e) of the present Constitution."

On the form of government, the party seeks restoration of the parliamentary model. In the absence of a consensus, the executive presidential system will continue with appropriate amendments.

Forming districts

In forming and amalgamating the district, due consideration will be given to minorities concentrated there. Each district will have a Chief Minister, who will be the chief executive.

Independence of judiciary

The demarcation of the grama sabha areas should be a matter for a delimitation commission. "However, in devolving power, the supremacy of Parliament, the executive powers and the power of the judiciary should be safeguarded. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party strongly believes in the independence of the judiciary."

President's powers

The President, if satisfied that there is a failure in the administration of the district, may assume control over the functioning of the administration, and Parliament may confer on the President the power to make statutes for the district until normality is restored.

The SLFP has said there must be a parallel exercise of de-commissioning of arms in the hands of any group in the district other than the state forces along with the implementation of a programme for demobilisation and re-integration of such armed persons into society.

Devolution of power

"Power should be divided into three lists — reserved, district and local. The intention is to confer substantial devolution to the people, and not necessarily the political authority, so that the people at the grassroots can exercise power and have control over their own affairs."

There should be built-in mechanisms to discourage secessionist tendencies and to preserve the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state. "It is advisable to consider giving municipal and urban council status in the Eastern province to areas where there are Muslim and Sinhala majorities, so that minority interest will be safeguarded."

Fundamental rights

According to the SLFP, the party is firmly committed to the preservation and protection of fundamental rights and any infringement could be brought before the Supreme Court. The Human Rights Commission will be strengthened and new constitutional and administrative safeguards will be recommended.

As per the proposed package, the Senate will be the second chamber to facilitate sharing of power at the Centre and afford adequate representation to minorities and minority parties.

Cabinet formation

"In constituting the Cabinet of Ministers, two Ministers should be appointed from the Senate. The suggestion in that there shall be a Senate consisting of 75 members, and 25 members will be appointed after a general election by political parties on a scheme devised according to the aggregate polled by each party at the election with a possible cut-off point."

There must be officers who are bilingual in places where minorities live, and the rule must be strictly enforced by the Police Commission. On language, the party said: "Provision of Chapter IV of the present Constitution provides for the use of Sinhala and Tamil as the national language of Sri Lanka and these provisions should be strictly complied with and properly and effectively implemented."

Land commission

No community should be discriminated in matters pertaining to land, and provision should be made for the setting up of a permanent independence land commission vested with far-reaching powers over all aspects of policy.

The establishment of two permanent commissions for land and water must be included in the Constitution with guarantees similar to those offered to Supreme Court judges. An ethnic ombudsman must be appointed for each district by the Minister of Justice in consultation with the President to enable effective and early settlement of issues that can otherwise reach dangerous proportions, the SLFP proposals said.

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