The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka may well become a
thing of the past by the middle of next year if the present plan
fructifies.
As of now, it has been proposed to
convert the existing 225-member-strong Parliament into Constitutional
Assembly, whose primary responsibility will be to produce a fresh
Constitution.
The text of a draft resolution, meant
for adoption by Parliament, has been hosted on the website of the Prime
Minister’s Office. An official at the Parliament Secretariat says that
so far there has been no official communication on the draft resolution.
However, it is only a matter of time for Parliament to pass such a resolution.
A
source who is privy to discussions on the matter said that after the
Constitutional Assembly has been put in place, the idea is to complete
the exercise by June or July next year.
1972 Consitution
In
the case of the 1972 Constitution, the process took nearly two years
for completion. The process lasted hardly a year during the drafting of
the 1978 Constitution.
Billed as the country’s first
republican Constitution, the 1972 document was adopted when the Sri
Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)-led United Front was in power and Sirimavo
Bandaranaike was the Prime Minister.
The 1978
Constitution, which ushered in the system of executive presidency, was
made when the United National Party (UNP) was in power and J.R.
Jayawardene at the helm of affairs.
Nineteen
amendments were made in the last 37 years and they would be incorporated
into the proposed Constitution, the source said.
Smooth affair
With
all the political formations, as represented in Parliament, having
supported the idea of drafting a new Constitution, the process is likely
to be a smooth affair. The two principal parties — the UNP and the SLFP
— are sharing power at the Centre.
Data that may be helpful:
Important Points:-
- Sri Lanka officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and known from the beginning of British colonial rule until 1972 as Ceylon is an island country in South Asia near south-east India.
Source :The Hindu, 26-Nov-2015
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