Mahinda Gunasekera

His Excellency, Ranil Wickremasinghe
President of Sri Lanka

Your Excellency,

I would like to draw your attention to the annexed article written by Shenali Waduge pointing out the invalidity of the Indo-Lanka Accord and the implementation of the 13th Amendment creating Provincial Councils is null and void for the same reasons.

We too have on numerous occasions brought to the notice of the highest in the land the fact that this statute altering the pattern of governance in the country was taken up and passed in parliament without reference of such an important package of  laws for public consultation.  Even the government party which had a 5/6th majority resorted to use unorthodox methods to force a favourable vote through threats of presenting ‘letters of resignation’ previously obtained from the MPs to terminate their term of election to parliament.  In fact they were held in confinement in hotels and bussed into parliament like shackled prisoners to cast their vote in favour of the Indian imposed constitutional amendment.

Your recent efforts to win the consent of the political party leaders for implementation of the 13th Amendment in full, including Land and Police Powers is a misplaced decision, as firstly the consent of the people needs to be obtained prior to parliamentary action.

If you wish to decide on its validity and needs as determined by the public, it must be referred to a national referendum where the people may express their opinion on it.

You are no doubt aware that it is referred to as a white elephant eating into the public purse the limited funds available to the state.  On receipt of the decision of the public, you may proceed to either revoke the 13th Amendment or fully implement it with the consent of the people.  The Provincial Councils could be replaced with

10 Multi-District

Councils with the Premiers and Provincial Ministers being replaced by an Executive Chaiman and Executive Committee Members together with designated powers instead of devolved powers.

There is also the risk of either the northern or Eastern Provincial Councils breaking away to form a separate state towards which a three decade war was instituted by the militant Tamil groups designated as terrorist movements which even resorted to suicide terrorism.

You are also aware that several of the political parties representing the Tamils including the TNA accepted the LTTE as the sole leader of the Tamils, and continue to uphold the activities of the LTTE and the views of the former terror leaders.

You and your government should ensure that without trying to win over the party leaders and grant further rights to an invalid statute, at least now, you have a public discussion and act in accordance with the public viewpoint which was not done in the first instance.

Yours sincerely,

Mahinda Gunasekera

Encl. Article by Shenali Waduge re Indo-Lanka Accord

Indo-Lanka Accord does not exist & never did