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Sri Lanka to Adopt Democratic Strategy to Pass New Constitution: President
Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga said on Monday night that she will adopt a democratic and legally acceptable strategy to pass the new proposed constitution in the event of not securing the required two-third majority in Parliament.
The Presidential Secretariat said in a statement on Monday that Kumaratunga told Colombo-based diplomats the views of constitutional experts in Britain, the United States and France had been obtained on the introduction of the new constitution and the possibility of enacting it in a legally and morally acceptable manner.
She said that no other government of the country had been sincere in its efforts to resolve the ethnic issue which has plagued the country for 18 years.
She said the prevailing draconian constitution did not reflect the will of the people and they will find another method to have it changed if the people voted in favor of the August 21 referendum.
The present constitution and its electoral system was so flawed that it did not reflect a true and fair view of the people's will, the president said.
However, she did not mention how the new constitution will lead to the final solution to the country's 18-year ethnic conflict.
Earlier this month Kumaratunga suspended the parliament for two months and called for a new constitution, a move to forestall the most probable passage of a no-confidence motion against the government tabled by main United National Party to the parliament last month.
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