No foreign influence in creating a new constitution

November 17, 2024

President - Parliament - Prime Minister

No foreign influence in creating a new constitution - SL President

January 10, 2016

President Maithripala Sirisena says that there is no any foreign influence in formulating the new constitution and this will be done understanding the needs of the country, even though some extremists groups spread false rumours across the country that the Government is preparing to implement the new constitution under foreign influence.

He made these remarks delivering a special statement on drafting a new constitution, at the Parliament, today (09).

The intention of the government is to consider the ideas of all sections in the country including the scholars, intellectuals and Constitutional experts in drafting the new constitution, the President said.

He further said that depicting the new constitution, which is focused on the betterment of the country, as a Billa(evil ghost) is a great sin. He also said that it is necessary all of us to unite in formulating this new constitution towards building modern Sri Lankan State in the 21st century.

The President recalled that since the history whenever a government attempted to draft a new constitution a kind of unrest erupted within the country and he said even today some sections of the society are trying to create unrest within the country to make the government uncomfortable.

It is the responsibility of everyone to unite keeping aside their narrow political agenda for the betterment of the future generation.

The President also addressed arguments that the executive presidency should be retained because it helped stop the decade long war. He questioned if the proponents of that argument were anticipating another war in the country. “Better to eliminate conditions that will make way for another war rather than anticipate another war,” he pointed out.

He said the country did not need another brutal conflict where hundreds of thousands of people perished in the North as well as in the South, in a long painful 26 years and the on-going initiative was to eliminate the residual conditions that would re-escalate into a bloody war.

President Sirisena pointed out that we should not preserve the constitution as words on stone and changes should be made according to the aspirations of the people and it should be suitable for the modern technological world.

He also added that even though the laws and constitution retains in whatever mode the success of these aspects depends on characteristics of the people who have initiated these things.