‘Secret’ letter to Prez, PM from Malwatu Mahanayake

The Malwatu Mahanayake the Most Ven. Thibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera today handed over a ‘secret’ letter to Constitutional Reform Committee Chief Lal Wijenayake to be transmitted to the President and the Prime Minister. The letter was handed over when the members of the Public Representations Committee on Constitutional Reform met the Mahanayake Thera to present a draft of the proposed Constitution. The prelate told them that it was essential to continue with the positive clauses in the existing Constitution.

“The clauses which are widely accepted by the people such as the unitary state of the country and preservation of Buddhism should be carried forward to the new Constitution, which must be beneficial to the people,” he said and added that a new Constitution was the need of the hour. Mr. Wijenayake told the prelate that the Constitution had been amended on several occasions and that it should not be amended any further. “The Government was keen to introduce a simpler Constitution which can be easily understood by the people. Since the Constitution is for the people, it is essential to obtain their views,” he said. Mr. Wijenayake said the South African Constitution was simple and easy to understand. He said they had mentioned in their recommendations that people were not interested in a federal solution but were keen to change the provincial council system.