PSC to TNA: If you won’t come, make submissions

The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC), mandated to evolve constitutional proposals, has requested the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to make submissions on its stand if it cannot attend regular sessions, informed sources said today.

The government took steps to appoint this PSC last year to evolve political proposals to resolve the national problem with the consensus of all the parties represented in Parliament. However, the main Opposition United National Party (UNP), the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the TNA, as opposition parties, decided not to participate in its sessions, calling it a futile exercise.

The TNA reaffirmed its stand that the government should first talk to it for bipartisan agreement on the appropriate constitutional amendments. The TNA said the proposals agreed on by the government and itself could then be placed before the other parties for consideration.

The government began the PSC sessions despite the absence of the opposition parties. The PSC, headed by   Leader of the House Nimal Siripala de Silva, has now asked the opposition parties to make their submissions.

The TNA has asked for a power sharing agreement with the minorities. A PSC member, who wished to remain anonymous since he was not authorised to speak to the press on the subject, said an invitation had been extended to the TNA to make its submissions.

The government has been under pressure from sections of the international community to devolve power to the provinces. The newly elected prime minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi has also asked President Mahinda Rajapaksa to expedite the process.  (KB)

Source: Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)