TNA proposal: Sri Lankan state should become a ‘United Republic’

By MSV On Jan 6, 2021

Sri Lankan Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader Rajavarothiam Sampathan gestures during a press conference in Colombo on December 30, 2014. Sri Lanka's largest Tamil party has endorsed the main opposition candidate in next week's election, accusing President Mahinda Rajapakse of failing to deliver reconciliation after the country's ethnic war.. AFP PHOTO / ISHARA S. KODIKARA (Photo credit should read Ishara S.KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images)

COLOMBO: The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has proposed that the Nature of the Sri Lankan state should be a ‘United Republic’ comprising the institutions of the center and of the regions.

The suggestion came in the TNA’s submission to the committee of experts appointed to draft a new Constitution, the morning dot lk reported.

The proposals, which are to be considered when drafting a new Constitution had been sent to the secretary to the Experts Committee to Draft a new Constitution on Dec. 28.

TNA Leader R. Sampanthan has sent the letter representing the Tamil National Alliance which is an alliance of Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK), Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) and People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE).

In the letter, the TNA proposed that “Sri Lanka shall be recognised as a free, sovereign, independent and united Republic comprising the institutions of the center and of the regions, which shall exercise powers of governance as laid down in the constitution.”

“One of the regions shall be for the territory predominantly occupied by the Tamil speaking peoples in the North-East.

“The constitution shall recognize Sinhala, Tamil, and English as the official languages throughout Sri Lanka, and the languages of administration in the entire island.

“The constitution shall provide for a government with a ceremonial president who is accountable to parliament, and who acts on the advice of the prime minister. The prime minister shall be the head of the cabinet of ministers,” it said.

The letter said a new constitution was imperative if Sri Lanka is to move forward toward sustainable peace and prosperity as a united country, according to the morning dot lk.