Religious, civil society and academic community want balanced devolution of power to regions

28 August 2024 12:00 am Views - 187

• Power-sharing at the centre
• Protection of minority rights
• Conduct Provincial Council and other local government elections

This document has been compiled by members of religious and civil society and the academic community from all parts of the country after extensive discussion and consultations conducted over a period of several months. It is to be presented to the presidential candidates to include in their manifestos along with the pledge that they will support its implementation regardless of the outcome of the election.  Among other initiatives, this document builds on the initiative taken in April 2023 by a group of Buddhist monks and Tamil Diaspora who formulated the “Himalaya Declaration” as a starting point for a national dialogue towards a political solution. 

Objectives:

• Broaden the support for the statement to include other groups including political parties, professional organisations and other interest groups.
• Have consultations with the main presidential candidates
• Candidates pledge to give cross party support to the implementation of the policies and actions outlined below.
• Follow up the implementation of the measures by the elected president

Proposed Policies and Actions:

1. Power sharing: 

• Ensure balanced devolution of power to regions and power-sharing at the centre (Senate – upper chamber), promoting unity while respecting regional autonomy. 
• Protection of minority rights: This will apply to regional numerical minorities in all parts of the country. 
• Streamline and demarcate administrative districts to ensure greater ethnic and religious cohesion.
• Operationalise national land policy through a land commission and implement the devolution of land and police powers as specified in the 13th Amendment
• Transfer Concurrent List Powers and Stop Interfering with the Devolved list of powers: Empower provincial councils with all devolved concurrent list powers to enable greater local governance and autonomy. 
• Conduct Provincial Council and other local government elections without further delay following the Presidential Election

2. Transitional justice:

• Resolve issues of the war in accordance with international standards of transitional justice:  These include missing persons, prisoners, reparations and accountability for gross human rights violations, including emblematic cases. 
• Equitable Military Presence: Normalize Troop Levels and ensure that the presence of armed troops in the North and East is proportionate to other regions, fostering a sense of normalcy and security. 
• Standardize Policing Practices: Mandate that police operations in the North and East are conducted with the same standards and respect for human rights as in other parts of the country, and recruiting personnel from the same regions. 
• Apply principles of transitional justice to the Malaiyaha Tamil community who were deprived of their citizenship at the time of Independence, remain among the most discriminated against and politically, economically and socially marginalised communities and have not received reparations for this grave human rights violation. 
• Provide land and housing to the Malaiyaha Tamil people:  Confer ownership of houses with adequate land to enable lives of safety and dignity.

3.Equal Protection

• Safeguard Religious Heritage: Protect religious sites from encroachment and appropriation by adherents of other religions, preserving cultural and religious diversity. Respect the pluralism and diversity of religious communities and local religious traditions in their respective places. 
• Reallocate Land to the people: Return land acquired from people during the war including opening of roads to provide access to the public. 
• Enforce Language Equality: Ensure the effective implementation of the official languages law, guaranteeing linguistic rights for all communities. 
• End Caste Discrimination: Implement measures to eradicate caste-based discrimination throughout the country, ensuring equality and social justice. 
• Enhance Employment in State and Private Sectors: Provide equal employment opportunities for ethnic and religious minorities in state and private sector entities, end all discrimination and provide affirmative action to enable economic equity 
• Provide Equal Access to State facilities for Economic Wellbeing: Offer financial services to start-up ventures in the North and East on par with other regions, stimulating economic growth and entrepreneurship. 
• Malaiyaha Tamils: Ensure that the land rights and other entitlements to government services and support to Malaiyaha Tamils displaced and living in the North and the East are fulfilled without any discrimination.

4.Good Governance

• Ensure accountability through strengthening the judiciary and respect for the rule of law; End corruption at all levels and promote transparency at all levels
• Create and promote institutions of trust building between the state and the people, and between political parties and ethnic and religious communities.
• Sustainable development while protecting the economically and socially marginalized
• Creation of independent institutions and provide security of tenure to public officers through the reinstitution of Permanent Secretaries to Ministries
• Fulfill international obligations with respect to human rights covenants and to resolutions of the UN system
• Balanced foreign policy reflecting values and national interests and protect the non-aligned legacy of Sri Lanka