Constitution change:

Only under President's leadership - Minister

Lakshmi DE SILVA

Parliament should be a strong instrument of democracy and stability in the post war period and the people's faith in Parliament should not be lost, Media, Information and Investment Promotion Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said.

"Otherwise there may be a situation of instability and suspicion among the people like in post World War II France until Charles De Gaulle came to power, the Minister told the weekly Cabinet press briefing at the Information Ministry yesterday.

"Our country had exercised universal franchise from 1931 and a liberal democracy had evolved gradually from that time. But in 1978, the Constitution brought in by J.R.Jayewardene supported by Ranil Wickremesinghe and others could be changed only with a two thirds majority in Parliament followed by a plebiscite," the Minister said.

He said the only leader who could change the constitution was President Mahinda Rajapaksa. To achieve this objective, the President had vanquished the terrorists and unified the country. The rapid development of the country will be a reality with a stable Government in place. "The UPFA has the majority in Parliament representing the largest number of political parties and groups of the country. We also have the common Presidential candidate who is the only person who could abolish the Executive Presidency," he noted.

The Minister said though the President gave a pledge in 2005 to abolish the Presidency, the Parliament had only a slim majority and even the Speaker was elected by the Opposition. "Until a number of political parties and groups joined the Government, the Government did not have a two thirds majority to change the Constitution or abolish the Presidency," the Minister said.

"President Rajapaksa is the only leader who managed the political affairs and military affairs and faced up to the pressures exerted by international and internal forces to stop the operations against terrorists.

"He would win the forthcoming Presidential election with a clear majority as he is the only political leader that did not ask the armed forces to turn back but to continue operations till victory was achieved," the Minister said.

Ranil's accord legitimised LTTE abroad

The attorney appearing for some LTTE activists in a French Court of Law pleading for his clients who were charged with extortion of money from the Tamil diaspora told the court in defence that the LTTE was not illegal but an organization that had signed an official accord with the then Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe, Mass Media Information, Investment Promotion Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa told the weekly cabinet press briefing yesterday.

If not for the intervention of President Mahinda Rajapaksa who took action to completely defeat the LTTE and get the terrorist group banned such legal arguments could have become valid in courts abroad, the Minister noted.

However the state counsel appearing for the French Government was able to prove that the LTTE was an illegal terrorist organization and the activists were sentenced to jail.

But it could have turned the other way if the court accepted the argument of the attorney who appeared for the LTTE activists.