JVP Parliamentarian Sunil Handunetti last week called for Sinhala, Tamil and English to be written into the Constitution of Sri Lanka as the national languages, during a public discussion where members from different political parties vowed to build consensus on important matters.
At a panel discussion at the Sri Lanka Economic Summit, Mr. Handunetti’s proposal was endorsed by panelists including the newly appointed Minister of Justice Milinda Moragoda and UNP Parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekera, signaling a willingness on the part of the three political parties to reach an agreement on the language issue. Mr. Handunetti said the proposal to make Sinhala and Tamil the national languages and English as the link language was articulated in the 1976 JVP Manifesto.
Mr. Hashim said the government and the opposition should ‘agree to disagree.’
He did call for transparency and good governance structures to be put in place and implemented. Mr. Hashim also said the 17th Amendment of the Constitution must be enforced if the public service sector is to be answerable to the public. Mr. Handunetti said there should be education or professional requirements and standards for people to enter public office. He also said the corporate sector in Sri Lanka does not fulfill its full obligation on social responsibility.
Mr. Hashim said the government needs to harness human resources and reign in public expenditure which is being used for recurrent expenditure, not capital expenditure. He said Rs.80 billion a year is being invested in education although the 51% of the capital budget set aside for education was cut in 2008. Out of 9761 schools, around 70% do not have any libraries and around 40% of schools do not have electricity. Mr. Hashim also said the pass rate for English in urban schools is only 35% while the pass rate for English in rural schools is much lower at 7%.
Mr. Hashim added that degree programmes being pursued by undergraduates in universities are not demand driven and do not prepare students to enter the workforce. Most students go to follow arts programmes while only 0.5% of students pursue studies in IT.
UNP Parliamentarian Sajith Premadasa said the priorities for Sri Lanka at this time is to ensure sound policy substance and prescriptions and ensure that a good decision making structure is put in place.
Mr. Moragoda said Sri Lanka needs a political system that does not force division. He said the current system ‘traps all of us’ and that partisan politics has destroyed this country.
The parliamentary system and the zero sum policy promote divisions where people need political patronage to get anything done.
Mr. Moragoda added that a call to action for politicians has to also come from society. “Everywhere, politicians are demonized,” he said. According to Mr. Moragoda, change may have to come through increased interaction with civil society.
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