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Hold polls before drafting new Constitution, Malwatte Mahanayake tells UNP
View(s):The Malwatte Mahanayake Thera, Ven. Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera on Friday told a group of visiting UNP MPs that it would be better to proceed with drafting a new constitution after holding the scheduled elections. The Thera made the remarks when the group led by Minister Lakshman Kiriella met him as part of a visit to hand over to the Malwatte and Asgiriya Mahanayaka Theras copies of an expert panel’s report on the constitutional proposals.
Pointing out that people had wrong impressions about the proposed constitution, Minister Kiriella insisted that no draft Constitutional Bill had been prepared as yet, and what was presented was only a report by a group of experts and that it was up to the members of Parliament to ultimately draft a new Constitution.
The Mahanayake Thera noted that there was insufficient time for the current Parliament to adopt a new Constitution and opined that it would be better for all parties to get together after the elections and work on drafting a new Constitution.
The UNP delegation also met the Asgiriya Mahanayake, the Ven. Warakagoda Gnanarathana Thera, and the Registrar of the Asgiriya Chapter, the Ven. Medagama Dhammananda Thera. UNP MPs Daya Gamage, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Palitha Range Bandara, Lucky Jayawardena and Mayantha Dissanayake were part of the delegation.