A Ray of Sunshine - Is it Time to Go in Search of a New Constitution?

During the past few elections, everyone has been talking about the need for a new constitution to navigate the current economic crisis and future challenges. It is because the world of ours as we know has been going through great changes. We have been experiencing crisis after crisis and going through a lot of transitions. Times of great change are upon all of us. 

Vision for the Nation

The constitution of a country is like the vision of a nation.  A balanced constitution is seen as a vision for the nation, helping to align with societal aspirations and foreign policies, which will help us find our path and open new doors for our nation. A right constitution will also help us as a nation to recover from the present economic crisis in which we find ourselves, restore innovative business modules, give us the necessary breakthroughs and lead our nation into prosperity.

Future Societal Aspirations

As a nation, we have our past, present and future, some of which we are proud of and others we are not that proud of.  While crafting a new constitution, we must enter the vision zone and see the future of our country, the aspirations of the different segments of society and how we want to see our country develop and prosper for the sake of our children and generations to come.  The new constitution should reflect the future development and prosperity of the country, benefiting future generations.

Foreign Policy

Our constitution needs to meet the aspirations of different segments of our society and at the same time also align with the foreign policies of our neighbouring countries and countries that have been helping Sri Lanka over the years consistently.  We need to find out our unique propositions, since as a nation we have so many resources and talents that we are yet need to discover.  We all want our nation to become a thriving country where it becomes a nation that meets the needs of this world, a country which the world seeks to do business with.   

Vision will not Delay

Physically, we are uniquely positioned as a country on the world map. If we want, we can also uniquely position ourselves in the hearts and minds of other countries. When we come up with the right constitution, the vision for a prosperous nation will not delay.  The writer of this article, taking all this into consideration, embarked on the research titled ‘In Search of a New Constitution’, and invites the readers to participate voluntarily and contribute to the research with their thoughts and ideas.

https://ee.kobotoolbox.org/x/NJ0s7kHd

The findings of this research will be shared at a legal conference in Colombo in December. 

Examples

Several countries have successfully used new constitutions to address minority rights and ethnic inequality. South Africa’s post-apartheid constitution, adopted in 1996, is renowned for its strong emphasis on human rights and equality. In Hungary, the constitution protects and ensures that every child receives equal educational opportunities. In 2020, Chileans voted to draft a new constitution with a fully elected constitution-making body.

In summary, a new constitution could be the means to provide a framework to better address and manage economic challenges, ensuring stability and growth.  It is an opportunity to reflect the evolving aspirations of society, aligning with cherished values and great expectations. It is a chance to reflect on the future development and prosperity of a country, and how it will benefit future generations. A new constitution could be the door to a new beginning to ensure broader participation and representation, addressing the needs and rights of all communities.