COLOMBO – A Tamil constitutional initiative has moved to accelerate preparations for Sri Lanka’s anticipated constitutional reform process by appointing three specialist committees to develop a common Tamil position on a political solution to the island’s long-running ethnic grievances.
The Steering Committee of the Eelam Tamil Constitutional Assembly decided at an online meeting on Sunday (28) to establish a drafting committee, a public awareness committee and a public consultation committee to prepare a constitutional framework, engage with the public and gather views before finalizing the proposal.
The initiative aims to formulate a unified Tamil position that could be presented when the government begins drafting a new constitution.
The 33-member Steering Committee, chaired by Senior Lecturer Dr. T. Vigneshwaran, comprises political leaders, civil society representatives and constitutional experts.
According to Steering Committee member and attorney-at-law K. Gurubaran, all 33 members will be assigned to one of the three committees based on their expertise and preference, with the appointments expected to be completed within a week.
“The three committees will then begin their work simultaneously,” Gurubaran told Virakesari, our sister paper.
He said the drafting committee had also agreed in principle to draw on key provisions contained in three existing constitutional proposals in an effort to build consensus across the Tamil political spectrum.
These include the constitutional proposal prepared by the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), the draft submitted by the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) to the constitutional reform committee headed by President’s Counsel Romesh de Silva, and the draft prepared during the tenure of the former Northern Provincial Council.
Gurubaran said committee members also agreed on the need to establish a common understanding on the fundamental constitutional principles that should underpin any future political settlement.
The Steering Committee was established following a decision taken at a meeting convened by the Tamil National People’s Front in mid-February. Participants agreed to create the Eelam Tamil Constitutional Assembly as a platform bringing together political parties, civil society organizations and constitutional experts to formulate a common Tamil response to future constitutional reforms.
-ENCL
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