Rathana Thera takes up battle against new constitution

The reports of the committees tasked with formulating a new constitution have proposed annulling the country’s unitary status, alleges MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera.

Speaking to the media at Sri Lanka Foundation in Colombo today (16), he said he was now an independent member of parliament and would work to take the government on the correct path.

He said he would bring together everyone who loved the country.

He invited all academics in the country to form a national council to serve as an alternative parliament, and said he would visit the villages and educate the people on the path the country should be taking.

The Thera said president Maithripala Sirisena had no power to go for a constitutional amendment that required a referendum to be held.

Changing the country’s constitution and abolishing the executive presidency are aimed at annulling the country’s unitary status, he charged.

According to him, the responsibility of formulating a new constitution has been given to a group that had aided separatism and terrorism and claimed terrorism could not be defeated.

He went on to say that it was a heinous crime to handover Hambantota port on a 99-year lease and also disapproved of the postponement of the local government election.