An open letter to President Gothabhaya Rajapaksa on the proposed new Constitution.
Part 1
Dr. Sudath Gunasekara Retired Secretary to PM Sirimavo Bandaranayaka, Past President Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association (1991 Nov 1994 nov) and President Mahanuwara Sinhala Baudha Jestha Purawesiyange Sanvidhanaya
The Preamble
(The task before you is to give a new lease of life, to the ashes of a 2500 year old great civilization that was murdered in 1815 by the British, burned in 1818 and 1848 and buried 10 feet below, by the same British in 1948, by a vicious fraud called the Soulbury Constitution, fathered by Jennings and delivered by D.S.Senanayaka, the midwife, to perpetuate the grip of the colonial hold indefinitely on this Island , without allowing the Sinhala Buddhist Nation to raise its head from that grave of the dead, is a Herculean task. But you too can do it, “MY SON”, like the Phoenix that rose from the ashes of an Arabian Desert graveyard; if you have the will and the determination to do it and if you have the patience to read this article without prejudice, and finally if you get this proposed Sinhale New Constitution 2022/3 enacted and declared, which four Presidents and thirteen Prime Ministers could not do for 74 years, since the so-called Independence supposed to have been given by the British and blindly embraced by our leaders in 1948.
“Mother Lanka”).
Mr. President, your decision to have a New Constitution to this country in this backdrop is most commendable and welcome.
It is an excellent decision on your part to initiate action to solve a long overdue national problem, going back to 1948, of not having a proper Constitution that safeguards the birth rights of the Sinhala people (Bhoomiputras) of this country since they were savagely robbed by the British over a long period of 133 years and which they still continue to do directly and indirectly, not allowing Sri Lanka to raise its head. This is a historic opportunity god has bestowed on you to give a New Constitution to this nation based on their indigenous system of state craft, legal traditions and customs to usher in a prosperous era of peace and development that left unresolved for 73 years after we got relieved from the repressive clutches of British colonial rule and exploitation in 1948.
Therefore it is history re-making, Mr. President, and if you do it, you will go down in the annals of history of this Island nation as the hero of this land who liberated the Sinhale and its people from 206 years (133+73) of British rule under their own laws and system of government that continues even after they left. It also marks the end of 73 years of negligence and time marking by our own native leaders turned the faithful proxies of the British, who became a pack of local political betrayers thereafter, instead of playing the role of national heroes of liberating the Motherland and the Sinhala nation from 133 years of direct colonial destruction and exploitation by the British and converting it again to be the Granary of the East and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, as it had shined in its glorious days, at least from 307 B.C. to the end of the 13th Century.
It is this onerous responsibility and duty of enacting a New Constitution to liberate this country and the Sinhala nation that has fallen now upon your shoulders by destiny. Once you fulfill that responsibility it will go down on record as the third post Independent landmark adding to the other two highlights of this country’s contemporary political history, namely the declaration of the Independent Republic of Sri Lanka on 22nd May 1972 under Mrs B and defeating the LTTE in 2009 under MR.
In order to achieve this goal I propose a two way approach.
Step 1
First method to enact a new Constitution removing all faults of the two previous and the present within the same existing Constitutional framework making all changes that could be done to make the people happy and to make this country a prosperous and vibrant land where law and peace will reign.
This package has to be completed within the provisions of the existing Constitution first, with what you can do with a simple majority and Step2
Second, with what you can do with a 2/3 majority without a referendum.
Step3
Having done that as the next step should be to go for an overall change in the entire system by getting a New Constitution enacted based on the indigenous cultural matrix of this Island nation with suitable adaptations from modern Constitutions to fill the gaps where the indigenous system is silent, to establish the lost Kingdom of the Sinhala Buddhist nation in 1815. (This has to be done by a New Committee that should be appointed after dissolving the present.
For this you need to go for a fresh mandate from the people in order to fulfill the wishes of Mother Lanka stated above. This you can do either at the next election or even before after completing step 1 and 2 as given above, provided you can get the 2/3 within the present Parliament for step 2.
Step 3
There is of cause a third way of doing the Step 3 which is faster than the second approach. ?
That is with the detailed manifesto in hand you suspend this useless alien Parliament set up under the colonial British Westminster system, that has ruined this country for 73 years and declare Presidential rule for a period of 05 years and then go for a public referendum seeking a public mandate for a completely New Constitution to be made on the foundation of the 2500 year old cultural matrix of this Island nation.
Once that New Constitution is in place, the golden Key of your dream “Kingdom of Prosperity and Splendor” will be in your hand, Mr. President.
Whatever approach you select it should end up
1 First in giving a new form and new life to a dead and buried Great nation and
2 Second giving it a Constitution by removing the faults of the 1947, 1972 and 1987 Constitutions and
3 Finally give them completely a New Constitution enacted on the pillars of its own civilization in keeping with the aspiration and dreams of the Sinhala nation, with suitable adaptations from modern Constitutions where the indigenous system is silent, to establish the lost Kingdom of the Sinhala Buddhist nation in 1815. This entails restoring all what we have lost to the British in 1815, for example, the vacant possession of the land free of foreign labour brought by the British to work on their projects and plantations, our religion, Language, name of the country, legal system and values, full freedom, sovereignty and our own system of Government
Mr President a word of wisdom, I wish to remind you the trust and the faith 6.9 million people in this county covering the whole Island had in you when they voted you in to power and I request you to keep in mind the message conveyed by them to you on 16th Nov 2019, as shown in the following map right throughout this noble mission by your Motherland and the Sinhala nation.
Presidential Election results 2019
Have a closer look at this map
Please have a closer look at the behavior of the electorate as shown in this map right through out, as a guiding search light as to who are the people who have voted you and who have not and why they are against you and the Sinhala nation and what the 6.9 m Sinhala people aspire you to do. The map clearly shows that the majority who voted against you are mainly Tamils and Muslims and ironically they are the only areas won by the Premadasa camp lead by Sajith. That also clearly reflects the UNP communal vote base as Premadasa represents the old UNP. However there is a large number of voters within this areas as well, who are within the 6.9 m, who have voted you. My conviction is the 6.9 million want you to make the whole map orange permanently.. It is nothing new. It is only re-making what it had been there for 2500 years since 543 B.C. I have no doubt that all Sinhala people who have voted the dead UNP will also fully approve your Constitution based on the indigenous matrix. Thereafter our dream of forming a government without political parties, the bane British have introduced to this country to divide mother Lanka in to pieces could also be easily realized. Please treat what I have expressed in this article as a message to you from all those 6.9 million people living all over the Island who have made you the President of this country. Thereafter I expect communal politics to vanish from this country
This map speaks million words on the burning aspiration of its people in mute terms to its Head of State, the President and why they have elected you and what they wanted you to do.
But Mr. President, before starting on that historic mission of Constitution making the following basic issues have to be clarified first, as it is going to be the supreme law of the country, around which the unified Lankan nation will gather up as one family and take the country to political, economic and social stability and prosperity once again making it the granary of the East and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean.
a) What is the country for which it is going to be made?
b) Who are the people to whom it is made and what is their cultural legacy?
c) What are the main objectives of that Constitution that will lay the solid foundation for the future destiny of the nation as the supreme law of the land and finally,
d) What is the best way to do it?
These problems have to be carefully sorted out first. Thereafter having prepared the terms of reference you have to select the best expert scholars in the country who are thoroughly conversant in the history, religion, system of government, the law, State craft and geopolitics (local, regional and International), traditions, customs and social values of the country and its people, from the beginning of history to date and their future aspirations to entrust with that yeoman responsibility. In addition to these experts three other experts who know the failures and weaknesses of the 1947, 1972 and 1987 Constitutions and modern Constitutional Law and International Law also have to be included in this Committee in order to make it a perfect Constitution that will usher in an era of peace, order and prosperity.
I also suggest that you entrust the compiling of all the three Constitutions to the same Committee. So that there will be uniformity and conformity without clashes between objects and interests.
In preparing the terms of reference I propose the following format
Having first decided on the format of the Nation’s New Constitution as outlined in a, b, c and d, above the next thing you should do is direct the New Committee to make a thorough study of the following subjects and prepare a comprehensive document on the following subjects as a prerequisite for drafting the Constitution.
1The legacy of our state craft from 543 B.C. to 1815 A.D.
2 The ancient legal system in Sri Lanka
3The Administrative machinery and hierarchy of Officials
4 Defense and Foreign relations
5 Religions and Education
6 Economic, Social and cultural and spiritual development
7 Agriculture, Industry, Ports, Trade and shipping, Land, Forests & Irrigation and Environment with special reference to the welfare of Animals
8 The Land, Sea and Air space
9 Policy regarding citizenship and Foreigners
10 Their strengths and weaknesses
11 What should be adapted from modern Constitutions?
(The Committee should be directed to give a list of items that should be included from modern Constitutions in the New Constitution as an annex).
Selecting the Members of the Committee
Thereafter having prepared the terms of reference you have to select the best expert scholars in the country who are thoroughly conversant in things like its history, religion, system of government, state craft and geo politics (both local and International), traditions, customs and social values etc from beginning of history to date. In addition three experts in the 1947, 1972 and 1987 Constitutions, modern Constitutional Law and International Law also have to be included.
Then dissolve the Experts Committee already appointed by you to prepare the draft
a) For not handing over the draft in time as directed.
b) As it is ill-constituted and it does not have the expertise to prepare a draft of a Constitution that will meet the requirements of the country and the aspiration of the people and as such it cannot prepare a draft to meet the aspirations of the 6.9 million people who voted you
c) As there is a greater possibility of rejecting their draft by the people
For these reasons there is no point in proceeding with that Committee wasting public funds. This is why I request you to dissolve it and tell the country that a new Committee to study and draft a new Constitution will be appointed soon as the people want and their draft will be ready before the end of next year
Then what happen to the Committee already in place.
The Committee you appointed in Sept last year and expected to have the draft by March this year has already defaulted.
Therefore considering the inordinate delay in submitting the draft of the Constitution by the Committee already in place, it is very unlikely that it will be ready by October this year as envisaged by you to put it to the Parliament. Even if it is going to be ready by mid-2022, I can assure you that the Constitution drafted by the Present Committee will be definitely rejected by the 6.9 people who had voted you and the government as it will never meet the aspirations and the needs of the people, I vouch for this statement publicly and openly for the following reasons.
Why the present Committee cannot do the expected job
1 This Committee will never be able to produce a Constitution that will remove the ills of the 3 previous Constitutions (1947, 1972 and 1987), which is the top priority of the people, including myself, who voted for you and the Government in to power.
2 This Committee will never be able to produce a Constitution acceptable to the majority, I guess around 80% or even more, people since it will not include any provision that meet their aspirations. For eg the abolition of the 13th A and the Provincial Councils and the Rajiv/JR Accord of 29th July 198, that was the source of the PCC and all other divisive provisions like the Traditional Tamil home land which have put all of us in to a no return political Bermuda trough.
3 As this Committee will also definitely include many Provisions that will go against the Sinhala majority to satisfy the International Community, India, Tamils and Muslims who cry for separation and self- determination, while betraying the Sinhala majority who voted for you. Because, they are the true Bhoomiputras of this Island.
Now look at what happened on 21st April 2019 and what is being done in the Eastern Province and many other places all over the Island like Mawanella, Danakirigala, Kuragala and many other places in the Eastern Province and what religious and communal lunatics like Hisbulla, Dr Lafir of the Kurunegala Hospital, Asad Sali, Rishard Badurdeen and Rauf Hakiim have done. See what happen in Afganistan and even in New Zealand. The whole Muslim world is either ISIS or Thaleiban. They want to kill all others and create one Muslim world. It is even worse with Tamil who are supported by LTTE Diaspora all over the world and India ignited by Tamilnadu.
The situation within the country is even worse. Look at the behavior of men like Sambandan, Vignesvaran, Sumantiram, weekly shuttling between the American, .Indian and British Embassies and India carrying tales against the Government asking for separation and self-determination and parceling out this country belonging to the Sinhala nation. In this backdrop don’t you think it is sheer madness to include a Tamils and a Muslim in this Committee? Don’t you think it is like putting the poultry yard in charge of a pack of cunning foxes to take care of the chicken? Now that we are a fully independent country, a Republic of our own since 1972, we must emphatically and categorically make it very clear that the time of Portuguese, Dutch and English or their chak golayas and Tamils and Muslims made Constitutions to this country should end forth with. No should the Tamils and Muslims who are only transitory minorities who are looking for greener pastures elsewhere, as the conditions in their own countries like Tamilnadu and Arabian deserts are far from satisfactory. They should opt to either live among the Sinhalese as minorities or get back to those places, from where the hell they have migrated here without trying to rob this heavenly Island, the Traditional Home land and the abode of the Sinhala nation for more than 25oo years.
As a Sinhala Buddhist country certainly anyone who wants to live here should not exceed his or her legitimate limits. We have tolerated and accommodated them throughout history. Not only we have allowed them to live here, we have given the land, our women and everything without any discrimination, though they have never being grateful. Like in any other country in the world, they should behave only as minorities. The Sinhalese are a civilized nation. They are always prepared to tolerate anyone so long as they don’t become a headache for them. Both Tamils and Muslims want to be separate nations on our land. Tamils want to make this country, a Tamilnadu and Muslims want to make it an Arab country. Therefore obviously if you put a Tamil in this Committee he will definitely want provisions to meet that end and in the same way a Muslim will also ask for the same provision in the supreme Law Book of the Land of the Sinhala people. Therefore we hold no Tamil or a Muslim should be appointed to this Committee.
4 This Committee will also not include any special provision to protect the birth rights of the Sinhala Buddhists in this country.
5 This committee will also definitely propose additional safeguards to Minorities aimed at reconciliation and human rights as they would argue, eroding whatever birth rights of the Sinhalese, the British forgot to remove before they left the shores of this Island. Let the whole world know that this had been the Home Land of the Sinhala Buddhist and they had been the legitimate Bhoomiputras of this Land who owned it from the inception of history or at least for 2500 years from 543 BC.
6 Above all, in sum, their proposed Constitution will be only another sour and salty pickle of the three old Constitutions, with few silly changes made here and there to suit the terms of reference and advice coming from the Minister of Justice Ali Sabry (imagine a hard core Muslim and a National list MP in this Buddhist country) as if Gothabahya could not find even a puppet Sinhala Buddhist from among the 140 odd MPP in his party.
7. Since all Lawyer Committee members, both as students and practitioners of that Law are familiar only with the Roman-Dutch and English law and it is so even with the other members we can’t expect them to make a Constitution to suite the indigenous Sinhala Buddhist cultural matrix of this country.
This outcome is unavoidable, as none of the Committee members is conversant with the law of the land. They all are only loyal students of Roman Dutch Law that had its origin in a far corner of the Occidental European Continent. It is neither your fault nor the fault of the Committee members
The original blame for this situation should first go to those who meekly and blindly accepted the Soulbury Constitution and all others who followed the same beaten track as if we were a set of uncivilized aborigines who had no previous civilization.
Therefore I think this is the best opportunity to make a radical change; a complete change that is acceptable to the Boomiputras as they are the real owners of this country.
In this backdrop I would like to make an alternative proposal here for your serious consideration, for the good of the President, the government the country and its people at large.
Meanwhile under the prevailing Covid 19 pandemic, the economic depression, sky rocketing cost of living and on the top of all that the ongoing other festering problems like numerous anti-Government demonstrations organized by various trade unions and the JVP who are suspected to have some links with the US strategy of dislodging China from Sri Lanka, (the way they destroyed Afghanistan by dislodging Russia from it in 2001), obviously, you want be able to give priority for constitution making either.
In fact it is already a back seat issue in the government’s agenda as I see it. But a new Constitution is a crying need to rescue this country from the miserable political and economic abysmal depths in to which it had been pushed by all politicians since 1948.
New Constitution to be written by a New Committee
Therefore action should be initiated for drafting a new Constitution for the nation as promised in your election manifestoes of 2019 and 2020 as soon as possible, as it will take a long time to put out the final draft. .
I have already stated above under a, b, c, and d the issues that have to be clarified and a comprehensive document after an in depth study of items listed from 1 to 10 under New Committee Above has to be carried out before the New Committee of Experts start to draft the Constitution.
A completely new Constitution enacted on the native cultural matrix with suitable additions adapted from modern Constitutional literature to meet the present day needs of the new world is what the people in the country want.
However in adapting new legal concepts it must be said that we have to update it without killing the spirit of the native system. But it had to be one law for the whole country. The Thesavalamei and all branches of Muslim law should be immediately abolished. There should also be only one court system for all the people irrespective of one’s religion or ethnicity.
I now give you here a brief description of the evolution of the Sinhale Kingdom from the beginning for the benefit of the makers of the New Constitution.
The evolution of the Sinhale Kingdom
This country as you know was a Sinhala Buddhist Kingdom for 2122 years, in spite of trials and tribulations of short lived Indian invasions from time to time both in Pre-Christian (BC) and Post-Christian (AD) times that were precisely defeated at war by our Kings , this country had been a Sinhala Kingdom of great fame in the ancient world at least from 543 BC to 1815 AD, until the whole country was annexed to the British Empire, for the first time in its long history, by intrigue manipulated by John Doily documented as the Kandyan Convention of 2nd March 1815. It was an International Agreement signed between two Independent Sovereign countries, the Great Briton on the one hand and Sinhale on the other. This country never had a written Constitution up to that date or even up to 1948, though there were occasional royal edicts, made by the Kings engraved on rock slabs (Mihintala Sellipiya), stone pillars (Badulu stone pillar) and copper plates (Panaakaduwa) and gold sheets (Vallipuram Gold Plate) in the yore.
Since 543 BC the Sinhale Kingdom was governed by traditions, customs and conventions molded on the principles of Vedic traditions, pre- Vijayan traditions and principles of Buddhist teaching (after 307.BC) adopted by popular consent. The King in that Kingdom according to Mahavansa was one with the religion and the people. The Mahasangha played the role of the guide and preceptor of the nation, guiding the King, Ministers and the people for the good of the country and the people and even the animals and the environment
The country was divided in to villages by using geo graphical (natural) features like mountains and rivers as boundaries in 427 BC by King Pandukaabhaya. Since 427 BC the village became the basic administrative unit in the Kingdom and the whole country became a village Kingdom, in other words a conglomeration of villages governed as a village Kingdom with its capital at Anuradhapura.
Thereafter the Island was divided in to three sub-kingdoms called Rhunu, Pihiti and Maya, using Mahaweli, Deduru and Walave as the boundaries of the three Subkingdoms, which underwent minor changes from time to time. The two Subkingdoms were governed under two Sub-Kings who came under the control of the King in Anuradhapura as the King of the Island nation. In 307 Buddhism was introduced to the Island with the advent of Arahat Mahinda during the reign of King Devanampiyatissa. Under his reign the whole country became a Buddhist Kingdom, the first of its type outside Jambudveepa as India was called at that time) after Asokas Buddhist Kingdom in India and the nation became the Sinhala Buddhist Nation.
In each village a Buddhist temple was established. It was presided over by a Buddhist monk who became the leader, and preceptor of the village folk ever since, both over their spiritual and mundane affairs. Not only that, he was also the teacher, physician, astrologer and advisor in all matters to his village folk. This social system prevailed all over the country until 1815, the year British got the Island ceded to the British Empire by intrigue. After 1815 Even the British promised to rule the country under the Sinhala law and customs and under sec 5 of the Kandyan Convention they agreed to protect Buddhasasana and all institutions connected with it, being the religion of the native people.
However they abrogated this agreement unilaterally on Nov 21st 1818 by Royal Proclamation on the wake of the first freedom struggle by the natives called the Uva Uprising (1817-1818) and had their own hegemonic rule thereafter up to 1948 under Royal Proclamations and enactments passed in the Legislative Council 1833 and the Executive Council 193i under the direct control of the British Parliament.
It has been said that we got Independence in 1948. This in my opinion is a first class myth. The Soulbury Constitution under which the Island was governed up to date is another British fraud and a well-designed colonial trap to perpetuate their control eternally over the affairs of this Island under the same old British Westminster system of Government, deceptively designed by Ivor Jennings. The foundation of this system of government is the Greeko-Roman and Germen traditions to which we are now accustomed to be governed for the past 69 years as a nation. The Law that prevailed in this country during this period was the Roman Dutch Law and it has come to stay as the Law of the land for all purposes. As such a sudden change over from that “Bread and Butter” of the legal world is almost unthinkable for our Westernized generation. So naturally they will revolt against this proposal. In order to rebut that argument I give here a bit of a revelation to show how small the Roman–Dutch law looks in our context when compared with our great and long native traditions of the yore.
The myth of the legitimacy and supremacy of the Roman Dutch Law in Sri Lanka
Roman Dutch Law under which we are governed at present (a Law based on Germanic customs and Roman Law) was introduced to the Maritime Provinces of the Island by the Dutch in 1652 with their taking over from the Portuguese who occupied it from 1505. British took over the Maritime Provinces in 1797 from Dutch and declared Roman Dutch law as the Law of the Maritime Provinces for the first time in 1799 by Royal Proclamation by Governor Francis North.
The Kandyan Provinces were ceded to Great Briton in 1815 by intrigue and deception hatched by D’Oyly by the Kandyan Convention between the two countries by which British agreed again deceptively to govern this country Sinhale (Ceylon, as they named it in their language, simply meaning ‘the Land of the Sinhala people’) according to the law of the Land with special provisions to protect Buddhism and institutions connected therewith (under sec 5). But this convention was unilaterally abrogated by Governor Brownwrig by a Royal Proclamation issued on 21st of November 1818 in the wake of the first Freedom struggle by the Sinhalese under Keppetipola Disava and thereafter the country was governed under Royal proclamations one after another and Orders issued by British Governors.
However Roman Dutch Law was introduced to the Kandyan Provinces only in 1852 in the wake of the 1848 second Freedom Struggle (Matale Rebellion as they called it) under order No 5 by the Governor George Anderson. Thereafter the Island was governed by the British under laws declared in Royal Proclamations by Governors and a Legislative Council set up in 1833 and an Executive Council (1931) up to 1948, under their full control to suit their hegemonic rule of the Colony.
History of Roman Dutch Law in Sri Lanka
Therefore actually the Roman Dutch Law has been used in our legal system all over the Island only after 1852. As such the total number of years it has been in use up to date (2021) is 169 years only. This in brief summarizes the short history of Roman Dutch Law in Sri Lanka.
So how silly it is to argue that a 169 year old legal system is more sacrosanct and irreplaceable than a 2122 year old native system that was in force on this land. Ours has deeper roots and it was an inherent part of the Sinhala Buddhist Civilization in our whole social fabric. What is more important is it is firmly and deeply established in our hearts and minds as a nation for two millennia and has its roots in Buddhist Tri Pitaka sometimes much older than the Greek and Roman traditions as evinced from the following quotation.
Marquess of Zetland Viceroy of India in his introduction to the Legacy of India has stated as follows
“Some interesting quotes on Democracy in Buddhism”,
“It is indeed to the Buddhist that we have to turn for an account of the manner in which the affairs of early examples of representative self-governing institutions were conducted. It may have come as a surprise to many to learn that in the assemblies of Buddhist in India two thousand years and more ago are to be found the rudiments of our own parliamentary practices of the present day. The dignity of the assembly was preserved by the appointment of a special officer the embryo of our Speaker in our House of Commons. A second officer was appointed whose duty was to see that when necessary a quorum was secured-the proto type of Chief Whip in our own system. A member initiating business did so in the form of a motion which was then open to discussion. In some cases, this was done once only, in others three times anticipating the practice of the Parliament in requiring that a bill be read a third time before it becomes law. If discussions disclosed a difference of opinion that was decided by the vote of the majority, the voting being by ballot”
So how can you say Roman Dutch Law is irreplaceable and much more important than our own system that was in full force on this soil for 2122 years under which a glorious Kingdom that was in par with the Roman Empire in the past, more than 2 millennia ago.
Those who argue against our indigenous systems are doing so, I think for four reasons. First, their ignorance of the existence of a native legal system; Second again their ignorance on the value of our own traditions and Laws. Third, their servility and superiority notion attached to the European traditions which most post -colonial generation people are accustomed to and fourth, their apathy and laziness to dig in to our past and finally their habitual underestimation of four own traditions.
The following evidence further confirms the recognition accorded to ancient Lanka and its traditions and Laws among other nations. “In the reign of King Bhaatikaabhaya (38-68 Ad) his envoy who was sent to Rome was seated next to Augustus Ceaser the Roman Emperor, on his right, when the two British Kings Karadock and Karattakak in exile as war prisoners were parading in front of Augustus Ceaser at the public square. (Source Plyni) This shows the high recognition accorded to Sri Lanka by Rome in its glorious days.
Furthermore I invite you to read the five lectures by Prof K.N.Jaaytilaka on “The Fundamental Principles of International Law and Buddhism” delivered at the Hague Academy in 1967, to understand how old and how deep our legal system had been.
In addition I would also like the New Committee to make a deep study of works of earl Modder, Armour, John D’Oyly, and Sawyer and T.b.Panabokka and Lamamesure and Legal Philosophy of Medieval Sinhale by Harischandara Wihetunga. I have no doubt that these sources will help the New Committee to dig out what is buried under sand. It is the conviction that matters here. I would like to remind the Sinhala Adage ‘Hita Atnam pata kudada” in this context. Let us think great of our own heritage and strive forward with determination and fortitude and work hard day and night until we reach the desired goal. That is how all great nations are found in world history. Let us stop degrading and despising ourselves. Isn’t it like spitting while you are looking up? It falls on your own face. Isn’t it?
Mr. President although I address you this note please treat this message as a one coming from all those 6.9 million who have voted and worked hard foryou. In conclusion I would like to remind you of a famous saying Mao Tsetung has once said “it is with the same hands that put you on the thrown that the people will again lift and throw you on the ground” This happens to all politicians who don’t listen to people who put them there and who don’t keep their promises.
Even if you also evade or neglect this golden opportunity for personal or other reasons, as all the politicians who are supposed to have ruled this country since 1948, I am confident that someone will do it someday, either through Constitutional or unconstitutional methods.
But as a person who was dreaming for your victory day and night still I like to see you do it so that I also can die happily as a man who has contributed in my own way for that noble mission..
