Dr. Sudath Gunasekara Retired Ministry Secretary and Ex- President Sri Lanka Administrative Service 21.9.2017
Part 11 (continued from 18.9.2017
The golden gateway to this Kingdom and its political stability, peace and prosperity lays nowhere else but in the unity of the Sinhala nation sans party politics, under one National banner as a new political force.
In order to reach this goal first we have to find a Strong Sinhala Buddhist leader who has the courage and guts to make the clarion call boldly and openly and say that ‘this is the land of the Sinhala Buddhist nation’ as it had been for the past 2600 years and it will remain so for millennia to come.
In order to qualify to be accepted and nominated for the leadership of this country the aspirant Leader must first openly declare and promises before the Sacred Tooth Relict in front of a supreme gathering of distinguished Mahasangha representing all the Districts led by the four Machanayaka Theras of the Three Nikayas that he will protect the Tooth Relict and the Sasana, the country, the Nation and uphold the Constitution of the Republic if he is selected end elected as the President of the country and
1 First he must declare and affirms that He is a Sinhala Buddhist citizen of this country owes no allegiance to any other and promise that he will faithfully perform the duties and discharge the functions of the office of the President of this country in accordance with the Constitution of the country for the good and happiness of the people and protects the country, the nation and the Sasana, if he is selected and elected as the President of this country and relinquish his powers and position on his own immediately, if he fails to do so.
(He must also present his proposed Cabinet in person to the country and the Mahanayaka Theras at this gathering so that people will know before hand as the team to whom they are going to give power)
Thereafter
He should present his manifesto to the Mahasangha and vouch that he will undertake to implement his national plan.
Proposed draft of a national action Plan
1 Will declare this Country once again a Sinhala Buddhist Kingdom called Sinhale as it had been called for millennia up to 1815 and even the British did so up to 1948 by calling it Ceylon which also means the Land of the Sinhalese. Only in 1972 we adopted the word Sri Lanka officially replacing Ceylon, though it also had been used alongside with Sinhale for millennia.(However if the people agree we may continue to use the term Sri Lanka for International dealings as it is the word by which this country is known all over the world at present)
(The minorities who wish to continue as citizens of this country should accept this non-negotiable and in-alienable stark fact and agree to live amicably with the majority and they will also be required to declare that they will not demand to be recognized as separate nations or will never agitate for separation or claim for separate States within the sovereign territory of this Island nation as they have been doing for the past 71 years, both within this country and abroad. Those who violate these condition and who canvas against the Government in foreign forums should be dealt with for treason).
2 Will make Sinhala the official Language of this country
3 Declare Buddhism as the State Religion and established a Ministry of Buddhist Affairs directly under the Head of the State as it had been from the day it was introduced to this country in the 4th Century BC while guaranteeing the right to profess other religions with restrictions to manifest, propagate and teach as stipulated in 14 (e) in the present Constitution
4 Action will be taken to protect all archaeological and Buddhist heritage sites all over the Island and more particularly in the North and the East that have been destroyed by the LTTE and Muslims
5 Ban all ethnic or religious political parties and Ban all forms of communal segregation
6 Declare one Common law for the whole country for all communities as it is the case in all other countries and abolish Thesawalamei and Muslim law created by Portuguese, Dutch and British as separate laws for Tamils and Muslims to divide the nation that was governed by one law up to that time introduced Roman and Dutch law to Sinhalese only to destroy their customary laws.
7 Will Scrap the 1987 Rajiv/JR Accord
8 Abolish the 13th Amendment and the Provincial Councils including the very Provinces set up by the British to destroy the Sinhala Buddhists identity of this country and have one unitary (Ekiiya) Government for the whole country administered by 25 Districts, divided in to the Purana Tun Rata, headed by professional Public Servants assisted by an efficient and impartial Public Service to be governed by a central Government operating from the capital
9 Have a Rajya Sabha of 150 MPP elected under former electorate system so that ech electorate will have an MP
10 The National list will be abolished
11 Set up a Uttara Mantri Mandalaya of not more than 35 eminent patriotic statesmen, one for each district and the rest appointed. The Uttara Mantri Mandalaya is proposed as a mechanism of check and balances against the deficiencies of the Rajya Sabha.
- The native Village Council System will be restored to make Governance more democratic and meaningful in place of present Pradesiya Sabha at the Korala level as it had been before.
13 The present political system will be replaced with a cultured, educated, exemplary and patriotic set of politicians who consider service to people and the country as the hallmark of their noble mission.
14 Lay down minimum Wealth, education, integrity and character requirements for politicians
15 Formulate a strict code of ethics and conduct for politicians at all levels and it will legalized with recall provisions for errant MPP.
16 Will make permanent residence of at least 5 years within the electorate compulsory for candidates to to qualify for nomination.
17 Remove the adage Hon from all politicians.
18 limit the Cabinet to 15 including the Prime Minister
- Make a new Constitution based on history, culture and traditions of the country within six months after consulting all citizens of this country
- Ask Tamils and Muslims not to try to identify as separate nations in this country. Those who want to do so must go back to either India or Arabia
21 Retain the Executive Presidential System as it had been our tradition from the beginning of history, for 2600 years with safeguards to prevent the President becoming a dictator.
22 Change the electoral system, and see whether we can have a system of Govt without Political parties. Create a new Political culture
23, One National Anthem in Sinhala,
- Govern the country according to Buddhist tenets say 10 Raja Dharma, Pansil and Satara Sangra Vastu.
25 Take a national census to identify true citizens and deport all illicit immigrants settled during Rajiv’s time in the North and East and thereafter
26 Ban Muslims marrying Sinhala women
27 Introduce strict legislation to protect our land and resources with a fool proof Land policy. No land or asset will be sold to foreign countries
28 Indian estate Tamil labourers who wish to be citizens of this country must integrate with the Sinhala nation in terms of the Nehru/Kotalawala Accord of 1954 as it had been done from the inception of history by all immigrants to this country
29 Grant citizenship only on the basis stipulated in the Nehru/Kotalawala Pact of 1954 as they have done in earlier and medieval times. Those who are not prepared to do so must leave to their countries of origin. This rule is being enforced even in Australia, Russia and North America.
30 Restore the Independence of the Judiciary and the Public Service to ensure good Governance and make meritocracy the whole mark of selection, appointment, promotion and placement.
- Scrap the present scheme of duty free vehicles to politicians and top rung Public servants
32 Stop all extravagant benefits and perks and privileges like pensions to politicians
33 All foreign assistance to any region, community or institution as it is presently done particularly by India to Tamils and by Arab countries to Muslims will be banned and all such aid that comes to the country only through the Treasury and spent though the State machinery
34 Scrap the Ministry of Upcountry Tamil Village and infrastructure Development
35 Set up a Ministry of Kandyan Peasantry Development to implement the Recommendations of the KPC Report of 1951 and launch a broad Village –Estate Integration programme for both the Kandyan Peasants and estate Tamils who will be qualified under Nehru/Kotalawala Agreement
36 Do away with the International school system and integrate them to the national education system making them compulsory to follow the policies of the national education system and make teaching of Sri Lankan history Buddhism and Sinahala language compulsory in all schools
37 Will a complete national renaissance programme like changing the vestiges of colonial place names, institutions, and even names of men and women. Restore the Temple based Social structure and education etc to make freedom and national identity complete
38 Stop selling national assets to foreign countries
39 Close down Diplomatic missions with hostile countries and will have diplomatic relations only with countries friendly to us
40 S et up a Supreme National Advisory Council composed of the four Mahanayaka Theras 3 religious dignitaries to represent the other three religions the Head of the Public Service, President of the Upper House and five other eminent and erudite monks recommended by the Mahanayaka Theros and the Attorney General
- Introduce a recall mechanism for errant MPP
42 Have by elections for all seats falling vacant by death, resignation or expulsion
43 Introduce capital punishments for robing and misuse of State funds
- Stop the present system of giving voted funds to MPP and all such funds will be disbursed through the Government machinery
45 Establish a National planning Council to under the umbrella of which all National Planning will be done
46 If I win the Presidential elections I will perform my swear in ceremony of new Office at the Sri Dalada Maiigawa in front of the Sacred Tooth and the Four Mahanayaka Theras and the Chief Justice of the country in keeping with the ancient tradition.
47 A National Planning Council in charge of overall Planning for all the Ministries
48 Uttaritara Advisory Council composed of the following 15 persons
1 The Mahnayaka Theras of the three Nikayas 4
2 Mahanayaka Theras of Kalyani,Rohana and Dambulu 3
3 Two Erudite Maha Theras nominated by the Four Mahanayaka Theras 2
4 Three religious dignitaries to represent Hindu. Catholic and Muslim 3
5 Attorney General 1
6 President Uttara Mantri Mandalaya 1
7 The chief Officer of the Public Service 1
49 Will restore capital punishment
50 Will make legislation to confiscate property and impose capital punishment to politicians and Public servants who are found guilty of robing public money and misuse government property.
These are few random ideas that came to my mind only. I invite Readers to add their contribution to this list so that there could be a live debate on this issue.