Protect Unitary Status – Defuse Racism

The Society for peace Unity and Human Rights (SPUR) is a 16 year old human rights organisation operating in Australia, dedicated to protecting the unitary status and the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.  We have been active in countering denigration of  Sri Lanka and challenging the spread of malicious misinformation. During the last 16 years, SPUR has been urging the Sri Lankan Government, including President Rajapaksa’s government to repeal the 13th Amendment to Sri Lanka’s constitution. The 13th Amendment, rammed down Sri Lanka’s throat in 1987 by then unfriendly India:

• Risks Balkanising unitary Sri Lanka providing a fertile ground for separatism parroted by political parties such as the TNA
• Encourages racist, political activism similar to what is being practiced by the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress during the recently concluded Eastern Provincial Council elections
• Provides opportunities for foreign funded NGO’s such as the Centre for Policy Alternative to boldly challenge and obstruct the implementation of progressive government policy such as the Divineguma Bill, drafted to benefit the poor
• Discourages the cultivation of a “one Sri Lanka” culture by encouraging provincial based, racist parochialism freely practiced by the likes of the TNA and the SLMC
• Threatens national unity by giving minority political parties disproportionate power, allowing them to secure racial based programmes
• Allows external interference in Sri Lanka’s domestic governance evidenced by TNA’s frequent visits to India, using Tamil Nadu as the ‘Trojan Horse’ to follow their racist and divisive Eealm agenda.

All Sri Lankans paid a tremendous economic, social and environmental price for eradicating Tamil Tiger Terrorism from Sri Lanka. It is time to expunge the provincial council based on parochial racism from Sri Lanka. We urge President Rajapksa’s government to:

• Repeal the 13 Amendment.
• Consider establishing village and district based, development centric institutional structure with elected representatives to empower decision making at grass-root level.
• Get rid of the number of politicians populating a bloated four-tier governance arrangement in Sri Lanka, draining the public purse.

With the repealing of the 13th Amendment, Sri Lanka will prosper as a Unitary State where people will live as one enjoying the full gamut of human rights equitably. At present, the toxic 13th amendment provides a safe heaven and a camouflage for separatists, racists and international agents to freely prosecute their agenda to Balkanise Sri Lanka.

Its time to once and for all to extricate ourselves from the political handcuffs put on us by the Indians nearly 25 years ago.

MEDIA RELEASE – 26 October 2012

RANJITH SOYSA spokesperson SPUR SPUR   (Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lanka Inc)  Australia

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