A discussion on efforts to draft a new Constitution was organized by the Tamil Lawyers’ Forum and held in Colombo on March 2.
The meeting brought together Members of Parliament and representatives of Tamil political parties representing the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
The discussion was coordinated by Attorney-at-Law K.S. Rathnavel, President’s Counsel V. Puvitharan, Professor A. Sarveshwaran, Attorney-at-Law Suganthi Rajakulendran, Attorney-at-Law V.S. Niranjan, Attorney-at-Law Ranitha Gnanaraj, and Attorney-at-Law Mariyathas Jude Dinesh.
During the meeting, participants adopted a common resolution, stating that a federal constitutional framework is essential to achieve a lasting solution to the ethnic issue faced by the Tamil people.
The resolution also acknowledged the aspirations of the Tamil people, including sovereignty and the right to self-determination.
Participants further agreed to prepare a draft framework for a social contract between the Tamil and Sinhalese communities, along with a comprehensive constitutional draft outlining the core principles of federalism to be included in the proposed Constitution.
Those present also resolved that all Members of Parliament and party representatives who took part in the discussion would continue to work collectively on matters related to the new Constitution.
It was further agreed that they would not engage individually or separately on a party basis in constitutional discussions with the Government of Sri Lanka.
According to the consensus reached at the meeting, future constitutional efforts will be carried out in several stages through continued collaboration between the Tamil Lawyers’ Forum and Tamil political parties.
