Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa confirmed to parliament on Wednesday (10) that a draft new constitution, currently in the final stages of drafting by a committee headed by Romesh de Silva PC, will be ready by the end of the year.
Foreign Minister Prof G L Peiris had previously said at a ruling party press conference that the draft constitution will be ready for parliamentary perusal in January 2022.
Prime Minister Rajapaksa was speaking in response to a question raised by National People’s Power (NPP) parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
“We pledged a new constitution to the people as per the Vistas of Prosperity manifesto. We respect the mandate the people have given us. With the approval of the cabinet, the government has appointed a committee chaired by Romesh de Silva PC to draft a new constitution after identifying issues and shortcomings in the 1978 constitution which has been amended several times,” said the premier.
“The committee is tasked only with drafting the new constitution,” he added.
According to Rajapaksa, this functions separately to the recently appointed ‘One Country One Law’ presidential which is to make recommendations on bringing about “one law” that applies to all communities living in Sri Lanka abolishing personal laws such as the Muslim Marriages and Divorces Act (MMDA).
Rajapaksa said the committee comprises: Former President of the Court of Appeal Abdul A W Abdul Salam, Director of the Centre or the Study of Human Rights Prof (Mrs) Wasantha Seneviratne, Professor Emeritus of the Peradeniya University G H Peiris, Manohara de Silva PC, Sanjeewa Jayawardena PC, Samantha Ratwatte PC, Naveen Marapana PC, senior lecturer A Sarweswaran.
“The Ministry of Justice has informed us that the committee expects to complete the draft by the end of this year and that the process is currently at its final stage,” said Rajapaksa.
Speaking to reporters on October 18, Minister Peiris said: ““The constitution is the country’s supreme law. [However], it’s not set in stone. As the nature and the needs of society change, so too must the constitution.”
“It is a convoluted (vyhaakoola) process. To do this, the president appointed a committee comprising some of the best known lawyers and intellectuals in the country,” he added.
Peiris said parliament will have the opportunity to focus on the new constitution once the final vote on Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa’s inaugural budget has been taken.