Govt. will make Lanka a province of India: Tilvin

The government is preparing to amend the constitution to benefit President Mahinda Rajapaksa and not the masses, said Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary Tilvin Silva during a media briefing at the party headquarters in Pelawatte this morning.

In 2005, President Mahinda Rajapaksa agreed with the JVP to abolish the Executive Presidency. A person can hold the office of President only for two terms, or six years according to the Constitution of Sri Lanka. However the President is trying to amend the constitution to be in power as long as he can, said Mr. Silva.

Adding further, Tilvin Silva said the people wanted a change in the present constitution to benefit them and not the President. But the President is bowing to the dictates of India in trying to amend the Constitution. The government has to first make the draft of the proposed amendments public so that the masses will know what sort of constitution they are getting. Or else the President will end up making Sri Lanka another province of India, charged the JVP General Secretary.

Furthermore, President Rajapaksa has directed that all Ministries and government institutions must invite the ‘Crown Prince’ – meaning Namal Rajapaksa – for any events or functions held by them. That is how Namal played cricket with the Bollywood stars at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Mr. Silva said.

Meanwhile the tea, coconut, rubber and other industries are going from bad to worse. The extent of land under paddy cultivation has been drastically reduced, making the country import rice to meet the demands.

According to the Central Bank, the import of potatoes, rice, sugar and onions have drastically risen. The country’s debt has also risen. The reduction of tax on vehicles was done as an attempt for the government to earn money faster by allowing more imports of vehicles, Tilvin Silva added.