The All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) warned that any constitutional amendments to remove minority parties from the Parliament are anti-democratic adding that ‘there’s a danger to end of reconciliation achieved by hard work over a period of time’.
“People are disturbed of new government’s intentions to side-line minority parties by amending the constitution” said the Leader of ACMC, Vanni District MP Rishad Bathiudeen. ACMC Leader Bathiudeen was addressing the Parliament on 8 January.
“There is a need to amend the constitution and ACMC also supports a stronger constitution for Sri Lanka that respects everyone’s social and political rights.
However, President’s intention, to amend the constitution appears to be aimed at reducing the power of minority political parties among others.
Minority parties of a country represent the voice of all minorities including ethnic, political and other representations” said Bathiudeen MP.
“These parties grow in to being since major political parties do not have “political space” for their weak voices.
ACMC is one such party among many parties and Sri Lankan minority communities have these small parties as their only voice in parliament.
These minority parties played a major role in bringing militant youth back to democracy. For example the JVP and some Tamil parties worked to bring militant youth back to democracy and today they are successful public representatives and MPs.
(LI)